The sun is shining, the blossoms are out, there is no doubt that spring is in the air. It’s time to get what’s happening inside the window looking like what’s happening outside the window, and give the window itself a going-over! A solid spring cleaning effort will tangibly improve the mood and productivity of your team, plus you’ll actually have fun doing it. Getting started is the first (and highest) hurdle, so here's a quick checklist to jolt you into action.
Workplace
Spring cleaning is definitely not just for the home: a clean and organised workplace will increase productivity and make your whole team healthier by cleaning away germs. You’ll feel good doing it, you’ll feel better afterwards, and you’ll feel better being there. Here are some tips to get you started on your workplace spring clean. Develop a checklist and aim to check off at least one or two tasks a day or spend 15 minutes each day, consider creating a spring cleaning blitz team:
- Wipe down all surfaces
- Declutter common work areas, file, store, shred unwanted paperwork
- Get carpets shampooed
- Discard old equipment
- Add some plants to your work environment to clean the air year round (succulents need so little, but give so much).
- Get EVERYONE on board everyone is on board – make a day of it
- Do a deep clean of your lunch area
- Chuck out EVERYTHING in the fridge. Be ruthless.
- Wipe out microwave
- Clean windows
- Weed the garden beds
- Empty bins
- Dust up high!
Desk
Maybe you can’t get all your colleagues on board for a workplace spring clean, but you can definitely work on your own space. Here’s some tips to deep clean your desk:
- Use a Spray and Wipe on all hard surfaces
- Air Dusters are great to clean out lunch crumbs from your keyboard!
- Throw out or shred old files and paperwork from your filing cabinet
- Have you not needed something in the last 3 months? You probably wont need it in the next 3, either.
- Scan documents that you don’t need a hard copy of and recycle or file anything else
- ORGANISE. Check the office supplies cupboard or catalogue
- Spring cleaning is not just for physical spaces, don’t forget your email inbox and desktop
- Aim for 80% of your desk free from clutter
- Organise your drawers -organise filing cabinet
- Sanitise phone
Home
Now that you are done with your workplace, use the momentum and start on your home. Add these add to your home spring cleaning checklist:
- Change your sheets/pillowcases/doona cover. No better foundation to lay the season on than a crisp clean bed.
- Dust up high- ceiling fans and the top of the fridge
- De cobweb
- Clean windows
- Open up to let some of the sunshine and fresh air in
- Declutter, get rid of unwanted stuff- donate to an op shop or sell through a buy and swap page
- Wipe out cupboards
- Mow, whipper snip, weed and blower vac your yard
- Shampoo carpets
- Scrub grout
- Clean the dishwasher by running it empty with a cup of white vinegar
You are now ready for anything. Try not to leave it for another year!