A positive work environment is a key component in ensuring optimal performance across all areas or departments that make up a company, business, or industry’s logistics. However, it is important to note that a pleasant environment not only focuses on relationships between employees but also on keeping workspaces in optimal condition.
High-traffic work areas require constant maintenance to prevent the accumulation of dirt or waste that can hinder and affect staff productivity. Therefore, it is important to implement deep and daily cleaning practices in administrative areas such as warehouses and offices, where operational functions of the entire company are commonly carried out.
If professional cleaning services in Monterrey are not hired for offices or other administrative areas, mistakes can be made during cleaning that negatively impact the work environment, office furniture, and employee performance. Keeping a work area clean and in good condition is the first impression your company or business makes on both employees and clients.
Which mistakes are most common when cleaning an office?
A hygienic, orderly, and consistently maintained environment is key for your company’s internal operations to run efficiently, creating greater comfort for the staff, reducing turnover, and improving the sense of belonging as a team.
In this article, as part of our commitment to ensuring this outcome in workspaces, we’ll explain in detail the most common office cleaning mistakes and how you can effectively avoid them.
1.- Using the Wrong Cleaning Products
It’s not uncommon, due to a lack of product specification or other factors, to use inappropriate cleaners for certain surfaces. This can damage them or fail to remove dirt properly, leading to imperfections on floors, glass, walls, or office furniture that affect commonly used work areas. To avoid this, it’s necessary to conduct prior research on the products or materials needed for cleaning each area or surface. You can also read product labels to use them according to the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations. It’s important not to mix products when cleaning surfaces such as glass, wood, carpets, or electronic equipment.
2.-Not Properly Cleaning Electronic Equipment
There are areas and work equipment in offices that require maximum care to avoid damage or malfunctions that could complicate your company’s logistics. For example, applying damp materials to keyboards, screens, or CPUs can cause serious and sometimes irreversible damage, disrupting staff activities and potentially resulting in the loss of important information. To prevent this, you can use compressed air and microfiber cloths with specific cleaners designed for screens and keyboards. Keep in mind that properly cleaning your work equipment also represents savings on unnecessary expenses for repairs and maintenance.
3.-Neglecting the Disinfection of High-Contact Areas
One of the main benefits of deep cleaning in offices is protecting workers’ health from the buildup of dirt or toxic residues. Therefore, it’s important to disinfect daily high-contact areas such as doorknobs, desks, phones, and elevator buttons using suitable disinfectants and ensuring these areas are thoroughly cleaned.
4.-Sweeping Instead of Vacuuming
Proper maintenance of your workspaces requires the right investment in cleaning materials or equipment. Therefore, you should avoid sweeping carpets and rugs, which stirs up dust, and instead use vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters for more effective and thorough cleaning in daily-use areas and surfaces.
5.-Forgetting to Ventilate the Office
Once the scheduled cleaning tasks for each day are completed, it’s important to maintain proper ventilation in the office. A closed environment can lead to the buildup of dust and bacteria that affect employees’ health and your company’s productivity. To prevent this, open windows or use air purifiers periodically to renew the air.
6.-Using Dirty Cloths or Materials
Reusing dirty cloths can spread bacteria instead of cleaning work surfaces, leading to the buildup of dirt, unpleasant odors, and health issues for staff. Therefore, it’s necessary to wash or replace cloths and sponges frequently, and also assign a specific cloth for each type of surface or cleaning task.
7.-Skipping a Scheduled Cleaning Routine
Establishing a periodic cleaning routine or plan will greatly help maintain your offices properly. Cleaning irregularly or allowing dust and dirt to build up creates an unpleasant and unhealthy work environment. We recommend creating a cleaning calendar with daily, weekly, and monthly tasks for all office areas.
Avoiding these common mistakes will help keep your office cleaner, healthier, and with a better work environment. If you’d like to learn more tips for cleaning your offices or other work areas, stay tuned to our blog.