May 24, 2023

Commercial Office Cleaning Checklist

A clean office space is definitive to your personnel productivity and brand image. Nothing can tell more about your attitude to people than the appearance and sanitary conditions of your business premises. While it is absolutely clear that an office space needs to be cleaned, what exactly should be cleaned often remains vague until you start elaborating on your office cleaning checklist. We want to make the task easier for you. In this post, we will share our own checklist we have been using for office cleaning in New York for many years, updating and improving it as our expertise grew. It highlights different office areas with a list of exact items to be cleaned — to help you plan your cleaning efforts and ensure that no dirty spot is overlooked.  

Commercial cleaning checklist by office areas

1) Cleaning Office Desks and Cubicles

Work areas with desks and shared tables are places where you expect your employees to spend most of their time. Keeping these zones clutter- and germs-free help you ensure that this time is spent with the maximum benefit for your business, according to this study. While cleaning these areas, you should focus on dusting, decluttering, and disinfecting shared devices.  

• Clear desks of trash and dirty dishware.
• Remove dust from desks, shelves, and windowsills with a damp microfiber cloth.
• Wipe computer screens and disinfect keyboards.
• Empty trash cans and replace trash bags.
• Wash windows (once a week or two).
• Vacuum and mop the floors.
• Wipe door handles, light switches, and frequently used office equipment (fax machines, phones, copiers, etc.) with a cloth soaked in disinfectant.

2) Cleaning Office Bathrooms

Without proper cleaning and disinfection, commercial workplaces can easily turn into a disaster and become a source of a negative impression for your clients. Not to mention that most expensive repairs and renovations happen due to inadequate bathroom cleaning. Here’s what your focus should be on:

• Clean and disinfect toilet bowls, urinals, and sinks, removing buildup.
• Clean and polish the fixtures.
• Clean and disinfect tiles and counters, addressing limescale and water stains.
• Clean the mirrors using a microfiber cloth and a glass cleaner. Dust the frames.
• Discard empty paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls and stock new ones.
• Empty tissue and toilet paper cans and disinfect them. Replace trash bags.
• Check the liquid soap in the soap dispenser and replenish it if needed.
• Wipe the doors and disinfect the door handles and light switches.
• Sweep or vacuum the floors to remove debris.
• Mop the floor using a disinfecting cleaning product.

3) Cleaning office kitchens and breakrooms

Eating together and hanging out during break time is a great team-building method; however, these activities promote clutter and germs spread across these areas. To keep your employees’ health and company image sound, you should regularly and thoroughly clean these areas.  

• Collect and dispose of expired food, coffee grinds, wrappings, and used disposable dishware.
• Clean the fridge (shelves inside and outer surfaces)
• Wash and put away dishware (including teapots and coffee pots) or load a dishwashing machine.
• Take out the trash, wash the can(s) with a disinfectant, and replace the trash bags.
• Clean the walls near the trash can(s).
• Clean the appliances (coffee machines, toaster, and microwave).
• Wipe kitchen cabinets on the inside and outside (once a week unless urgent).
• Wipe the counters and tables using a disinfectant.
• Clean and disinfect sinks.  
• Check the water in the cooler and stock cups.  

4) Cleaning reception and waiting rooms

Whether you realize it or not, your reception area and lobby are where your company’s values and culture are proclaimed even without a single word said. Here is how you can make visiting your office a pleasant experience with these simple cleaning steps:

• Organize the receptionist’s desk and wipe its surfaces to keep it dust and germ-free.
• Wipe hard surfaces such as shelves, windowsills, waiting room tables, chairs, etc.
• Organize magazines, newspapers, and books provided for the guests.
• Organize the children’s area by collecting and storing books, toys, and supplies.
• Wash windows.
• Dust the company logo and other decor elements.
• Take out trash and replace the trash bags.
• Check the water in the cooler and stock cups for visitors.
• Disinfect high-touch items such as screens, call buttons, phones, door handles, etc.
• Dust baseboards.
• Vacuum furniture upholstery and check it for stains. Address the stains (if any).  
• Vacuum the carpet, paying special attention to areas under furniture.
• Shampoo the carpets (once in 3 months).

5) Cleaning conference rooms and meeting rooms

A sparkling clean meeting room is a great opportunity to teach your employees your company’s values and promote personnel morale. The crowd factor defines the focus of your cleaning efforts in these areas — disinfection. To keep your staff healthy between the meetings, ensure that your meeting and conference rooms are free of dust and germs.    

• Take out trash and replace trash bags.
• Wash windows and wipe windowsills.
• Neatly arrange chairs.
• Clean TVs and monitors with suitable cleaning products.  
• Wipe tables and chairs with disinfectant.
• Dust hard surfaces such as doors, coolers, photo/picture frames, and shelves.
• Disinfect keyboards, phones, and door handles.
• Check the water in coolers and stock cups for drinking.
• Clean the coffee machine (if any).
• Dust baseboards.  
• Vacuum furniture upholstery and carpeting.
• Mop the floors using a disinfecting solution.   

6) Cleaning office hallways

Hallways are easy to clean because we do not keep furniture and office equipment there. Still, it is a high-traffic area, so your focus should be on the floors and walls.

• Check the walls for stains and treat them accordingly.
• Vacuum carpeting (if any) and floors to collect debris.
• Wash windows and wipe windowsills.
• Wash baseboards.
• Clean glass walls and glass doors (if any) with window cleaner.
• Wipe door handles and handrails with disinfectant.
• Damp mop the floors.  

7) Cleaning office elevators

Modern elevators are easy to maintain thanks to their durable stainless steel surfaces. However, they are high-traffic areas packed with electronics, which means that their cleaning differs a lot from that of a stainless steel kitchen sink. Here is what to pay attention to:

• (Stop and lock the elevator before cleaning it!)
• Wash the walls and doors of the elevator with a disinfecting product specially developed for stainless steel surfaces.
• Clean mirrors using a window cleaner.
• Wipe the light fixtures.
• Clean the control panel and its buttons with a disinfecting product (must be sprayed on the cloth and not directly on the buttons to avoid damaging the electronics inside).
• Vacuum elevator door tracks and sills using a smaller vacuum cleaner attachment to remove dirt, large debris, and small pieces of rock.
• Vacuum and mop the elevator floor.

8) Cleaning office floors

How often should you clean the floors in your office? It depends on your daily traffic (number of employees present and visitors) and, of course, the weather. Make sure you check the floor condition during the working day and address unsightly spills immediately. It is also important to disinfect the floors frequently because germs can be brought to your office and spread across it on footwear.

Floors can be made of different materials (wooden, laminate, tiles, and stone), and keeping them sparkling clean and germ-free requires lots of attention, special-purpose cleaning products, and elbow grease. You can always play safe and invite real professionals for this job. Another benefit of hiring a professional cleaning service like White Glove Cleaner is that you don’t need to buy and maintain cleaning supplies and expensive office cleaning equipment. We bring all the necessary cleaning tools with us!