7 Office Spring Cleaning Ideas (Plus Yearly, Monthly, and Weekly Cleaning Checklists)

1. Turn Cleaning Into a Team Building Initiative

Turn office spring cleaning into a team building initiative by getting everyone involved. Instead of looking at it as an unpleasant task, make a fun day or half-day out of it and allow your team to work together on tidying and organizing the workplace you all share.

It’s important that you don’t add cleaning tasks on top of an already full workload. Your team should be given extra time away from work duties to focus on the spring cleaning initiative together.

Add some additional incentive by providing fresh cleaning supplies, snacks, and a catered lunch, depending on how much of the day is needed for cleaning. If you can, support a local establishment to build your rapport and recognition within your community.

2. Get Everyone Involved

Ensuring everyone is a part of spring cleaning builds unity and rapport across your team. You are all in this together, whether you’re a manager, a team leader, or a new hire.

Don’t let any one team or one person take on the brunt of the work. You are a team, so work together to get your workspace to where you’d like it to be. Seeing an owner or CEO contribute to the cleaning initiative humanizes the business and helps ensure everyone feels they are equally vital to the success and wellbeing of the organization.

3. Prioritize Shared Spaces

Prioritize shared spaces during your spring cleaning initiative—office kitchen, lobby, hallways, break rooms, storage rooms, and shared working areas. These are the spaces that everyone uses and feels ownership over, and they’re often the most neglected.

🧹 Learn more in our guide: How to Keep a Clean Office Kitchen.

These spaces are vital to team morale and wellbeing as they are often where employees spend their breaks and build rapport with one another.

Pay close attention to areas of your workplace that might receive guest traffic. What would a client think if they walked by? What first impressions does your lobby give guests? Do they feel welcomed and comfortable? Are they entering a fresh, clean, and interesting space that speaks to your brand?

How a guest feels in your workspace speaks volumes about your brand.

4. Provide Guidance and Resources to Keep Personal Spaces Clean

In addition to shared spaces, provide your team with the guidance and resources they need to keep their personal offices or workspaces clean and tidy.

Checklists and clear processes help, but you should also supply all team members with cleaning and organizational supplies, such as file folders, desk organizers, baskets, desk cable management supplies, garbage and recycle bins, and anything else they might need.

Remember to ask for feedback to find out what supplies your team prefers. This will ensure you don’t waste money on unneeded resources and that you give your team the supplies they actually want and will use.

5. Add Life and Color to Your Workplace

Consider how you can use colorful branding to improve the aesthetic of your workplace while adding a pop of color to spark joy. Your whole team spends a lot of time in your workspace, so do all that you can to make it one each team member enjoys spending time in.

Do you have your company values on display? Do you have clear maps, room labels, and conference room names? Does your lobby and entranceway represent your brand, and will guests feel welcome when they arrive?

Office plants are another great way to add a pop of color and improve the look of your space. Plus, plants aid mental health, improve air quality, and reduce noise levels.

🌿 Read The Benefits of Office Plants and How to Take Care of Them to learn more.

6. Involve Remote and Hybrid Team Members

In recent years, many offices have adopted a remote work or hybrid working model to better accommodate the needs of team members. Just because some team members work from home doesn’t mean they are excluded from spring cleaning. Now we’re not suggesting remote employees return to the office to clean, but you can show your support for those team members by making allowances for home office cleaning.

What supplies do remote workers need to keep their workspaces clean and tidy? How can your business support these team members in building and maintaining a productive workspace?

When spring rolls around, consider sending remote team members fresh cleaning supplies or providing an allowance for them to purchase these supplies themselves. You may also consider offering a part or full day off of work every spring as an incentive to tidy and keep home workspaces clean. Help your team think intentionally about home office organization, and give them the tools they need to create productive and inspiring workspaces.

7. Set Clear Cleaning Processes For the Rest of the Year

Spring cleaning is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t stop there. Office cleaning and maintenance is an ongoing practice that needs attention throughout the year.

Ensure all of your hard work in the spring is maintained throughout the year so that it’s not as big of a project next spring. Establish clear processes so that everyone on the team, including new hires, knows what’s expected, who is responsible for what, and when cleaning tasks must be completed. Build an office cleaning duties list that spreads work around equally. Continually ask your team for feedback to find out if any tasks are being neglected and how you can work to improve your processes.