A clean office isn’t just about first impressions.  On average, each of us spends about 8 hours a day in our office and some of us more.  A clean, well-maintained office is free of allergens, germs, and other factors that can cause illness or workplace distraction.  Indeed, there are many good reasons to keep a clean office from impressing a new client to improving worker productivity.

So let’s take a moment to talk about first impressions.  When you enter a home that is disorganized, poorly maintained, or even dirty, what are your initial thoughts?  You probably think the homeowner cares little for their health and well-being, and you may even judge them as lazy and unproductive.  Do you honestly think a dirty office doesn’t convey the same image?  Whether you are seeing clients or greeting a VIP in your office, the space needs to be clear of piled documents, scuffed floors, and dirty windows.  If your office looks a mess, you can be sure executives and potential clients alike will judge you harshly.  Your office space ultimately represents the pride you take in your job, even if you never consider that fact.  Most importantly, first impressions sometimes cannot be overcome, which is an even more important reason to keep your office clean.

In addition to impressions, a clean office promotes productivity and employee health.  In fact, unsanitary and disorganized offices can have a direct impact on worker health.  Germs are spread easily between people, and shared office equipment can help to ensure that illness spreads quickly and indiscriminately.  Desks, computers, keyboards, and telephones should be wiped down regularly to prevent the spread of infectious disease.  Moreover, individuals with compromised immune systems or those suffering from conditions such as asthma will benefit greatly from working in a hygienic office space.  Likewise, piled boxes, misplaced office furniture, and other signs of an untidy workplace can even pose a physical threat to your employees in the form of trip hazards.  So, a dirty office can also be a risk with respect to litigation associated with employee injury.

Even if you are aware of the threat of infection and take steps to maintain sanitary working conditions, a disorganized office can also have a negative impact on worker morale and productivity.  The best and most efficient offices are highly organized and free of clutter.  Multiple studies have shown that employees are happier and work harder when their office environment is clean and orderly.  This is because workers can focus their energy on the most important tasks at hand rather than wasting time managing a messy desk.

As you can clearly see, a clean, organized office not only promotes a positive image for your company, but it also limits workplace illness and injury with the side benefit of improving worker efficiency.

Paying for a professional office cleaning service just makes sense for most business owners.  Professional cleaners can usually customize their services to your individual cleaning needs ensuring that office spaces are in optimal condition and allow for better worker efficiency.  Still, if you are paying for a service, you need to have some way to guarantee your needs are being fulfilled.  In many cases, commercial cleaners will provide you with a checklist that determines which services they will provide.  You should consider adapting such a checklist so that you can follow-up with cleaners when certain jobs are not being completed.  The following list of important cleaning services will help you develop your own list that will help you evaluate your cleaning services by allowing you to regularly check what has been done.

Entrance/Reception/Office Areas

• Garbage is removed
• Garbage bags are replaced
• Recycling is removed
• Carpets and mats are vacuumed
• Hard floors are vacuumed and/or mopped with disinfectant
• Office furniture has been vacuumed
• Horizontal surfaces of desks, chairs, tables and other furniture has been dusted
• Horizontal surfaces have been wiped with disinfectant
• Phones and computers are wiped down
• Cobwebs or other signs of insects have been cleaned
• Fingerprints have been wiped clean from light switches and door frames
• Glass doors and windows have been cleaned inside and out
• Brass or chrome work has been polished
• Walls and painted surfaces are spot cleaned
• Litter, bottles, and other debris has been removed from entrances and surrounding property
• Offices have an overall tidy appearance

Toilet/Bathroom Areas

• Toilet paper is stocked
• Hand towels are stocked
• Hand soap is replaced
• Garbage bins are emptied and bags are replaced
• Mirrors are cleaned and polished
• Hand towel cabinets and hand dryers have been wiped
• Stall doors have been wiped with disinfectant
• Toilets and urinals are cleaned and disinfected and wiped dry
• Sinks are cleaned and disinfected
• Bright work is polished
• The tops of mirrors and doors have been dusted
• Counters have been wiped and disinfected
• Bathroom floors are mopped with disinfectant
• Kitchen/Break Room
• Sinks, fixtures, and countertops have been wiped and disinfected
• The stove top and refrigerator surfaces have been cleaned
• The microwave has been wiped inside and out
• Cabinets are dusted and/or damp wiped
• Light fixtures have been wiped to remove
• Tables and chairs have been wiped and disinfected
• Trash cans are emptied and disinfected
• Garbage bags are replaced

Stairs/Elevators

• Litter and garbage has been removed
• Brass and bright work has been polished
• Hard floors have been vacuumed and/or mopped
• Glass or other surfaces in elevators or stairwells have been wiped clean

Keep in mind this is just a basic list of office cleaning requirements.  You’ll want to carefully consider your own office environment and determine which cleaning tasks are most important to you.

When you try to put it into perspective, your office is a place where you spend nearly a third of your time.  For most of us, from Monday to Friday, we spend roughly half of our waking hours in an office so we want it to be comfortable and conducive to work.  Aside from desks, computers, and other office equipment, there are many aspects of an office that should be cleaned regularly in order to maintain a productive working environment.  Regardless of the type of business or industry you’re in, organization is a key to efficiency and accuracy in the workplace; and cleanliness is one important aspect of organization.

So as you can see the benefits of a clean office are closely connected with being successful in your job.  Desks that are swamped with files and papers or to-do lists can make it difficult to maintain focus on the task at hand.  Papers should be stored and filed properly, and work spaces should be kept orderly to ensure an organized approach to the day’s tasks.  But let’s be realistic, not everybody works the same, so not everybody will have a tidy desk.  Nevertheless, there are other benefits of having a clean office that extend beyond the appearance of a few workers’ desks.

First, in many industries, client confidentiality is a major concern.  As identity theft becomes a bigger and bigger problem in today’s technologically advanced societies, companies are implementing strict guidelines with respect to protecting the personal information of clients.  Indeed, a clean office can actually help maintain client confidentiality as it is less likely that important documents will be misplaced, inadvertently disposed of, or misfiled in a clean and orderly office.  Plus, disorder leads to inefficiency.  We can all relate to misplacing an important piece of information and spending valuable time searching for it.  An organized employee with a tidy desk will be less likely to lose important documents or notes and therefore will spend more time on important tasks.

Moreover, many business owners want to ensure workplace cleanliness in order to make a good impression on customers.  When clients or other visitors enter a dirty office, they will likely judge the company so far as to even deem it unprofessional.  On the other hand, a clean and well-maintained office will give the impression of efficiency and productivity.  As much as we learn never to judge a book by its cover, sometimes we can’t overcome our first impressions making it even more important to keep a clean office.

Finally, messy offices can even be hazardous.  Hygiene is important, no doubt, but cluttered offices offer greater potential for risk.  Indeed, it is much easier to identify possible hazards in a clean office than an untidy office.  From trip hazards to chemical spills, the risk of accident or injury is considerably lower in a clean office.