Your high-traffic facility frequently hosts events like corporate meetings and training sessions. Unfortunately, your cleaning crew is ultimately left with post-event cleanup that takes extra time and puts a burden on resources. Well, your organization can master post-event cleanup by employing a few basic techniques.
Post-event cleanup is all in a day’s work at All Pro Cleaning Systems. We use a clearly defined playbook of sorts rather than approaching cleaning as a one-off scramble. Our playbook is rooted in pre-planning, zoned tasking, and mechanized cleaning where applicable.
1. Plan Before the Event Happens
By definition, an event represents something out of the ordinary. Your company might be hosting a Boston-wide symposium for your entire industry. You are bringing in professionals from across the city and state to learn about the latest technological improvements or industry advancements.
You are already planning for the event, so why not plan post-event cleanup as well? Build a written event-cleaning plan that includes:
- Each room and its layout
- Room occupancy and total event attendance
- Restroom locations and expected use
- Estimated cleaning times for each space
- Food and beverage locations throughout the facility
By mapping out the facility and coming up with a plan, your cleaning crew can pre-position things like carts, liners, and spot cleaning supplies so that they are easily accessible the moment they are needed. What about after the event?
Assign roles in advance. Figure out who will be responsible for trash and recycling, restroom cleaning, floor care, and so forth. Also lay out the steps each team will take to clean its assigned areas. By planning in advanced, you eliminate the guesswork.
2. Assign Tasks by Zone
A great way to eliminate task duplication and confusion is to divide up the entire space into zones. Then assign tasks accordingly. You might have the following zones:
- Front-of-house
- Back-of-house
- Break rooms
- Corridors and restrooms
Assigning tasks by zone eliminates an inefficient scenario in which cleaning crew members are constantly crossing paths and getting in each other’s way. Zoned tasking also facilitates following the top-down workflow commercial cleaning services are known for.
Prioritize Trash and Restroom Cleaning
As a side note, removing trash and cleaning the restrooms should be a priority. They are the most important tasks for one simple reason: doing so makes the space instantly usable for general purposes while your cleaning crews are taking care of everything else.
3. Mechanize Cleaning When Possible
One of the goals of post-event cleaning is to get the job done as quickly as possible so that your organization can return to its normal routine. A good way to speed things along is to mechanize whenever possible. For example, backpack vacuums and walk-behind scrubbers are perfectly suited to floor care in large conference rooms and lobbies. You get more consistent results as well.
Also be sure to standardize both your chemicals and your tools. Use microfiber cloths and mops for surface cleaning. Use a neutral cleaner on hard floors and a spot cleaner for carpets and upholstery. Be sure to disinfect all high-touch surfaces for maximum health and safety.
4. Inspect and Document
After all the trash has been cleared and every surface cleaned, there is one more step for management: inspection. It is important to do a final walk through using a checklist. It is also important to document what the inspection reveals. Inspection and documentation pave the way for improvements.
It is possible to master post-event cleanup. But if you would rather not deal with any of it, contact All Pro Cleaning Systems. We clean all sorts of spaces throughout the Boston area.