Investing in a commercial cleaner is a great move for any business. Not only will your office look and feel more tidy and efficient, but it will also be cleaner and sanitised. This is important not only for the wellbeing of your employees but also sets a good impression for any visitors to your company premises.
If you are to get the best results from a commercial cleaner some level of preparation will be needed. Here are some of our tips and recommendations on preparing for a commercial cleaner, and some simple steps you might like to take.
Instructions
What do you expect from your commercial cleaner? What spaces are a priority for you and need more attention? Are there areas that get dirtier quicker, due to a higher footfall, for example? All of these are questions to consider when briefing your cleaning company.
One of the most effective and efficient ways to work with your commercial cleaner is to agree on a set of instructions and/or create a checklist that includes what you want to be cleaned and when. This could be seasonal, monthly, weekly or even daily, depending on your business needs. In doing so you’ll avoid unnecessary misunderstandings if you are proactive in communicating what your expectations are.
It might be that you assign someone to take on the role of liaising with the cleaning company and ask the same of the company you use, if it is not their standard practice.
Declutter
Piles of paper on a desk and boxes stacked up in a dusty corner. Clutter around the office can hinder a thorough cleaning. If you want your cleaner’s time to be as efficient and effective as possible, it makes sense to have a bit of a blitz of your office space in plenty of time for their arrival.
It’s easy for things to accumulate in your workplace and often no one knows what’s even in those boxes lurking in the corner. Also, it may not have escaped your attention that not everyone in your office is organised or tidy, some workspaces might be neat and easy to clean, others not so. You’ll know who the likely candidates are. Why not gather everyone together and have a good old sort out? Then put a regular date in the diary for the office to have a declutter, make it fun, and order pizza! It will not only make the office look smarter but will make it so much easier for your cleaner to have a proper clean.
Delicate or fragile items
As your cleaner will be using commercial equipment to clean your office, which is often larger than the domestic equivalent, it would be wise to ensure that any delicate or fragile items are put away and safely stored.
Although they will be as careful as possible when navigating the office, it can still be easy to knock different items off of desks, particularly those that are prone to falling over and especially when using a vacuum cleaner or floor mop.
Put away money and valuables
All professional cleaning companies like Cleanology will ensure their staff go through thorough vetting checks before working for their business. It’s good practice to ensure that any valuables and cash that are on your premises are put away before your office is cleaned.
This will avoid any confusion if something gets misplaced by accident. This can sometimes happen when someone has simply forgotten where they’ve put something and then believes it to be taken or lost. It makes good sense then, to check that anything valuable is accounted for and someone in the office knows where it is kept. This will avoid any uncomfortable situations arising as a result of people wrongly accused of taking something.
Clean dirty cups and dishes
We all clean up after ourselves in our own homes, so it shouldn’t be any different in the office. Not only are dirty cups on desks or piled in the kitchen sink unpleasant, but they make much more work for your cleaner and delay them from completing all of the necessary cleaning work they are meant to be doing.
It would be straightforward to show every team member how to use the dishwasher and make it clear that everyone is expected to load and unload it themselves. This will leave the cleaner with more time to clean other spaces in the office that need their attention.
Security alarm
Being called out after work because your security alarm has gone off is not fun for anyone. You’ve just started your supper and your mobile starts ringing and you realise you’re on the call list for the office alarm. It’s a good idea then to brief your cleaning company in advance, on the instructions for disarming the security alarm. So when their cleaner arrives at your property to start cleaning they don’t accidentally set it off. Make sure the cleaner is given this information and understands it, especially on their first visit. They will also need to know how to reset the alarm when they finish to ensure your building is protected.
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Please do get in touch if you are looking for a commercial cleaning company, we’d love to visit your offices to see how we can help you and to let you know what our services would cost.
