In all my years (since 2008!) of working for my family’s company, Dr. Bronner’s, I have always worked remote, which means I spend a good bit of time in my home office.
But if you’re like me, when it comes to housecleaning, we think about bathrooms, kitchen, living areas. But maybe not so much about the home office. After all, what do we do in our offices other than sit, right?
My guess is that if someone trained a camera on us while we were working (now, we’re only pretending here!), we’d see that we interact more than we think with this space. We touch many things, cough, sneeze, drink, eat, and who knows what else. The space definitely merits our cleaning attention.
Table of contents:
- Before cleaning, the importance of office organization
- Start by cleaning your air
- Do I need an office air purifier?
- What objects are dirtiest in our home offices
- Materials/tools for home office cleaning
- How to dust your home office
- What to wash with the GIY All-Purpose Spray
- How to clean electronics in the home office
- Wrapping up home office cleaning
Before cleaning, the importance of office organization
Organizing is not cleaning. I always clarify that to anyone who sees my messy desk and says with a smirk, “Don’t you write a blog about cleaning?” (Actually, no one has ever said that to me, but I do say it to myself. But then I remind myself, organizing is not cleaning, and I’m quite good at the latter; still working on the former.)
However, organizing needs to come before cleaning so that I can access the surfaces that need cleaning. Also, I know definitively that having a clean and tidy home office is as good for our physical health, as it is for mental health. Tidy spaces reduce anxiety by narrowing our focus, increase our productivity by removing distractions, and convey a professional and diligent ethic to those with whom we engage.
While organization is not my primary focus, and I am nowhere near an expert at it, a number of decluttering techniques have helped me become more efficient. Here are a few tricks I do to keep things tidy:
1. Start the day with a quick tidy-up of my desk. My desk must have a paper magnet built into it, because I can leave it tidy at the end of one workday, and by the next morning, it has accumulated paper, usually along the lines of mail, receipts, or school info.
2. File or shred paper immediately. Rather than stacking papers in piles to deal with later and then forgetting which pile was which and having to sort through it again (just me?), take those 2-seconds to file or shred the paper. If you don’t have a filing system, set aside some time to set one up. It will save you time in the long run.
3. Have an off-the-desk spot for “active” items. This is for papers and other materials that are needed for current and ongoing tasks, but they shouldn’t sit on the desk to clutter it and get messed up or buried.
4. Have off-the-desk homes for office supplies. It may sound handy to keep office supplies on your desk, but it is too easy for them to become visual clutter. Keep staplers, paperclips, hole punches, and scissors in a drawer or cabinet. Let your workspace be only a workspace, and not a storage space.
5. End your day with 5 minutes to wrap up your desk. In your last 5 minutes of working, tend to any filing, shredding, or storing of papers. Put away things you’ve used. Leave your desk for the day with intention. This is the equivalent to putting up a “Closed” sign on a business door, and it leaves the setting ready to begin work the next day.
Start by cleaning your air
The next thing to address is the air. Not only is our air impossible to avoid, it is capable of holding a great number of contaminants, coming from off-gassing fumes of furniture, carpets, paint, and fabrics, or shed fibers from animals, fabrics, and even our own skin, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from fragranced products, and the bacteria, viruses, and particles emanating from anyone who breathes. Indoor air pollution is usually worse than outdoor air pollution.
Flush out all of this by opening windows, if possible. If that’s not an option, turn on a good air purifier. Dust any air vents.
Tidy spaces reduce anxiety by narrowing our focus, increase our productivity by removing distractions, and convey a professional and diligent ethic to those with whom we engage.
A note about plants and clean air: While I am a serious plant mama, I do not rely primarily on plants for air purifying. Flushing out indoor air with outdoor air is more effective at removing VOCs and other airborne contaminants. However, I highly encourage you to keep a plant or two in sight for the joy they bring!
Refrain from using scented air freshening products which worsen air quality by emitting compounds into the air. Over 75% of the top 20 known allergens are found in artificially scented air freshening products, so ditch the plug-ins, sprays, and scented gels or beads.
Do I need an office air purifier?
Whether or not you need an air purifier depends on your office situation, your environment, and your own body’s needs. Does your office have openable windows? Are you sensitive to pollen or dust? Does your area have significant outdoor air pollution? The answers to these questions will determine whether or not you should invest in an air purifier. Opening windows is more effective than an air purifier at flushing out indoor air pollutants. But if you don’t have openable windows or if you’re sensitive to outside particulates like pollen, an air purifier is a good option.
If you do decide to bring in a purifier, you’ll need to research which are most effective using an independent research organization such as Consumer Reports. There is no oversight committee made on the claims of air purifiers. The best option for air purifiers are those with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which physically trap particulates in the air, even of the tiniest size. Other claims of ways a purifier might zing, zap, or zilch-ify pollution might be ineffective.
Another option, instead of using a separate air purifier, is to be sure your HVAC system has a high quality filter on its intake vent. You’ll want to look for one with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 13 or higher.
What objects are dirtiest in our home offices
Things we touch with our hands always top the lists of germiest objects in a house. In the office, that’s pretty much everything. Computers, keyboards, cellphones, charging cables, the mouse and mousepad, headphones, lamps, the desk, our chair.
And if we share the office with other people? The germs and grime multiply.
Materials/tools for home office cleaning
Assemble for yourself a kit for home office cleaning. Most of these items will also clean the rest of your house. Keep them in an easy-to-grab caddy so that everything is in one spot.
General purpose microfiber cloths
What is it: General purpose microfiber cloths are the fluffy, grabby kind that can hold up to 7x their weight in liquid and are lint-free. These are becoming more widely available, but I usually find the best quality and prices in the automotive supply section, sold for polishing cars. If you prefer another type of cleaning cloth, that works too!
What it’s for: These are awesome at picking dust off of furniture and wiping cleaning sprays off of most surfaces.
How to use it: For dusting or wiping off cleaning sprays, dampen the cloth. For washing windows, use the cloth dry. (For the first 7 washes of a microfiber cloth, place them in a lint catching laundry bag such as the GuppyFriend.)
Flat-weave microfiber cloths
What is it: These are very smooth microfiber cloths designed for screens and eyeglasses.
What it’s for: These pick up all manner of smudges on glass and screens and leave no lint behind.
How to use it: Most of the time, use them dry on these surfaces. If the surface needs a spray as mentioned below, spray the cloth, then wipe the surface.
GIY All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
How to make it: This is the centerpiece of my green cleaning arsenal, made with ½ Tbsp. (7 mL) Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner OR 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap in 16 oz. (500 mL) of water.
What it’s for: This DIY all-purpose cleaner is for general surface cleaning, and is the first thing I reach for in most situations. However, read on for a few specialty situations in the office that call for something else.
How to use it: Either spray the surface and wipe with a damp cloth, or spray a damp cloth and wipe the surface.
Cotton swabs
What is it: The little cotton-tipped sticks, commonly called Q-Tips, are usually used for personal care.
What it’s for: Getting in all the teeny tiny crevices of our tech, such as between computer keys and inside earbud cases.
How to use it: When cleaning an office, you’ll be dipping it in pharmacy-grade alcohol.
Distilled or reverse osmosis (RO) filtered water
What it is: This water lacks minerals which could deposit on surfaces.
What it’s for: Cleaning highly polished surfaces.
How to use it: In the office, you’ll spray a microfiber cloth and wipe.
70% alcohol is your DIY disinfectant spray
What is it: This is pharmacy grade alcohol. A percentage between 60-90% is pivotal, so don’t substitute vodka or another drinking alcohol. Put a spray nozzle on your alcohol bottle or transfer the alcohol into a spray bottle. Do not dilute it.
What it’s for: Disinfecting high touch surfaces but take note of special situations below. Alcohol breaks down germs and evaporates rapidly (the science-y word is “volatile”), which means it disinfects while not leaving moisture.
How to use it: For tech surfaces, spray the cloth and wipe the object.
White vinegar cleaning solution, aka my GIY Glass Cleaner
How to make it: Dilute distilled kitchen-grade white vinegar in half with water.
What it’s for: Cleaning glass and touch screens.
How to use it: For glass, spray the glass and wipe with a microfiber cloth. For any electronics, spray the cloth first, then wipe the surface.
How to dust your home office
As with all cleaning, begin with dusting, which mechanically removes particles from the surface. With particles out of the way, cleaners can reach the surfaces beneath.
Dust with a clean, damp microfiber cloth. Dusting sprays are not more effective and can even deposit residues that will hold onto dust and build up grime. Dust all furniture, especially flat surfaces like desktops, bookshelves, windowsills, filing cabinets, as well as ceiling fans and light fixtures.
What to wash with the GIY All-Purpose Spray
Now you’re ready to clean surfaces. Furniture and non-electronics that we touch often need to be cleaned after dusting. Spray them with the GIY All-Purpose spray and wipe with a damp cloth. Be sure to include your chair and desk top, as these objects likely build up the most residue from your hands.
How to clean electronics in the home office
Electronics can be finnicky, so let’s start with a few rules:
- Turn devices off and disconnect from power before cleaning.
- Take care not to allow moisture into the devices.
- Never spray a device directly. Spray a cloth and wipe.
- Use the least intensive cleaning method needed for the situation.
Things we touch with our hands always top the lists of germiest objects in a house. In the office, that’s pretty much everything.
How to clean a computer
The computer is the centerpiece of our desks, and we touch it a lot! It also has a great variety of surfaces, so let’s tackle them one by one.
How to clean a keyboard
For keyboards, which we touch THE MOST, remove debris by tipping the keyboard over and tapping lightly to remove large debris. Honestly, this can be pretty gross. Even if you are careful never to eat at your computer, you will be surprised at the debris that accumulates between the keys.
After you’ve tap-tap-tapped all you can, then hold the keyboard at a tilt and use canned compressed air or a soft clean dry brush to remove dust.
Lastly, to disinfect the keyboard, spray a flat-weave microfiber cloth with 70% isopropyl alcohol and wipe the keyboard surfaces. Use a cotton swab dampened with alcohol to get into crevices.
How to clean a laptop screen or computer monitor screen
For the screen of a laptop or computer, start with just a dry microfiber cloth. (See the point above about using the least intensive cleaning method.) If smudges still remain, dampen the cloth with distilled water and rub gently. If you need even more cleaning action, spray the cloth the GIY Glass Cleaner, which is the half-and-half dilution of vinegar and water.
Take note: Do not use alcohol, ammonia, bleach, or miscellaneous cleaners on screens.
How to clean a desktop computer and other large office appliances
For computer cases, the backs of a monitor and such, all of which are primarily plastic, spray a regular microfiber cloth with the GIY cleaning spray, and wipe them down.
Larger appliances like a printer or a shredder need to be wiped down for dust with a damp cloth. Clean any buttons or keypads with a general microfiber cloth sprayed with alcohol.
How to clean a cell phone and other small electronics
For small electronics, like cellphones, a mouse, calculator, remote controls or a wired mousepad, dust with a damp flat-weave microfiber cloth to remove debris and then spray the cloth with alcohol and wipe all surfaces. Use a cotton swab dampened with alcohol to get in the crevices.
How to clean headphone pads and earbuds
It’s really quite disconcerting how dirty our headphones and earbuds can get. For earbuds and their cases, start with wiping them down with a dry flat-weave microfiber cloth. Then dampen the cloth with alcohol and wipe down again. Use a cotton swab dampened with alcohol to get in the crevices of the case. For headphones, spray a regular microfiber cloth with the GIY All-Purpose Spray and wipe down the over-the-head band and the non-speaker components of the earpieces. Use alcohol lightly sprayed on a flat-weave microfiber cloth to wipe the speakers.
How to clean miscellaneous office equipment
For any remaining office objects such as charging cables, power cords, and tools such as staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, spray the GIY All-Purpose Spray on a damp microfiber cloth and wipe clean.
Then, let everything air dry fully before plugging it back in and putting it back into place.
How to clean glass surfaces in an office
Glass surfaces such as a desk protector, windows, and picture frames can be cleaned with the GIY Glass Cleaner. Large surfaces can be sprayed directly and wiped with a dry microfiber cloth, but for smaller glass objects, spray the cloth and wipe the glass.
Wrapping up home office cleaning
If your home office contains other upholstered furniture, perhaps for that post-lunch nap, regularly vacuum them and occasionally give them a deeper cleaning as needed. Vacuum all flooring thoroughly, which not only makes a big visual difference but greatly reduces dust, and mop hard floors as needed.
Lastly, don’t forget light switches and doorknobs which are touched by so many hands! Spray your cloth with the GIY All-Purpose Spray and wipe them clean. Follow with a spray of alcohol and wipe dry.
The next time you sit down to work, your fresh clean workspace will lead to fresh ideas and productivity. You’ll be really glad you took the time to make your space clean and tidy.
Further reading
