The condition of your office directly impacts your team’s productivity, health, and happiness. However, keeping your space a great place to work requires near-constant attention, which as an office or operations manager is a responsibility that can feel overwhelming on top of a packed schedule.

Print the office cleaning and maintenance checklist PDF to hang in your office or send to your office manager!

Taking a systematic approach to office cleaning and maintenance can not only keep your office looking presentable and functional, but save you time and money. At Managed by Q we work with thousands of office to ensure they are clean and well-run and to help our clients find solutions to managing their workplaces; here we want to share what we’ve learned on how to best organize your cleaning and maintenance tasks.

Day-to-day cleaning ensures that your office stays neat, tidy and functional, whereas weekly and monthly cleaning focus on larger jobs and surfaces that will keep your office space welcoming and healthy.

Daily tasks include removing trash, cleaning dishes, cleaning and restocking restrooms, and disinfecting hard surfaces. This is especially important because as reported by The Today Show, microbiologists say it takes just two to four hours for a virus to spread from a coffee pot or microwave handle to someone's desk.

Weekly tasks like cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning glass walls and doors, and dusting window sills, are most effective when you establish a regular time to take care of them. They require communication with your colleagues so they know what to expect and when to expect it; and are not taken by surprise when the refrigerator has been emptied or the restrooms are closed for a deeper clean.

Monthly and seasonal tasks can focus on cleaning hard-to-reach areas and larger, specialty tasks like treating carpet stains or cleaning your HVAC vents before the start of summer AC season or winter heating.

Research from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) found that maintenance is the third largest office expense, after fixed costs and utilities. However, many offices fail to budget for regular, preventative maintenance and then end up spending more money on expensive, urgent repairs.

On a monthly basis walk through your office and notice any wear and tear around the space. This will enable you to catch any repairs that are necessary before they become safety risks, such as misaligned doors or sagging shelves. In addition, make sure appliances are functioning properly, replace any flickering or burnt out light bulbs, retouch scuffed paint, and fix loose hinges or leaky faucets. Check your heating and cooling systems seasonally to ensure they’re running efficiently. Performing preventative maintenance and addressing maintenance issues early can save your company thousands of dollars per year.

When working with cleaning vendors, begin your relationship by communicating clearly about your space, requirements, goals, and priorities. Schedule a walk-through, agree on a task list, set a final schedule, and discuss any areas of your space that need special attention. Set a time to check-in after service begins, as it can take two weeks for a vendor to really understand your space. In addition, always let your service providers know about any changes to your schedule or special events as far in advance as possible and keep communication regular so you can quickly address anything that goes wrong.

Specialty services such as carpet shampooing, upholstery or drapery cleaning, or outdoor window washing most likely will need to be scheduled separately from regular cleaning and may require an additional walk-through. Be sure you provide all relevant details about the service you need and the space so the vendor can give you an accurate quote and you can both agree on the scope of work.

Download the Office Cleaning Checklist

These are the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks you need to handle to keep your workspace spotless. You can also download a PDF version of this checklist to print and keep in your office.