Tips to maintain cleanliness in the office

By Jared Sarbit

A lot of people spend a large portion of their day in the office and no one wants to be working in a mess all day. That’s why it’s essential to maintain a clean and organized workplace. Not only will a tidy working area eliminate distractions and boost productivity, but ideal hygienic conditions will keep employees healthy and safe, limiting the number of sick days needed while also helping to attract potential clients and customers.

Here are a few tips to maintain cleanliness in the office:

Keep desks tidy

We’ve probably all had a desk that, at one point or another, has been in disarray! Encourage employees to make it a daily habit to keep minimal clutter. Invest in desk organizers as well as desks with drawers and shelves to keep everything from being scattered on the tabletop.

Encourage employee hygiene

Training employees in proper hygiene will help keep everyone healthy. Everyone in the workplace should be washing their hands after using the washroom and before and after handling food. Make sure to also provide sanitizers, disinfecting wipes and tissues for employees to use.

Take out trash daily

A full garbage can will not only cause unpleasant smells but is also unhygienic and can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other unwanted germs. Make sure the trash is taken out daily and don’t forget the recycling as well!

Clean the floor

While this may not need to be done daily, don’t forget to vacuum and mop the floors at least once a week or as needed, especially in high traffic areas.

Organize cables

Loose cables lying around the office are not only unsightly but are a potential hazard as well. Take the time to appropriately sort and organize them or opt for wireless appliances.

Disinfect regularly

Make sure to frequently clean and sanitize all high touch areas including light switches, doorknobs, computer keyboards, phones, etc. This can go a long way in preventing the spread of germs and keeping employees healthy.

Keep a clean bathroom

A clean bathroom is a must! Make sure all toilets and sinks are regularly cleaned and in good working order, garbage cans are emptied and all soap and paper towels are replenished.

Keep shared areas clean

Don’t forget about any other common areas at the workplace such as eating areas (don’t eat at your desk!) or break rooms.

Commit to a regular deep cleaning

Hiring a professional cleaners to deep clean the office once a quarter, or as needed, will get to all those nooks and crannies that are not part of the daily cleaning tasks.

Maintaining cleanliness in the office cannot be an afterthought! Everyone in the workplace should help take responsibility to keep a clean, tidy environment and these are just a few of the ways to help that happen. An organized work area will create a comfortable, safe space for everyone involved, which in turn will help encourage productivity and growth for the company.

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Estimates are based on average commercial cleaning rates across Alberta and typical management and coverage costs. Your actual quote depends on square footage, service frequency, facility type, and scope of work. Request a custom quote above for an exact number.

The Hidden Cost of In-House Cleaning

A wage comparison only tells part of the story. Here’s what usually gets left out:

Wages and Benefits

Payroll is usually the first number people look at when they think about cleaning costs, but it rarely tells the whole story. Supplies, equipment, manager oversight, scheduling headaches, and the inevitable sick days all add up over time. By the time you account for everything, the true cost of keeping cleaning in-house can look very different from what’s on the payroll report. That’s exactly what our cost comparison tool is designed to help you see, along with what outsourcing might save.

Supplies and Equipment

Cleaning products, paper goods, vacuums, floor machines, and the replacement parts that keep them running all add up over the course of a year. Businesses that clean in-house often buy retail-grade supplies at retail prices because they don’t have access to the commercial pricing that a cleaning company gets from its suppliers. Equipment also breaks down, and replacing a vacuum or floor buffer every few years is a cost that rarely gets planned for in advance.

Management Time

Somebody has to schedule shifts, check the quality of the work, order more supplies when they run low, and step in when something gets missed. That’s real time pulled from a manager’s actual job, and it rarely gets assigned a dollar value, even though it should. If a facilities manager or office lead spends even a few hours a week on cleaning oversight, that’s time not spent on the parts of their role that actually move the business forward.

Absenteeism and Coverage Gaps

Sick days and missed shifts are part of running any team. When they happen, the work still has to get done, which usually means paying someone else to cover the shift or accepting that some tasks will have to wait. Over the course of a year, those extra costs can become surprisingly significant. There’s another effect that’s harder to measure, too. When cleaning is inconsistent, people notice. Employees notice it, clients notice it, and visitors notice it, even if they couldn’t tell you exactly why the space feels different.

Cost Category	What It Covers
Wages & Benefits	Annual pay for in-house cleaning staff
Supplies & Equipment	Products, tools, and machine upkeep
Management Time	Hours spent scheduling and supervising
Absenteeism	Missed shifts and last-minute coverage

Why Outsourcing Often Comes Out Ahead

Once you’ve seen your own numbers, the reasons behind the gap start to make sense.

Predictable Pricing

A cleaning company quote covers labor, supplies, and equipment on a single line. You know what you’re paying before the work starts, and that number doesn’t shift because someone called in sick or a vacuum broke down. Budgeting gets easier when the cost of cleaning is a single line item rather than four separate ones scattered across payroll, supplies, and management time.

No Coverage Gaps

When a member of an in-house cleaning team calls in sick, someone on your staff has to figure out what happens next. With a professional cleaning service, that responsibility shifts to the provider. If a cleaner is unavailable, arranging a replacement is part of the service, so your team isn’t left scrambling to fill the gap.

Accountability Built In

Picture Perfect Cleaning holds COR certification and provides regular service reporting, so you can see what’s being done and when, without spending your own hours checking on it. That’s the management time most in-house teams never get back. Our team also uses EcoLogo- and Green Seal-certified products, so you’re not trading cost savings for a lower cleaning standard.

Get Your Custom Quote

Wages are only one line in what in-house cleaning actually costs. Once you add in supplies, the hours a manager spends overseeing the crew, and the gaps left by sick days, the real number is usually higher than what shows up on a payroll report and often higher than what a professional service would charge for the same work. That’s the gap the tool above is built to show you, along with what outsourcing could put back in your budget.

Our cost comparison tool gives you a reasonable estimate of what you could save by switching to a professional cleaning service, not a final number. Every building is different, and factors like your cleaning schedule, the size of your facility, and the services you need will affect the actual cost. If you’d like a more accurate quote based on your space, contact Picture Perfect Cleaning, and we’ll walk you through the options.