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How To Spring Clean Your Home Office – Part I

Home Office Spring Cleaning Steps:

  1. Make Room For Trash
  2. Clear Out
  3. Cleaning Frenzy
  4. Re-evaluate Office Furniture
  5. Shop For Supplies
  6. Get Organized

If you are as busy as I am, my home office tends to get over run by paper clutter, magazines, and even office supplies. One way to avoid major office clutter is to simply pick up after myself, right? This may be an easy concept, but sometimes I am in a hurry and things tend to get piled up. Or, well frankly, I can be a major procrastinator. Granted many of us cannot dedicate a big amount of precious time to major cleaning, this is why there is a time of year dedicated to major spring cleaning!

I undertook the daunting task of cleaning my home office this past weekend with great results. Since this method worked for me, I decided to share it with you. Hopefully my experience will help you complete a weekend home office spring cleaning project. Here are the first two steps I took in this six-step process:

1. Make Room For Trash

Just like any other cleaning and organizing project you’ll have to sort the items that are clutter with the items that should be kept.  In the office space we often have clutter that can be recycled like paper, or bad for the environment, like electronics, if disposed of.  During my weekend project I came to the conclusion that there are 3 types of home office “trash.”

  • Dumpster Trash: Basically, “trash trash!” This is where I tossed my dust filled Swiffer wipes and other disposable cleaning items. And during the cleaning process we often come across other random garbage that needs to be tossed.
  • Recyclable Trash: Paper, electronics, and plastics. Being a pop culture junkie my biggest problem is holding onto magazines. I have to own this issue and keep the magazines that I really need and properly recycle the magazines that I don’t.
  • Reusable Trash: Most people have office furniture that is unused. I had a couple of random chairs that were collecting clutter in the corner of my home office. Instead of kicking them to the curb for a passerby I donated them to a nearby women’s shelter. They were very appreciative.

2. Clear Out

In the clearing out process I often come across my “trash-able” items and sort them accordingly. My goal during this step is to just get all the stuff out of the room so I can do a thorough cleaning job. I’m the type of person that can’t just clean around things, I also like to clean underneath them and behind them too.

I cleared off the surface of my desk, rolled up my plastic floor mat and space rugs, and even took out chairs and other movable non-cumbersome furniture to outside of my office. The only items I left in place in my office clear out were my built-in desk and bigger office electronics like my desktop computer, printer and copy machine.

The difference between spring cleaning and everyday cleaning is that it takes longer, and you are also cleaning areas you normally wouldn’t day to day. I literally have to strip the room bare like I want to sell my house. Yes, this means your 1-hour cleaning job has perhaps turned into several hours. For me, spring cleaning my home office took all weekend since I took quite a few shopping breaks for cleaning products and office supplies discussed in an upcoming post!Our professional designers can create a custom home office design that looks great and works just as hard as you do! Request a free design consultation today!
By: Nicole L. Tate

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