If it is hard enough for married couples or roommates to agree on things like how tidy is tidy enough, and who should do what, this gets significantly more complicated in an office where 10-50 individuals all have to share the same space. While most offices hire cleaning crews that come through at night, that often isn’t enough to combat the daily accumulation of mess that an office full of people can create. Here are 3 simple ways to keep your office neat and clean.

Provide Instructions

Many times, while someone may be more than willing to change out the toner cartridge in the copier, they may not know what to do with the old one. Usually this results in them simply leaving it there for someone else to deal with. This can also lead to a new one not being ordered since no one knows the old one has been used. When office trash cans get full mid-day, employees may have no idea where to empty them or how to deal with them. A little information goes a long way, so don’t be afraid to post protocols around the office as to how to deal with different messes.

Assign Tasks

There are a number of tasks that need to be done in most offices that are not the domain of the cleaning staff. These can include cleaning out an employee refrigerator or restocking napkins, paper towels or coffee supplies. Assign a different team each week to clean out the fridge on Fridays or to unpack new boxes of supplies when they come in. Make keeping the office clean a communal responsibility.

Stock Supplies

Office kitchens make a great place to store cleaning supplies, which can be used for everything from cleaning dirty cubicles to cleaning out the refrigerator. If space is available, a vacuum or mop bucket is also helpful, (depending on the type of flooring you have) as are rags, paper towels and trash bags. If you have a small office, you may want to simply purchase these items at a grocery store, but for larger offices, you may want to order supplies from a commercial cleaning supply company like Mailender.

Keeping your office neat and tidy is important for the morale of the entire office. No one wants to work in a filthy office but keeping it clean is a group effort. You can greatly assist your employees in keeping their work area a clean, pleasant environment to work in by following these three simple steps.