More and more of us are following Government guidance and working from home. But we don’t all have the option of having a dedicated space in which to create a home office, having to work from the dining room or kitchen table. Whichever of these scenarios applies to you, it’s just as important to keep your home office or work area just as clean as the standards you expect in your normal place of work.
If you’re not sure where to start or what to do, follow these cleaning tips from the team at JDK Cleaning to ensure you are working in a hygienic and germ-free environment.
Cleaning your Home Office Desk
The chances are that your desk isn’t just covered in computer equipment, paperwork and your phone, but, at some point during the day, also with a couple of empty coffee cups and a stray plate or two!
As a result, your desk will need regular cleaning, and not just a tidy up, but a good hygienic deep clean to get rid of debris and germs. You should start by clearing the desk of as many items as you can, including moving a laptop, keyboard and other equipment if you can. Then wipe if over with a clean, damp cloth and anti-bacterial spray.
You should do this daily if you can but, if that’s too much of a chore, at least every few days.
It’s also a good idea to spend a few minutes each week sorting through any piles of paperwork that may be building up and filing away the papers you don’t need.
It’s also worth investing in some affordable office accessories like a filing tray and pen holder. These will help to keep your desk tidy and easier to clean.
We also recommend that, if possible, you should avoid eating at your home desk (which we know can be tricky if you are working from your kitchen or dining table). The issue is that food tends to work its way into your keyboard and other electronic items, which in turn can attract germs as well leaving an unpleasant odour.
Cleaning your Home Office Chair
Believe it or not, your office chair can also take a regular bashing with spilled coffee, pen marks, etc… If the seat is upholstered in fabric, it will show the stains more and will be harder to clean.
As debris, including crumbs from food, is likely to collect in the crevices, you should start by cleaning these areas of your chair first. A small vacuum cleaner will do the trick, getting rid of dust as well as food particles. Then use a damp cloth to sponge off any remaining dust or hair.
Aim to clean your chair once every couple of weeks, and if you use an upholstery cleaner spray once a year.
Cleaning Your Keyboard
We challenge you to take a good look at your keyboard. What can you see? We bet the keys are surrounded by particles of dust, debris, food particles, hair …. all of which will attract germs.
To clean it, start by disconnecting it from your computer if it’s wired; if it’s built-into your laptop, ensure this is shut down before you get started. Then hold your keyboard upside down to shake out as many crumbs or odd bit of debris as possible.
The next step is to take a can of compressed air, or the duster attachment on your hoover, to blast away the bits of left over debris. To get rid of the rest of the particles, take a cotton bud, or twist up a small piece of kitchen towel, and dip it lightly intoisopropyl alcohol. Gently work your way around each of the edges of your keys but be careful not to get the keys too wet (as electronics and water don’t mix well).
Then, using a microfibre cloth, gently dip it in your isopropyl alcohol and wipe each of your keys.
Another tip is to drink tea and coffee from a travel mug with lid when working at your home office desk, this will help to protect your keyboard and paperwork, too.
Cleaning Your Computer Screen
Your computer screen is likely to feature the odd fingerprint, the remnants of a few sneezes and goodness knows what else!
You need to clean your computer screen very carefully to avoid damaging it. The safest way is to mix a solution of one part filtered or distilled water, one part distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle, then spray it on to a clean, soft microfibre cloth (this is important as screens are scratch-sensitive and even kitchen roll could damage them). That’s why you should avoid using tap water as these can leave deposits.
Make sure the screen is turned off, then take the cloth (don’t spray directly onto the screen) and wipe the cloth in small circular motions over the screen, without applying any pressure.
There are also specific computer screen cleaning wipes and cloths available on the market and these should be used in the same way as the method above. It’s a good idea to leave the screen to dry completely before turning it back on.
Cleaning Your Phone
Whether you work from home or not, your phone should still be cleaned regularly as these pieces of equipment are harbours for dirt and germs, particularly as they are used close to your mouth.
You can use a lint-free or microfibre cloth to clean away smudges but for getting rid of germs and to freshen up your phone, you should follow the method we recommend for cleaning your keyboard and computer screen.
It’s best to avoid using any cleaning solutions on phones, just stick to distilled water and distilled vinegar. Switch your phone off and make sure the cloth you use is barely damp.
For your house phone, use the same method and use cotton buds to remove the dirt between the keys.
JDK Cleaning
We hope these tips will help you to keep your home office clean and free of germs. To find out more about our cleaning services, including carpet cleaning for domestic customers, click here .