Office Cleaning Checklist

Your mops, brooms, and dust cloths may be poised to clean your home, but have you thought about cleaning your office? Following are tips to help scrub, vacuum, and polish your office.

Wear old, comfortable clothes

Don't spring clean your office while you're dressed in your best suit or favorite business casual outfit. Come into the office wearing ruddy–duds and then get to work.

Be prepared

Load all of your cleaning supplies into a utility cart that you can pull along with you. This way you'll have all the cleaning supplies you need with you in whatever room you're cleaning. Remember, no matter what the chore, clean from top to bottom.

Wear rubber gloves

Protect your hands from dirt, hot water, and cleaning chemicals by sporting rubber gloves while cleaning.

Dust, sweep, and vacuum first

Babyboomers.com recommends that you "dust, sweep, and vacuum before you wash. You'll want to rid each room of as much loose dirt as possible before you introduce a liquid cleaning solution."

Dust buster

Spray furniture polish on your broom or mop. Experts at allabouthome.com say this technique picks up dust faster and easier than traditional sweeping and mopping.

Wipe and disinfect

Think of all of the germs that have been collecting in your office during the winter months. Wipe down and disinfect all desks, as well as doorknobs, light switches, and telephones.

Rag time

Change your cleaning cloths regularly to prevent moving dirt and dust from one area to another. Babyboomers.com also suggests that you freshen the cleaning solution frequently.

Let it sit

Facing a tough stain that just won't come out no matter how hard you rub and scrub? Spray or pour on some cleaning solution, then let it sit for a while so it can begin to break down the stain before you begin scrubbing.

Window washing

Wash your office's windows on a cool, cloudy day. If you wash windows on a hot, sunny day the cleaning solution may dry too quickly and create streaks.

Blind truth

Don't let the dust and grime that builds up on blinds beat you. Wrap a dust cloth around a ruler, spray the cloth with a cleaning solution, and then wipe each slat clean with the flat side of the cloth–covered ruler.

First impressions count

Scrub your office's "front door from top to bottom with a rag and soapy water, using a scrub brush for especially difficult spots," recommends allabouthome.com. "While you're at it, wipe down the top edge of the frame. "