Home Office Spring Cleaning in 5 Steps
A cluttered home office is not an ideal working environment. But if you are just too busy to organize your home office regularly, every year, at least it deserves spring cleaning. And since spring is almost coming up, why not schedule a home office spring cleaning?
Home office spring cleaning can be a bit of a challenge. But there are five steps that can help you get it done in no time.
1. Get rid of the obvious clutters
The first step to spring cleaning your home office is to get rid of the obvious clutters such as piled up printed documents on your desk. Sort through those papers for which ones are really of value and which ones can be thrown. You may be surprised to realize you are piling up papers more than you need. To avoid this next time, think twice before printing a file. If you can make do without printing it, then don’t print it. Additionally, you may also need a good system to organize your papers.
2. Separate office and personal things
For most home offices, it is unavoidable to see some personal things such as toys and gadgets. So while you pick up clutters, get two baskets, one for personal clutter and another for office clutter. Walk through your office and then put inside the baskets things in your office that are out of place. Put them in their designated baskets. Remove from the office those personal clutters.
3. Start the real cleaning
Once you are done picking up clutters, the real cleaning task follows.
Just like cleaning your home, spring cleaning home office should also be done from top to bottom. First clean off whatever is at the ceiling like the fan and lighting. Then clean the walls including wall decors. Dust off furniture as well. And finally, mop and vacuum the floor.
When you are done with the general cleaning, it is time for you to clean up your computer. Start by cleaning your keyboard. After months of using it, it may have already accumulated dust and small particles of dirt. Shake it off over a garbage bin to remove the particles. And you could use a handheld vacuum to force remaining particles out. Clean your monitor and screen with a microfiber cloth to wipe it clean.
4. Disinfect your office equipment
It is also important to disinfect your office equipment after cleaning them. You could either use a disinfectant spray or use a microfiber cloth and wet it with alcohol. Disinfect your keyboard, mouse, desk, telephone and other gadgets you are using every day. This step is very important to prevent contacting infection due to dirty surroundings.
5. Organize things
After cleaning, organize your home office starting with the office clutters you picked up. Return things to their proper places. You may also think about rearranging or redecorating your home office for a new look. Also, consider adding cabinets for organizing your things. As your business grows, you may need extra space to keep documents and other business related materials.
If you will schedule a home office spring cleaning, it will be good to time it during weekends so that you will not disrupt your normal business operation.
Home office spring cleaning can be a tiring task. So if you have a budget, another option is to hire a cleaning company. Cleaning companies normally offer different types of services which are ideal for bigger home offices such as dusting and polishing of surfaces, vacuuming and mopping floors, cleaning ceiling fans and blinds, cleaning windows, and general cleaning and organization among others. But of course, if your home office is just small, spring cleaning should be manageable even if you personally do it. But if your office is big and where you have several employees, you may need to hire a cleaning service company.
A clean and organized office promotes productivity. And spring cleaning your home office allows you to clean, organize and refresh your working environment. You can do it personally or with the help of a cleaning service. But regardless how you do it, it will be good to do home office spring cleaning once in a while.