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Use this simple, yet thorough home office deep cleaning checklist to get your workspace squeaky-clean, one little step at a time.
There it sat, lifeless.
For how long? I wondered.
Legs up in the air, frozen in time in its dusty, open grave, only one of us flinched as I reached gingerly toward it.
Why had I let this happen?
Why You Should Deep Clean Your Office
Wondering why should you run through a home office deep cleaning checklist every now and then? Simple. Home offices are full of electronics, desks, shelves, cabinets, books, files… a.k.a., dust magnets!
Dust and pet hair often settle behind electronics (or on them), on shelves, and on top of surfaces like desks and books. That’s bad news for allergy sufferers, and can also make for a grimy home office. Not to mention, all that dust can attract bugs, like the beetle I found deceased on the bottom shelf of my credenza a few years back!
Completing a home office deep cleaning checklist twice per year or so is the perfect way to keep your home office clean and pleasant to work in. If you work from home part or all of the time, you might want to deep clean quarterly.
How This Home Office Deep Cleaning Checklist is Different
My home office deep cleaning checklist is different from other office cleaning checklists. Here’s why.
It’s Thorough
When you use my home office deep cleaning checklist, you’ll get all the nooks and crannies sparkling. My checklist includes things you might not even think to clean!
You can always skip anything on the list you don’t want or need to clean. If you want to get your home office super clean, my checklist will come through.
It’s Specialized
All of my deep cleaning checklists are detailed and tailored to specific rooms. Because of this, I split them up into several parts, by room. This part of my deep cleaning checklist covers tasks to complete in your home office.
Before you start to deep clean your home office, be sure to complete my deep cleaning checklist of whole-home tasks. These are the basic deep cleaning tasks to complete in every room, and they aren’t included on the home office deep cleaning checklist.
Once you’ve completed the whole-home tasks in your home office, you can move on to the office deep cleaning checklist.
I have other specialized room cleaning checklists for specific areas of your home, such as the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. Those checklists will include tasks that are specific to only those rooms. You can find links to all of my available room cleaning checklists at the bottom of this post.
It’s Bite-Sized
If you work full-time or you’re otherwise busy, you might not have time to complete an entire deep cleaning checklist in a single session.
Because it might be easier for you to clean in chunks whenever you have time, my checklists break larger tasks down into smaller, bite-sized steps.
As a result, you can complete each deep-cleaning task whenever you have time. You don’t have to spend a long chunk of several hours to deep clean your office all at once.
It’s Specifically Ordered for Efficiency
You might know that cleaning from top to bottom is the most efficient way to clean.
My home office deep cleaning checklist is ordered more or less from top to bottom. I also tried to group tasks together by area, and by cleaning tools used (such as the vacuum). As a result, you’ll be able to minimize re-cleaning areas you’ve already done.
The tasks are also ordered in a way that makes sense. As a result, you can move methodically as you deep clean your home office. In addition, you can stop cleaning when you need to, and you’ll know exactly where to start in your next deep cleaning session.
How To Complete the Home Office Deep Cleaning Checklist
There are a few different ways to use my home office deep cleaning checklist.
Do It All At Once
If you have the time and energy, you can probably complete the checklist in a few hours. If you’re able to do this, go you!
Do It In Bite-Sized Chunks
If you don’t have the time or endurance to deep clean your home office in a single session, then you can complete the checklist in chunks. Take some time each day to complete one or two tasks from the checklist.
Each task probably takes between 5 and 30 minutes, but it depends on how clean the room already is and how quickly you work.
As I stated above, my master deep cleaning checklist is broken up into several parts. This portion covers tasks to deep clean your home office. Be sure you complete the general deep cleaning tasks first, before you move on to the home office deep cleaning checklist below.
Home Office Deep Cleaning Checklist
Here’s my detailed home office deep cleaning checklist. (You can sign up for free access to a printable version here)
- Dust all surfaces from top to bottom
- Wash curtains/dust blinds
- Lint roll lampshades
- Dust and vacuum chairs and couches, especially in crevices
- Vacuum behind electronics, where dust balls tend to form
- Vacuum keyboards or spray with compressed air
- Disinfect keyboards, mouse, track pads (I use Clorox Wipes)
- Vacuum backs and vents of electronics, where dust tends to accumulate (Do not vacuum inside of electronics)
- Wipe down screens (I use Windex Electronics Wipes)
- Remove contents of drawers and vacuum out
- Unplug shredder and vacuum shredder blades
- Run lubrication sheet through shredder (Helps keep your shredder in good working order)
- Use wood cleaner on solid wood surfaces
- Untangle/re-configure power cords (I recently switched to a tower-style power strip and love it)
- Vacuum or mop floors
Home Office Deep Cleaning Checklist: Conclusion
Whether you use your home office a lot or a little, keeping it clean will benefit you in many ways. It will lead to less stress, fewer drawbacks when you have to hunt for paperwork, and give you a space you enjoy being in. After all, who wants to work in a space covered with dust, grime, and the occasional dead beetle?
I hope you found my home office deep cleaning checklist helpful. Be sure to complete the general deep cleaning tasks in your home office, in addition to the tasks listed above! Need to get your home office organized next? This article from Real Simple has some great home office organization tips.
If you’re ready to deep clean other areas of your house, you should check out my other deep cleaning checklists:
Dining Room
Playroom
Office
Closets
Laundry Room
Utility Room
Basement