Cleaning Desks, Keyboards and Shared Surfaces in a Small Office

That Cleaning Girl · Office Cleaning

Desks are personal. Door handles, copiers and conference tables are everybody's. Both need regular cleaning, but they need different approaches. If your restroom is in good shape after reading Office Restroom Cleaning: What Needs Doing and How Often, it's time to look at the surfaces people touch all day.

These are the habits we use in small offices around Waxahachie, Midlothian and south DFW.

The golden rule for desks

We clean what's clear and leave everything else alone. Papers stay where they are. Sticky notes stay where they are. That stack of files that looks messy to everyone else is probably in an order that makes perfect sense to its owner.

So the best thing your team can do on cleaning day is clear what they want cleaned. A desk with a cleared surface gets dusted and wiped. A desk buried in paperwork gets the edges and the exposed spots.

The same goes for anything personal: photos, plants, collectibles and the little desk fan someone swears by. We work around them carefully, and if something needs to be moved to clean under it, it goes right back where it was. If a desk has something fragile or valuable on it, a quick note in the entry file means everyone knows to give it extra room.

How to clean a desk properly

When a desk is cleared, it gets:

• Dusting first, so you're not just pushing dust around with a wet cloth.
• A wipe with a cleaner suited to the surface: wood, laminate, glass or metal.
• The front edge, where wrists rest and hands grab.
• Drawer pulls and the keyboard tray.
• The monitor stand and base, which collect dust fast.
• Desk lamps and the base of the desk phone.

Don't spray cleaner directly onto a desk with electronics on it. Spray the cloth instead.

Keyboards, mice and phones

Keyboards and phones are some of the most touched surfaces in any office, and some of the least cleaned. A few tips:

• Turn the keyboard upside down and gently tap it to knock crumbs out.
• Wipe keys with a barely damp cloth or an electronics wipe. Never soak it.
• Wipe the mouse, especially the buttons and the underside.
• Clean desk phone handsets, keypads and the cord area.
• For cell phones, follow the manufacturer's cleaning guidance.

Some employees love having their keyboard wiped. Others would rather nobody touch their setup. Ask your team, then tell your cleaner. It's an easy note to keep on file.

Shared touch points

These are the surfaces that get touched by everyone, many times a day, and they're where germs spread in an office:

• Door handles and push plates, especially the front door and restroom doors.
• Light switches.
• Stair railings and handrails.
• Copier and printer buttons and touch screens.
• Coffee maker handles and buttons.
• Fridge and microwave handles.
• Water cooler taps.
• Thermostat.
• Shared tablets, sign-in kiosks or pens at the front desk.

These get wiped on every visit, and during cold and flu season, more often is better.

Conference tables and meeting rooms

Conference rooms collect coffee rings, crumbs and smudged glass. After each meeting, someone should clear cups and trash. On cleaning day, the table gets wiped, chairs get wiped on the arms and the top of the backrest, whiteboards get erased and the trays cleaned if you want them, and the floor gets vacuumed underneath.

Glass conference tables show every fingerprint, so they need a proper streak-free glass cleaner and a dry microfiber cloth. Wood tables do better with a gentle wood-safe cleaner and a soft cloth. Skip anything that leaves a greasy film, because it just grabs more dust and shows every handprint from the next meeting.

Dust on everything else

North Texas dust doesn't care what's on your shelves. Window sills, bookcases, picture frames, plaques and the tops of cabinets all collect it. Regular dusting keeps it under control, especially in spring when oak and cedar pollen sneaks in through every door opening, and in summer when it's dry and dusty outside.

High surfaces like the top of tall cabinets and door frames don't need dusting every visit, but they shouldn't be ignored. Rotating them in once a month keeps the office from looking tired.

Personal desk items like picture frames, nameplates and desk toys collect dust just as fast as anything else. Owners who want them dusted can leave them on a cleared desk. Owners who would rather nobody touched them can say so, and we'll work around them every time.

Keeping shared spaces clean

Clear desks on cleaning day, wipe touch points regularly and keep a basket for clutter. That's most of the battle. A regular visit takes care of the dusting, wiping and disinfecting of shared surfaces so your team can focus on work. See what's included in our office cleaning services.