Office Desk Cleaning and Maintenance

Keep your workspace organized with these great tips

Most people are more productive and more stress-free when their workspace is clean and free of clutter.  An organized office is the key to an organized business.  The need for a clean and organized environment is even greater if you are working at a home office desk.  With children and/or pets having access, you must take every precaution to ensure a safe area.
 

Coping with cords

If you have kids or pets in the house, then that maze of cables under your office desk is an
accident waiting to happen. Some pets, like rabbits or young puppies, are known to chew on cords.  But they will be less tempted if the cords are put into an organized bundle. 

Now, you can do this yourself with whatever you have handy (twine, twist ties, etc.) or, if you cord problem is getting serious, you can purchase some help.  There are products that organize cables and cords into color-coded bundles that will help keep your electronic equipment tidy. Extra tough materials can keep your pet from damaging your cables and preventing equipment failure or fire hazards.

Paperwork

As for all the paper littering your desk, you need to come up with a system of organization.  You may want to try setting up no more than five categories of paperwork.  These may be personal finances, business transactions, client correspondences, etc.

The key is to make each category broad enough that all your papers will find an appropriate home, yet narrow enough that you'll be able to weed out anything unnecessary.  Purchase manila folders or some other tool for organization (inexpensive mini-filing cabinets work very well) and label one for each category.

Computer cleaning

When you are finished with the paperwork, you can focus your attention on the computer.  Before starting, make sure all electronic components are unplugged (this should be easy now that you have all your cords bundled).  There are a few essentials that you will need to purchase: a can of compressed air for dislodging dust from nooks and crannies, a pack of lint-free antistatic wipes and swabs, and a bottle of pure isopropyl alcohol. 

For you snack junkies (you know who you are), there are small computer vacuums that can be bought fairly inexpensively which can take care of any potato chip bits that have settled between your keys.  Use an alcohol dampened wipe for the outside of your components.  Remember to wet the towel or wipe you are using; never pour or spray any liquid onto the electronics. 

For the monitor screen, check the manufacturer's recommendations.  Plain water works well, but avoid glass cleaning solutions, especially those containing ammonia.  Office desk cleaning takes a bit of time, but you'll gain it back quickly with higher productivity and ease of mind.

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