Work From Home Cleaning Tips
ORGANIZE A DESK OF THE HOME OFFICE TO Keep CLUTTER-FREE
The stacks of paperwork are unlikely to ignite happiness, but it's a good idea to spend a few minutes every Friday afternoon (or Monday morning if you can't face a Friday) digging through the pile, file away what you don't need, and make the week ahead a priority list.
To help keep your desk organized, if you don't have good home office accessories, such as filing trays, folders, pen holders, nip to the shops now (or better yet, hang in and order online). Tidy desk, clean mind and all of that...
How to clean the DESK of a home office
Wipe it over with a dampened cloth and an anti-bacterial spray to clarify it as much as possible. You may use a cleaning product purchased from the shop or simply use a mixture of one part water and one part white vinegar that is effective at eliminating household germs (use our guide to find more germ-killing solutions).
Take a clean tennis ball and rub it over it if yours is a hard wood desk that has been damaged by marks here or there. Take a little soda bicarbonate and apply it, gently rubbing, with a damp rag, if that doesn't do the trick. Rinse and dry with a damp kitchen roll.
With a hair dryer, water rings from slopped tea left behind on a wooden desk can be removable. Simply turn it up, point it at the rings, and watch it vanish. Try to rub mayonnaise on it if it doesn't.
How to clean the CHAIR of a home office
Your office chair is likely to endure all the indignities of your desk, but it's likely to be a) more stained and b) harder to clean if it's upholstered in linen.
How to clean the CHAIR of a home office
Your office chair is likely to endure all the indignities of your desk, but it's likely to be a) more stained and b) harder to clean if it's upholstered in linen.
Start by removing the dust that gets into the cavities of your chair to easily clean a home office chair. A compact vacuum cleaner or a handheld vacuum cleaner (see our helpful buyer's guides for both) can get rid of not only dust, but also food particles, hair and muck. You may also sponge off the dust and hair with a wet cloth or damp rubber gloves. Aim to do this once every couple of weeks, and if you use a spray for cleaning upholstery once a year, you can find that the chair is well protected from dust and dirt during the year.
How to clean the screen of a home office machine
You probably have anything from an unusual fingerprint (tut, tut, shouldn't touch it) to the contents of a sudden sneeze on your computer screen (sorry, we went there, but you know that's true).
If you want to stop destroying it, cleaning a home office computer screen should be done very, really carefully. In a spray bottle, mix a solution of one part filtered or distilled water, one part distilled white vinegar, then spray it on a clean, soft microfibre cloth (screens are scratch-sensitive and even kitchen roll could damage them; similarly, deposits may be left by the minerals in tap water, hence the use of the word 'distilled'). Do not directly spray the solution on to the screen.
Turn the screen off, then rub the cloth over the screen in small circular movements. Apply no pressure. Repeat, using a cloth to clean the glasses this time.
Of course, you can also use special wipes and clothes for cleaning the computer screen.
LIGHT SWITCHES AND KNOBS CLEAN
Many of the surfaces we touch without thought, and even with dirty hands, are light switches, door knobs, cabinet handles. A weekly wipe with a damp cloth will keep them smudge-free, but it is worth replacing the damp cloth with an anti-bacterial wipe if you eat in your office or have someone at home who is unwell (or spray an anti-bacterial cleaner on a cloth). And, after the loo, wash your hands and after eating...
How to Purify Scissors (AND OTHER OFFICE ACCESSORIES)
Give sticky or dirty scissors a simple wipe over when you have the vinegar-doused sock out. It will easily make the scissors shine and stop them from rusting (where, in the future, you will spill your tea over them). From the hole punch to the in-tray, you can also use the vinegar mix to clean everything.
How will permanent markers be separated from a white board?
Ah, oops! Has the wrong pen been used on your white board? The application of nail varnish may cause the permanent marker to slip off. Easier yet, use a dry erase marker (since you're already in the office).