Ask Sadie: Best Practices – Daily Cleaning & Maintenance

Q: Hi Sadie- You always mention daily cleaning and how important it is. Does it really matter that much? I clean my house every other week and that seems fine to me. Why should I do any different at work? –Tony

A: Well Tony, while there are many similarities between cleaning at home and at work, cleaning frequencies is not necessarily one of them, and for several reasons.

Occupancy & Usage

Commercial businesses, hospitals, government offices, etc. may see hundreds of people cross their doors every day, so facility cleaning and maintenance employees are cleaning up after all of these people each day. And it’s not just the physical foot traffic that affects the condition of the building, but many of the individuals are using the restrooms, hence additional supplies like toilet paper, soap, etc. are being consumed. All of this can add up to mess that needs to be cleaned up regularly (full trash cans, restocking supplies, etc.), and depending on the number of visitors, more than once a day. You definitely wouldn’t want an airport to be cleaned only once a day let alone once every other week.

Facility Size

Larger facilities naturally have more surfaces to clean due to their physical size, which can make daily cleaning more challenging, but not impossible. Team and zone cleaning are common methods of making sure that all of the important tasks are completed.

Team cleaning is when you have team of people work together to get an area cleaned and then move on to the next area. Each team member has specific tasks that they are in charge of, for instance emptying trash bins. Zone cleaning is when one person is in charge of cleaning an entire zone, such as an employee break room. They perform all of the various tasks needed to clean that area (dust mopping and cleaning the floors, cleaning & disinfecting handles, wiping down tables and counters, etc.)

Type of Facility

Daily cleaning & maintenance is really important in certain settings, such as hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The prevalence of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), such as MRSA and C. diff, make proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces is of extreme importance and should be attended to quickly. In an office working environment there is a little more flexibility. Sometimes it makes sense to clean commonly touched surfaces daily, but leave desks & cubicles to be cleaned by their occupants on more of a weekly basis.

Money Savings

Yes, daily and regular cleaning can actually save you money. It does so by protecting your building from everyday wear and tear. Daily sweeping and vacuuming keeps up with all of the dirt that gets brought in on the soles of our shoes, and it protects the flooring from damages caused by tears and scratches. That’s why every facility should have an entryway matting system of some sort. While mats can be expensive at first, ultimately they pay for themselves and then some. First of all, they extend the life of carpeting, which means that it has to be replaced less often. Also, it reduces the need for deep or restorative maintenance on hard flooring surfaces, provided that the mats are cleaned regularly and kept in good condition. It is far cheaper to replace floor mats than a new floor.

Standards of Cleanliness & First Impressions

Most people have an expectation of clean when they enter a business, whether it’s founded or not, and first impressions can be lasting impressions. Imagine going to a restaurant where you plan on celebrating an important personal milestone with several family members and friends. As you walk across the room to your designated dinner table your feet begin to adhere to the floor and you notice random food chunks stuck around the edges of the furniture. Hmmm…not exactly the signs you want to see before you sit down. At this point most of us would be worried about the cleanliness of the rest of the restaurant and the potential for food poisoning.

Indoor Air Quality & Health

Indoor air quality is a concern for everyone. Poor indoor air quality can lead to illness, cause lack of productivity, exposes occupants to more allergens & pollutants, and more. Regular cleaning reduces these potential problems and improves the health of those in the building. Improve your cleaning best practices to include the use of CRI Seal of Approval vacuums, as well as ultra-low VOC and third-party certified cleaning chemicals when you are able to.

READ MORE:
Ask Sadie: First Impressions & Standards of Cleanliness
Ask Sadie: The Benefits of Matting Programs
Cleaning Frequencies: Who Cleans This and How Often?
The Difficulty of Keeping Restrooms Clean
Would You Pay $1 to Use a Clean Public Restroom