Australian consumers spend over $16 billion during a typical Christmas season, and whether you own a travel agency, a clothing shop, a specialty foods store or almost any other type of retail establishment, you are likely to see more foot traffic coming through your doors at this time of the year than during any other.

More foot traffic means more sales, but it also means more dirt. Luckily, there are ways to keep your establishment looking clean through the holidays. To obtain a sparkling clean business, keep these tips in mind:

1. Clean Prior To Decorating

Before you drag out the tinsel and holly to decorate your shop, do a bit of cleaning or have commercial cleaners devote a few extra hours to the task. If you are moving fixtures or furniture to accommodate holiday decorations or a Christmas tree, this is the perfect time to clean under those pieces. It's also a great time to wipe down the tops of cabinets or displays where you will be placing garland or hanging wreaths.

If you are hanging holiday lights around your windows, clean the glass before you draw attention to them. The longer days mean more sunlight streaming onto your windows, and that will illuminate streaks and smears if your windows are dirty. Additionally, your twinkly lights will make a better effect if they are reflecting off of a clean surface than a dingy one.

2. Schedule Carpet Cleaning After Festivities

If you are holding a holiday party or a special event at your shop, food and drinks are likely to get spilled onto your carpet. To help yourself relax through these mishaps, schedule carpet cleaning for a day or two after your main holiday party. That way, you know everything will be clean as you start the new year as well.

3. Reinforce Toilet Cleaning Strategies

Extra customers in and out of your shop means more activity in the toilets as well. Consider augmenting your regular loo cleaning strategy by scheduling your employees to do periodic checks and cleanups throughout the day. That ensures that you are aware of any issues that need to be addressed, and it keeps your toilets tidy for customers.

When the holiday season is over, have cleaners deep clean the toilets. This should involve cleaning and disinfecting, but it should also include scrubbing the grout between floor or wall tiles, cleaning doors and frames for fingerprints and treating any mildew or mold.

4. Address The Break Room During The Holiday Break

If you have a break room with a fridge and a microwave, this area can be a magnet for splattered food, spills and moldy old lunches. While your employees have a few days off during the holiday season, clean the entire break room, including throwing all the food out of the fridge. Make sure that you post notices that this is going to happen so that no one leaves a treat in the fridge and expects to find it when they return.

Also, get rid of any personal possessions that are cluttering up the break room. This is the perfect time to empty the lost-and-found box that has been collecting items all year long.

5. Consider Post-Holiday Deep Cleaning

Don't just deal with the break room during the holiday break; address your offices and desks as well. Encourage every employee who has a desk at your company to clean off their desks – papers and supplies should be put away into drawers so that the cleaners can clean the tops of the desks. In addition to dusting usually hidden desktops, have the deep cleaners sweep cobwebs from the ceilings and address any other areas that are not normally cleaned.