Ask Sadie: First Impressions and Standards of Cleanliness

Q: Sadie- Why should I care about people’s first impressions of my building? I have a daily cleaning schedule? So what if the trash cans are a little full, I’m trying to keep costs down so I’m trying to get my trash liners to stretch a little further. -Jacob

A: As the main header in Windsor’s Cleaning Tip of the Month March 2013 eNewsletter so aptly says, “The First Impression is What Counts.” This is so true. How many snap decisions do you make when you walk into a store to go shopping? Are clothes all disorganized on the rack? Is there trash littered on the floor near the entrance of the grocery store? Are you at the movie theater and the soap dispensers are all out of soap? Makes you think twice about frequenting that establishment or just flat out causes you to immediately turn around and walk right back out.

But how can you make the best first impression? By having Standards of Cleanliness; it’s sort of like a cleaning bill of rights in which you have committed to yourself, your employees and your customers that you value and uphold a certain level of sanitary cleanliness in your facility. If you keep your Standards of Cleanliness high, your first impressions will turn into lasting impressions that will keep your customers coming back again and again. So spend time coming up with a list of your Standards of Cleanliness and share them with your employees. Not only will your entire team know what your expectations are, but your customers will definitely take notice as they walk in.

So what should be on your Standards of Cleanliness? Well...what are your expectations of clean?

• Do you think that it’s okay to clean common areas daily or do high-traffic areas need to be spot cleaned twice a day? 
• Do you have matting to prevent dirt and debris from being tracked into your building? 
• If you walked into a room, is there anything you hope someone cleaned before you touch or use it? 
• Are there certain things that you have a reasonable expectation of being clean? What are the expectations of your clientele? 
• Is there anything you especially appreciate when you notice that it’s clean, like a countertop full of coffee supplies? I bet a sticky & cluttered coffee area makes you cringe, whereas you feel quite happy when you stroll up to a neat, clean and organized coffee area.

Let questions like that be your guide. And get feedback from employees! They may think of something that you missed.

And let’s not forget how important finishing touches can be to those first impressions. It’s those little finishing touches that you really notice that can make a big difference. In a restroom I notice if there are any excess wadded up paper towels on the counter because the trash can is overflowing. Or if there is no toilet paper left in the stall, or in any of the other stalls for that matter. To me this shows that someone does not really care about restroom cleanliness/hand hygiene and makes me nervous about even washing my hands! But of course, usually in this scenario there is no soap left in the dispenser either and the paper towel dispensers are broken. On the flip side, I really do take notice if a restroom is clean and well stocked, and I take note of things like soap that is a little more luxurious and has a pleasant refreshing fragrance, especially if I’m at a restaurant.

And sometimes finishing touches are not necessarily something your customers see. As WORKSHOPbrand mentioned on our Facebook page, “Flowers are nice, but around here the finishing touch is to clean your tools before putting them away.” It’s part of a job well done that you and your employees can be proud of and that’s something your customers will pick up on.

So make sure that you take the time to come up with or review what your Standards of Cleanliness are and share them; you’ll see what a positive lasting impression your efforts will be to your customers.