With employees spending around 45 hours in the workplace weekly, it is inevitable that some of your office furniture, carpets, and appliances wear out and in turn, the office space looks unpleasant. These messes could take a toll on everyone’s work focus, especially neat freaks, so you have to fix them as early as possible. Any place is susceptible to accidents but knowing how to treat them, or at least do the “first aid” before cleaning professionals come in, can help you save your office space from disaster. Here are some of the most common types of spills and stains in the office, and how you can clean them.

Coffee Spills

Coffee has become the fuel and blood for most employees. It seems to be a part of everyone’s routine during office hours– from your drinking coffee during breaks in the pantry, sipping it at their desks while working, and even bringing it to conference rooms for important meetings. Unfortunately, not every day is a perfect day. There will be days when you would accidentally spill your coffee or any drink on your desks or worse, to the carpeted floor. 

While it is no way to replace professional cleaning, here is how you can minimize the staining:

• Blot the coffee-stained material using a paper towel or a cloth.
• Rinse the stain with a mixture of water and baking soda.
• Soak up as much mixture as you can using a paper towel or a cloth.
• Repeat the process until the coffee stains disappear.
• Let it naturally dry.

Ink spills

Even though everyone has been dependent on technology in the office, ink spills are one of the common stains in the office. Since not all fabrics or materials are the same, some ink stains could become more difficult to clean than the others. Ink stains are notoriously hard to remove and will give you a headache. If someone left their pen uncapped, it’s likely you’ll see a stray random line on the chairs, couch, or tables. It is important to act on it as quickly as possible and try to avoid transferring the ink to other things while it is still fresh.

How to Clean Stains For fabric furniture:

• Soak the stain with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover and try to move the stain to a paper towel by blotting it frequently
• Using cold water, rinse the stain
• Put some liquid detergent with enzymes, perhaps something used for laundry or dishwashing, into the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes
• Rinse the stain again with cold water

How to Clean Stains on Wood Furniture:

• Using a damp cloth or sponge, wipe the stain down
• If the stain still persists, rub it using some rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover
• Wipe the stain with water, until it’s no longer visible the let it dry

Muddy shoes

During rainy days or in just plain days, it is inevitable for employees’ shoes to get muddy and dirty. Placing rug before entering might be a good precaution but sometimes it’s not enough to keep their shoes clean. When people with wet and dirty shoes start working on their office errands, they will inevitably pass on the dirt to so many places and might even stick to other passersby’s shoes. It could be a walking disaster! These dirt from their shoes could also stay in the carpets’ fibers and in the long run, will be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. 

Don’t let that happen! Here’s a quick way to remove mud and dirt spills from the carpet:

• Mix equal parts of vinegar, baking soda, and water in a spray bottle.
• Spray a generous amount of mixture on the dirt, and let the solution sit for a few minutes.
• Using a washcloth, gently pat the area, then leave to dry.

Pet waste

Modern-day employment has substantially molded companies to become more lenient and more welcoming in letting their employees bring their pets at work. A lot of surveys have shown that having pets in the workplace has been linked to a significant increase in the amount of happiness in the workplace environment. However, these pets may accidentally poop, pee, and just leave a mess around, which is completely normal for them but not your office space.

Pet-policy requires owners to be responsible over their pets’ mess which is why, cleaning up after your pet is as important as giving them enough food, water, and shelter. Likewise, the excrements left by these pets might also contain bacteria and parasites, which could be harmful to both pets and humans. We all don’t want that.

How to Clean your Carpet from Pet Waste:

• Scoop up poop and/or soak up urine by blotting with paper towels or cloth.
• Rinse the carpet with a mixture of water and liquid detergent (preferably with enzyme), to dilute the urine and scrub the stain using a sponge or old toothbrush.
• Let the soapy mixture settle with the stain for about 15 minutes.
• Then, blot the carpet again with the cloth.
• Repeat until the stain disappears.
• Let the carpet dry.

Knowing these common spills and stains and how to remove them is a significant step in maintaining your office clean. However, simply cleaning these spilled-on spots on your own might not be sufficient to fully protect your office furniture, carpets, and other upholstery or appliances from the different elements that could wear them down and before you know it, your workspace’s overall appearance is affected. While you could easily treat common spills and stains, some messes are just stubborn and would require the experts. There would also be times when you would tend to be too busy to even notice these spills or you could have forgotten to get back to them after a busy day. This will leave an annoying mark that may last forever. Don’t wait for more signs to hire professional cleaning services because it will be more expensive as you try to delay it further.