Are you planning to give your preowned office furniture to a local organization? A little extra effort will make your gift even more special. Here are several things you can do to prepare your desks, chairs, and cubicles for donation. You can have your cleaning crew take care of this or ask each worker to pitch in and clean his/her old workstation. Employees who are getting brand new furniture should be happy to spend a little time getting their used office furniture ready for donation to a good cause.

Wipe It Down

Dampen a cloth with a mild liquid detergent and water to gently wash non-absorbent surfaces on your office furniture. Clean chair arms and other frequently touched areas with wipes that contain a biocide such as Lysol or Clorox to kill germs. Use rubbing alcohol to remove marker and highlighter smudges on laminate and metal surfaces. Use furniture polish to brighten up any exposed wood. Spot treat stains on cubicle panels following the manufacturer’s advice. Remember to ventilate the workspace adequately during these cleanup activities so fumes dissipate quickly.

Vacuum It Out

Use a vacuum with a crack and crevice cleaning attachment to remove crumbs and debris from the creases of your padded office chairs. Use an upholstery attachment to gently remove dust and dirt from fabric cubicle panels. Remember to vacuum out desk drawers too – they often harbor cracker crumbs and other tasty snacks for insect pests. Giving preowned furniture to a charity isn’t all that nice if you are sending them a potential roach problem too.

Get Rid of Goo

Employees just can’t seem to resist taping stuff to metal desks and credenzas over the years. Remnants and residue of “invisible” tape and stickers attract grime and make surfaces look tacky. Take a look at this list of 30 ways to remove sticky goo to find a method that will work on your used office furniture. A razor blade may knick the metal, so only use a dull straight edge to scrape off tape. Powder coated surfaces are resistant to solvents, so using paint thinner or Windex to remove adhesives is usually safe.

Fix It Up

Is there any item of furniture that is broken? Check chairs for loose components and desk drawers for problems opening/closing. Fix what you can. Mark the rest as in need of repair so the next owners know what new parts they need to buy to get everything in working condition. Preowned office furniture doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be usable and certainly not dangerous!