A 7 Day Cleaning Guide to a Spotless Home Office

So many more people are working solely from their home office right now. What better time to get your home office in order than the New Year? Giving your office a cleaning overhaul can be the adjustment you need to bring back some motivation and inspiration for the rest of the year. A deeply cleaned office can has you excited to get back to socially distanced work.

Here is a 7-day plan to help get your home office in order for a new year of work success.

Day 1

Make a Plan: "What size is your office? If it is a large space, cleaning may need to be started on a weekend when you can devote a larger amount of time. If it is a small nook in a larger room you may be able to tackle things by giving this project just an hour or two a day." Says Joe Sisneros of JS Real Estate

Get it All Out of There: It is always best to start by removing absolutely everything but the furniture you know will need to stay in the space. At the end of this day you will probably feel like you made the issue worse instead of better, but trust us it is going to get much better.

Consider Professional Cleaning Services: "While your home office is pretty much empty it is a great time to have all of the surfaces professionally deep cleaned. Especially if you have carpet, hardwood, or tile floors in a space that has not been deep cleaned in some time. So make the call and get the room truly clean." Says Maggee Miggins of the Miggins Real Estate Group

Sort Things Out: While your home office is being deep cleaned, you can use the time to sort through the items you pulled out of there. Make some files for those papers that were piled on the desk. Sort out and put office supplies in an organizer so you know where your tools are and can find them quickly when needed. Put things into categorized piles such as trash, donate, file, desk drawers, cabinets, etc. Label these piles so things are easily ready to be put back.

Day 2

With a newly and freshly cleaned space, now is the time to reset things: Have you always wanted the desk in front of the window so that you have a better view? Right now when it is empty is the easiest time to do it. Have you always wished your printer was on a different piece of furniture than on your desk taking up usable working space? Shop your home to see if there is a piece of furniture that might work for this, or take an hour to go shopping for one. This is the perfect time to reset the furniture and layout of the room.

Keep Sorting: If you still have items that need sorting from day one, stay the course and finish it up.

Day 3

Pick a New System: Since the old way of operating wasn’t working out so well to keep organized, choose a new one. If you tend to pile papers on the desk for example: find a few paper-sized open baskets you can label with, keep, recycle, and file. This way you can just as easily place things in the bins instead of piling them all over the desk and creating a stressful situation. Once a week make an effort to take five minutes to empty the bins and put the papers where they need to go.

Day 4

Clean and Wipe Things Down: before you bring all of the things back in your space and set them up all neatly in their new organized place, now is a great time to clean and disinfect surfaces and decorative items. Working from the highest surface to the lowest in the room wipe down every shelf, light fixture, inside of drawers, etc. with a mild all-purpose cleaner. Then follow up with those handy disinfectant wipes. When you are done with the furniture move to the dusty items waiting to be put back on shelves and your desktop.

Day 5

Consider Comfort: How well do you love your space? Is it a comfortable place to spend long hours in? Consider some items that might make this more doable. Maybe a small coffee station, a rug, a comfy chair to move to, a better home office chair that rolls easily around the room, or maybe a footstool to take the pressure off your lower back when sitting for a long time. Make your office a place you can more easily work from.

Day 6

Decorate and Personalize: "Now that you have the main set up ready to go and it is clean, it is time to bring back all of that stuff in the nicely sorted piles. Take some time to bring a few things in that will make the space feel like your own. Pictures and decorative items that you love and really tell of your tastes, styles, and maybe hobbies. Don’t forget a picture of fun memories or loved ones." Says, Karen Bell of The Bell Team

Day 7

Make Another Plan: Now that your office is all set up and ready to enjoy, take some time to formulate a plan of how you are going to keep it that way. Schedule some time every week for when you will sort through papers, answer or send out paper mail, vacuum, wipe down surfaces, make sure things are put back where they belong. Make sure to display this plan in a visible spot you will see every day. You can even make it like a checklist. There is something so satisfying about checking things off a list when they are done.

Having a clean and clutter-free home office can make everything you do in the room seem easier.