DIY office cleaning: what your team can handle

DIY office cleaning works when it's small and shared: a five-minute end-of-day reset, a weekly pass on the break room, desks and door handles, and a short list of jobs nobody on staff should be doing. Restrooms and floors are usually where in-house cleaning breaks down.

What should staff clean every day?

Five minutes at the end of the day keeps an office from sliding. Post this list where people see it, like inside the break room cabinet door:

• Trash and recycling from the break room and anywhere food is eaten. Food waste can't wait until Friday.
• Break room counters and the sink. Wipe them, run the dishwasher or wash what's left, and empty the drying rack.
• The coffee station. Dump grounds, rinse the carafe, wipe the drips.
• Conference table. Whoever books the last meeting of the day wipes it down.
• Restroom check. Paper, soap and a quick look. Spills get wiped when someone sees them, not later.

Rotate it by week so the same two people don't end up doing all of it.

What should go on a weekly office cleaning checklist?

Pick one day, ideally Friday afternoon, and give it 30 minutes with two or three people:

1. The fridge. Everything unlabeled or past its date goes. Wipe the shelves and the door handle. Say the rule out loud in advance so nobody's lunch is a surprise.
2. Microwave. Steam a bowl of water with a slice of lemon for three minutes, then wipe the inside.
3. Desks, keyboards and phones. Each person clears their own desk, then wipes it. Turn keyboards upside down and tap them out. Wipe keys and the mouse with a disinfecting wipe squeezed nearly dry.
4. High-touch points. Door handles, light switches, elevator buttons, copier keypads, the shared stapler. Clean first, then disinfect, and leave the disinfectant wet for the time on the label.
5. Glass. Glass walls, the front door and the conference room whiteboard.
6. Floors. Vacuum the carpet in walkways and under desks people have cleared. Spot mop hard floors at the entry.

Our guide to cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces walks through the disinfecting step in detail. It's written for homes, and the method is the same at work.

Which DIY cleaners are worth using in an office?

Keep it simple and labeled:

• Warm water and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle for counters, tables and many desk surfaces.
• One registered disinfectant for high-touch points and restrooms, used the way its label says.
• Glass cleaner, or a little white vinegar in water, for glass and whiteboards.
• A stack of microfiber cloths, washed weekly. Color-code them: one color for restrooms only, another for everything else.

Leave out homemade disinfectants and essential oil mixes. They smell nice and don't reliably disinfect, and scents bother some people in a shared space. Never mix bleach with ammonia or with vinegar. Store everything in labeled bottles out of the break room cupboard where food is kept.

What shouldn't staff be cleaning?

Staff time is expensive, and one job is worth handing off:

• Restrooms beyond a quick tidy. Toilets, urinals and floors around them need the right products, gloves and a separate set of cloths.

When staff are scrubbing toilets or skipping their real work to vacuum, it's usually time to bring in help, even if it's only once a week.

How do you get a small office ready for a professional cleaning?

• Ask everyone to clear their desk surfaces at the end of the day before a cleaning.
• Take personal items and papers off the conference table and counters.
• Empty the fridge of anything that should go.
• Tell the cleaning company which areas are off-limits, like a server closet or an office with confidential files.
• Make a note of where supplies are.

When does it make sense to hire an office cleaning company?

When the daily list keeps slipping, when the restrooms are the first thing clients see, or when the office has grown past what a Friday half hour can cover.

Tina's Clean Team cleans offices, retail, property common areas and most other commercial spaces across South Jersey and Central Jersey. If a space needs a specialized certification, we'll tell you before you book.

Smaller offices with a clear scope can book directly with our team, no walkthrough needed. Larger spaces, or ones that are harder to quote, get a free on-site walkthrough with Michael, Tina's son, and a quote. We reply to commercial requests within one business day.

Cleaning can be one-time or up to daily, and more than once a day if a space needs it. We bring standard supplies and equipment, and we can use yours if you prefer. There are no long-term contracts.

See Commercial Cleaning for how it works.

FAQ

How often should a small office be cleaned? Trash, break room counters and restrooms need attention every working day. Desks, phones and door handles need a weekly wipe, and floors need vacuuming or mopping at least weekly, more in winter when salt and slush get tracked in.

Should employees clean their own desks? Yes, for the desk surface, the keyboard and the mouse. Asking people to clear their desks before the end of the week also helps any professional cleaning.

Do you need a walkthrough before getting an office cleaning quote? Not for every office. Smaller offices with a clear scope can book directly, and larger spaces or ones that are harder to quote get a free on-site walkthrough before the quote.

Request a quote

Tell us about your space at tinascleanteam.com/request-a-quote, or call or text (609) 831-4455.