How often does your commercial cleaning provider come to your office? Buildings are cleaned at different intervals, but no matter how often your provider comes, there will likely be times when your team of environmental hygienists isn’t in the building. During these time periods, you may need to perform small office cleaning tasks, such as dealing with spills, replacing the kitchen sponge, and other small chores.
Many people don’t realize that when they’re trying to clean, they’re just making it worse. Here are five cleaning mistakes to avoid when your environmental hygienist isn’t there to help.
Cleaning Stains Without Stain Remover
It happens to the best of us. A water bottle leaks, a cup of black tea is knocked over, or the top to the salad dressing bottle comes off. Spills are an accepted part of life. But too often stains are made worse when someone tries to clean without using a stain remover.
Surprisingly, stain removal is scientific. Depending on the materials spilled, the cleanup process changes. You can’t clean up dirt the same way you’d clean up oil or butter. If you do, you’ll end up grinding dirt further into a carpet or scratching a hardwood floor. The best way to clean up stains in the absence of commercial janitorial solutions is to avoid the temptation to scrub. Instead, blot gently and use a high-quality stain removing solution.
When using any type of stain remover test it on a scrap piece of the same material or in a hidden corner before using a large amount of it. The last thing you want to do is create a large bleach spot on top of the stain you were attempting to remove. Testing out a stain remover is always a good idea before using.
Failing to Clean the Cleaning Supplies
When you’re using commercial janitorial solutions, you know that the cleaning equipment is sanitary. Disposable mop heads are thrown out after each use and reusable materials are washed. However, when your commercial cleaning provider isn’t in, you may find yourself using a sponge to wash your lunch dishes, a rag to clean up a spill, or a broom to sweep the area around your desk.
Before you use office cleaning supplies, ask yourself: when was the last time this was replaced or sanitized?
Too often people underestimate just how many germs collect on cleaning supplies. Because these supplies are used to clean, there’s an automatic assumption that they are clean. But just the opposite is true. In fact, one study found 362 different species of bacteria with a density of 45 billion per square centimeter all on your average sponge.
Do you know when your office sponge was last replaced?
Now when you’re wiping the water off the kitchen counter or, worse yet, cleaning your lunch dishes, you’re actually spreading bacteria from the sponge and onto more surfaces. There’s some debate about how to sanitize the kitchen sponge to avoid replacing it too often.
Forgetting Entryway Rugs
Rainy days already feel like a good day to stay home. If you forget to put rugs in all entryways, you’ll be faced with a muddy wet office when you come in as well. While you don’t always need an entryway rug, it’s a good tool to cut down on dust, dirt, and water that could be tracked into your office on muddy or wet shoes.
Dirty floors aren’t just unseemly, they’re also damaging to your building. If there are a few days in between professional cleanings, the buildup of dust and dirt can scratch hardwood floors and become entrapped in carpets. If the layer is too severe and has been walked on for too long, some scratches won’t be solved by commercial janitorial solutions.
Entryway rugs can also prevent workplace accidents. Let’s go back to our rainy day. A client comes into your office. Her shoes are slick with water from the sidewalk. The lack of grip combined with your wet marble floor creates a bad fall hazard. If she does fall, your company is at fault. At the end of the day, using entryway rugs is much easier than handling a lawsuit or replacing a floor.
Not Replacing Trash Can Bags
Have you ever walked into a room and discovered a bad smell with seemingly no source? It can be very frustrating when you attempt to get rid of the smell but can’t figure out where it’s coming from. Too often people turn to sprays like Febreze or other air fresheners, but these only combine with the smell, usually making it worse.
If you have to take out the trash in between the deep cleans provided by commercial janitorial solutions, make sure you replace the bag. Too often bad smells are caused by a dirty trash can with an inside that’s layered with grime and mold from kitchen leftovers. Using strong trash bags and replacing them regularly can keep your office smelling fresh.
Misusing Cleaning Products
Despite the fact that they’re found in every household, cleaning products can be dangerous. Common chemicals inside them include ammonia and bleach. If mixed, these can actually cause someone to pass out. Make sure you read all labels before applying any cleaning product. Or ditch the harsh chemicals altogether and use green cleaning products instead.
If you find yourself making some or all of the mistakes listed in this article, it might be time to boost the number of times your building receives commercial janitorial solutions. At the Wilburn Company, we create custom cleaning packages tailored to your company’s needs. Whether you want green cleaning, union cleaning, vacuuming, or floor polishing, we’re here to serve you.
Contact us today to find out how we can create a cleaning package just for you.