A new year gives you the opportunity to start fresh. Since we tend to spend a majority of our lives at work, it makes a lot of sense to make sure you keep the workplace efficient and clean.

When you keep your office clean, your employees and visitors enjoy the benefits of a hygienic and visually appealing office. The benefits of a clean and tidy office include increased productivity and less days off sick are among the many benefits.

Desk areas

Your desk area can harbour thousands of germs, especially your computer, mouse and keyboard. To avoid these festering germs, clean your computer, keyboard and mouse with antibacterial wipes or sprays as often as possible. Particularly if you’re one of those office workers who eats lunch at their desk.

Your drawers, whilst not as frequently used as your desk and laptop, can still harbour germs and dust. Go through drawers regularly, getting rid of clutter and sort through paperwork.

If you tend to keep your lunch in your drawer, make sure you don’t keep them in there for too long as they can become breeding grounds for germs and often leave an unpleasant smell in the office. If possible, leave them in the fridge in the kitchen.

Toilets

Cleaning the bathroom is extremely important to maintaining the health and wellbeing of staff. The sinks, toilets and bathroom floors should be cleaned thoroughly every day to eliminate employees becoming unwell.

Ensure bins are emptied and that there is enough toilet room, soap and paper towels. Polish all mirrors and wipe down any surfaces and door handles with sanitiser. It may also be worth putting an air fragrance spray in the bathroom to get rid of any unpleasant odours.

Floors

Vacuuming and mopping the floors can make all the difference. There are usually a number of visitors and employees walking in and out throughout the day in the office which can bring a lot of dust and grime along with it.

Vacuuming the floors on a daily basis and mopping it with a disinfectant cleaner is a definite addition to any comprehensive office cleaning checklist.

Cleaning the floors is best done at the end of each day. However, if you need to clean during the day, ensure you put a warning sign up to advise people that the floor is wet.

Kitchen area

The office refrigerators are mostly used to keep food and cold beverages. Other appliances such as the microwave or toaster should be kept clean and wiped down after each use.

If your office has a coffee machine, ensure that it is stain free and cleaned on a regular basis. Cleaning such appliances are recommended on a weekly basis. If there are spills or odours, then these should be cleaned up immediately.

The fridge should be emptied at the end of each week with any foods that have expired thrown away.  All colleagues should take a responsibility for the cleanliness of the kitchen as it is a shared space. Put up signs around the kitchen to remind employees to wipe up any spillages and leave the kitchen as they would expect to find it.

By making small steps toward keeping your workspace clean and organised will go a long way. Habits such as keeping your workspace tidy at the end of each day and filing away excess papers at the end of each week may take time to complete. But the benefit is starting the next day or week in a clutter-free environment which allows you to approach your work with a more positive attitude.