A Checklist of the 10 Things Most Cleaning Businesses Forget to Clean

Top 10 Things Most Cleaning Businesses Forget to Clean

Cleaning an office seems like it would be a pretty easy job for cleaning businesses. With only one look you can easily identify plenty of obvious things that need to be cleaned on a regular basis – floors, windows, bathrooms, desks, and cubicles. However, there are parts of an office that usually get overlooked by cleaning businesses. If you work for or own a cleaning business of any kind, the last thing you would want to read in a review from one of those office customers is that you forgot to clean something!

Check Your Cleaning Checklist

Unfortunately, there are a few things that many cleaning businesses (whether they would admit it or not) are notorious for forgetting to clean, especially in an office setting. So we’ve made a checklist of some of the office spaces most commonly neglected by cleaning businesses:

1. Ceiling tiles – Think about an office setting. If you look up, what do you see? Most of the time, you’ll see acoustic tiles or a dropped ceiling. And if you look closely, you’ll see that those tiles collect dust and cobwebs, especially those close to air vents.

2. Light fixtures – Keep looking up…what do you see next? Fluorescent light fixtures. Those fixtures are where bugs go to die – not something anyone wants to look at. Additionally, the light fixtures used on walls (like sconces) and on desks (like lamps) commonly accumulate dust.

3. Air vents/exchange intakes – Whether they’re on the ceiling or on the floor, air vents are like sticky paper for dust and allergens. If you’re in a colder climate, this is worse during the coldest times, when the heat is being used the most. If you’re in a warmer climate, it’s when the air conditioning is on full blast all the time.

4. Walls – Take a second and run your hand along a wall – you will be shocked at how much dust can accumulate on vertical surfaces. Pay special attention to the areas behind doors and in less-trafficked areas, especially if the walls are covered in wallpaper or are textured.

5. Printers and copy machines – Look around your printer and copy room – whether it’s the machines themselves or behind them, you may see some thick dust. Printers, especially high performing models, print many pages per minute, leaving behind tiny paper particles that accumulate everywhere.

6. Baseboards – Similar to when you’re cleaning your home, it’s easy to clean flat surfaces that are regularly used. But things like baseboards, crown molding, backsplashes, those surfaces are not as obvious. Left untreated, dust will coat these surfaces and make them even harder to clean.

7. Switch plates and doorknobs – These are the places that come in contact the most with hands, which means they’re probably the most germ-covered areas in any office. However, they’re often overlooked! Contamination of just one doorknob can spread germs throughout an entire office in a matter of hours.

8. Tops of modular furniture – Look out for cubicles, partitions, or anything that is taller than the average person. Lower surfaces will get cleaned regularly, but unless you’re on a ladder or you’re over 6 feet tall, the tops of these items remain untouched.

9. Plants and greenery – Fake or real, plants that aren’t regularly attended to can accumulate dust, cobwebs, mold, and even bugs. If cleaning them or caring for them becomes a burden, it may be time for a replacement.

10. Trash cans – It may sound silly to clean a receptacle that only holds trash, but those cans can be some of the most disgusting places in your office. Even if they’re only used to hold paper, dust will still be an issue, not to mention the occasional leaky trash bag.

How Did You Do?

Sometimes, maintaining a cleaning checklist can be tedious, especially for cleaning businesses working on a lot of office spaces on a regular basis. If you pay attention to these forgotten areas, your office customers will thank you!

If you struggle with checklists, inventory, or even scheduling, it can really put a damper on your work each day. There is a tool out there that can help with all of these areas – cleaning business software – and the best one out there is Janitorial Manager. Our software can be the solution to your aggravation and can help you maintain consistency with your staff and your customers. Give us a call or schedule a free demo today!