We rarely think of office furniture and equipment as needing to be taken care of as it sounds like a job best left to the cleaning ladies at your office. However, the truth is that the only people who can effectively take care of the equipment are the people using it on a daily basis. Proper maintenance and regular cleaning can prolong the lifespan of equipment and furniture, while helping you to reduce the costs involved in having them repaired or replaced frequently. Taking care of office equipment can also improve the aesthetic appeal of your workplace and help retain the functionality of the equipment. Therefore, here are some general maintenance tips to care for your office equipment and furniture:

Servicing machines on a regular basis

Regular use of advanced machines like printers and photocopiers can subject them to wear and tear and therefore, it’s important that you service them on a scheduled basis to ensure that they are taken care of properly. This also minimizes the need to replace equipment which can help you to significantly reduce costs.

The repair professional you hire should be qualified in handling each equipment and in understanding its service needs, for example he/she could have experience in copier repairs from Sydney but might not be qualified to service your printer. In that case, you should try to hire a professional with specialized knowledge on the specific equipment. The frequency with which you service or repair the equipment will depend on its model and how often it is being used.

Cleaning furniture

Cleaning furniture can be tricky if you don’t know what to do. Different types of wood and material require specialized ways of cleaning. Therefore, it’s important that you know which tools or cleaner to use on each surface. For example, oiled wood should not be waxed but rather, should be cleaned with an abrasive like salt with some oil in order to remove spots and stains. You can clean polished wood with a commercial product as it is less sensitive than oiled or painted wood. Furniture such as desk chairs and leather chairs should also be cleaned according to their type. Leather should be cleaned with detergent-free soap and should be dried clean with a sponge.

Strategic positioning of your equipment

Something most people don’t know when taking care of office equipment is how their positioning can affect their lifespan. When arranging and placing furniture and other equipment, you should never place them in front of heating sources as it can cause machines like printers and computers to overheat. Likewise, it is not recommended that you place machines next to windows or a cold wall as extreme temperature can cause internal mechanical failures. It’s best if you can find a place in the office with medium temperature and place your equipment there.