When trying to run a successful business, everything is evaluated by how it impacts the bottom line. Cutting costs and increasing efficiency are at the forefront of your mind. So, when it comes to commercial cleaning, what is the best route to take?
There are many benefits of using green cleaning in your facility. Not only is it better for the health and safety of your employees, but it’s also good for business.
So, while green cleaning may seem like the obvious better choice for your building, people are often deterred by the misconception that green-cleaning is more expensive than standard, non-green cleaning. But, you can’t always rely on what you’ve heard over the years. Green cleaning is becoming more and more popular, for good reason, and it’s because of this that it’s become an affordable choice for businesses
To showcase this, let’s look at five hidden costs of non-green cleaning.
Product Cost Comparison
People are becoming increasingly aware about cleaning, hygiene and what products they’re putting in their bodies and using in the places they live and work. This means more and more people are looking for innovative, eco-friendly and chemical-free cleaners. In fact, over the past several years, there’s been a huge increase in demand for green cleaning products.
As the industry grows, the number and variety of green cleaning products on the market increases every year. Between increased competition among manufactures, chemical advances, and the desire to rid harsh chemicals from the industry, green cleaning manufacturers have made their prices much more comparable to the standard cleaning product prices.
Don’t be fooled into believing that the harsh chemicals are always going to be the cheaper option. This may have been the case years ago when green cleaning was just taking off. But, times have changed and green cleaning is a much more common and affordable practice than it used to be.
Wasteful Use of Products
A big focus in green cleaning is eliminating waste. A huge hidden cost of traditional non-green cleaning is the amount of product waste that occurs when cleaning a facility.
Green cleaning procedures are designed to be safe, effective and to reduce the waste of cleaning materials where appropriate. Cleaning products, equipment supplies and materials are purchased, used and disposed of with the intent to reduce waste, increase efficiencies, and minimize the impact of waste to the environment.
Non-green cleaning tends to involve a high use of products like paper towels, mopheads and sponges. These products may be cheap individually, but certainly add up over time.
Alternatively, green cleaning has an emphasis on appropriate reuse of products. For example, using reusable cleaning cloths that can be washed, sanitized and then reused again. By eliminating waste, not only are you benefitting the environment, but you’re saving money at the same time.
Maintenance of Cleaning Equipment
Green cleaning is not simply about the physical safety of the products and techniques used. Green cleaning is also about the mindset of saving, reusing, and maintaining the condition of your facility. A hidden cost of non-green cleaning is potential equipment that is not properly used or taken care of.
At the Wilburn Company, we have in place a structured plan for the use and maintenance of powered equipment. We have a focus on maintaining cleaning equipment, like powered floor maintenance equipment, vacuums, burnishers, polishers, and power washers, to be taken care of properly and used properly so they clean effectively and won’t break and have to be replaced.
One way we’re able to ensure equipment is maintained well and lasts is because our employees are well-trained and up-to-date on the latest cleaning procedures. At the Wilburn Company, all of our cleaning staff are trained using GS-42 standards and encouraged to use environmentally conscious policies.
We’ve developed an employee training program that all of our staff regularly participate in, which includes safety regulations and requirements, green cleaning methodology, healthy cleaning, product and equipment use, and understanding procedures specific to each facility.
When employees are not trained on how to properly use or take care of their equipment, it can end up costing you greatly to replace it year after year.
Inadequate Cleaning Procedures Lead to Higher Employee Sickness
If your facilities are not being cleaned effectively or safely, this can lead to more employees becoming ill and missing out on work.
Hotspots are the areas in your buildings that receive a lot of human contact through the course of the day. Areas like doorknobs, switches, computer mice, and sink handles tend to collect and transmit disease causing germs to spread between employees and visitors.
When commercial cleaning staff aren’t properly trained on effective cleaning techniques or are using harsh chemicals that are not safe for employees, there are often germs left behind that employees can catch.
When these germs spread among employees, it can cause illness and absenteeism at work, impacting your overall business and productivity. How well your building is being cleaned is not a small matter. The safety and cleanliness of your building plays into the bigger picture of how your company operates.
Emergencies
Another hidden cost of using a commercial cleaning company may be that they do not offer emergency cleaning services. Without a trusted, established relationship with a green cleaning company, your company may spend thousands of dollars finding the right vendor or contractor in the case of a building emergency. Delayed time responding to an emergency situation usually means the damage will grow worse of time, meaning more money out of your pocket.
At the Wilburn Company, we go above and beyond to include emergency cleaning needs. Unfortunately, urgent situations occasionally arise that need to be dealt with immediately. It’s vital that an emergency is dealt with immediately so it won’t cause unrepairable damage resulting in financial loss.
Whether it’s water mitigation, weather-related damage, occupant accidents, or vandalism, the Wilburn Company provides emergency response cleaning services so our buildings will be cared for even in the midst of unforeseen situations.
Still on the fence about the costs of green cleaning? Contact us today about how we can help you with your questions.
Tags: green cleaning