Equipment For Maintaining Schools

Considering a cleaning contract that means maintaining a school system with 20 elementary, junior high and high schools should be done with caution. This is a rather complicated contract that requires you to work outside your basic service experience.

Equipment and supplies are usually about 4 to 8 percent of the total contract but are very important for productivity. Be sure to verify who provides both since some customers will insist on providing them so they can control this cost. If you are responsible then look at your current operations and try to keep using the same product and chemical lines you already have in place. This not only makes training easier but also allows your equipment maintenance staff to have some control over parts, replacement items, etc.

It is very important that you identify the right equipment for maintaining schools which can have different configurations as well as surfaces. Measure the width and length of the hallways to determine the best size auto-scrub units for the job with as few passes as possible while still performing the task correctly. If you select a unit that is too narrow, it will require more passes and if you select one too wide (unlikely) you could be overlapping too much. The same can be said for dust mops, brooms, etc. Select the best size dust mop for the hallway and the best size for a classroom. Although the hallway size dust mop may work for the gym/auditorium/cafeteria (yes they are often combined these days), you should speak with your distributor about their recommendations as to the best fit.

We will continue these thoughts in a future article.

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