Spring is here! Welcome longer and sunnier days, warm weather, and an optimistic fresh feeling in the air.
With winter in the rear view mirror, now is a great time to deep clean your facility to get rid of winter soils and freshen up surfaces and equipment for a new season. Spring is an ideal time to do a deep clean and thorough scrub-down of your facility.
When you spring clean be sure to pay attention to the following 5 things, and of course add in anything relevant for your particular business or facility.
1. REMOVE GERMS FROM SURFACES
Years past the COVID pandemic there are still many annual cases of COVID-19. Add to this thousands of incidences of Influenza, along with RSV and other seasonal viruses, and the importance of disinfecting should be apparent.
When you spring clean you’ll want to remove any lingering microorganisms with an EPA registered disinfectant that is effective against the specific germs you are concerned about. FORCE2® Disinfecting Wipes from 2XL, for example, kill 99.9% SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) in 1 minute on hard non-porous surfaces. To kill this particular virus simply wipe and leave the surface wet for at least one minute.
Disinfecting high-touch (often touched) items like light switches and door handles should be part of your regular cleaning routine. For spring cleaning, include less frequently touched surfaces such as windows and even floors.
2. MAINTAIN YOUR FACILITY’S APPEARANCE
It’s no secret that presentation is everything, especially in business. Visitors and guests are not shy about their high standards for cleanliness in businesses and facilities. When surveyed about the importance of cleanliness to them, 84% of travelers said that it ranks as one of the most important factors. Case in point: if your business looks as though it lacks upkeep such as having visible dust and dirt, you may lose their business.
Ultimately, soil and grime directly impact your reputation, your revenue, and your success. It’s important to have a system to keep everything looking shiny and looking new — like a cleaning plan. When you take care of your facility, it shows. Windows are spotless, surfaces and equipment look safe, well maintained, and inviting, and floors are clean.
Customers and guests will notice this and appreciate it. They will be more likely to generate repeat business and even referrals. To make spring cleaning easier, consider downloading our room-by-room spring cleaning checklist. Remember, a clean facility means happier customers.
3. KEEP EQUIPMENT AND DEVICES WORKING PROPERLY
When dirt, soil, and dust build up on machines, devices, and equipment, they can create malfunctions. Signs of this can include overheating, slowed or delayed performance, and electric systems that may short circuit. In addition to this, touchpads and touchscreens can become cloudy and stop working or cause latency.
Keyboard buttons are also known to get stuck and treadmill belts become noisy. Routine cleaning and maintenance is important to keep all equipment functioning properly and to avoid costly repairs, breakdowns, or having to replace the equipment altogether.
Be careful of the cleaners you use. Some chemicals cause deterioration such as cracking, corrosion, discoloration, and other forms of damage. Avoid using abrasive cleaning tools such as brushes or scouring pads on equipment because they may scratch surfaces.
4. REMOVE VISIBLE DUST, DIRT, AND STAINS
It’s natural for the objects, surfaces, windows, carpets and other items in your facility to get dirty over time. Items that are touched or experience more direct contact than others tend to accumulate more dirt, fingerprints, germs, and even stains, whereas items or areas that aren’t used as often tend to collect dust.
Examples of high-touch surfaces include check-in or registration desks, elevator buttons, doorknobs and handles, touchscreens and phones. Low-touch surfaces can include windows and lighting fixtures. Even if you are making sure to wipe (and disinfect) high-touch surfaces daily, don’t forget crevices, nooks, and crannies that are known to collect gunk over time. This can include the corners of windows, baseboards, behind computer monitors, and other places.
While you’re spring cleaning, make sure everything gets a fresh polishing up, including the items that don’t often get much love.
5. ELIMINATE ODORS
Similar to dust and gunk, odors can build up, too. What can cause a foul stench in your facility? Dirty carpet, sweaty gym equipment, bodily fluids, garbage, clogged or dirty drains, and food. The scents in your facility plays an important part in the perception of it. Eliminate odors that can wrinkle your customers’ noses.
Eliminate odors during spring cleaning by using lightly scented cleaning, sanitizing and disinfectant products. Make sure the scent of the cleaning product doesn’t trigger allergies or isn’t too overwhelming. To remove odors from carpeting, curtains, and fabric, use a chemical cleaner with an extraction machine.
SPRING CLEANING IS NECESSARY FOR FACILITY MAINTENANCE
As a business owner or facility manager, you should already be making cleanliness a priority by cleaning weekly and following a comprehensive cleaning schedule. But if you’re not, spring is the perfect time to get started!
To make the results of your spring cleaning last longer, continue to deep clean at least once a quarter. This would be a more intense cleaning than what your daily and weekly cleaning lists would cover. Doing this allows you to focus on surfaces that are easily overlooked and not cared for regularly.
Simplify your spring deep cleaning by investing in all-in-one products that will complete multiple tasks. For example, an EPA-registered disinfectant that removes grime, neutralizes odors, and kills germs will save you time and money as you polish up surfaces and equipment.
Spring brings light and warmth back to the world. Align your cleaning plan to reflect some of that spring energy into your facility and be prepared to feel even more proud and excited about your wonderful business. Happy Spring Cleaning!