With so many people coming and going, office cleaning and maintenance can be a challenge. Whoever oversees office cleaning and maintenance should consider using office cleaning schedules to keep track of tasks and responsibilities.
COVID-19 office cleaning requirements
On top of general office cleaning, COVID-19 regulations require extra cleaning and disinfecting procedures, particularly when someone in the office has been exposed or tested positive.
These regulations include regular disinfecting of communal areas, strict hand sanitiser protocols for staff and extra PPE for cleaning and front-of-house staff.
To find out more about COVID-19 cleaning standards for the office, visit these useful links:
- Guidance on routine and deep cleaning of workplaces when COVID-19 positive cases have been identified
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility
- COVID-19 Office Cleaning Checklist
- NICD COVID-19 Environmental Health Guidelines.
Daily, weekly and monthly office cleaning schedules
How you decide to structure the cleaning and maintenance tasks in your office will depend on the size of the building and offices, the number of people responsible and how often you want each task to be done.
Some tasks must be handled by a third-party service provider. Factor that in when scheduling the frequency of a task. Deep cleaning of carpets, for example, should be done at least once a year. Cleaning carpets monthly is unnecessary, expensive and disruptive.
Daily office cleaning tasks
These tidying and cleaning tasks should be added to a daily schedule:
- dishes
- sanitise surfaces
- canteen floor
- microwave
- tidy common areas
- dust common areas
- bathrooms
- stock bathrooms
- front-of-house windows
- empty and wipe bins.
Weekly office cleaning tasks
These tasks should go on the weekly cleaning schedule:
- clear out and clean communal fridges
- dust and clean employee desks
- dust and clean conference rooms
- vacuum carpets
- mop all floors
- vacuum upholstery
- clean windows
- clean light fittings
- clean skirting boards
- sanitise drains.
Monthly office cleaning and maintenance tasks
These cleaning and maintenance tasks should be completed once a month.
- vents and ceiling fans
- under appliances [such as the fridge]
- dust bookcases and shelves
- polish tile and hardwood floors
- outdoor furniture.
Once or twice a year you should have upholstery, carpets and drapes deep cleaned. Brass, chrome and silver fittings should be polished.
The need to carry out certain maintenance tasks depends on whether you rent or own the building. These include:
- painting
- clearing gutters and drains
- gardening
- repainting parking lines
- power-washing patios
- general interior DIY.
Office cleaning schedule templates
These blank office cleaning schedule templates allow you to create your own maintenance and cleaning lists. These templates can be used for the entire office or, in larger offices, each responsible person can have their own sheets.
- daily and weekly office cleaning schedule template [PDF]
- monthly maintenance and office cleaning schedule template [PDF].
To save paper, consider printing and laminating a few copies. You can reuse them if you write with a whiteboard marker. You can print these templates larger [A3 or A2] if you want to stick them on a wall for easy reference.
Save money through regular office maintenance
Regular office maintenance and cleaning should never be neglected. Even if cleaning and maintenance becomes a significant cost for your business, letting it lapse can result in damage or soiling that could cost you your security deposits.
Even if you own your office or building, neglecting regular maintenance can make it harder to rent out or sell your property. In extreme cases, poor maintenance and cleaning can become a health and safety issue that could cost your business money in damages.