Spring cleaning is in vogue at the moment. You could even say that it is ingrained in our culture. As soon as the weather turns nice, we immediately want to get rid of the mess and clutter of winter and enter the new season fresh and clean.
However, what about your home office? It, too, deserves and requires some tidying up and a fresh start. Do you know where to start, though? We reached out to cleaning experts at My Maid Service Cincinnati to give us some guidelines.
Start with a Plan
Just like with anything you do, it always makes sense to start with a plan. Depending on the state of your office, you are looking at anything between an hour and several hours of cleaning. Make sure you have enough time and energy to clean the whole thing in one run.
Additionally, you will want to have all of the cleaning supplies and materials before you start. The last thing you want to do is have to stop in the middle of cleaning to do a shopping run – it can be really difficult to get back to cleaning once you walk away.
Clean the Big Items First
If your office is a bit of a mess, it may serve as a bit of a deterrent for you to even start. But do not despair – there is an easy way to get around this initial paralysis. Start your cleaning with the big items. This means papers, boxes, any plates and glasses you may have lying around.
Once this clutter is out of sight, you will be greeted with a much more palatable situation. Cleaning the home office from this situation should be much easier.
Organize Your Paperwork
Speaking of papers, before you throw away anything, make sure to read it carefully. Anything you might find useful or necessary for work (or personal life) should be stored safely away. There are many filing options, ranging from simple plastic sleeves to file boxes to full filing cabinets with fire protection and a lock.
Make Sure to Donate and Recycle
When cleaning out your home office, it’s likely that the majority of the things you are looking to throw away can be recycled. No matter if it is paper you no longer need, cardboard, or plastic waste – consider finding a local recycling option you can send your waste to. It’s becoming more and more important to recycle and not contribute to our waste problem.
If you have usable things that you no longer need, like an office chair or some electronics that you will not be using anymore, consider donating them to charity organizations before you throw things out. If they are in good condition, chances are they can have a second life with someone who still needs them.
Regular Cleaning
Once you have sorted the majority of office-specific cleaning tasks, it’s time to look at your home office as just another room in your house. This means that you will have to do all of the regular cleaning tasks you usually do in your house.
Start with dusting everything – go from top to bottom. Once that’s done, you can vacuum the whole room and apply some furniture coating to all of the surfaces – just to get that shine going. Oh, and don’t forget to let a bit of sunshine in – after all, it is spring.
Cleaning your home office might not be your first thought when someone says spring cleaning, but you certainly shouldn’t forget about it either. Hopefully these tips will help you become a more efficient and detailed cleaner.