Periodically I like to get back to the basics of cleaning since we all can benefit from reminders along the way for the steps necessary to clean a facility effectively and safely.

A couple of readers have commented that if they performed every function every visit to an office or restroom that the accumulated hours would cause them to go over budget and thereby lose money. I totally agree with that sentiment but when training anyone I highly recommend you show Custodial Best Practices that covers every detail so that the trainee has a full grasp of what they are supposed to do to fulfill the expectations of the customer. Although I do not want to sound jaded, most workers will start cutting corners as soon as they get a feel for the area.

The role of supervision is key in that each worker is different. Some will cut corners and some will tend to over clean day after day. I know of one young man who takes over 30 minutes to polish a conference room table (approximately 8 feet by 3.5 feet) every day with an oil based polish. Unfortunately, the tabletop is made of Formica (plastic) so the oil polish just sits on the surface waiting to be smeared by hands touching it during the day. While working with the supervisor we were able to get the well meaning custodian to convert to an all purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth. Once we removed the oil build up and wiped the table with a clean cloth, the time required went from 30 minutes to less than three with better results.

Where can you fine tune your cleaning and actually achieve better outcomes?

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.


posted on 3/2/2015