Tips for Cleaning & Maintaining an Office Space

Maintaining a clean and welcoming office environment is vital for remaining productive! Your workers and your visitors need to know they’re in an office that is safe and hygienic, and that means staying on top of cleaning.

Next Level Facility Solutions offers top-tier Louisville, KY, commercial cleaning services. No matter how large or small your workplace is, we can leave it looking and feeling like new! Our services are reasonably priced, and our workforce is highly trained in the best practices for commercial cleanup.

Still, maintaining cleanliness is important.  If you won’t have commercial cleaning services visiting your office every day, here are some of our tips for how to keep your office looking great in between professional cleaning efforts.

How To Keep Your Office Looking Clean Year-Round

I. Know the Dirtiest Places in An Office

If you’re not sure where to start, try focusing on the items which are most likely to get dirty. In particular, these are things that are going to be carrying germs and other microbial life. Keeping them clean is vital, especially while the global pandemic is still going.

In our experience, the dirtiest places in an office include:

  • Break room sink faucet handles, microwave handles, and door handles
  • Bathroom door handles and faucets
  • Water fountain and water cooler buttons
  • Vending machine keypads
  • Keyboards

In other words, aside from keyboards, the dirtiest places are going to be in common areas where lots of people are touching the same objects.  

We strongly recommend that these get cleaned daily, or even multiple times daily. Keep bottles of alcohol disinfectant nearby and encourage workers or janitorial teams to periodically spritz commonly-used handles and buttons. It’ll keep the office clean, and hopefully cut down on disease transmission as well.

II. Cleaning Keyboards

On the topic, keyboards may well be the filthiest things in any office. They don’t get cleaned nearly as often as they should and tend to collect everything from grime off people’s fingers, to crumbs from food that can attract insects and bacteria. Ultimately, this is hazardous to users, as well as to the keyboards themselves.

Here are some quick tips for keeping your keyboards clean:

  • Regularly invert the keyboard over a trashcan and give it a good shake, or “burp” it by smacking the back, to knock out loose debris.
  • Use canned air or pressured aerosol cleaner to knock loose any remaining grime, crumbs, and other contaminants.
  • Sticky notes can be used to collect hard-to-reach debris, using the sticky edge to grab particles. 
  • Don’t forget to clean between the keys, and on their sides. Q-tips dipped in alcohol work well for this.
  • Use a disinfectant spray on a paper towel or microfiber cloth the clean the tops of keyboards.

Also, consider getting membranes that go over the top of keyboards. They may look a bit chintzy, but they’re much easier to clean and will extend the lifespan of the keyboards.

III. Cleaning Up a Larger Office Space

The time may come when you or your workforce need to clean their own spaces, particularly if there’s an event such as a party that occurs in between commercial cleaning service calls.

The most important elements to focus on include:

  • Dusting. Use microfiber cloths, since these are best at capturing stuck-on dirt and grime. Remember to look at hard-to-reach areas such as behind the computer, and under the desk. This is where dirt is most likely to pile up. If there’s a lot of dust, don’t be afraid to just knock some of it down, then pick it up with vacuuming later.
  • Vacuuming. Always work top-to-bottom! That way anything you knock loose can be picked up once you get down to the floor. Be thorough, and make sure to vacuum every surface in the office.
  • Disinfecting. Once the primary cleaning is done, do a final pass with disinfectant spray, hitting everything that a person is likely to touch. For a thorough job, you may also want to consider hiring a disinfection service.

You’ll also want to pay attention to a couple of other specific items in the office that tend to get dirty easily.

First, the computer monitor. It’s a very good idea to disconnect the monitor before cleaning, just in case. The screen itself can be cleaned with regular glass cleaner, and either paper towels or microfiber cloth. Don’t forget to clean the sides and back as well – people tend to grab the edges of their monitor a lot, especially for repositioning.

If you’re still using older CRT monitors with vents, be sure to remember the vents as well. They will definitely collect dust. These are best cleaned with a small handheld vacuum, with a brush on the end to knock the dust loose. Compressed air can also help you get at any places too small to easily reach, such as screw holes.

Also, don’t forget the office chairs! For obvious reasons, these can get pretty grimy if they aren’t cleaned regularly. You’ll want to check to see if the chair’s label has any specific cleaning instructions. If so, follow those.

Otherwise, most chairs can be cleaned with a combination of vacuuming and wipe-on cleaning spray. If the chair is water-safe, a spray bottle of water with a few drops of soap will be enough to clean the upholstery. If they aren’t water-safe, use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of essential oils.  

If you have leather chairs, put a few drops of soap into a half-gallon of water, then use a cloth to wipe small amounts of the solution onto the chairs. Don’t spray them directly; this can saturate the leather and hurt it.

IV. Organization

Finally, it’s good to remember that there’s more to cleaning than just the cleanup itself. Staying tidy will encourage cleanliness, by removing places for dirt to gather and hide. As a few suggestions:

  • Don’t allow desks to become too cluttered or have too many “executive time wasters.” It’s easy for these objects to get shoved to the back and end up collecting dust.
  • Keep your wiring straight and use zip ties or similar solutions to bundle wires together. This prevents them from turning into a nest or becoming a tripping hazard.
  • Have designated places in the office for shared materials such as staplers, hole punches, etc. Encourage employees to promptly return these items to their homes once they’ve been used. (But disinfect them first!)
  • Make use of vertical space. Hanging shelves or dividers are far better than putting things on the ground.
  • Have plenty of trash cans, easily accessible from every desk. Discourage trash from ever piling up.
  • Don’t be afraid to have a “junk drawer” for miscellaneous items since that’s better than letting them pile up. Just be sure to routinely clean this drawer and prevent unnecessary items from stacking up in it.

Keep Your Office Clean with Commercial Cleaning Services from Next Level Facility Solutions

We are Louisville’s premier solution for corporate office cleaning, disinfecting, sanitation, and post-construction/renovation cleanup. If your office has become too difficult to keep clean on your own, we can help – with reasonable prices and a highly professional workforce.

Click here to contact us and discuss solutions.

Benefits of Commercial Pressure Washing Services

If you’re not a commercial cleaning expert, like the team from Next Level Facility Solutions, you might be wondering about the difference between commercial pressure washing services and power washing. Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, they’re quite different. For example, power washing frequently uses heat-treated water and is meant as more of a surface treatment, whereas commercial pressure washing employs heated water, high pressure, and effective cleaning solutions for the best results.

We wanted to collect some more information about this efficient commercial cleaning method and why it’s ideal for businesses of every shape and size, so read on!

What Exactly is Commercial Pressure Washing?

As mentioned above, commercial pressure washing uses a specialized mixture of water and cleaning solvents designed to be expelled under extremely high pressure to clean things like building exteriors, concrete, and sidewalks. This special solution can be forced deep into the surface without causing any external damage. Additionally, commercial pressure washing is often preferred over power washing because it doesn’t cause any cosmetic issues that could develop into cracks or leaks down the road.

Many businesses invest in commercial pressure washing services at least once a month, or on a bi-monthly basis to keep their property looking great and well-maintained.

Benefits of Commercial Pressure Washing Services

As mentioned above, there are a host of benefits to commercial pressure washing services, including:

Preventative Maintenance:

Arguably one of the leading benefits, commercial pressure washing on a regular basis will provide preventative maintenance that can reduce the need for repairs and prevent serious issues down the road. Mold, mildew, dirt, and other debris aren’t just unsightly, they can also eat away at your building’s exterior and cause rot and added wear and tear to your façade. Even the oldest of buildings will benefit from such services, leaving them looking almost as good as new.

Boosting Curb Appeal:

As mentioned above, commercial pressure washing services will remove all the dirt and grime built up over the ages, giving your facility a revitalized new look that will really wow staff and customers. But the benefits don’t stop there. With a clean, fresh new looking building, it will stand out among other areas and boost your business’s curb appeal. This means if you’re trying to attract more foot traffic to your business, it’s a great way to do so.

Cleaning Your Sidewalks:

The sidewalks in front of any building can sometimes be a nightmare to keep clean. Unfortunately, no amount of sweeping away debris or hosing them down will keep them looking pristine; the only way is by pressure washing. This is because not only does dirt collect upon them, but also things like gum, stains from food, drink, and garbage…the list goes on. But pressure washing can remove all of this, making your facility more inviting to both staff and customers.

Removing Graffiti:

Have you ever tried scrubbing away graffiti from the exterior of your building? It’s next to impossible. If you don’t want to paint over your exterior every time a teenager decides to leave their mark or someone chooses your business to practice their graffiti skills, pressure washing is the best alternative. Not only is graffiti unsightly, but it can also devalue your property, as well as the others around it, and should be removed ASAP!

Improving Safety & Hygiene:

One often overlooked benefit of commercial pressure washing services is that they can improve your building’s safety and hygiene. Because it removes mold, mildew, and other dirt that’s built up over time, it can also make your business a healthier place to work and visit. These types of things can exacerbate the allergies of staff and customers who are overly sensitive to such things, as well as make it easier for them to slip and fall; this is especially true for industrial facilities with concrete or stone flooring. But pressure washing offers an easy solution to keep your business healthy and safe for all.

Reducing Structural Maintenance Issues:

It’s not commonly known, but dirt grime and mildew built up on the interior and exterior of buildings also often hide structural problems that can turn into serious issues over time. Thankfully, by regularly pressure washing your facility, you’ll be able to catch any serious structural damage or problems before they have a chance to become a real issue. It will also make it easier for local building inspectors to give you a positive review, so regularly pressure washing your facility is a must!

You’ll be able to save time and money when it comes to building inspections because any issues will be out in the open. This means that building inspectors will need much less time to evaluate your property and if there are any issues, repairs can begin immediately so you can have your business back up and running as soon as possible.

Contact us for more about commercial pressure washing services!

Do you want to ensure that your business is safe for staff and customers, and looking great? The team from Next Level Facility Solutions is here for you. In addition to commercial pressure washing services, we also specialize in janitorial and cleaning solutions for every type of facility, COVID-19 decontamination and disinfection services, carpet cleaning, floor and tile cleaning, and more!

At Next Level Facility Solutions, communication is the backbone of everything we do. This means that before any cleaning takes place, we’ll sit down with you or meet in a virtual setting to discuss all of your cleaning needs and expectations, then develop a personalized cleaning action plan for your business.

For more information, you can contact us online today or call (859) 333-1211. We offer commercial cleaning solutions throughout Louisville and Lexington, KY, so get in touch today!

5 FAQs About Decontamination Cleaning Services

Although the COVID-19 threat is somewhat subsiding, there’s still a need for comprehensive decontamination cleaning services for many businesses that have kept their doors open or are reopening. That’s why Next Level Facility Solutions offers decontamination services for any type of business or facility, big or small. Since the COVID-19 virus and other pathogens can survive on surfaces for several hours, it’s important that your facility is decontaminated to help keep your staff and clients safe and healthy.

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