If you’re thinking of getting your workplace cleaned, and wondering if daily office cleaning is really necessary – or whether a less frequent schedule could work – we have the answer.
It’s a particularly pertinent consideration for London – officially one of the busiest cities for work in the world.
In fact, it’s the highest-ranking city in Europe for hours worked. London-based employees work an average of 2,003 hours per year, according to Preply.
Now while some staff will work remotely or using the hybrid model, so they’re not always in an office space, it still means that any company with an office is likely to be busy.
And of course, that’s one of the factors affecting how regularly you should clean the office – we’ll cover the others shortly.
First of all, if daily office cleaning sounds like it could be in any way disruptive – rest assured, that’s not the case…
Daily office cleaning isn’t intrusive
In many offices, the cleaners come in after staff have finished working for the day. The only way most staff will know that the cleaners have visited is because there are signs of any mess being cleared away, spotless bathrooms and office kitchens, etc.
That’s because daily office cleaning isn’t intrusive. Typical activities involved in regular cleaning include, for example:
- Emptying all bins and replacing their liners
- Wiping tables or desks and chairs
- Dusting other office furniture material
- Cleaning soft and hard floor surfaces
- Cleaning glass or polishing mirrors
- Cleaning to disinfect bathroom surfaces
- Cleaning the kitchen
- Replacing paper towels
- And more
Now there are times when your cleaners can go further – spending longer and moving more things around to be extra thorough. There’s deep cleaning, but you don’t need to have that every day, unless you want or need it frequently.
In addition to regular activities, deep cleaning can involve moving and cleaning behind office equipment, cleaning walls to remove marks and washing glass windows. The cleaners might also need staff to take their food out of the office fridge, so that they can clean it thoroughly, for example.
Offices tend to require deep cleaning less frequently than the regular daily office clean. For more details about the differences, here is our guide on deep cleaning vs regular cleaning for your office.
The reasons behind a daily office cleaning schedule
Quite simply, with daily office cleaning, you’ll see the most impressive and consistent results.
Dust can accumulate over time, but it doesn’t get the chance to build up with daily office cleaning. Germs can spread quickly too, but they can’t settle when the surfaces are cleaned using disinfectant cleaners on a daily basis.
We’re sure your office kitchen is used a lot during the day – there’s no way it will look and smell fresh the next day if no-one cleans it the night before. You need someone to take out the bins, clean the sink, wipe away any marks, tidy up the mess and so on.
But is there really that much difference if you wait a few days before cleaning the office, you might wonder?
Well, you never know when someone might come into the office and form a quick impression or let their surrounding environment affect their thoughts.
One of the worst case scenarios would be if a client came round at short notice, but no-one cleaned the office the day before. It won’t make a great impression if they see your staff working in an unclean office.
But even if clients don’t visit your office, cleaning plays a part in employee satisfaction.
And in the era of hybrid working at home and the office, if you don’t clean the workplace daily… Staff might only come in on the days when it’s dirty and not the days when everything is neat and tidy!
In short, the only reason why you might not have an office busy enough to require daily cleaning is only a handful of staff work there, or the workplace is empty a few days a week.
Factors influencing the frequency of office cleaning
Following on from this, there are several variables impacting the need for cleaning on a regular basis:
- Office size: It goes without saying but the bigger your office, the more work it takes to maintain a consistent level of cleanliness throughout
- Office layout: Open plan offices attract dirt or dust in different ways compared to those with more compartmentalised work areas
- Number of employees: The more staff you have, the greater the amount of foot traffic on the floors and more exterior surfaces will be used too
- Customer / client visits: Not only does this increase the amount of foot traffic or use of surface areas, it’s more important to make a strong impression with a clean office
- Shared spaces: The most important here are rooms like bathrooms and an office kitchen – it’s essential to clean these regularly for hygiene reasons – but also the wider office and reception area
- Industry: Workspaces in some sectors require more regular cleaning than others
To some extent, you can help keep your office neat and tidy through strategies such as specific, optimised office space planning and by implementing a clear desk policy.
Benefits of working in an office cleaned daily
When you have a consistently clean workplace throughout the week, potential advantages can include the following – more details here in our guide to the benefits of a clean office:
- Increased productivity: In a clean workplace, staff can focus better on their tasks, find necessary documents easily and reduce the number of distractions. Here’s how to boost employee productivity with a clean office!
- Improved staff wellbeing: An unclean workplace can create an uncomfortable atmosphere for staff
- Better air quality: Dust, allergens and pollutants build up over time, potentially leading to respiratory problems, allergies and other physical health problems
- Reduced spread of illness: Regular cleaning and disinfection practices, such as fogging or misting, play a crucial role in preventing the spread of illnesses – colds, flu and viruses (that’s why specialist cleaning was vital in the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Improved safety: Prioritising cleanliness not only reduces the chances of workplace injuries but also demonstrates a commitment to improve health and safety, with or without inspections
- Boosted company image: When clients or new employees enter the premises for the first time, a clean and organised office creates a positive first impression.
For extra information, find out how to improve staff morale with a clean space.
Final thoughts: Daily office cleaning
We hope this guide has helped you think about whether you need daily office cleaning services.
If you’re looking for a daily office cleaning checklist, here you go – a comprehensive office cleaning checklist, ready to use. In fact our office cleaning checklist includes daily, weekly and monthly office cleaning tasks.
But if you don’t want to do it all yourself, there’s no need – that’s what an experienced commercial cleaning company, London-based, is there for.
When you’re looking for a daily office cleaner in London, we have a dedicated team you can trust, available at flexible working hours – 24/7.
For more information about our commercial cleaning service in London or if you have any other queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
share this article