How to Clean
Your Home Office

Whether you work from home full time or part time, your home office is likely more cluttered and more dirty than you realize. From dusty shelving to cluttered desks, you may not notice the grime because you see it every day.

We clean up homes, offices, apartments, and more every day, so we are uniquely qualified to know a dirty room when we see one. That’s why we put together an office cleaning checklist that will keep your workspace tidy and functional.

Office Cleaning 101

Cleaning your home office creates a tidier, fresher space to work in, and it doesn’t take a lot of work once you get things in order. Learning how to clean an office involves three basic steps to get the job done right:

Declutter

Grab a trash can, because it’s time to declutter your home office. Ruthlessly go through everything on your desk, shelves, and inside filing cabinets and start filling the trash can. Keep what you must, and set it aside for now. Get rid of broken or outdated electronics like computer peripherals and toss any dead plants or other decor you’ve grown tired of.

Clean

Congratulations! You’ve gotten rid of the clutter, and we bet your home office is looking better already. Now onto the office cleaning:

• Dust light fixtures, ceiling fans, the corners of walls, shelves, wall decor, and furniture. Work from the ceiling to the floor using a microfiber cloth.
• Clean your windows, including the frames. Use a clean, damp cloth and white vinegar to clean the glass. Next, use the cloth to wipe off the top ledge, sill, and the rest of the frame.
• Clean your home office electronics. That means your computer, printer, mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor, and also your smartphone. Lucky for you, we have a complete guide for cleaning electronics.
• Clean your desk and chair. Clear your desk and wipe it down with a clean, damp cloth. Also wipe down the legs of your desk and the cords beneath it. Vacuum your office chair and wipe down the frame with your damp cloth. Have a leather chair, instead? We’ve got you covered.
• Clean the floors. Sweep, vacuum, or mop up the dirt and dust from your floors and wipe down the baseboards with a damp cloth. If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your carpet, call us or break out a steam cleaner—it’s time.

Organize

Things tend to get a little wild in every home office, but these six steps will help you combat your office mess:

• Install two wall shelves and dedicate them to books and notebooks.
• Limit yourself to one filing cabinet—keep your space as paperless as possible.
• Set up a dry erase board with handy markers so you can take notes on the fly and stop hoarding scraps of paper.
• Invest in bins for quick cleaning
• Set aside a bin for toys, another for the occasional mug or glass, and one for everything else that doesn’t need to be dealt with right away.
• Empty these containers once you have some time to breathe.

Maintain

Treat your home office the way it should be treated: Make routine office cleaning a part of doing business. Keeping everything clean and inviting is the first step to ensuring you hit all your goals for the day.

• Wipe down the surfaces on a daily basis.
• Hand vacuum your chair and the floor around your desk.
• Dust lightly at least once a week.

Now that you know how to clean a home office, learn how to clean the rest of the rooms in your home when you check out our other professional cleaning and disinfecting guides. Whether you do it yourself or use one of our popular cleaning services, we want you to enjoy a cleaner home and office more often. Get your free estimate today and find out more.