The arrival of spring brings an opportunity to let in a breath of fresh air and set the stage for the season of rebirth and renewal.
While you may be familiar with the idea of spring cleaning your home, you may not have considered spring cleaning your business. That’s why Nextdoor created this spring cleaning checklist.
While regular cleaning is already a part of your business’s health and safety plan, a deep spring cleanse can spur productivity and growth.
In this short guide, we’ll cover the top seven benefits of decluttering your business, then dive into strategies for spring cleaning.
#1 Ensure COVID-19 Safety
Health and safety have been on everyone’s radar since early 2020. As businesses open their doors to more customers, it’s important to continue adhering to local and federal guidelines on COVID-19 safety.
This means frequently cleansing and following safety protocol. But spring is a great time to go the extra mile:
- If you introduced new signage, plastic barriers, and other equipment into your business, give your organization and layout a second look. Are there ways to reorganize and improve the flow of traffic?
- Have you already invested in a high-quality air filtration system? If not, consider getting rid of dust particles via dusting and vacuuming. Then, upgrade your filters.
- Once you’ve completed your deep clean or had some help from house cleaners, update your signs to advise customers about any updated policies.
These steps can help customers feel that much more comfortable as they begin patronizing in-person businesses more frequently.
#2 Remove Allergens
Another benefit of a thorough cleaning and new filtration system is less irritation from spring allergies.
While pollens are a necessary part of plant reproduction, they can cause a variety of allergy symptoms, from itchy eyes to sinus headaches. Likewise, allergens like dust mites can accumulate over time.
A deep clean can help ensure that your employees don’t repel your customers with sneezing fits. Similarly, your customers will breathe easily inside your storefront.
#3 Boost Employee Productivity
Distractions make it harder to concentrate and get work done.
When a place of business is unorganized or cluttered, employees often spend so much time searching for the right item that they’re distracted from their actual job. To get the most from your spring cleaning and help boost your team’s productivity, be sure to:
- Poll employees and ask what aspects of the workplace could use reorganization or deep cleaning.
- Consider updating payroll processes, improving web editing tools, or making other changes to their digital responsibilities alongside upgrades to the physical workspace.
#4 Reduce Stress and Boost Endorphins
Being a small business owner comes with plenty of pressure. But the benefits of cleaning actually include soothing your nerves.
- Studies show that cleaning up your environment provides one less negative to focus on. This can help reduce everyday stress.
- The elbow grease that goes into the physical aspects of cleaning provides light exercise, which can help release endorphins and further improve your mood.
By spring cleaning, you not only improve your physical space. Your mindset and attitude will benefit as well.
#5 Clean Out Your Inventory for Spring
Sure, we’d all love to have a clean, open, floor plan—but what if you have a backstock of goods from the winter?
Now is the perfect opportunity to run a spring sale that does double-duty as a decluttering tactic and a marketing promotion.
It’s affordable and easy to advertise your spring cleaning sale on your Nextdoor Business Page. Here’s how:
- Sign up and claim your Nextdoor Business Page for free. Your Nextdoor community is made up entirely of neighbors, so whenever you post or advertise a promotion, you know it will reach customers who are only a short drive away.
- Update your profile with your business name, website, and hours of operation. Then, customize it with photos, graphics, and your unique story.
- Alternately, run a Local Deal to let neighbors know about your spring inventory cleaning sale.
By cleaning out your inventory, you’ll end up with less merchandise and a more organized storage room. You may even make more connections on Nextdoor.
#6 Set the Stage for Tax Season
Maybe you’ve just finished your taxes and want to forget about the whole ordeal. But as you already know, good bookkeeping is essential to your success as a small business. Paying your taxes accurately and on time helps you avoid stressful last-minute paperwork along with potential fees and penalties.
By including your books in your spring cleaning, you better prepare yourself for future quarterly and annual tax payments.
#7 Lift Up Other Local Businesses
Beyond local cleaning services, consider partnering with other local businesses to uplevel your spring refresh:
- Decorating and design professionals – A new coat of paint or floor plan could work wonders in your space. Consult with an expert to get ideas on refreshes for all budgets.
- Website services – Maybe you’re already a whiz with WordPress. But if your business website needs help to shine (and it’s in the budget), work with a graphic designer or website engineer to upgrade your site.
- Accountants and business experts – If your bookkeeping or business plan needs revising, take the task off your plate. The upfront investment is worth the reduced headaches down the line.
- Florists – Finally, welcome in the new season with exterior landscaping or a few flowers inside.
When you partner with another local business, you keep wealth in the community and generate opportunities for collaboration down the line.
Now that you know the benefits of spring cleaning your business, here are some strategies to help you get started.
Spring Cleaning In-Person and Online
Yes, spring cleaning means breaking out the broom, mop, and sponge. But when you’re sprucing up your business, consider a more holistic approach.
If you’re wondering how to organize your business for spring, concentrate your energy in the following three categories.
Deep Clean Your Retail Space
As much as we try to keep our interior spaces clean, dirt and grime accumulate in hidden nooks and crannies. Harmful bacteria, pests, and mold growth can linger and cause damage to inventory if you aren't regularly cleaning your space. Whether you decide to clean yourself or hire a professional cleaning service, there are many aspects to consider. To give your business a truly blank slate, be sure to:
- Move and clean behind all furniture
- Wash interior and exterior windows to let more light in
- Give the walls a once-over with a cleaning tool like a magic eraser
- Clean ovens and dishwashers in your restaurant or catering business
- Reorganize and label cluttered areas (i.e., filing cabinets, register area)
- Complete all regular cleaning tasks:
- Dust
- Sweep and mop
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces to rid the space of harmful bacteria
Not quite up for the job? Hire a local cleaning company. You could even use this as an opportunity for a cross-promotion, advertising their professional cleaning service on your social media and asking for a shout-out on their sales channels in exchange.
Clean Up Your Website
Do your customers have to click four links just to place an order or find your hours of operation?
Website organization has come a long way in the past few years. Cleaning up your site creates a more streamlined experience for customers and can have additional benefits like the following:
- Improve SEO rankings – Does your order page have an address that ends in a random string of numbers? Your page URLs and titles both play a role in search engine ranking. Re-organizing your website can make it easier for people and search crawlers to find the most relevant page for a query like “Mary’s Restaurant contact.”
- Get attention on social media – Using your business’s social media account is a great way to promote your business and spotlight your redesigned website. Show off your new site on Nextdoor and other channels to garner new traffic and, hopefully, more sales.
Consider Your Books
How do you keep track of business billing and invoicing? If you have a drawer full of receipts, it’s probably difficult to find the relevant tax information when you most need it.
As mentioned earlier, spring is the perfect time to get your books in order along with the rest of your business.
Help Your Business Blossom This Spring
By spring cleaning, you can ensure your place of business is in the right physical and financial shape to thrive.
Likewise, it can decrease clutter and stress, providing innumerable benefits for you and your employees.
Above all, it’s a great opportunity to give back to your community while connecting with new customers.
Sources:
Forbes. 6 Ways To Spring Clean Your Small Business. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekappel/2020/05/27/6-ways-spring-clean-small-business/?sh=4ffa28124d5d
The Telegraph. Why a spring clean is good for you. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/alternative-medicine/3354156/Health-Why-a-spring-clean-is-good-for-you.html
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