As professional commercial cleaners, we take a lot of pride in making sure that our clients don’t have to deal with a dirty work environment. The daily check list typically involves the usual suspects: emptying the trash, vacuuming the carpets, mopping the floors and thoroughly cleaning the bathrooms. 90% of office issues are resolved by a great cleaning regiment. However, one area that might require additional TCL and a “do-it-yourself” attitude from the employee is ensuring the office smells fresh 24/7.
We’ve placed some common tips below that any employee can incorporate around their office to make it smell great while your cleaner focuses on the larger, daily issues that need attention.
Problem: Kitchen Odor
The kitchen or cafeteria is usually the place where the employees can make the most difference. There are a lot of easy, natural solutions that can be utilized in the refrigerator, microwave and inside of the trash cans to eliminate odors.
Distilled white vinegar is your best friend to combat most, if not all, of the common cafeteria odor problems that you might be facing. Additionally, if you’re a salt-and-vinegar chip addict, cleaning with vinegar can turbocharge your saliva production.
Here are some common tips where you can use distilled white vinegar:
Mix a small amount of white vinegar with water in a spray bottle. Use that spray bottle on your garbage cans and counters. Allow the solution to soak for 5 minutes and wipe it down with a microfiber cloth.
Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a bowl (1 cup of each). Place the bowl in your microwave and set for 5 minutes. Take a clean rag and wipe down the microwave after the timer is done.
Pour baking soda down your garbage disposal. Add vinegar and let the solution fizzle for 5-10 minutes. Follow-up by turning on hot water and running the garbage disposal.
With your refrigerator, the easiest solution is to leave a box of opened baking soda inside of the refrigerator at all times. Replace it often as it will do wonders!
Problem: Foul Smelling Air
One of the downsides of being in an office, or worse, a cubicle, is the lack of fresh air that circulates. The can create a stall smell in the air, particularly on very humid days.
To increase the flow of fresh air, we recommend these simple steps to get that stale smell out and fresh, natural smell in your office:
If you have a window, consider opening it periodically to get circulation into your office.
If you don’t have a window, but have access to a thermostat, lower the temperature and reduce the humidity.
Make sure the areas surrounding the building are trash-free, or better yet, move the garbage cans further away from the building, windows and doors.
Problem: Stale Office
If fresh air doesn’t cure what ails your stale office, the culprit could be your furniture or carpet. Has that upholstered chair been in your office since the Reagan administration? If so, might be time to upgrade the furniture and ditch the smell.
Likewise, your carpet might be a lot dirtier than you think. Even though you have been careful to never spill your morning coffee on your carpet, the mud, dirt, salt, oil and every other element that you and your colleagues drag in on your feet could be collaborating to ruin your tranquil environment. If the carpet hasn’t been cleaned in a while, it might be time to call in the professionals!