Cleaning: Meet the Ten Challenges of Office Cleaning

Cleaning an office may seem like a simple task, but it is not. It is necessary to know special techniques and correctly formalize procedures aiming at gains in productivity and quality in processes.

Therefore, it is recommended to hire a company specialized in these activities, whose professionals are qualified and qualified to clean your office in a satisfactory and economical way.

In order to help you in this process, we describe ten challenges of cleaning the office and some tips to overcome them!

1 – Keeping the environment clean and free of paper and dirt in general

Throwing papers on the floor, on furniture, or leaving them stored in drawers is a very common habit in offices. This creates a dirty and unpleasant working environment. The same happens with the residues of pencil sharpeners and erasers. Although almost everything is now automated, the parallel use of traditional resources is common.

Therefore, keep trash bins close to each workstation on-site, always available to dispose of garbage in general. Organic waste, on the other hand, should not be mixed with paper and materials of the type: food scraps, for example, should not be thrown into ordinary garbage dumps due to bad odors and their particular nature.

2 – Care of rugs, carpets, and curtains

Rugs, carpets, and curtains are common in offices. One of the major problems they present is the accentuated accumulation of dust over time, which implies special care with their hygiene. The larger the powder, the greater the risk of allergies and breathing problems.

It is customary to hit carpets, curtains, and carpets to remove dust, but often these procedures are not well performed or are insufficient. It is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner to assist in this service, with vacuuming every two days. In addition, if necessary and depending on the type of material sent to specialized laundries that can better sanitize the products. In blinds, the use of a damp cloth on both sides is very important. There is specialized equipment for this.

Cleaning these items is laborious and should be done periodically. To provide greater durability of the results, specific and waterproofing products can be applied, avoiding the accumulation of dust and the development of dust mites, which are so harmful to the respiratory tract.

3 – Correct use of water

Using water for cleaning requires certain precautions to avoid serious accidents, such as when washing floors and stairs, especially if they are covered by slippery material. If your office is frequented or occupied by elderly people, care should be taken when washing floors. When washing floors, be sure to use the slippery floor sign.

Attention is also needed with wires, sockets, and appliances, as the contact of water with electricity can cause shocks. And know how to rationalize the use of water, as it is an exhaustible resource. Make conscious use!

4 – Computers and electronic equipment

One of the most critical routines is cleaning computers and other electronic equipment such as printers, televisions, and telephones. A large amount of dust is deposited on these devices daily. Small cracks and holes allow dirt to enter the machine. In addition, the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other components are easily filthy.

Thus, it is important to know how to perform this cleaning in order not to damage this equipment. It is always recommended that the user consult the device manufacturer’s recommendations. If the equipment has a specific cleaning product, it will be included in the manual or, moreover, it may have more detailed information, such as cleaning frequency and other instructions. Before starting, make sure the equipment is properly turned off. It is important to align all of these issues with the office’s IT area.

In general, we recommend that water is never used to clean components. It is also not recommended to use ordinary alcohol or derivative products, as they can damage the parts. Alcohol has a degreasing power and easily removes grease and dirt from equipment, but it is also aggressive for them. It penetrates the structures of plastics and screens of the devices and dries them out, which can cause stains, cracks, and breaks.

Below are some general tips for the most common equipment found in offices:

• Computers, keyboards, notebooks, and printers: compressed air is a great option to clean them. Its correct application eliminates the accumulation of dirt and dust and can be used in several directions in a practical and easy way. Sanitization is recommended at least once a week. For cleaning keyboards, using cotton swabs is a good option.

 • Screens in general: cleaning is recommended once a week, and this can be done with a microfiber cloth in conjunction with specific products indicated for screens. It is also important to clean the monitor housing with the products recommended by the equipment supplier.

5 – External area

Cleaning in the external area must be carried out by trained professionals. The specialized company has the material and products suitable for this purpose, considering, for example, the cleaning of the building’s external glass.

Depending on the extent of the existing external area, the use of suitable machinery can rationalize and generate significant productivity gains. There are sweeping machines, for example, and other professional equipment that can perform services much faster and with more quality.

By hiring the right company, it will be able to better assist you in choosing the most suitable machinery for your needs and even supplying them for sporadic uses.

6 – Work Safety

Although cleaning services in an office are relatively simple, special attention needs to be paid to some situations that may endanger the health or physical integrity of professionals. For example, special care is needed when cleaning higher areas, such as windows or walls, and the use of an appropriate ladder or lift platform is essential.

Do not allow improvisation with benches, crates, chairs, or tables – many accidents happen due to the use of inappropriate materials to support a person’s weight – and also that employees lean over a high window during cleaning, leaving the body exposed and facilitating the fall. It is also necessary to remove all objects that are in the area, hindering cleaning and presenting a risk of falling and hurting someone.

Cleaning an office involves more than soap and water, and the use of certain chemicals is important. These products can be dangerous and must be well used and stored according to the recommendations usually written on the label itself. They must comply with chemical and toxicological terms and be approved by the Ministry of Health. Do not allow the reuse of packaging.

The time that the user is exposed to the effects of the product can mean a big difference in the chances of contracting health problems. In addition, when handling garbage, especially in bathrooms, there may be contact with feces or urine. There are products that are more toxic than others, and the ways in which substances can penetrate can occur through:

• Airway: the user inhales the product, either directly or indirectly;

 • Skin: in contact with the skin, the substances penetrate the user’s body (mainly, if there are lesions in the epidermis);

 • Mouth: the user can accidentally ingest the product or allow penetration by not washing their hands properly or by eating in already contaminated environments.

Every professional need to use personal protective equipment (PPE), defined through specialized reports made by occupational safety technicians. In cleaning procedures, there are instruments that will protect the professional from direct contact with chemicals or with objects that may cause injuries, falls, electric shocks, and other types of accidents.

Some examples of equipment are rubber or disposable glove, non-slip boot, coverall, cap or helmet, mask to prevent the inhalation of chemicals or dust, and ear protection.

7 – Health Surveillance Rules

For the cleaning of your office to be done correctly, you must be aware of the rules of Health Surveillance. These determinations are intended to ensure the protection of the population in a given environment, promoting actions that reduce or eliminate health risks.

In Brazil, ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) is responsible for preparing these standards. It also performs sanitary control in places such as ports, airports, and borders.

 Health Surveillance focuses on:

• Foods
• Products
• Services

8- Cleaning Procedures

The formalization of procedures is an important challenge to be overcome in order to clean an office. For this, it is essential to first understand the routines, peculiarities, and opening hours of the office. For example, if people arrive at 9:00 am and leave at 6:00 pm, one should program to perform cleaning routines that “hinder” the day-to-day, such as using a vacuum cleaner, before or after that time.

Understanding this, establish the daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly routines of cleaning professionals. Always remember that old saying that “a dog with more than one owner dies of hunger” and therefore be very specific about the responsibility of each one for each area of ​​the office.

For each routine, establish a control system that can be audited. For example, every time you clean the bathroom, it is recommended to write down on a spreadsheet posted on the bathroom door the time and who performed the service, making it easy to charge for any deviations found.

9 – Cleaning products used

The selection of suitable products for cleaning rivers is an important challenge. The wrong choice of them can damage floors, furniture, equipment, and carpets generating significant losses. In addition, it can mean unnecessary expenses for the use of inappropriate home products. With an appropriate professional line of products and making the correct dilution of them, it is possible to generate considerable savings in the monthly cost, in addition to improving the quality of cleaning.

Another important point refers to the odor of the products. Always try to work with products with a more neutral odor, but that gives a feeling of cleanliness to the environment. Also, pay special attention to the storage of products, increasing their durability, facilitating control, and avoiding deviations that are quite common.

By hiring a third-party company specialized in cleaning, you will be able to receive the proper assistance on which are the best products to be used and the best practices to operate and store them.

10 – Specialized professionals

At this point, we return to talking about an important recommendation: hiring qualified professionals to perform cleaning services. Sometimes, with the false illusion of saving in the short term, people can choose to do these activities themselves or hire companies that charge lower prices but do not offer efficient and secure service. And what can this bring as a consequence? Unsatisfactory results, higher costs in the long run, and even the occurrence of accidents and increased labor liabilities.

One way to avoid all this is by searching for companies specialized in cleaning, which have well-trained and qualified professionals.