Cleaning an office isn’t complicated, but it’s easy to do in a way that looks like work without actually improving how the space feels.
You take out the trash and wipe down a couple of the counters, but the office just doesn’t seem right. Smells funny in the break room. The restroom isn’t “dirty,” but it doesn’t feel truly clean. Fingerprints are smeared all over the glass. By the time lunch arrives, the floors are dulled again.
Office cleaning essentially boils down to two factors: having a checklist in place and following a routine. By cleaning in the same smart way each time, the office will remain cleaner for a longer period of time with fewer complaints being made.
What Professional Office Cleaning Includes
A professional clean isn’t “scrub everything nonstop.” It’s the basics done well, every time:
- Trash and recycling are handled properly
- High touch points are disinfected and cleaned
- Restrooms cleaned, disinfected, and stocked
- Break room clean-up (Area where odors and dirt quickly accumulate)
- Floors cleaned correctly and in the correct order.
- Glass and doors spot-cleaned for fingerprints
- A quick walk-through towards the end to catch any mistakes
If those are consistent, the whole office feels more cared for.
The Best Order to Clean an Office
It’s important to have an order of operations when professionally cleaning an office. If you bounce around, you’ll re-dirty areas you have already cleaned.
A simple, professional workflow:
- Trash first
- Dry tasks (dusting, debris removal, vacuuming)
- Wipe + disinfect surfaces (especially shared and high-touch areas)
- Break room
- Restrooms
- Glass + doors
- Floors last (vacuum first, then mop hard floors)
- Final walkthrough
Why floors should always be last
Floors collect everything. If you mop early, you’ll track dirt back across them while finishing the rest of the building. Save floors for the end and they’ll actually look clean when you leave.
High-Touch Points Most Offices Miss
These are the spots that make a place feel dirty even when everything else looks fine:
- Door handles and push plates
- Light switches
- Break room fridge handle and microwave buttons
- Copier and printer controls
- Conference room table edges and chair arms
- Faucet handles and restroom stall locks
If you want quick improvement, tighten up touchpoints.
Restrooms: Clean vs “Looks Clean”
Restrooms are where people decide whether the building is really being maintained.
A professional restroom routine includes:
- Disinfect toilets, sinks, faucets, counters, dispensers, stall doors
- Clean mirrors without streaks
- Restock soap, paper towels, and toilet paper
- Empty trash
- Mop the floor last
If restrooms are consistently strong, the entire facility gets fewer complaints.
Break Room Cleaning: Where Odors Start
The reason why the break room does not stay clean is not that it looks nice. It stays clean because it is maintained.
Counters and tables must be wiped clean. The sink area, including the faucet, must be cleaned. The appliance area is often overlooked, but is actually very important, especially the handles. Trash must be taken out regularly since it tends to produce odors. The floor area around the trash and sink must be cleaned.
If time is of the essence, the bathrooms and the break room must be prioritized.
Floors: The Whole Office Shows It
Carpets
- Clean vacuum traffic lanes extensively (routes of entry → hallways → break room routes)
- Don’t skip edges and corners
- Spot-treat spills early (the longer they sit, the harder they are to remove)
Hard floors
- Remove debris first (dust mop or vacuum)
- Mop using the proper dilution ratio. Too many floor cleaners leave residue and haze on floors.
- Hit the “dirt zones”: around chair legs, under tables, corners, entryways
If your floors are always tired-looking, perhaps your routine or carpet maintenance schedule needs a change, or perhaps a carpet extraction or maintenance service is in order.
Office Cleaning Schedule That Actually Works
Daily (or each service visit)
- Trash and recycling
- Restrooms cleaned and restocked
- Break room wiped down
- High-touch points disinfected
- Quick vacuum/mop in high-traffic areas
Weekly
- Interior glass (doors, partitions, conference rooms)
- Detailed dusting (ledges, corners, baseboard lines)
- Perimeter vacuuming (edges and under accessible furniture)
- Spot-clean doors and walls (fingerprints, scuffs)
Monthly or quarterly
- Carpet deep cleaning as needed
- High dusting (vents, tops of partitions, high ledges)
- Floor maintenance on a planned cycle
The Quick Final Walkthrough (2 Minutes)
Before you leave, make a quick walkthrough through all the areas. You’re not doing another cleaning round. You’re doing a quick check for misses.
First off, look at the restrooms. They should be fully stocked, odor-free, and free of visible misses in the mirror, sink, toilets, and countertops. Next, look in the break room. The countertops should be clean, trash should be out, and the refrigerator and microwave handles should be fingerprint-free. The glass in the main entrance doors and conference room doors should be clean. The entrance area should be clean and look like it’s been properly set up. Finally, look in the corners and along the edges for dust lines that are easy to miss but very noticeable to employees.
A quick walkthrough like this is what keeps quality consistent visit after visit.
When to Hire a Professional Office Cleaning Company
If the same problems continue to plague the office, it’s probably time to hire a professional office cleaning service.
If complaints about the restroom and break room continue, or if the office still looks dirty after a cleaning, or if the floors never look clean, it’s likely the current approach isn’t working. If management time is being wasted on cleaning issues, or if you need dependable after-hours cleaning with clear standards and accountability, a professional routine is probably the solution.
Need Help Keeping Your Office Consistently Clean?
If you are looking for a cleaning schedule that will meet your office needs, reach out to today ABS/CBS. The aim is not to have a one-time “deep clean.” The goal is to maintain a clean and presentable office that is comfortable.