Keep your Home Office Clean and Organized

Whether you work from home or you just enjoy a space for all of your financial paperwork, a home office is a nice addition to any household. Yet, those of us who have a home office often let it get out of control with mounds of paperwork, bills, old sticky notes, or dust.

Let’s clean it up, shall we?

Here’s what you’ll need:

-A microfiber cloth
–Multipurpose cleaner
-Electronics wipe (you can find this at any big box or electronic store)
-Patience

° What you’ll need to do first is to completely clear everything off and inside of your desk so you can clean and disinfect it. Wipe off every shelf, every crevice, and every corner that has a spec of dust on it with your multipurpose cleaner and your microfiber cloth.  Next, clean out the drawers, cabinets, etc.

° Once the desk is completely clean and sanitized, you’ll now need to sort the clutter. Everyone has clutter on their desks/ in their drawers at some point. Sort through the piles of papers and receipts and decide if they either:

-Need to be used now
-Need to be used later (or should be stored)
-Need to be tossed/ recycled

So how do you decide if it should be tossed/ kept? Well, it depends on the person. The idea is to keep anything government/ bank issued and get rid of everything that’s either duplicated online or too old to matter. Here are some examples of important documents to keep in a safe spot:

-Social Security cards
-Birth/ Death certificates
-Will
-Mortgage loan (the rule is to keep until three years after you’ve paid it, but it’s personal preference)
-Tax records
-Warranty receipts
-Passport
-Current year’s insurance policy
-Health records
-Stock/ Bond papers

These papers/ documents should be stored in a safe or in your bank’s safe to keep them from getting lost or damaged. All other papers should either be tossed or recycled, or put in filing cabinets if you use them every day. A really great way to cut down on paper clutter is to completely go paperless with bills and to scan documents and save them to a flash drive or an online storage space.

° After you’ve organized your papers and bills, you should start to clean your electronics. *Note: Check your handbook, call your manufacturer, or call an electronics expert before you use any cleaning product on your electronics*

That being said, electronic stores typically sell something called ‘electronic wipes’ which can be safely used on screens, keyboards, etc.  Remember to unplug all appliances before you start cleaning. Get all the dust and dirt that you possibly can from your electronics, as these are the most-used items in the room.

° Start organizing your papers in your desk. Make sure everything has a spot. If everything has a spot, nothing can be displaced or lost. Fill your home office with colorful items and things you enjoy looking at. If you work from home, your office should be an enjoyable place to be. You’re free from being confined in a cubicle, so why make your office feel like one?

° And while you’re cleaning out your office, this would be a perfect opportunity to clean the carpets or the furniture to give your office that extra level of freshness.