Tackling Tough Grime: Expert Tips from Dorset's Commercial Cleaning Pros

While most workplaces will have a quick clean once a week, ensuring that desks, office tables, sinks, toilets and kitchen surfaces are given a wipe down and cleaned, this often isn't a deep enough clean to tackle tough grime.

From limescale in the kitchen kettle to dust in the corner of a window sill or a build-up around the taps on the bathroom sinks, tough grime comes in a number of forms, building up in a range of places.

In this blog, our commercial cleaning pros share the common places where grime and dust build up and how to get rid of it.

Kitchen Kettle

A piece of equipment that often gets neglected, despite heavy use every day, is the kettle. Due to its constant use throughout the day, limescale builds up quickly in the barrel. However, this is rarely cleaned, meaning limescale frequently makes its way into drinks.

There are a variety of ways to descale a kettle, making it easy to do.

Of course, there are a number of descaling products available on the market, all of which will do the job. All you will need to do is purchase one and follow the instructions.

However, several methods use common household products, such as bicarbonate of soda or vinegar. Before starting any of these, we would recommend you fill and empty the kettle several times to remove as much of the solid limescale as possible.

If you keep any bicarbonate of soda in your cupboard, simply fill the kettle ¾ of the way with water and add a heaped tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda. Boil the kettle and then leave it to sit for an hour. Drain the water away, and then fill and boil the kettle again to remove any remnants of limescale or bicarbonate of soda.

Alternatively, if you keep distilled white vinegar in your cupboard, boil the kettle with distilled white vinegar and half with water, pour it out, and then fill and boil the kettle again to remove the remaining bits.

We recommend descaling your office kettle at least once every three months to keep excessive limescale from building up.

Fridges and Microwaves

Food often brings some mess.

When it is in the microwave, food often bubbles as it heats, leaving splatters on the top of the microwave and down the door. All the while, sauces run down the side of bottles, or food goes mouldy in the fridge.

It is a good idea to empty the fridge once every few weeks, wipe it down and throw away any out-of-date food. If you have found bottles that are leaking, then wipe those down too.

Clean the microwave every couple of weeks, remove the spinning plate and put it in the dishwasher or wash it by hand with dish soap and a cloth, and use a multi-purpose wipe or wet paper towel to clean the door and the top and sides of the appliance.

Between Office Desks And Furniture

Desks and furniture are often dusted in a weekly clean, leaving them dirt and dust-free. But, between the desks and behind the furniture is often forgotten about, leaving it to build a large amount of dust.

We recommend that now and then you pull apart your desks from each other and away from walls and other furniture so that you can clean between them.

Once all the furniture is moved, simply use a duster or spray and cloth to clean surfaces that are against each other, and vacuum any flooring that is usually covered.

Carpets

Despite frequent vacuuming, carpets can still hold a lot of dust and grime as it can sit within and under them.

A regular deep carpet cleaning will help remove the dust and grime from the surface, preventing it from burying further into the carpet. This is also likely to help extend the carpet's life, keeping the colours vibrant too.

Ledges

An office is filled with ledges, whether it be window sills, skirting boards or door frames. Some of these ledges might be cleaned regularly with the general office clean. However, many of them aren't touched.

The height of the door frame is often an obstacle, but we would recommend running an extendable duster over the ledge every few weeks to prevent a build-up of dust settling there.

Additionally, you can use a multi-purpose wipe, feather duster or a microfiber cloth to remove dust and grime sitting on skirting boards, window sills and other ledges such as picture or certificate frames.

Lampshades

If your office has lampshades, you will want to start paying attention to the inside and outside of them.

Similarly to door frames being out of sight, as lampshades sit above the eyeline, they are often missed in a generic clean.

To clean these, you will need to switch the light off and let the bulb cool down first. Then, run a long microfibre duster around the inside of the lamp and outside.

If you want to get a better clean, you can safely use a ladder and cloth to reach the lampshade instead.

Blinds

Being close to windows, it isn't surprising that blinds and shades often carry a lot of dust as they catch the particles when they enter through the window.

Giving these a clean is simple as you can use a microfiber duster, damp cleaning cloth or special tools for cleaning blind slats.

Around Toilets And Sinks

The bottom of toilets and around sink taps can get grime build-up, even when they are cleaned. A simple wipe doesn't cut through grease, limescale and dirt that collects on these surfaces.

Using products such as limescale remover spray around taps will help remove any grease and dirt around your sink.

Meanwhile, use a floor wipe around the floor of any toilet and a multi-purpose wipe for the toilet basin. This will remove any urine and dirt.

Get Help From Professionals

As a busy office, you might not have time to complete these tasks. This is where our professional team come in.

Dorset Commercial Cleaning specialises in cleaning offices, retail spaces, medical environments, manufacturing facilities, leisure and entertainment spaces and marina and yacht clubs.

We offer flexible packages including one-off cleans to regular, weekly cleaning and daily cleaning packages at times that best suit you and your company.

Our reliable teams are highly trained and know where to find and how to deal with the tricky spots that often get a build-up of tough grime.

Get in touch with us to learn more about our cleaning services and how we can help you tackle grime and dirt in your work environment. Call us on 01202 986700.