Benefits of Hiring a Cleaning Company For Your Office

One of our flagship services that we are proud to offer is a weekly cleaning of your business’s office space. We know that you want to be able to concentrate on your strengths when it comes to operating your business and you don’t want to divert important and expensive employee time from their daily tasks to cleaning and office upkeep. That’s where we come in. We can help you to save money, time, and get valuable peace of mind when you know that your office cleaning tasks are taken care of. In today’s article, we’re going to explore the benefits that come from hiring a company like ours to help your business with professional cleaning services. 

Increase Office Productivity

The less time your staff members have to spend washing, vacuuming, taking out trash, and cleaning bathrooms, the more time they have to concentrate on business oriented tasks that help to make you money. Reduce office distractions and chores by hiring a professional cleaning company to help clean during off hours on a regular basis to help you and your team save valuable time and money. 

Enhanced Morale 

If your workplace is always kept clean, tidy, and disinfected, then your staff will tend to be happier and able to take more pride in their work, especially when compared to a workplace that is dirty, and constantly in need of upkeep. Having a regularly scheduled office cleaning can really go a long way to boosting company morale. It can even help to reduce sick leave time. Having a clean workplace allows your employees to concentrate on the work at hand rather than having to deal with garbage and cleaning tasks. 

Increase Your Company’s Image For Clients 

Having a dirty and unkempt environment for your clients is a surefire way to start off on the wrong foot. In today’s modern shopping environment, the savvy shopper expects certain things of a retailer and that is cleanliness. A clean shopping environment shows the world, and more importantly your customers, that you take pride in your work and that your offices are a safe, clean, and friendly environment to do business in. 

Cleaning Services Tailor Fitted To Your Business’s Needs

Each business has different needs and expectations when it comes to cleaning. We are here to help. We are happy to tailor our cleaning tasks and routines to fit your individual business needs. There are a lot of considerations to keep in mind when outfitting a cleaning plan for a business. For instance, a retail clothing store will have different needs as opposed to a customer service call center. The clothing store will need more attention paid to the showroom floor that the customer will be using each day while the call center may require a higher level of individual desk disinfecting to ensure that employees are less prone to spreading and being exposed to germs that can lower morale and productivity. With our vast experience in the diverse business landscape of the Treasure Valley, we can help to fit our services to your needs in the best way possible. 

For The Road

Planning your family’s recreational outings in the fall is no small feat, but with a little preparation you can be ready for anything that comes your way this year. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!

Enhance Office Efficiency With A Good Spring Cleaning

It may be a little early in the season for Spring Cleaning, but it’s never a bad time to get ahead of the game when it comes to keeping your office space clean and organized. We want to help you make the most out of your Spring Cleaning time this year with this handy Spring Cleaning walkthrough for your office workstation or cubicle. You can even use these tips for your home office!

Start By Disinfecting Your Cubicle And/Or Work Station

Whether you work at a computer in a cubicle or standing up at a retail cash register, you will want to start your Spring Cleaning by cleaning and disinfecting the area that you use the most throughout the day. Prioritize high touch areas like your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and chair and then expand out from there. Here’s a quick checklist to help you get started:

Try Our Commercial Cleaning Services (Treasure Valley)

Did you know that we offer excellent commercial cleaning services for your office? That’s right. We love to do commercial cleaning work and have years of expertise and experience to back it up. Our cleaning technicians are very thorough and can help you keep your office looking spotless year round. We have an emphasis on using natural and non-toxic cleaning solutions so that your work team is exposed to fewer chemicals each day. We stand by our work and would love to do a custom bid for your office’s needs. Set up a consultation call today and we can get you on the books for a bid. We can’t wait to hear from you. 

For The Road

Spring Cleaning around the office can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little preparation you can be ready for anything that comes your way this year. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!

Getting Organized at the Office in the New Year

Now that many of us are officially back in the office or are at least working from home a little less, it’s time to start really putting some thought into organizing your desk area. Organizing in this context can serve two purposes. First, it can help you work more efficiently and bring your stress levels down by reducing clutter and increasing your workflow potential. Secondly, organizing your office space will help keep it clean and sanitized so that you can help keep yourself and your coworkers healthier over the coming weeks and months. In today’s article, we’re going to explore both aspects of organizing your work area at the office. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us regarding this or if you are interested in hiring an excellent commercial cleaning company like ours! Contact us today for details. Now, on with the article! 

Start With A Quick Sort

Your desk area is going to have some clutter for sure. Start by going through the items directly on top of your desk around your computer monitor and mouse and keyboard and asking these questions of every item: Do I need this item here right now? Does this item help with my work or can it be thrown away? Have I actually used this in the last 12 months? Is it essential that this item stays here or can it be organized or put away somewhere else?

Once you can start asking those types of questions with each item taking up space on your desk, then you can quickly sort them into three piles: Keep and put away; throw away; take home. Now that you have your piles started, then proceed with each item in each drawer and cubby hole in your workspace area. 

Give Every Drawer And Area A Purpose

Now that you have things sorted into their essential parts or thrown away or designated to go home, then you can start putting things away where they belong. But, before you do that, you are going to have to make some tough calls as to where exactly everything is going to go. Everything in your desk area needs to have a home and a solid justification for being there. Essentially, if it doesn’t contribute to your work success, then it doesn’t belong in your area. Make each drawer and storage area a designated purpose and then label them as such. Once everything has a home, then you will always know where to put more items as they come across your desk through your day to day work activities. If everything has a home then there is less chance for clutter buildup. Good luck!

Clean AKA Sanitize High Touch Areas

Once everything is sorted and put away, it’s time to sanitize! Start from high to low and wipe everything down with a microfiber dust rag or slightly damp piece of scrap cloth. Once everything is wiped down, then take some bleach wipes and wipe down all of the surfaces that you regularly touch or rest your body on. Don’t forget your keyboard, mouse, and wrist pad. Also, remember to sanitize your chair as well. Give it a good wipe down top to bottom (especially the seat and armrests) just before going home for the day so that it has time to dry overnight. This will really help to reduce the spread of germs in your office for you and your workmates.

In Conclusion

Getting the most out of your office workspace can be tricky, but it is very rewarding to finally have everything where it should be. Take control of your workplace and do yourself a favor by finally organizing and sanitizing your desk area. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!

Cleaning Guide for Cold and Flu Season at the Office

With many of us finally back in the workplace for the fall and winter, it’s time we get used to (a somewhat normal) cold and flu season. If you’re a business owner or office manager, then it’s an important part of this year’s success in the office to help reduce the possible spread of cold and flu germs. Hiring a commercial cleaning company like 208 Cleaning can be an essential part of that success. We would love to help make that a reality for you and your company. Outside of that, we can also recommend a few day to day things that you can do around the office to help limit the spread of harmful and productivity-reducing germs. 

Start Behind The Scenes

Most people think to start to eliminate germs on high touch traffic areas, but that is only part of the solution. We find it is also helpful to start by looking at your building’s HVAC system and making sure that all filters are up to code, clean, and are up to the task of filtering harmful pollen, germs, and bacteria out of the air that you and your employees breathe. Since many cold and flu and COVID germs are airborne, tackling your HVAC system can be a vitally important piece of the health and safety puzzle this year. Also have your ducts cleaned and flushed and checked for leaks while you’re at it. Money well spent!

Protect The Entrances And Exits

One quick win that you can score in the battle against germs this season is to help reduce the amount of germs that are brought into your building and/or workplace in the first place. Put hand sanitizing stations and facial tissue stations at each entrance and make sure that they are kept well stocked and that the trash can nearby is regularly taken out to prevent overflow. Prevention is key! Stop the germs before they get in by encouraging your employees to sanitize everything as they enter or leave the workplace. 

Set Up Free Mask Dispenser 

It may not be mandatory these days, but it still is a good idea to keep a few masks handy for your employees who may be feeling a cold coming on or who just want to operate with an abundance of caution. Good for them! Help them go above and beyond by providing a few boxes of masks. 

Rearrange Your Workspace If Possible

Since a lot of harmful germs that cause diseases are airborne, you may want to think about rearranging your work area into a configuration that is more socially distanced. Heck, a little privacy and less crowding can also help to bring out creativity and productivity as well. Win win!

Clean High Traffic Areas Regularly

If your workplace has a breakroom, stairs with railings, conference rooms, and other high traffic and high touch areas, you will want to sanitize them each day in order to help reduce the spread of germs. You may even want to sanitize some areas twice a day or more! You can’t really go overboard here. 

Hire Professional Cleaners

That’s right! Hiring a professional commercial cleaning service like ours can greatly reduce the occurrence and spread of harmful germs this cold and flu season. Give us a call and we can start building a quote today. 

In Conclusion

Cold and flu season in the office can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! We can help you to keep your workplace clean as can be with our commercial cleaning expertise. Contact us if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!

Best Practices For Sharing the Office Kitchen

If the saying “an army marches on its stomach” is true, then the break room kitchen is the heart and soul of any office space. The break room can be a place to relax, enjoy your food, or fill up on coffee and get some much needed R&R from the daily grind, but it can also be the center of office controversy and stress. Let’s explore some ways that we can help make the break room a place that sparks joy for everyone in the office and how to avoid common kitchen faux pas that you may not realize you are doing. It’s ok. We’ve all been there.

Rule #1: Clean Spills And Messes Up Right As They Happen

Even if you’re in a hurry to get to a meeting or phone call, take a moment to clean up a spilled coffee or lunch item. If you leave the mess as is and then duck out of the break room hoping that no one will notice it was you who made the mess, then that will make the rest of the day worse for everyone else who uses the break room kitchen next. They may even feel obligated to clean up the mess which could add undue stress to their plate. Please be kind and courteous when spills happen and make sure you take the time to get them cleaned up right away. 

Rule #2: Clearly Label Your Food Items In The Fridge

This can help to make sure that your lunch stays where it is supposed to be, especially if there are several people with similar lunch containers (like a brown paper bag or common lunch box etc.). If your food is labeled and stored in an out of the way place in the fridge it can help others ensure that they have enough room for their lunches and that everybody can confidently grab the lunch that belongs to them. To help keep the fridge nice and orderly, make sure that you are adding your lunch to the fridge and pushing it back as far as you can so that the next person to store their lunch doesn’t have to shuffle items around to get theirs to fit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Rule #3: Pay Close Attention To The Odor Of Your Food

You should make sure that your lunch items don’t present an obnoxious or unpleasant odor as they are consumed or heated up. Some examples of this would be fish, steamed or roasted broccoli (raw broccoli is fine), Durian fruit, or Jackfruit, or the like, etc. These types of food, while all delicious in their own right, are not good choices for the local office kitchen. The pungent smell can be distracting to your fellow co-workers who may not appreciate the same culinary things you do. A good rule of thumb is to be aware of how pungent your food is and how it may affect your co-workers in a shared space. 

Rule #4: Restock What You Can When It’s Empty

If you see that the coffee pot has been drained or has been sitting there on the last few ounces for the last three hours, then it would be a nice thing to do for you to make a fresh pot. A fresh pot of coffee can be a nice way to brighten everyone else’s day a little bit and it takes very little effort on your end. 

As for other restocking tasks, it’s a good idea to always refill community items like creamer, sugar, disposable coffee cups, or napkins. If you use the last of a thing, then it helps if you then take a moment to replace it. A little kindness goes a long way!

This is by no means a complete list, but it is a good start to helping you and your co-workers coexist much more amicably. Need some help keeping the office clean? Give us a call for a quote! Have fun and stay safe out there!

2022: The Year To Hire A Cleaning Company

Let’s start 2022 off on the right foot! No, we’re not talking about resolving to work out more or go on a fad diet. We’re talking about finally taking the step to hire a cleaning company for your business! Why not try something new that could help save you time, money, and hassle? Let’s look at some reasons you should hire a professional commercial cleaning company for your business this year. 

Benefit #1: You Can Ditch The Cleaning Supplies And Expensive Machinery

That’s right. If you had planned on taking it upon yourself to clean your office area yourself, then you probably looked into buying commercial grade cleaning equipment and cleaning supplies. The price tags are enough to cause nightmares! Luckily, if you hire a professional cleaning service for your business, you don’t have to buy any machinery or supplies. It’s all included. Businesses like 208 Cleaning already bought the equipment so you don’t have to! 

Benefit #2: Your Customers Will Appreciate A Professionally Cleaned Atmosphere

Let’s be honest. You didn’t go into business to be the best at cleaning commercial areas. You went into business to do what you love and that probably doesn’t involve cleaning. That’s ok. We did so you don’t have to! With trained professionals like us, you can be assured that we will apply our passion and expertise to keep your office cleaner and more sanitary than ever before. If you hire a professional commercial cleaning service, then you can have more peace of mind and be able to concentrate on your business success. 

Benefit #3: Inspire Customer Confidence And Earn More Money

In today’s shopping climate, keeping customers assured that your business not only meets but exceeds CDC recommended guidelines can mean more revenue. Confident buyers are more likely to make a purchase from a business they feel safe in and are likely to spend more than their less confident counterparts. Cleaning and disinfecting regularly are great ways to keep your customers happy and confident. 

Benefit #4: Your Employees Will Be Happier

It doesn’t just take happy customers to make a successful business. It takes happy employees too! If your area of business is kept clean, disinfected, and looking great all year around, then your employees will be happier, more productive, and take more pride in their company. All of these things have tangible effects on your business’s bottom line. 

Another side benefit to hiring a professional cleaning service: fewer employee sick days. Who would have thought that a cleaner working environment would mean healthier workers? All kidding aside, that is a really good way to keep your employees and your yearly earnings healthy. 

Benefit #5: One Less Thing To Worry About

Knowing that your business will always be cleaned and maintained can be a huge weight off your mind. You are now able to concentrate more on your business and how to make it an even bigger success.

However you decide to spend your holiday season, make sure that you are able to feel good about keeping your house clean and in good order. Give us a call for a quote! Have fun and stay safe out there!

How To Keep Your Office Kitchen Clean

Offices for many of us are like second homes. Many people actually spend more awake hours at the office than they do at their own homes. The reality of this has entered our day to day talk with terms such as work spouse and office life. For many people their office space is like their own little world away from home with pictures of family and inspirational quotes. While your desk is your own space, the breakroom and office kitchen are very much not. 

The company kitchen can quickly turn into a battle ground when a yogurt goes missing or someone stinks up the fridge with some odd fish concoction from take out the night before. Subtle annoyances can quickly spill over and make for an uncomfortable breakroom and bad office dynamics. Let’s face it, when we get time to take a break the last thing we want is to have to deal with unnecessary drama. How do you avoid this and keep a happy work space? Here are a few ideas on what you can do to ensure that your office kitchen is a place for relaxing and refueling.

Label, Label, Label

Have a sharpie nearby and let your workers know that everything in the fridge needs to be labeled. Write your name on your yogurt and your soda pop. If you're one of those super generous folks and you brought brownies to share, label it for everyone please enjoy!  If it's not labeled it's going into the trash. It's a hard rule to have but it will get your team in line when it comes to getting their names on things.

Monthly Empty

Once a month, Friday is the best day to do this, the entire fridge gets emptied and anything in it, labeled or not, goes in the trash. This is going to help stop the clutter from collecting. Who doesn't love to bring salad dressing to work or a favorite hot sauce and keep it in the fridge for a week or so… you know, just in case you need it. These things tend to pile up until you no longer know what is in the back of the fridge… but it just doesn't smell right.  A monthly empty will cut the clutter and keep your fridge clean.

Communicate

Like most things in life, it all comes down to communication. No matter what protocol you devise for your company kitchen, ensure that everyone is made aware. A laminated sign on the fridge is a great tool to ensure that even those who didn't read their email will know the rules of the kitchen. 

While the fridge is the source of most office kitchen trouble, there also needs to be rules about keeping the surfaces clean and dishes out of the sink. Don't let kitchen messes burn your team or cause a stink in the office. Try a few simple rules aimed at the biggest issues and above all else, follow through on the rules. If you need more advice on keeping your office nice give the pros at 208 Cleaning a call and let us take the lead on keeping your office safe and clean.

Spring Cleaning List For Your Office

Spring is here, finally! The days are getting longer and the weather is getting better. Birds are coming back and filling the air with song and flowers are poking their colorful heads out of the ground for the first time since fall. It’s the time of year for hope and fun and above all else, cleaning.  We’ve been putting it off long enough, but it’s time to crack our knuckles and get ready to do the dreaded yearly task of “Spring Cleaning.” Whether you’re working from home or at the office, you’ll want to check out these office focused spring cleaning tips that you can start doing today!

Organize. Divide. Then Conquer.

Before you dive right into cleaning everything, you’ll want to make sure that once things are actually cleaned and put away, that they stay organized and sorted properly so that you can avoid a mess piling up in the future. Designate parts of your desk and/or working space for different storage goals. For example, have the top left corner of your desk be the “office supplies” area so that all of your pens, paper clips, and stapling supplies are kept there and maybe reserve the top drawer on the same side for extra supplies. Then you can dedicate the top right part of your desk to things like personal items, snacks, or even a plant. Make sure that every area of your workspace has a purpose and that things within that area are actually fitting within that designation. If not, then you’ll have to clean it up and get it out of there. Set yourself up for success: First you organize, then you clean.

Clean Those Neglected Areas.

When was the last time you cleaned out your trash can? Not just emptied your trash can, but actually took the whole thing and cleaned it down with warm water and soap? Look around your office space and really think as to what you have been cleaning the least often or not at all. You may be surprised. Here are some examples of not so often cleaned things and areas that you may want to disinfect and wipe down during your spring cleaning rampage this year:

Think Beyond Your Desk Space.

Spring cleaning at the office doesn’t just have to be about your immediate work area. Look around your office and see if there is another area like the conference room or breakroom or meeting area that might need some attention. If you took 15 or 20 minutes this year and wiped every contact surface down and disinfected the high traffic areas, then you could be really doing yourself and your fellow employees a favor. 

If you’re looking for one of the best office cleaning companies in the business, then look no further than us at 208 Cleaning Co.! We’re here to make sure that your office stays clean year round, not just during spring cleaning. Give us a call and we can make sure your office is looking spotless!

Commercial Cleaning- Why You Should Hire a Pro For Your Business

Idaho is such a great place for small to medium sized businesses! We have a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit and our amazing populace love to support local over international brands. From large to small, 208 Cleaning Co. can help you with all of your commercial cleaning needs. Hiring a commercial cleaner to clean your office is a great idea that can help you expand your bottom line and improve your employee morale in one fell swoop. Let’s explore why you should hire a commercial cleaning service if you haven’t already!

 

Impress Guests And Grow Business

One of the best benefits of having a professionally cleaned and detailed office is that when you are trying to impress potential clients by bringing them by the office for a meeting or negotiation, they can see that you run a tight ship and that your working/living space is well taken care of. Nothing scares away potential clients or investors like a dirty and cluttered office space. It can be a huge subconscious warning to them that will send them packing and over to your next competitor faster than you can say hot crossed buns. Spending the monthly costs for a professional cleaning service like 208 Cleaning Co. is a must-have on your company’s expense sheet, and for good reason. 

 

Good For Employee Morale

As a business owner, you don’t just have to worry about impressing potential clients and investors. You have to always be taking care of your employees and their happiness as well. Believe us when we say that employees get stressed out about a dirty office space just as much as you do and as an investor would be. If you’re able to keep your office space clean and looking sharp and professional, your employees will also be able to take pride in their work and will be able to work harder without having to worry about messes, or germs, or smells getting in their way. As a bonus, you can also increase productivity by having fewer employee sick days! Getting a commercial cleaning service is good for employees and their families too. 

 

Hire Better Employees

You don’t just have to worry about impressing potential investors or clients, you also have to worry about impressing potential new employees. With the unemployment rate in Idaho at historic lows, securing a new hire can be tough. As much as you’re interviewing people to determine if they’re a right fit for your operation, so to are they deciding if you are a good fit for them. The first impression of your office they have will be as they visually check out the working area that they could potentially be spending hundreds of hours in. If they see trash buildup or dirty or neglected areas, then they may interpret that as a sign that the business itself isn’t detail oriented or together in all the right ways. A good first impression of your office will be the difference between landing mediocre talent and exceptional talent. These are the people that will be driving your business to the next level, you want to make sure they are happy with the office from the get-go!

 

A small investment into cleaning can pay huge dividends with impressed clients and investors. Contact us today for a free estimate! 

Cold and Flu Season is Around the Corner. Give Your Office a Good Clean Today!

With fall around the corner, it is a good idea to start thinking about cold and flu season and how to prevent it, especially in the office. As the weather cools down everyone naturally tends to spend more time indoors and this can increase the risk of cold and flu because there are more germs spread. Offices can be very busy and sometimes cleaning practices can be overlooked, turning your office into a hot spot for germs. It is best to take a proactive approach to cleaning and safeguarding your office from cold and flu germs. The best defense is a good offense! Here are a few reasons why it may be a good idea to hire a professional commercial cleaning crew who will become an active partner with you in safeguarding your office from pesky germs this cold and flu season.

Reduce Cross-Contamination 

A professional cleaning company will focus on areas where germs are concentrated. Knowing where these germs are is even more important as there may be hot spots or various touch points in and around your office that you have not considered. We ensure any type of tools or equipment used for cleaning are regularly inspected, cleaned and maintained. The last thing you want is to push, wipe, spread and transfer dirt around from one place to another. Also, focusing on cleanliness with your workers is critical. Make sure you have signs posted to remind employees to wash their hands, empty trash, etc.

Cleaning for Health

Various strains of influenza and germs are naked to the eye. Professional cleaning services focus on cleaning for health. We use various cleaning methods and products to help reduce or eliminate germs on the surface, door handles, or other areas throughout the office. Our professional team of cleaners are responsible and knowledgeable on the best germ killing practices. 

Give the Office a Good Wipe Down

A professional clean will ensure that a thorough wipe down of the office has been completed. Wiping down phones, keyboards and everything else that gets touched frequently is important. Communal items like coffee pots, water fountains, sinks and dishes, vending machines, etc. should receive extra attention when it comes to a thorough clean. In addition, it’s a good idea to have furniture cleaned or wiped down frequently as well. Giving everything a good wipe down can be an overwhelming job, which is even more of a reason why you should bring in the experts for a little extra help. After all you and your employees are busy running the day to day of a busy office. Let the professionals handle the cleaning to-do-list. 

The best way to protect your office this coming cold and flu season is to be proactive about eliminating germs before they take over your office. When you partner with 208 Cleaning Co. we not only help you safeguard the health of your employees but we also set you up for success as a true partner in helping you keep your office healthy and clean. Contact us for a quote today!