Composite of national clean your desk day text with amazed caucasian woman with book and eyeglasses. Portrait, stationery, awareness, hygiene, celebration concept.

Contributed by Tim Conn, President and Co-Founder by Image One USA

There are a lot of fun national holidays throughout the year. In 2023, National Walking the Dog Day is February 22nd, National French Fry Day is July 13th, and National Go to an Art Museum is Nov. 9th.

While we have these days to look forward to later in the year, today is National Clean Your Desk day, designated as the second Monday of January. Offering insights on the importance of maintaining a clean workspace is Tim Conn, the president and co-founder of the national commercial cleaning franchise Image One USA. According to Conn, here are the top five ways that cleaning pros can capitalize on this year’s National Clean Your Desk Day.

1. Take things one step at a time. “Cleaning one’s desk, or any workspace for that matter, should not be done in a disjointed approach. Focus on one aspect before moving onto the next. For example, organize loose papers before wiping down tables and desks with disinfectant wipes. The approach should be simple, with one action building onto the next.”

2. Create the habit now. “I’ve seen studies that show that it takes the average person 60 days to develop and maintain a good habit. If you begin cleaning your desk as a habit this January, by March it will feel second nature. In a similar way to Newton’s Law of Inertia, an object in motion tends to stay in motion.”

3. Encourage the habit among others. "When it comes to cleaning, I’ve rarely seen negative reinforcement being a successful tactic. Encouraging others to disinfect dirty areas and keep the workplace organized should be done in a positive manner. Rather than saying that a workspace must be cleaned immediately, emphasize that the task only takes five minutes. A great piece of advice that I received years ago was that if a task only takes five minutes, complete it right away. Sharing this approach with others in the workplace should encourage everyone to be more mindful of their approach to cleaning their desks and common areas in a timely fashion.”

4. Having the right tools in your toolbox. “For a carpenter, he or she needs tools such as a saw, a drill, and some sandpaper. Each tool should be used by the carpenter in a specific order, too. For a cleaning professional, having electrostatic sprayers, UV lights, and disinfectant wipes will help make sure they themselves are prepared. Just like how sanding a piece of plywood prior to sawing the wood is counterproductive, it’s important to do, for example, electrostatic spraying before using disinfectant wipes. The latter helps to touch up certain areas, so it should follow the electrostatic spraying.”

5. Listen to everyone involved. “While commercial cleaning experts and facility management professionals are better versed in cleaning strategies and tools than the average person, it’s still crucial to listen to other people’s approaches to maintaining a safe and clean work environment. Being open minded and having a willingness to listen should be aspects that go hand-in-hand with every year’s National Clean Your Desk Day.”