Spring Cleaning the Office

The longer, brighter, warmer days of spring encourage people to un-snuggle and move. Doors and windows fling open across the country to let in the fresh air and sunshine.

As spring-lovers look around their homes, the first thing they spot is the shiny particles floating through their house. Next, they see the cobwebs in the corners and the layer of dust on every surface.

Spring is the time to get out the bandanna, the feather duster, and the MP3 player. Some people tackle the easiest room to clean first and others tackle the hardest. Choose a direction and start cleaning, but remember eventually, the office will still need cleaning.

Take a quick visual inventory and then spring into action

1. Remove anything that is not office related, or if it must stay in the office, find a permanent place for it.
2. De-clutter by throwing away anything that is not essential for day-to-day operation.
3. Decide what things to put away for later use.
4. The most used items need to be close at hand.
5. Clear a lot of open space on your desk or work area. You will feel more like working.

If possible, brighten the office with a new coat of paint. The addition of shelves or bookcases makes organizing easier. A large two-door cabinet conceals many supplies. Extra filing cabinets hold a lot of paper goods and make nice flat surfaces for in-boxes and office gadgets.


Add some new products to bring a little cheer during the de-cluttering process. Check out these pretty and planet-friendly items I found!


Bamboo Office Chair Mats: the chair and desk above use recycled materials. All of these items can be found at Eco Approved SustainABlog.com.


Wildlife pencils made from newspapers


File folder, staplers and other office products from recycled materials.

The cleaning process

1. Clean from top to bottom, left to right--dusting, wiping and sorting one area at a time.
2. Go around the walls and then progress to the center.
3. Freshen carpets with spray or powder freshner. If the area is very dirty, use a carpet shampooer.

Barbara Ling says, "A clean desk is a sign of...a cluttered desk drawer."

Don't do that. Don't hide your clutter. A brighter, cleaner office makes for better, happier productivity, which means better writing!

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