Office Cleaning Services: How To DIY and When To Hire Help

Office Cleaning Services: How To DIY and When To Hire Help

No matter the size of your office or the type of industry, office spaces need to be clean, and cleaning procedures need to be in place. The question when it comes to cleaning procedures is often: “Who will do them?”
Let’s dive into how offices can be cleaned with an in-house team and when it’s time to hire professional cleaning help like No More Dust Maid Services. But first, let’s talk about the benefits and importance of providing a clean office.

Benefits of a Clean Office

A clean office and tidy workspace has many benefits that include increased productivity and boosting morale. When employees don’t have to spend their time cleaning and instead focus on their crucial tasks, morale increases. Employees are happier working in a clean area, and walking into a pristine office every morning makes them proud of where they work. A clean office will also impress clients, partners, and visitors when they drop by.
The average employee loses nine days of work per year due to sickness, and an unkept office space may add to these sick days. When air ducts are clean and surfaces are sanitized, you can prevent the spread of germs and keep everyone in your office safe from illnesses. Dirty air filters can lead to long-term illnesses like respiratory diseases, recurring headaches, and even cancer when employees are exposed regularly.

What is Needed for In-House Cleaning?

If you opt to take care of office cleaning services in-house, things can get overwhelming. Enlisting the help of employees to clean most likely won’t go over well, as they want to keep focused on the essential work they were hired to do. It’s often not in the company’s best interest to have employees help with office cleaning, which means the tasks are left to office managers or assistants.
Here’s what you’ll need to implement DIY office cleaning successfully.

Supplies

Cleaning supplies are among the most important factors needed in DIY cleaning and can come with a hefty price tag. If you’re starting from square one and have no cleaning supplies, you can expect to pay $300–$500 ... and that’s just on basic cleaning supplies. You’ll also need equipment like vacuums, brooms, brushes, and towels that come with additional costs.
Besides the average cleaning tasks, like sweeping the floor and dusting blinds, other tasks fall under the cleaning services umbrella. If you decide to clean the office yourself, you’ll also be responsible for restocking bathroom supplies, unclogging drains, and deep cleaning — all of which a commercial cleaning company can handle instead.
A shortlist of cleaning supplies needed for in-house cleaning are:
Rubber gloves
Mop
Broom
Duster
Towels and microfiber cloths
Toilet brush
Sponges and brushes
Liquid soap and sanitizer

Time

DIY office cleaning not only involves a financial investment but a time investment as well.
The time needed to implement office cleaning tasks adequately depends on the size of your office and how much foot traffic you receive.
In small offices with few employees and limited visitors, wiping down surfaces and restocking paper towels every so often may not take much time to do. You might be able to do all cleaning tasks once a week, which doesn’t take too much time off your hands.
On the other hand, businesses with large office spaces, multiple meeting rooms, and many employees can get dirty quickly and will often need a lot of cleaning. For offices within these parameters, it’s advised to clean daily to keep dust, grime, and dirt at bay.
Appropriate office cleaning means keeping all spaces clean, not just cleaning when areas get dirty — otherwise, employees will complain about messes.
When implementing an in-office cleaning method, you’ll have to set aside time or ask employees to help, taking away from their crucial work and most likely frustrating them.

Knowledge

To implement DIY office cleaning, you’ll also need cleaning knowledge about supplies and tactics. You’ll need to know what products are best to use so you don’t damage anything in the office. It’s all too easy to use the wrong cleaner on floors, making them slippery and unsafe, or attempt to clean a spot off furniture and end up bleaching the upholstery.
When it comes to cleaning tactics, you’ll need to know best practices, like how dry dusting isn’t as beneficial as dusting with a wet cloth, or how often air filters should be changed for optimum lifespan and air quality.

When To Know It’s Time To Hire Office Cleaning Help

Arguably, one of the most beneficial reasons to hire an office cleaning company is because they take over everything — from providing supplies to the right equipment. They’re also knowledgeable about the best cleaning tactics.
When cleaning tasks start to take up too much time and cause more stress than they should, it’s time to hire a professional cleaning company. Here are a few signs that it’s time to hire office cleaning help.

The Office Is Dirty

One of the most obvious signs that you need to hire commercial cleaning help is when the office is visibly dirty. When grime builds up on surfaces, spills on desks aren’t wiped up, and dust bunnies start to hide in all corners of your office, the cleaning you’re doing in-house is not working.
A visibly dirty office shows a lack of professionalism and makes employees feel like you don’t respect them or their work environment.
Constant cleaning and upkeep will ensure equipment isn’t damaged, office spaces are sanitized, and guests and employees leave the building impressed.

Employees Are Frustrated

Keeping morale high is an important factor in running a successful business, and one of the ways to boost morale and productivity is to keep a clean work environment.
If employees begin to grunt and pout when they’re asked to clean, or you can tell productivity has dropped, it’s time to hire an office cleaning company.
Plus, when employees are spending more time cleaning, they are spending less time doing critical tasks. When the vital tasks don’t get completed, businesses suffer.
Instead of hurting employee mood and productivity, hire a commercial cleaning service.

More Sick Days Are Being Taken

If employees call out sick more often than they did previously, it’s time to hire a cleaning company.
While all sick days cannot be attributed to a dirty work environment, it is likely to play some role in the number of sick days being taken. Sick building syndrome is used to describe “situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building,” according to the EPA.
Causes of sick building syndrome include improper air ventilation, dirty air filters, and the presence of chemical contaminants — another reason why knowing the right products to use when it comes to office cleaning is crucial.

Increase in Foot Traffic

An increase in foot traffic is another reason to enlist the help of a commercial cleaning company.
While COVID-19 precautions were in full force, it may have been easier to keep up with office cleaning tasks since employees were still working remotely and client meetings were virtual. As many businesses get back to having in-person meetings again, there will be an increased need for office cleaning.
An unkempt office area is a significant risk when clients and partners could pop in for a visit.

What’s Best for Your Business?

In many cases, office cleaning can be done in-house, but it’s not usually something that can be kept up forever. As businesses grow and foot traffic increases, keeping up with all it takes to provide a clean and tidy office space gets stressful and overwhelming.

When it comes to DIY office cleaning or hiring commercial cleaning help, figure out what is feasible for your business.