Breathing in dust over long periods is thought to reduce lung function. There is also speculation that unclean workspaces can exacerbate chronic conditions like asthma and skin sensitivities.
Even if people don’t have adverse health reactions to dirty spaces, most professionals would agree that a non-tidy environment is one that wreaks havoc on productivity and emotional well-being.
All of that is why companies collectively invest millions of dollars every year in professional office cleaning services.
Whether you’re a cleaning professional or just somebody that wants to keep their personal office clean via DIY elbow-grease, avoiding the following office cleaning mistakes can help you get the most out of your efforts.
Keep reading to discover what to avoid when you’re trying to give an office an efficient and effective clean.
Table of Contents
Not Investing in the Right Chemicals
You may have walked down a cleaning product aisle before and saw hundreds of different cleaners all advertising their ability to clean different surfaces.
That abundance of choices may have tempted you to purchase a single high-powered cleaner and use it for various cleaning tasks as opposed to buying a single cleaner for each of your cleaning duties.
Fight that temptation.
Using glass cleaner on wood surfaces, wood cleaners on walls, etc. can cause serious damage. That damage might be abrasions, stains, and other unsightly, irreparable marks.
Using Abrasive Scrubbers
When cleaning, there are very few reasons why you should be using abrasive scrubbers. Abrasive scrubbers may help you scrape gunk off of surfaces.
There’s a good chance though that they’ll also, when used with commercial cleaning products, erode surfaces.
While it may take more effort, we recommend using sponge-like scrubbers to tackle jobs.
Are you finding that the hardness of your tool isn’t cutting it for your job? Try soaking the area you’re trying to clean with your cleaning product and letting it sit wet for 60-seconds before wiping down.
Dusting With Dry Cotton
We haven’t seen too many professional cleaners use dry cotton materials for dusting. When it comes to DIY cleaning personal workspaces though, leveraging shirts/rags to dust seems to be par for the course.
Dry cotton does not effectively capture dust. It has a tendency to spread dust and kicks it into the air.
A much more effective office cleaning tools go-to would be damp microfiber.
Not Investing in Quality Cleaning Appliances
Cleaning businesses that try to save money by buying cut-rate vacuums, carpet cleaners, and the-like are positioning themselves to lose money in the long run.
When using cut-rate appliances, it’ll take you longer to thoroughly clean surfaces.
Cut-rate appliances also tend to last nowhere near as long as brand-name appliances that are backed by excellent warranties, support teams, and quality craftsmanship.
We understand that the start-up expenses involved with launching a cleaning company can make saving money on tools tempting.
Do what you can to get the best equipment you need, from vacuums to Gulvvaskemaskiner, in order to avoid that and you’ll have side-stepped one of the most common office cleaning mistakes we see committed by professionals.
Forgoing Quality Vacuum Filters
A good vacuum with cheap filters is going to perform about as well as a low-quality vacuum would.
That means more passes to pull stuff out of rugs and much more kicking dust and dander into the air instead of suctioning it into your vacuum bag.
With cost often comes quality and that quality, for the sake of your efficiency and your clients’ is worth investing in.
Forgetting to Ask About Health Concerns
If you’re cleaning your own office space, you probably have a beat on what cleaners you can and can’t tolerate from a health perspective.
If you’re cleaning an area where other people work though, don’t assume that the cleaners you use for most of your jobs will be appropriate for your current job.
Several people have allergies that can flare up in response to certain commercial cleaning products.
Talk to the person that hires you to clean. Ask if they have any concerns when it comes to specific chemicals.
If your employer is unsure of what chemicals may create issues for their employees, they may want to reference lists of harmful substances that were flagged to them during commercial building inspections or employee entrance interviews.
Focusing Solely on Visible Surfaces
You can’t put together an office cleaning mistakes list without shouting out how often people forget to clean hidden surfaces.
Dust, grime, and all kinds of other gunk collect behind cabinets, computer monitors, in between desks and in all kinds of other nooks.
If you’re focused on doing a great job cleaning, get focused on digging offenders out of their hiding places and getting them tidied up.
Disturbing Others’ Workday
As a professional cleaner, your job is to operate effectively while working unnoticed. That can be a challenge if you’re asked to clean during the standard workday.
No matter when you’re forced to perform your duties, always do so strategically so you don’t disturb people’s ability to get work done.
One complaint from a disrupted employee could lose your cleaning service a contract.
Common Sense Goes a Long Way When Avoiding Office Cleaning Mistakes
Office cleaning mistakes can have a deep impact on your ability to clean your personal workspace or tidy up a commercial area as a cleaning professional.
If you’re overwhelmed by all of the pitfalls we’ve flagged in our post, just remember this… Most snags you might bump into can be avoided by applying common sense to what you’re doing.
We hope our insight helps you flex your natural savvy more effectively.
We also welcome you to continue building your knowledge on all things related to properties! You can do that by diving deeper into our digital publication.
