Commercial Cleaning Efficiency Guide - How to achieve more at your business
In short, efficiency is all about achieving more and wasting less. It’s about finding ways to accelerate your results without losing labour, money or time in the process. It’s what every business aims for, but easily falls short of due to other variables.
We have compiled below some great ideas that have proven to work over the years to help commercial cleaners get their efficiency goals back on track.
1. Create (and use!) SOPs in your company
Using these notes will save on labour time as staff will be able to complete the tasks faster without trying to determine the solution first. They simply need to access the notes from a digital folder to keep things organised! Some example SOPs could be:
Bathroom cleaning
Window cleaning
Kitchen cleaning
Desk cleaning
Floor Cleaning:
Tiles
Floor boards
Marble
- Vinyl
Just remember, these notes are made to be used! Do not forget about them and leave them in a folder to ‘collect dust’, keep them accessible and update them over time.
2. Organise Your Cleaning Supplies and Equipment into ‘Kits’
The commercial cleaning industry is plagued with so many different cleaning products, supplies and tools that organising your team and their resources is a job within itself. Group relevant products into ‘kits’ to help cleaners access the right tools at the right time.
Aside from the obvious time-saving benefits, grouping cleaning supplies into relevant kits also has a safety benefit. NSW already has a colour-coding system to prevent cross-contamination across different areas (see figure below), so why not group your products based on the application? Purchasing colour coded supplies and products is also highly recommended.
3. Invest in Automation for Long-Term Efficiency
A lot of contract cleaners stick to manual methods of cleaning in the name of saving cash, but do not realise the long-term advantages of automated cleaning equipment. Efficiency is all about using your resources to the maximum potential. Your labour time is more valuable by increasing cleaning productivity per square metre with a floor cleaning machine that can cover more in less time.
Diesel powered, gas powered or battery powered floor scrubbing or sweeping machines are some of the best equipment available to reduce labour time when cleaning floors. Although there is an initial cost, the labour costs saved overtime will outweigh the initial investment. And if your jobs are getting completed faster, you have more time to fill in your extra time with extra clients! This is providing that of course you look after the machine and use it properly for the application at hand.
If investing such a significant sum is genuinely not feasible to your commercial cleaning practices, then cleaning equipment rental is another popular solution for businesses. Make use of better equipment for the job without the lump cost.
4. Make better use of your consumable resources
Avoid overdosing on cleaning chemicals. Read the recommended dosage and stick to it.
Optimise ‘Eco Mode’ on your automated floor cleaning machine to better use your water and cleaning chemicals, the machine will do it for you!
Use the right brush or pad for the floor type you are cleaning. This will prevent them from wearing out too quickly.
Rinse your squeegee regularly to remove blockages and prevent streaks.
Buy quality consumable items. The better the quality, the longer the wear life.
Always buy spares! There is nothing worse than running out of a supply when you need it the most. Try to buy spare quantities of products you use often to prevent shortages. Abiding by a ‘minimum quantity’ rule in your workplace will help commit to this.
If you are a cleaning service provider and want to know more about how to increase efficiency in your business operations, get in touch with us to see if we have a solution that will suit your needs. We can be reached via email, phone, the website or our social media channels.
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