If you stop and take a moment to look at your office walls, you may be surprised at just how dusty, grimy, and scuffed they may be. Overlooking washing office walls is common. The walls of your office collect marks, fingerprints, and all manner of dirt, especially if your workplace is a busy one. Cleaning your office walls may not be something you give a lot of thought to or include in your usual cleaning routine. However, the walls do need a good wash from time to time to prevent the office space from looking dirty. This effort will make a significant impact on the look and feel of the office, not to mention the health of your employees. In this blog, we review why you should wash your office walls regularly.
Why Cleaning Your Walls is Important
While not always visible, walls can get very dirty over time. Dust, mold, and cobwebs can be the biggest offenders when it comes to dirty walls.
Mold can also be a big issue if your walls are not cleaned regularly. Cleaning your walls can reduce the overall pollutants in your office and create a cleaner atmosphere for you and your employees.
If any of your employees have asthma or allergies, cleaning your walls is a task you will want to put on your maintenance list. Whenever your windows are open, it provides an opportunity for pollen and other outdoor allergens to settle on your walls. These allergens can trigger allergies in the office.
If your painted walls need a wash, these six simple steps will help you get the job done.
(1) Know the Paint Type
Before you do anything, determine the type of paint used to cover your walls. For walls with gloss or semi-gloss paint, use a wet solution to wash your walls thoroughly. Eggshell or flat finish walls should be dry dusted so as not to ruin the paint.
(2) Pick a Perfect Day
Spring and fall are the best seasons for washing your walls. Spring cleaning motivates us to give our spaces a good once over from top to bottom after a winter with heating systems blowing out additional dirt and particles.
Many companies perform maintenance checks to prepare their office for the winter months as we head into fall. With open windows and additional summer traffic, office walls have likely collected marks, scuffs, dirt, and pollutants.
(3) Dust First
Take care of dust and cobwebs that may have accrued on walls, cornices, skirting boards, and corners to get the best results. Use a sturdy long-handled duster for this job, or even a microfiber cloth to wipe down the entirety of the wall while taking extra care to get into the corners.
(4) Be Safety Conscious
After dusting is complete, you can begin scrubbing the walls. Before you pick up your mop or washcloth, always ensure you follow safety guidelines.
Use a proper and stable step ladder to reach the top of your walls, not a wobbly chair or an office chair with wheels on it. Do not stand on office desks or tables.
(5) Products to Use
A simple, colorless cloth or flat mop and a bucket of hot, soapy water are all you need to get the job done. Work from the top-down, wiping and scrubbing in gentle circles. Be sure to change your soapy water whenever it starts to look dirty.
Wipe down door jams, wall trim, and around light switches with a wet cloth. For doors, you might need to scrub just a bit to get any fingerprints off.
(6) Rinse the Walls
Now that you have cleared the cobwebs and scrubbed off any marks give your walls a quick rinse. Use a fresh, clean cloth and refill your bucket with clean water. Do not add soap or cleaner.
Starting at the top again, run over your clean walls to remove any suds or leftover dirt. And that’s it! Clean, blemish-free walls!
Integrity Janitorial Cleaning Services is a commercial janitorial cleaning company, and we understand why you should wash your office walls regularly. Give us a call at 404-530-0811 or visit our website to read about our cleaning services in Atlanta or nationwide. Sign up for a free consultation to get started today!
