The last week before Christmas is a strange one in most offices. Half the team is already on leave and the rest are busy with whatever has to be finished before the break. Nobody is thinking about the fridge.
That's why the office clean is worth booking now, in November, while there's still room in the diary. If you'd rather not leave it to whoever is in on the last day, our office cleaning team can come in on one of your final working days and do the lot.
Anything left in the office when the doors lock will still be there when they open again, only after a few weeks of summer heat.
Why Clean Before the Break
Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year and Proclamation Day on the Saturday, so South Australia gets an extra public holiday on Monday 28 December. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are part-day public holidays from 7pm, and New Year's Day is the Friday after. Plenty of Adelaide offices close from Christmas Eve until the new year, and some stay shut well into January.
A clean on the way out is easier than one on the way back in: the desks are being cleared anyway, and the mess is a day old rather than three weeks old. Our February office reset covers the other end of the break, once the team is back.
In November
- Settle the date you close and the date you reopen
- Book the clean for one of the last working days
- Check when the last bin collection is before the break
In the Last Week
- Remind the team to take their food and mugs home
- Clear desks so the surfaces can be wiped
- Leave the fridge until the very last day
The Kitchen and the Fridge
The office fridge is the job everyone means to do and nobody owns. Give it to one person, give them a time on the last afternoon, and tell the team that anything still inside by then goes in the bin. The labelled lunch from last Tuesday is not going to improve over three weeks.
Once it's empty, take out the shelves and wash them, wipe the walls and the rubber door seals, and dry it all. If the office is closed for more than a week or so, switch it off and wedge the door open. A fridge left off with the door shut goes mouldy and smells.
Fridge
- Empty every shelf, the door and the crisper drawers
- Wash the shelves and wipe the seals with warm, soapy water
- Dry it, then switch it off and prop the door open
Kitchen
- Empty the coffee machine's grounds bin and drip tray
- Run the dishwasher, then leave the door open to dry
- Wipe out the microwave and put the sponges in the bin
Leave a note on the fridge door saying it's been cleaned and switched off on purpose, so the first person back doesn't think it has broken down.
Desks, Floors and Bins
Desks rarely get a proper clean, because for most of the year they're covered in paper, cables and coffee cups. The week before Christmas is one of the few times people clear them. Ask everyone to leave theirs bare on their last day, and the cleaners can wipe the whole surface rather than working around a keyboard.
An empty office is also the easiest time to do the floors. With the chairs pushed in and nobody walking through, the vacuum can get under every desk and a mopped floor has days to dry.
Don't Forget the Bins
- Empty the small bins under each desk, not only the big one in the kitchen.
- Empty the bathroom bins and the sanitary bins, and check when their service is next due.
- Put everything out for the last collection before the break, so no bag sits in a hot bin room for weeks.
Ask the team to take their plants home or water them well before they go. A pot plant left on a sunny windowsill over an Adelaide summer rarely makes it to January.
After the Christmas Party
If the Christmas party is in the office, hold it before the clean, not after. A party on the last Friday followed by a locked door means spilt drinks drying into the carpet and food scraps in the bins until January.
Sticky spills are easiest to lift while they're fresh, so blot anything on the carpet the same night with a damp cloth, and take the bottles and food waste out before you leave. The cleaners can deal with the rest the next working day.
On the Night
- Blot spills on the carpet straight away
- Bag the food scraps and take the bottles out
The Next Day
- Wipe the benches, tables and door handles
- Mop the kitchen floor and check under the tables
A Last-Day Checklist
Print this and give it to whoever locks up on the last day.
- Fridge: empty, wiped, dried, switched off with the door propped open, note on the front.
- Kitchen: dishwasher emptied and left open, coffee machine emptied, sink clear.
- Desks: cleared and wiped, no cups or food left in drawers.
- Bins: every one emptied, rubbish out for collection.
- Bathrooms: cleaned, with the toilet paper and soap topped up for the first day back.
- Windows and blinds: closed, with the blinds down on the west-facing side to keep the afternoon sun off the desks.
If the cleaners come after the last staff member leaves, sort out access and the alarm code with them in advance. It's much harder to arrange on Christmas Eve.
Book a Shutdown Clean
The last week of the year is busy enough without the team scrubbing out the fridge. Our Adelaide office cleaners work around your hours, so the clean can happen after the last person has gone home. Tell us when you close and what the office needs, and we'll arrange an onsite look and a personalised quote.
Kitchen and Fridge
Emptied, cleaned and left to dry
Desks and Floors
Wiped and vacuumed while the office is empty
Bathrooms
Clean and stocked for the first day back
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What are the Christmas public holidays in South Australia in 2026?
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December and Proclamation Day is Saturday 26 December, so Monday 28 December is an extra public holiday. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are part-day public holidays from 7pm to midnight, and New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027.
Q.When should we book a clean before the Christmas shutdown?
Book it in November and ask for one of the last two or three working days before you close. That's late enough that the office stays clean over the break, and early enough that everyone is still around to clear their desks.
Q.Should we turn the office fridge off over Christmas?
If the office is closed for more than a week or so, it's worth it. Empty the fridge completely, wipe it out and dry it, then switch it off and leave the door propped open so it doesn't grow mould or start to smell while it's shut. If you leave it running, make sure nothing perishable is left inside.
Q.What does a pre-shutdown office clean cover?
That depends on the office. Most businesses ask for the kitchen, the bathrooms, the desks and the floors, plus a clean-up after the Christmas party if it was held at work. Tell us what you need and when you close, and we'll arrange an onsite look and send a personalised quote.
