April showers bring May flowers. While the fresh bloom of May’s flowers may be something to look forward to, we must first get through the rainy spring season. After a rainy day, a clean office can quickly become wet and dirty. This article covers a few tips for keeping your office clean throughout the rainy season.
Give Guests a Place To Wipe Their Feet
Giving guests a place to wipe their feet helps keep water and mud in one location, which then eventually leads to easier cleanup. Try designating a mud room area where you can place a large, dark mat at the front door. A non-slip fiber mat traps water and mud and can reduce the risk of slipping accidents. Ensure that the mat is large enough to accommodate the average number of visitors or employees who visit the office daily; otherwise, the mat may get dirty too fast.
Designating a place for guests to wipe their feet also prevents water from being tracked onto the office’s carpets, which could turn to mold over time. Add a rug to each building entry, and keep a few extra handy so you can easily change them out if they get too dirty.
We even recommend adding a sign instructing guests to wipe or stomp their feet. Place the sign in an easy-to-notice place that guests won’t miss. A slippery or wet floor sign can also be helpful, which reminds visitors that the floors may be dangerous on rainy days.
Keep Carpets Clean and Sanitized
You may not be able to see rainwater on your carpets, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Additionally, mud can be a lot harder to get rid of on carpets than tile or wood floors. If carpets lead right up to the entrance doors, you could place a few carpet protectors just inside the door. These are plastic coverings that sit right on top of the carpet.
You can also purchase long plastic runners that go from the front lobby to the most frequented parts of the office. Keep in mind that these plastic runners can get slippery when wet, so you’ll still need to wipe them down from time to time. The great thing is that carpet protectors are typically affordable, meaning you can replace them when they get too worn or dirty.
You may also need to clean your carpets more frequently during the rainy season. A quick vacuum at the end of the business day can remove loose dirt and debris, but the occasional deep carpet cleaning — which is recommended to be done once a week — can prevent mold growth. Not only will frequent carpet cleaning keep your carpets looking new, but it can also maintain a good-smelling office.
Add a Coat or Umbrella Rack
Adding a coat or umbrella rack gives employees and visitors a place to store their wet items, which can then help keep other parts of the office clean. Put the coat or umbrella rack over a heavy-duty water-resistant rug or mat to capture water dripping from the items. Installing a few coat racks can be an easy DIY project that gives staff and customers a place to store their wet coats.
If you don’t have room for an umbrella rack, or it doesn’t make sense in the layout of your office, you can also offer umbrella bags. Umbrella bags allow visitors to keep their umbrellas with them without dripping rainwater all throughout the office. Ensure the coat or umbrella rack you choose is large enough to accommodate everyone’s items. You can also place employee-only racks in employee entrances of the break room whenever possible.
Plan for Hourly or Daily Cleaning Maintenance
Even with heavy-duty mats at the front doors, coat and umbrella racks, and carpet protectors, some water and mud will still make their way into common areas. Keep a mop handy for fast, frequent cleanups. Store the mop in an easy-to-reach spot near the mudroom or entrance for convenience. Add a few dry towels to the closet to quickly wipe up spills or rainwater to keep employees and visitors safe.
Routine cleaning is also important in the entranceways and other highly frequented areas. You can request that the front desk employees run a dry mop through each area once per hour or on any other schedule that works for your office. We suggest focusing on rooms such as the front lobby, the break room, bathrooms, stairs, and elevators. It is important to note, however, that any room with tiled or hardwood floors may need to be monitored more frequently and regularly dried during heavy rain seasons as these tend to be very slippery.
Promptly wiping up rain or mud helps keep your office clean on rainy days. Frequently scheduled professional cleaning services can also give your office space a deeper cleaning, making daily cleaning easier for your staff. If you already have a cleaning staff, increasing their frequency during the rainy season may be worth it. Contact us today to request an estimate for professional office cleaning services. We offer affordable, convenient cleaning services that keep your office clean during even the rainiest seasons.