Let your building sparkle and shine as bright as the sun by sprucing up the areas that were ignored during the dreary winter months or are neglected by daily cleaning routines. Ryan Stark, general manager of Commercial Janitorial, and Pat McClure, president of HLH Systems, discuss spring cleaning in your facility.
BUILDINGS: What areas are most often in need of spring cleaning?
Stark: A properly maintained building should never need a spring cleaning. If you look at typical buildings, the building owners or cleaning companies will let the building get really dirty and then do a super-clean to get it back into shape. This type of cleaning is expensive, hard on the building’s infrastructure, and not really good for the occupants. In a building that is properly maintained, the ebbs and flows of cleanliness should be minor because you’re always working to maintain a clean building. This will keep the building so much cleaner, be less expensive on the building owner, and prolong the life of the building.
BUILDINGS: How does spring cleaning in these areas differ from day-to-day cleaning?
Stark: We can look at day-to-day cleaning as vacuuming, dusting, mopping, restrooms, etc. There are tasks that you need to do less frequently, because they take more time and don’t need to be done as often, like window washing, strip and wax, burnishing, scrubbing, sealing, extremely high dusting, air duct cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc. It is just not cost-effective to have the equipment on site to do these types of things every day.
McClure: These are not areas cleaned day-to-day. Instead, they are scheduled once or twice a year on average as projects.
BUILDINGS: What are the benefits of spring cleaning?
McClure: Spring starts longer days with more sunlight and cleaning windows will provide more natural daylight into the building. You can eliminate dust residue from heating systems and the snow, salt, and other debris that are tracked into buildings during the winter months.
Spring starts longer days with more sunlight and cleaning windows will provide more natural daylight into the building. You can eliminate dust residue from heating systems and the snow, salt, and other debris that are tracked into buildings during the winter months.
BUILDINGS: What are the benefits of using a consultant service?
Stark: A true commercial janitorial company will know how to build a facility maintenance program to keep your building clean. Plus, they can do this type of work on economies of scale, saving you a tremendous amount of money.
Stark: A true commercial janitorial company will know how to build a facility maintenance program to keep your building clean. Plus, they can do this type of work on economies of scale, saving you a tremendous amount of money.
McClure: Consultants offer solutions by looking at the big picture of cleaning. We use custodial management software to sort through facility details and customer requirements, allowing them to use a systematic approach to developing strategies that improve productivity and overall cost structure.
BUILDINGS: What are the top ways to refresh your facility without spending a lot?
Stark: Set a budget. Consult with a commercial janitorial company to put a plan together to maintain your facility on a consistent basis within that budget. Execute the plan and ask your commercial janitorial provider to document and provide a schedule of when they are doing everything, from the daily tasks all the way to the infrequent detail tasks.
Stark: Set a budget. Consult with a commercial janitorial company to put a plan together to maintain your facility on a consistent basis within that budget. Execute the plan and ask your commercial janitorial provider to document and provide a schedule of when they are doing everything, from the daily tasks all the way to the infrequent detail tasks.
McClure: Wash windows! Longer days and more sunshine will make your interiors sparkle. Toss clutter, like old newspapers and magazines, from common area surfaces like side tables. Give hard floors and entry mats a good scrub to get rid of winter residue like salt and grime.
