Here at All Pro Cleaning Systems, our hats are off to facility management companies. Facility management staff work extremely hard to keep properties up to spec. Something as simple as daily cleaning can turn into a monumental task when facilities are packed with people going about their daily routines. Cleaning crews pressed for time may have a very small window for getting their work done.
We work with facility management companies to keep all sorts of spaces clean. From office buildings and private schools to large daycares and medical buildings, we come in and clean even when the job seems impossible. How do we do it?
It is all about staying ahead of things. Here’s how we do it, presented as a selection of cleaning tips for facility management companies:
1. Get Users Involved When Possible
The users of a particular space can be extremely helpful in staying ahead of the dirt and grime. For example, imagine a private school with a few hundred students, several dozen teachers, and support staff. Each person in the building on a daily basis can make a small contribution.
Encourage staff to empty their waste baskets at the end of the day. Encourage them to tidy their desks and put things away so as to avoid clutter. In turn, they can encourage students to practice basic cleanliness. A small thing like picking paper and trash up off the floor helps cleaning crews considerably.
2. Use an Experienced Crew
Next up is using an experienced crew to clean the building. Facility management companies should look for partners with proven experience in the types of space they manage. Going back to the private school, it has some unique cleaning needs you wouldn’t find in a retail setting. So the cleaning crew needs to know their way around the school environment.
3. Always Plan Ahead
Cleaning crews can only be expected to clean what they are told to clean. Therefore, facility management companies shouldn’t take any chances. They should not expect crews to make scheduling decisions on their own. Instead, it is better to create a cleaning plan and schedule.
For deep cleaning that only occurs periodically, it’s best to come up with a plan well in advance. Planning ahead removes the guesswork. It lays out clearly what cleaning crews need to address and when.
4. Keep Crews Well Stocked
A cleaning crew is only effective if it has the equipment and supplies to do the work. This principle is something that facility management companies should already be familiar with. Equipment and supplies are an integral part of facility management, so this should never be a problem for cleaning crews.
Nonetheless, make sure all equipment is in good working order. Routinely check the supply closet to make sure crews have enough cleaning chemicals, microfiber cloths, mop heads, etc.
5. Train Team Members in Efficiency
Finally, it’s a really good idea to train cleaning crew team members in the most efficient ways to clean the space at hand. As every facility manager knows, each space has its own idiosyncrasies. Efficient cleaning works with those idiosyncrasies to get the job done properly and in a timely manner. But team members need to be trained on the spaces they are tasked with cleaning.
Facility management companies face a huge task when it comes to cleaning. The bigger and busier a property is, the more challenges there are for cleaners. But by employing the tips described in this post, managers and their cleaning crews can stay ahead of the game. We do it all the time here at All Pro Cleaning Systems.
