You might think that your office is in good condition, but we’re sure you’ll agree with us when we say that it’s never too late to do another deep clean-up. Even if you think there is no more junk left to clear out, or all of the clutter has been organized into tidy piles, there’s always something that can be tossed out.
Decluttering is the only way to make sure that your office is well-maintained, spacious, and comfortable. You’ll be able to work more efficiently only if you can find your resources quickly and without any obstacles in the way.
At work, we all hoard items that are more than a few years old. Think, do we need them? If yes, can we scan those documents and upload soft copies instead? A rule of thumb is to store away or dispose of every product you haven’t used for over a year. Yes, you read right – a year!
Here are ten things you need to chuck out during your next office clean up:
1- Old Electronic Devices:
It is essential to sort out all old CDs, DVDs, cords, cables, chargers, headphones, and any old, broken electronic gadgets that you have stored in your drawers and cupboards. If these gadgets were stored away for over a year, there’s a good chance many would have stopped working. Some might have started malfunctioning. And even if they haven’t, just because some electronic devices are still functional doesn’t mean they can stay in your office space for long.
The older workforce might want to hold on to old junk because of emotional attachment, but today’s tech-savvy young workforce realizes the value of commercial junk removal. Waste removed from an office can be donated to a charity organization or sold at a thrift shop for a good profit.
2- Old Papers:
This is a no-brainer! Get rid of anything unnecessary or inessential to your daily work, like old paperwork and papers!
Paper decluttering is a massive task itself. But if you manage to sort out all the paper, it’ll make your office much cleaner and spacious.
You should also closely look at all your corporate reading material, marketing brochures, newspapers, and magazines. They have probably been around for years at your workplace without being read or used. If you don’t need them, donate them to a local school library or a community library. They can serve as good reading resources for students.
Also, you can send all your paper waste to a nearby recycling center, and they can use it to make recycled paper items.
3- Old Stationery Items:
Our desks are full of your old stationery items like pencils, pens, staplers, paper clips, erasers, and other things. They should be thrown out. These can be donated to a charity organization or recycled, depending on their material, so they don’t go to landfills.
4- Empty Ink Cartridges:
When you have empty ink cartridges, try to dispose them of properly. Don’t just chuck these in a dustbin and let someone else take care of it. The correct way would be to find where your nearest recycling center for ink cartridges is located, and then donating them accordingly.
5- Used Notebooks:
At work, we all have notebooks and diaries to take meeting notes, make to-do lists, and keep a personal journal. But books that you have read or are not in use should be sold to second hand bookstores so that they can get sold again to someone else. Please make sure before you dispose of them that they are not valuable to somebody else.
6- The Old Desk:
Maybe your old desk is just taking up too much space in the office, but it’s still a lovely piece, and you don’t want it going to waste. The best thing then would be to donate this unused furniture to a charity organization or use it as storage at home until someone needs an extra table or chair.
7- Broken Furniture:
Like desks, broken chairs can make fabulous donations for charities and community organizations that need new furnishings because these items will most likely have little monetary value on resale marketplaces like Craigslist or eBay. If nobody takes them, move on to trash cans!
8- Old Coffee Mugs:
We all love coffee! And we also need them at our desks. You might think it’s just one mug, but if there are about 20 in your office, it’s time to get rid of them. Cleaning up is a good thing and will help you keep on top of clutter.
9- Old Calendars and Cards:
Cleaning up is the perfect excuse to get rid of outdated calendars and cards that no longer serve a purpose. Make digital copies of cards and save them on iCloud.
10 – Paper plates, cups, napkins:
You might have enough paper plates, cups, and napkins around. In that case, it’s time to throw them away because they’ll only pile up more over the coming months. Reusable items are much better for the environment than disposable ones, so do yourself a favor!
11- Decorative Items:
Some people like to collect teddy bears, vases and more. If you’re in the process of decluttering then it’s time to chuck out those decorative items that are taking up space rather than adding value to your life or office.
12 – Take Home Containers:
Take away containers are handy when ordering takeaway food from restaurants. However, after some months there will inevitably be leftover boxes stuffed into cabinets which can take up tons of valuable storage space. Make sure to recycle these items regularly instead of keeping them around your office.
Conclusion:
Your office is a massive place to maintain, so it’s not always easy for you to keep everything clean and organized without putting in effort or maybe some professional help from external sources. Having a clutter-free office can be a lot of fun. It boosts your productivity and creativity- not to mention, it looks nice and refreshing.
