A Mess Free Life may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
Most of us SAHM’s and other entrepreneurs spend 40 hours (or more) in our office space. It can easily get ignored and neglected when trying to juggle the demands of running a household, caring for the kids, and keeping up with the to-do-list of your business. But no spring cleaning would be complete unless we tackled the office. It’s time to end the winter hibernation with your junk and commit to spring cleaning your office space.
Table of Contents
Top Notch Strategies To Spring Cleaning Your Office Space
Make sure you take the time to get ready for spring cleaning by reading Strategies For Successful Spring Cleaning. You want to be able to prepare first so you can concentrate on the cleaning aspect of the job.
- Before you get started, gather all of your supplies together. Preferably you have a well-stocked cleaning bucket, if not make sure you don’t have to go looking for anything.
- Get the stereo cranking! It will help pass the time if you’re listening to uplifting music.
What You Need:
- Vacuum with attachments
- Swiffer with extender pole
- Cleaning cloths (microfiber, cotton)
- Wood Polish
- Glass Cleaner
- Your favorite cleaner
- Mop and Bucket if needed
Cleaning Resources: The Best Cleaning Tools To Get The Job Done Fast
1. Paper Purge
The office is home to paper more than anything else and sometimes all that paper overwhelms us and creates an office that’s both overstuffed and dysfunctional. If your desk space makes you want to run and hide because you’ve got stacks of paper everywhere, you’ll want to start with the paper purge.
As you begin to sort through your stack of documents, ask yourself the following questions: Do I need this? Why do I need it? Where will I look for it when I need it? Then, create a filing system that best fits your needs, and make a point to file paper as they come in or as it’s created to keep the problem from reoccurring. Remember to think before you print. Ask yourself: Do I need to print that file, or can it survive on my computer?
2. Declutter The Digital
Getting rid of all that paper is great, but if you open your computer and are inundated with just as much digital junk, you’ll quickly realize you only did a portion of your spring cleaning.
Take the time to clean your computer desktop and email inbox. Cleaning your desktop and filing things away in a way that makes sense, will make it easy to find when you go looking for things. Plus, taking the time to empty your inbox can provide a significant weight off your shoulders.
3. Tackle The Rest of Your Office Supplies
Now that you’ve wrestled the paper and your digital space, it’s time to declutter the remaining part of the office. Do you have three staplers and 400 pens? Do they all work? Throw away anything that doesn’t work, keep the best for your personal use and donate or sell at your next yard sale any other office supplies you don’t need.
4. Organize the Cords
There are a million and one ways to organize cords. From gadgets, you can buy at your local office and home supply store to hacks you can find on Pinterest. Either way, find a way to contain all the cords running from your electronic devices, so they are neat.
5. Let’s Get Cleaning
a. Dust Down The Ceiling and Walls, Spot Clean or Wash Walls
Using your Swiffer Extender Pole, dust ceilings, corners and walls. Determine if your walls need to be washed or just spot cleaned. Remember to wash air vents, doorknobs, doors, and switch plates. Pay attention to the places where people put their hands.
Cleaning Resources: Real Simple Tips and Techniques for Cleaning Painted Walls
b. Clean All Light Fixtures and Ceiling Fans
Wipe down the blades with a damp cloth. Take down any other light fixtures and gently wash and dry them before replacing. Try using a fabric softener cloth to dust light bulbs and other areas where you don’t want to expose to chemicals or water.
c. Remove Window Treatments
Take down draperies, curtains, and blinds to wash or have cleaned according to the manufacturer’s directions. You might replace heavy curtains or drapes used over winter with lighter fabrics for spring and summer. Vacuum and clean windowsills and corners. Wash the insides and outsides of the windows. Take down and rinse off screens, before replacing.
Cleaning Resources: How to Clean Windows Like A Professional
d. Dust and Clean All Wall Hangings
Use a microfiber cloth or your Swiffer to dust down art and photographs. Occasionally these items may need to be washed. Wipe down with a slightly damp rag, being careful not to let any liquid seep behind the frame and damage the photo. Remove the glass if possible and wash in warm water to remove grease, dirt, and debris. Thoroughly wipe dry before putting it back into the frame.
e. Dust and Clean Couches and Chairs
Use your vacuum cleaner with the proper attachment to clean out couch crevices and under cushions. Flip cushions when done.
Clean slip covers and accent pillows according to directions. Some might be able to be washed, and others might need professional cleaning.
Use an upholstery attachment or a rug shampoo machine and clean couches and chairs if necessary or hire a professional to clean them. You can usually find great deals on groupon.com. If they only need a light cleaning use an upholstery spot cleaning machine like this one here. Test first.
f. Clean Bookshelves
Remove everything off of the shelves.
Dust the inside and outside of the shelf. Using a damp dusting cloth, wipe down the entire shelf. Begin at the top and work your way down the inside and the outside of the shelf. Don’t forget the bottom shelf too.
Arrange items on the shelf. Make it look beautiful because a beautiful space is less likely to be cluttered with junk. Make use of decorative boxes and bins to hold office supplies
g. Dust and Clean All Lamps and KnickKnacks
Dust down and clean all accent lamps and knickknacks. Use a vacuum attachment or duster to clean the lamp shade, lamps, and any extra decorative items.
h. Clean All Mirrors and Glass
Wipe down all glass (not windows) and mirrors.
i. Clean The Floors
Vacuum and mop hard floors. Professionally clean carpet or rent a rug machine and DIY. This should be done at least once a year, twice is recommended, or vacuum and spot treat for mildly soiled floors.
6. Commit To Staying Organized
Make a commitment that you’ll keep your office space free of clutter, clean and organized. Take the time at the end of each day to put things back in their proper places, file any paper that comes in and wipe down surfaces were coffee spilled.
If you take a few minutes at the end of each day, you’ll arrive each morning at a beautiful work space inviting you to be productive and creative.
