Nowadays, most people are choosing to work at home, but some people have started going back to coworking spaces, and keeping them clean and germ-free can be a daily challenge. A recent study by the Cleaning Coalition of America found that 66% of employees want better cleaning protocols implemented before they will consider a return to the workplace. This highlights both the perceived importance of office cleaning in the minds of workers and the necessity for workers themselves to contribute to keeping coworking spaces clean and tidy. Here’s what you can do to keep your shared working environment clean and in good shape.

Set a Few Cleaning Guidelines

Keeping a coworking space clean and tidy starts with personal responsibility and each member doing their part. Establishing a clear set of cleaning guidelines for coworkers is a good way to manage this without anyone having to step up and act as a manager. If necessary, you can set a schedule for certain persons to clean items and surfaces. The agreed rules as to what should be cleaned and when should be displayed in a centralized location, a communal kitchen area would be ideal. The rules may also include some reminders on personal hygiene such as handwashing and sanitization prompts.

Cleaning Products and Proper Waste Disposal

You will need to ensure the steady availability of cleaning products for communal use if they are not already provided by the coworking space management. The placement of waste bins in an easily accessed area encourages people to throw away or recycle items rather than allowing them to accumulate around the office. As air quality is a contributing factor to cleanliness and the health and safety of people in shared environments, you may want to consider the use of an air purifier. If an air purifier isn’t an option, try and ensure good ventilation by opening windows where possible.

Hire Professionals for a Thorough Clean

Hiring professionals to do office equipment cleaning is a must for health and safety. Common objects around the workplace may be touched daily on multiple occasions by many different people. This makes them ideal targets for the accumulation of germs that can spread illness and disease. In a coworking space, it’s neither practicable nor possible to keep track of who has touched which objects and when. Furthermore, no worker desires to spend their entire day disinfecting office equipment on the assumption that it’s spreading disease. This said, recent research reveals that the average desk contains 400 times more germs than a toilet seat, a statistic that’s unlikely to inspire confidence in even the most dedicated of workers. Hiring professional cleaning services ensures that the task of minimizing the spread of germs via office items is done in a thorough and stringent manner.

Once you’ve established an agreed set of working protocols around coworking cleaning and tidying, you’ve earned yourself a little break. Rest in the awareness that you’ve done the best you can to keep things clean and protect the health and safety of yourself and those around you.