A tidy office isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s the foundation for a productive workspace. After all – a tidy desk equals a tidy mind. As desk chair experts, we’ve collected our top tips to help you maintain an organised, clutter-free environment that’s a treat to get to work in.
Our home office experts’ tips for keeping a tidy office
1. Embrace minimalism
A minimalist ethos in your office can really help to keep a tidy office and bring a zen dynamic into your workspace. Don’t think that has to mean colourless though – even a dark home office can be minimalist. It’s all about the execution.
Here’s how to practically introduce principles of minimalism in your workspace:
- Embrace negative space – This is empty space that gives your eyes a break and lets the furniture and decor in your room breathe
- Choose a cohesive colour scheme – Opt for 2 to 3 colours that tone together to create visual harmony and prevent overwhelm
- Invest in quality over quantity – Choose well-designed office desk essentials that will last and serve multiple purposes over cheap clutter
2. Keep home and work spaces separate
This might sound obvious, but when your home and office are housed under one roof a slow leak of objects from your home into your office is almost inevitable.
Take a look around your home office – are there mugs, pieces of tech and knick-knacks that you’ve carried through to your office space? Remember to regularly remove these items and put them back where they belong.
Making your home office feel like its own designated workspace will not only create a space that sparks productivity but will also allow you to totally shut the door on work at the end of the day.
If you struggle to stop thinking about work, this could be an important part of your routine to maintain a peaceful tidy office.
3. Implement enough storage
This doesn’t have to mean buying more and more storage for your office. Creating smarter storage could be enough to do the trick.
Introducing – visual clutter. If you’re wondering how to keep an office tidy it isn’t just about scheduling deep cleaning, although that is another point we’ll touch on later! Part of what makes an office feel untidy is clutter.
These might be essential items but if they don’t have a designated home and are just hanging around on your desk they’ll start to become a stressor. This is what’s known as visual clutter.
A box in your filing cabinet could easily house your electronic cables when they’re not in use. Or perhaps a set of floating shelves could display your reference books and free up valuable desk space. Consider using decorative baskets or bins to store office supplies while adding a touch of style to your workspace.
4. Clean your office chair
A tidy office means clean office furnishings. Think about all that your chair goes through. Oily fingerprints, crumbs and spills from desk lunches or coffees and inevitable sweat from being sat on, even a chair as breathable as our Task One. Your office chair works hard for you, so say thanks by giving it the occasional deep clean to refresh your space.
You might be pondering how to clean an office chair without damaging it. Don’t be daunted – we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide that’s a breeze to follow.
5. Go paperless
Reducing paper clutter is a key step towards maintaining a tidy office. Going paperless not only minimises physical mess but also improves your workflow, making it easier to keep your workspace organised and efficient.
6. Change air filters
In our guide to key home office essentials we recommend having close at hand, we suggested getting an air filter. After the bedroom, your home office is one of the rooms that you’ll spend most of your time in. It follows that you should ensure every aspect of it supports your health. Air quality is an underrated part of that.
Air purifiers (aka. air filters) filter out particulates, dust and allergens – making it easier to breathe and focus.
However, your machine will only work its best if you remember to regularly replace its filters. Dyson recommends changing your filter every 12 months but time between changes will vary depending on your model. Check with your manufacturer if you’re unsure.
Tip: Set a reminder on your calendar or phone to make sure you don’t forget.
7. Deep clean regularly
Whilst daily touch-ups keep your workspace ticking over, a regular deep clean is crucial for a truly tidy office. But how often should you be rolling up your sleeves for a deep clean? Let’s break it down into a suggested cleaning schedule:
Daily tidying tasks:
- Wipe down your desk surface
- Empty the bin
- Put away any items that have migrated from other parts of your home
Weekly tidying tasks:
- Dust all surfaces, including shelves and computer equipment
- Vacuum or sweep the floor
- Clean your computer screen and keyboard
Monthly tasks:
- Deep clean your office chair
- Organise drawers and filing cabinets
- Wash any office curtains or blinds
If you follow that schedule you’ll never be lumped with doing all of the annoying deep cleaning tasks at once.
8. Invest in cable management
A tidy office is often left looking messy by a tangle of unruly cables cluttering your workspace. To maintain a tidy look, organise cables using simple solutions like cable ties, sleeves, or under-desk trays. Getting on top of this can make a dramatic difference to how you experience your office.
Make the office of dreams your reality
By now you should be armed with our best tips for keeping your office spic and span. Keeping your office is one part of creating a workspace that enhances your wellbeing and works in tandem with your mind and body.
The next is furnishing it with ergonomic office chairs and desks that keep you supported and comfortable all day. That’s our mission at Slouch.
Here’s what one of our customers had to say about how our chairs have impacted their workspace on our 5-star Trustpilot profile:
‘I have worked from home since 2008 in a Software Developer role, and have gone through a mountain of office chairs in that time…
…The Slouch chair is the best back support I’ve experienced and the horizontally adjustable armrests are fantastic for allowing my arms to rest on at the correct angles for keyboard and mouse usage.’
Peter Turner, Software Developer.
If you’ve got any questions or queries that our team can help answer, simply get in touch at [email protected].
