Tips for Cleaning Offices During the Holidays
With the holidays coming up, there will be parties, get togethers and all kinds of merriment that are usually enjoyed with great food and drink. Of course this all happens at the workplace, which means more cleaning for the office custodians. If you work in an office then it is likely you will have to clean your office sometime over the holidays.
Most offices look forward with joy to some time off, but cleaning their office is something they don’t want to think about. This can easily lead to a messy and unorganized office when employees return in January. It will be stressful for everyone, starting the new year with a mess to tidy up.
This article will give you tips for cleaning offices during the holidays, so that everyone has a pleasant experience when they return.
Tips For Cleaning Offices During the Holidays
The office is a busy place and with the busyness comes mess. Here are some suggestions for maintaining cleanliness in the office during the holidays.
Empty trash bins, and replace with new liners.
Top! Let’s get started! We’ve all got a lot to do. The first thing we need to do is grab a trash liner from the cupboard and empty out the trash bins. Make sure you’re grabbing the right size bag for the bin. Once that’s done, place a fresh bag in the bin and throw out the full one.
Wash windows and blinds.
The holidays are a good time to wash those dirty windows and blinds. Most people are not in the office during this time so no one will bother you while you work. If You’re like most people, you probably stopped washing your windows when the weather started turning cool. But now that the holidays are coming, it’s time to clean those windows again. They need to be spotless to let in as much light as possible.
Now is also a good time of year to wash blinds and curtains, especially if they haven’t been cleaned in a while. To speed up the process, take down the blinds or curtains and lay them flat on a towel on the floor. Then use a handheld vacuum with a brush attachment to remove dust from them. When they’re free of dust, wash them in cold water and let them dry outside on a sunny day.
Vacuum carpets and wash floors.
Vacuuming carpets will help remove dirt and dust from carpet fibers. Washing floors will remove old dirt that has been tracked into the office over the course of the year. Vacuuming is a must in December, but it should be done only after everyone has left for the day
Dust all surfaces including desks, chairs, filing cabinets, etc.
Dust all surfaces including desks, chairs, filing cabinets, etc. Do not forget to dust the ceiling fans and light fixtures as well. Use a vacuum to clear out all cob webs from the corners of your office and hard to reach places such as ceilings, underneath desks and furniture, etc. Dust all windowsills and window blinds as well as artwork hanging on the walls with a duster or feather duster.
Clean bathrooms thoroughly including toilets, sinks, mirrors and tile walls. Bathrooms can get very dirty and germy especially during cold seasons when employees have colds or flus. Make sure to clean around toilet seats as well as on top of toilet tanks and behind them too!
Clean exterior of bathroom cabinets if necessary. Wipe down doors and any woodwork in the bathroom.
Pack up office holiday decorations.
If your office is hosting a holiday party, be sure that the decorations are put away before you begin cleaning. Gather up all of the tinsel, garland and other seasonal items and pack them away for next year. If you don’t, they will get in your way as you clean.
There are several ways to store your holiday decorations. You can wrap them in tissue paper and place them in large storage bins or plastic storage containers. It is also a good idea to use labels so that you know which containers hold which types of items.
If you have leftover holiday cards, take some time to open them and read the sentiments written inside. Then place them in a recycling bin if they are not worth saving.
Clean Coffee/break room:
Clean out the refrigerator and wipe it down. Take out all cans, bottles, and food from vending machines. Throw away any outdated products.
If you use paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils for meals, throw them away and replace them with a new supply. If you use regular dishes and silverware, wash them and put them away until next year. Make sure to clean the dishwasher filter. – Straighten up the coffee area and make sure all supplies are stocked (sugar, creamer, stirrers, etc.).
Restock your cleaning supplies.
It’s important to have a certain amount of supplies on hand, but not so much that they’re taking up valuable space. For instance, if you keep all-purpose cleaners throughout your office building you probably don’t need a bottle in every storage closet or janitorial room. Instead, keep a few bottles in strategic locations and make sure your cleaning staff is checking to see if more supplies are needed before ordering more.
Check all equipment for damages or malfunctions.
Before the holidays approach, it’s important to make sure all of your equipment is in good working order. If any pieces of equipment aren’t working quite right, you should replace them as soon as possible. If there are any pieces of equipment that need to be ordered well in advance, it’s best to get those orders in now so you can have them replaced before the holidays kick into full swing.
Conclusion
When it comes to keeping and maintaining a clean office, being prepared is the name of the game. If you keep your cleaning supplies stocked and organized, then there’s less chance of missing something when the time actually comes to scrub a toilet or wipe down a desk. And even though it may seem like nothing special, these small gestures can help earn you some brownie points with your boss.
When everyone likes what you’re doing, they pay more attention to you and they want to support everything else that you do. So make sure to promote yourself!
If you’re doing great work at cleaning up the office while everyone is distracted by the holiday parties, don’t be shy about letting your boss know how much of a help you’ve been. And hey—the next time a promotion comes around, you’ll be in all the right people’s minds to move forward in your career.