8 Basic Cleaning Tips Every Employee Should Know [2025]

The majority of companies that outsource office cleaning receive their service three times per day, usually early in the morning or after working hours. During the day, employees in the office should keep the office clean and maintained to some extent until the next cleaning shift. But do employees know how to properly keep the office clean? Do they know anything about basic cleaning?

These are the questions we’ll answer in this article.

Why Should Employees Know Basic Cleaning?

We are providing office cleaning services to over 350 clients in London. Over 87% of our clients require cleaning services three, four and five times per week, and the rest require full-time cleaners or specialised cleaning services.

The latter don’t require employees to clean anything, as a cleaner is always in the office during working hours. But the former is where the problem is.

Let’s paint a picture: It’s Monday morning. The cleaners just left, and the employees are about to arrive and start working. The office is clean, pristine and spotless as they enter. There’s also an important meeting on Monday, maybe a multimillion-pound contract. It’s at 3 in the afternoon, and by that time, the workplace is a mess. The client arrives, sees the office in disarray and leaves. An hour later, an email arrives from the client:

You can’t keep your office clean, A VERY SIMPLE TASK. How can I trust you with my business? Sorry, but I’m out!

This might be an edge case, but this has happened to one of our clients. The client’s first impression wasn’t good, costing our client a golden opportunity. Therefore, they approached us to amend the contract from three days per week to a full-time cleaning service.

We asked them whether they had THE TALK with their employees about keeping the office clean, but it was too late for them! They just began to realise the importance of office cleaning for business success.

Full-time cleaning is expensive and is only a viable option for offices with over 35 employees. Our client had far fewer employees, but enough to cause mayhem.

In the light of such scenarios, what can businesses do instead of switching to full-time cleaning?

The answer is “informing employees and showing them how to do basic training to keep the office clean”, and this post can be a good resource to send to your employees, asking them to play their part in keeping the office clean.

Basic Cleaning Tips for Employees

What is categorised as basic cleaning? Generally, tasks that are:

• Simple (no special cleaning skills are required)
• Fast (takes 5 minutes max)
• Common sense (this one is pretty self-explanatory)

Let’s explore 8 tips employees should know to keep the office clean all the time.

#1 Keep The Desk & Workstation Organised

Working at a clean and organised desk has several benefits for you as an employee in an office. A clean desk helps you focus, increases your productivity and boosts your mental health, especially if you’re OCD like me!

Here’s a simple checklist to always keep your desk and workstation at the office clean:

• Don’t need those documents scattered on your desk? Put them in the drawer.
• Done writing with the pen? Place it back in the pen holder.
• Noticed dust around the screen stand? Give it a good wipe.
• The coffee mug left a ring on the desk? Wipe it and use a coaster next time.
• Bin overflown? Empty it and replace the liner.
• About to leave the office? Check all the above!

#2 Clean The Table After Eating

Cleaning up after eating is important. Leaving dirty plates, breadcrumbs and stains on the table is not only unhealthy but also leads to several issues like bad smell and pests.

Here’s a simple checklist to follow after you eat at your office kitchen or eating area:

• Food left on the plate? Put it in a lidded container and leave it in the fridge. If you don’t want the food, dispose of it. Then soak the dish in the sink.
• Stain on the table? Wipe it with a damp paper towel.
• Breadcrumbs and food bits on the table? Wipe it down with a paper towel or tea towel.
• Breadcrumbs and food bits on the kitchen floor? Clean it with a broom or a paper towel.
• Mouldy, expired food in the fridge? Throw it out even if it’s not yours. You’re doing everyone a favour!
• Food splashes on the microwave interior? Wipe it clean with a tea towel.

#3 Load The Dishwasher Correctly

In offices with two or three times per week cleaning, the kitchen sink tends to get filled with dirty plates and coffee mugs. If you have a dishwasher, employees should know how to load the dishwasher correctly to prevent damaging the dishwasher or tableware.

Print the instructions and sticking them on the kitchen wall is the best way to inform everyone how to do it.

If you noticed the sink is full, it only takes 3 minutes to load the dishwasher and press start.

If you don’t have a dishwasher in your office, it’s best to wash at least coffee mugs after use and leave plates for the cleaner to wash in the next visit.

#4 Use The Correct Rubbish Bin

Separating rubbish at source is important, not just for your company but for the environment. Disposing of rubbish in the correct bin is the least employees can do to contribute to the environment and regulations without any effort.

Using the correct bin also helps the company track and monitor its output and implement data-driven measures to reduce waste.

Generally, there are three bins in a typical office space in London:

• General waste (a.k.a. wet/food waste)
• Recycling (paper, metal, plastic)
• Glass waste (glass bottles)

They are clearly marked with relevant symbols and writings. If you’re the office manager, printing a simple one-liner guide for each bin can help employees dispose of their rubbish in the correct bin.

Also, if you see the bins overflowing, don’t wait until the next cleaning session. Take them out, especially during summer, as general waste starts to smell horrible. Don’t forget to replace the liner afterwards.

#5 Mop The Wet Floor

Spillage on hard floors has three consequences:

• Someone may slip and fall
• Damage to the floor
• Starting to smell bad (in some cases)

It is common sense. If you spill water, coffee, tea, beer, wine or any other liquid, pick up a mop and clean it until it is barely wet. Then, place a “Caution – Wet Floor” sign directly on the spill area to inform others that the floor might be slippery.

#6 Toilet is For Everyone

Keep in mind that the office toilet is constantly used by everyone else in the office. Therefore, follow the checklist below to ensure it is always clean:

• Done? Flush the toilet.
• Splashed everywhere? Mop the floor and wipe the seat with toilet paper.
• The masterpiece is left in the bowl? Flush again & use the toilet brush if needed.
• Too smelly? Spray air freshener.
• Bin overflown? Empty it and replace the liner.

#7 Emergency Carpet Cleaning

Many offices have soft floorings and carpets. One day will come that you or someone else will spill something on the carpet, leaving a stain for many other employees to see.

Emergency carpet cleaning doesn’t require any specific skills or materials other than warm, soapy water and a tea towel.

The idea is to clean the stain as much as you can, leaving the harder part to the cleaner or carpet cleaning team.

We also have a full guide on how to clean office carpets in case you spill something, but here’s a simpler guide:

• Leave a paper towel on the spill for 1 minute. The paper towel will absorb excess liquid.
• Soak 1/4 of the tea towel in warm, soapy water
• Scrub the stained area a few times until it is faded as much as possible.
• Use the dry part of the tea towel to scrub the stain again.

This is enough to prevent further damage to the carpet. Inform the office manager, who will tell the cleaner to spot-clean the carpet in the next cleaning visit.

#8 Pay Attention to Colour Coding

And the last but, maybe, the most important one, is the use of correct cleaning equipment in the correct area. Colour coding is a system that designates specific colours to specific areas in the office. This is to prevent cross-contamination, for example, mopping the kitchen floor with a toilet mop.

We have a complete guide on understanding colour coding systems for cleaning, as well as a poster you can print and hang on the kitchen wall to inform employees where to use which cleaning equipment.

The colour of the mop, cleaning cloth, broom, brush, duster, etc., has special meaning and should be used in their designated areas. Here’s a simple version:

• Red for toilets, washrooms and bathrooms
• Green for kitchen, eating areas and food stations
• Blue for general office areas, meeting rooms and communal areas
• Yellow (only in clinical settings)

You may have bespoke colour codes for specific areas. It’s best to ask your office manager if your cleaning equipment is in other colours. If cleaning equipment is not colour-coded, buy new ones with a designated colour to prevent the risk of cross-contamination.

Conclusion

While professional office cleaning services are essential, they can only do so much when scheduled a few times a week. The gap between cleaning sessions can quickly become a problem if employees are unaware of the role they play in maintaining the workspace throughout the day. Basic cleaning doesn’t require specialist skills. It’s just a bit of awareness, common sense and a willingness to take responsibility for shared spaces.

By adopting small but effective habits, employees can prevent the office from descending into disarray. From wiping down desks and cleaning up after lunch to loading the dishwasher properly and using the right bins, each action contributes to a healthier, more presentable environment. These simple tasks not only reduce the risk of accidents, odours and pest issues but they also support team morale and preserve the professional image of the business.

So, before a minor mess turns into a major issue, take the time to have that important conversation with your team. Equip them with the knowledge, resources and motivation to maintain the office.