From urgent deadlines to last-minute submissions, it’s understandable that you’re incredibly busy and swamped with things to do. A regular day at the office can quickly become stressful and chaotic, but it’s still important to take some time to keep your work environment clean. When there seems to be an endless list of tasks, the last thing you want is an unhygienic workspace to impede your and your coworkers’ ability to produce quality work.

While many employees already do this by setting aside a few minutes to tidy up regularly, some items in the office are often overlooked and excluded from cleaning, which can inadvertently spread all matter of dust and dirt around and lead to various health issues. Here are some things around the office that you should include the next time you decide to clean things up!

Office Chair

An office chair allows an employee to remain comfortable enough throughout the day to stay productive and focused, but have you ever stopped to think about all the things that it's exposed to daily? From bacteria and germs to allergens and dead skin cells, a lot of things can accumulate on your office chair and make it much more hygienic than you’d expect. Aside from decreasing its lifespan, these contaminants can accelerate the breakdown of its material.

Fortunately, regular cleaning can go a long way in helping your office chair stay comfortable and clean. 

Fabric Chairs

For fabric office chairs, start by running a vacuum cleaner over the entire surface to remove loose dirt and debris before getting either a mild detergent or an upholstery cleaner. With a soft brush or a soft cloth, pour a small amount of your chosen cleaner and run this over your whole chair before allowing it to dry completely.

Leather Chairs

For leather chairs, start by dusting the chair with a soft and dry cloth before mixing up both water and some mild dish soap to create some soapy water. Lightly dampen a clean cloth in the solution before wiping the entire chair. Finally, get another clean and dry cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible before allowing it to dry completely.

Mesh Chairs

For mesh office chairs, get a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment and run this over the entire surface to remove any loose dirt or dust. Then, combine both warm water and some mild dish soap to create some soapy water before dampening a clean and dry cloth in it. Wipe the entire chair, soaking and wringing your cloth as much as needed, before leaving the chair to dry completely.

Sofa and Couch

Having a sofa or couch in your office’s reception area can make the space look much more comfortable and welcoming, but a crucial part of maintaining this impression is regularly cleaning your upholstered furniture. Similarly to office chairs, dust, dirt, and pollutants can unknowingly settle into the fibers of your upholstered sofa, which can negatively affect the sofa’s quality, structure, and appearance.

Start by removing all the loose dirt, dust, and debris with a vacuum cleaner and an upholstery attachment. Run this over the whole sofa, making sure to get into the tighter corners. Then, combine both warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap in a bowl until you’re left with some soapy water, which you can then apply on the sofa with either a soft brush or a sponge. Finally, wipe the sofa thoroughly with a clean and damp cloth to remove any soap residue.

Doing this regularly can help your sofa and upholstery look better for longer, but it may not cut it for those moments when you want a much more thorough cleaning. For that, many office and commercial cleaning companies can send over professional sofa cleaners Singapore to take care of everything for you.

Carpeted Floors

While it may seem like a small and insignificant detail, having carpeted floors in your office can definitely make everything seem much more professional, but only when these are properly maintained. When you think about the amount of dirt and contaminants being tracked in from the outside, as well as all the various debris that falls onto it inside the office, you’ll start to understand the importance of regularly cleaning these carpets.

Performing a routine cleaning on carpeted floors is pretty straightforward as all you really need to do is vacuum everything at least once a week. Make sure to go over each area a few times and with different directions to ensure that all the dirt is lifted from all angles. And for the best results, it’s worth considering investing in a vacuum cleaner that comes equipped with a HEPA filter as this will ensure that even the smallest particles are captured.

To maintain a consistently clean work environment, it’s important to ensure you aren’t leaving anything out of your cleaning. By including these often neglected items in your office cleaning and addressing their individual cleaning needs, you’ll be one step closer to having a safe and hygienic workspace.