Business Office Cleaning Tips

Over my 33 years in the office cleaning business, I have accumulated cleaning tips and methods that save time and improve the quality of the job being done. Some of these I have learned from my clients as to what they like to see and expect from an office cleaning. Others I have learned by observing and testing the quickest and most efficient ways to do a janitorial job.

Trash Can Handling

If the office has more than a few cans, use a rolling trash barrel, lined with a large bag. Collecting trash in a bag without a barrel is problematic in that liquids can leak through the collection bag and make a mess!

Trash bags should be replaced if the bag is full, wet or dirty at all. Extra bags can be kept at the bottom of the can for easy access or kept on your belt or the nearby rolling barrel.

Always push the bottom of the bag to the bottom of the can before securing the top. Otherwise, the tie at the top traps air in the bag and reduces useable can space (my clients hate that!).

Tie up the excess bag at the top of the can neatly. The quickest way to do this is not with a knot, which is commonly done, but by gathering the excess bag at one corner of the can, twisting it several times, tucking it under the twist next to the corner, then pulling it tight by pulling down on the bag inside the can. If practiced, this technique can save considerable time over the knot-tie method.

Lastly, be sure to put the trash can back exactly where it was before. Trash cans are used automatically many times per day. A can out of place is a real annoyance to the worker using it. Have you ever had your trash can moved?

Dust Removal

Use microfiber cloths, rather than any other cloth. they are designed to absorb and hold the dust and dirt better than any other material. They accomplish this by having tiny hollow fibers that attract and hold dirt particles.

When soiled, launder microfiber cloths only with other microfiber and never with cotton cloths. Cotton sheds lint that will clog the hollow microfibers and make the cloths less efficient in absorbing dust and dirt.

Keep the microfiber cloths dry or only slightly damp for dust removal. If too wet, they turn the dust to mud and leave dirt behind in streaks and film.

The shinier the surface, the cleaner the cloth and more careful the wiping needs to be in order to avoid visible dust left behind. Watch that surface with both eyes when wiping!

When dust wiping an area of clutter or small items such as on a shelf or desk, unless removing all items is called for, use a feather duster around the small items and the microfiber cloth on open surfaces (one in each hand).

Wipe vertical as well as horizontal furniture surfaces for dust, although vertical surfaces are not needed to be wiped as often as horizontal.

When dust wiping a room, always look in the corners of the room, at ceiling, corners, at lights, and around windows for spiderwebs to remove. Cobwebs are especially a problem in summer when spiders are more active. The point is to look for them. They are not obvious except to the bored worker sitting at his desk!

Ralph Temps
Owner
Ability Maintenance Service