If you manage or own an office then you will know that keeping it clean, tidy and safe to work in is not only critical for your business, but also for the wellbeing of your team and workforce.

Knowing exactly how often to bring in a professional cleaning team is something a lot of businesses get wrong, either wasting money on unnecessary daily cleans they don’t need or leaving it too long and letting standards slip and therefore the workplace really suffers. Working out when and how often you need your office cleaned can mean not only are you lowering your costs, but that you are also getting the right result for your business.

When it comes to the question of how often you should be getting your office cleaned, we cover some points and questions we ask businesses all the time.

The Size of Your Office Matters

A small office with five members of staff has very different needs to a busy open plan space with fifty desks and 5 times the workforce. Larger offices will obviously accumulate dust, bacteria and general mess far more quickly, simply because more people are working in them every day. Offices with higher staff levels will typically need professional cleaning at least three to five times per week, while smaller teams may find that one or two visits per week is perfectly sufficient.

It also depends on how often your team are in the office as well. With many businesses still allowing a good degree of work from home, the amount of desks you have may not be directly related to how often you need a clean, so looking at how many people are in the office and how often, is probably a much better way to look at this.

How Much Footfall Do You Get?

If your office has a reception area, meeting rooms or client facing spaces, these areas will often need more regular attention than a back office that only your team uses. As the saying goes, first impressions really do count, and a grubby entrance or untidy meeting room can undermine confidence before a conversation has even started.

The areas in your office that get the most footfall should be cleaned daily if possible, even if the rest of the building that is maybe less busy is on a less frequent cleaning schedule. This can be an effective way to keep costs down but keep all areas looking great, by prioritising where you focus the cleans and the schedule you work them on.

The Type of Work You Do

Some industries have higher hygiene standards and requirements built into their day to day operations. Healthcare settings, food related businesses and schools, for example, are subject to stricter regulations and will need professional cleaning more frequently than a standard office environment. If your business falls into a regulated category, it’s worth speaking to a professional cleaning company to make sure your cleaning schedule is compliant with the needs of your industry and local and national requirements.

What Does a Professional Clean Actually Cover?

There’s a big difference between the daily tidying your team might do and a proper professional clean, as employing the professionals will mean you get a much better result at sometimes much less of cost. A commercial cleaning service will cover things like deep cleaning of toilets and kitchen areas, sanitising high touch frequency surfaces such as door handles, light switches and shared office equipment, thorough vacuuming and floor care, and window cleaning. These are tasks that are easy to overlook on a day to day basis when you are continually working in the environment, but make a significant difference to the overall cleanliness and hygiene of a workplace.

As any team member will tell you, a clean, tidy and safe place to work often leads to and means increased productivity and staff morale, two big wins for any business.

For most small to medium sized offices, a professional clean two to three times per week keeps a good balance between maintaining high standards and allowing costs to remain manageable. That said, it’s always worth having a conversation with your cleaning provider to talk through your specific setup, as the right schedule will depend on your team size, the nature of your work and your budget.

Getting It Right From the Start

As we mention above, speaking to a professional office cleaning company can allow you to work out what you need and how often you need it. They will ask the right questions to get you the best outcome, and will design a schedule that not only covers what you need, but also works around your working day, with many services offered outside of hours if that works best for your business.

Working with an experienced commercial cleaning company means you get a cleaning schedule that’s bespoke and designed to you needs and schedule, rather than a one size fits all approach. We work with offices of all sizes across Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas, putting together cleaning programmes that keep workplaces looking their best without unnecessary cost.

If you’d like to find out more or get a free, no-obligation quote, get in touch with the team today on 0800 170 1441 or email info@gloscleansolutions.co.uk.