A reader writes: “You stress the need to wash mop head and rags way too much for me. What suggestions do you have for a small company that cannot afford to be laundering mops all the time?”

If you cannot afford to launder mop heads and cloths on a regular basis then you probably bid the contract too low and are now suffering from the consequences of low-balling the price. A proposal is based on many aspects including labor/benefits, equipment, supplies, overhead and profit. When you low ball a contract you may win the bid but what good is it if you cannot provide acceptable service as agreed upon in the specifications? Remember the reality that cleaning with dirty mops, dirty solution and dirty cloths will always result in dirty outcomes. This process will eventually result in your either having to spend extra effort (labor and supplies) to restore the contract or run the risk of losing it to someone who actually came in high enough to cover their costs.

Your options are to find faster ways of cleaning thereby reducing your labor so that you have better margins with enough built in to launder your mop heads and cloths or consider purchasing disposable cloths and mop heads. Disposable cloths will usually be the paper wipes that are used one and thrown away. Disposable mops are usually the string type that can be used, rinsed, used, and rinsed until they are tossed. They cannot be laundered unless they have stitched bottoms. Following these suggestions will result in some savings in labor that was dedicated to laundering the higher priced items we described. You will need to conduct an ROI (return on investment) analysis to determine the true return and which way to proceed.

Just remember that cheapest is not always the least expensive.

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 12/6/2016