If you run an office, you know how busy it can get in peak seasons that your CLAYGO policy might not be enough to keep your office organized, neat, and clean. Even if your employees are always out doing field work your office will inevitably get messy and need cleaning. So whether you decide to improve your CLAYGO policy, assign simple cleaning tasks to your employees, or hire a professional cleaner to get the job done, it all comes down to how well you created or the cleaners you hired an office cleaning checklist that focuses on areas that need cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.
Leaving the making of your cleaning checklist to the professional cleaners is not a bad thing to do. They would allocate hours or a day to ask you about your office and inspect your office to discover what needs to be done. If you think it’s better to make your own cleaning checklist, do so since you know how traffic works in your office and know what areas are always crowded or messy. Making your own checklist is an arduous task, especially if you do not know where to start. In this article, we would try to make this task a little less difficult for you.
If you are new to all these office cleaning checklists, these traffic light stages will help you take the first step and guide you until you reach the last step. Since it is named traffic light stages, there are three stages in total namely the colors seen in a traffic light, red, orange, and green.
The first ‘red’ light stage is stopping to ensure that everything is set up correctly even before you begin. Inspection and analysis are going to be done at this stage. These include all of the necessary compliance checks, especially in a business office context.
The second ‘orange’ light stage involves getting the practical things in order. When we say practical things these include the proper cleaning chemical that works best on the type of material you have from what type of floor, carpet, or counters you have. It also includes the proper cleaning equipment and PPE such as aprons, masks, and gloves.
The final ‘green’ light stage is when you are ready to start, and it includes a final cleaning schedule that lists all the individual cleaning tasks you need to complete and when. You can then log progress and issues as you go through the cleaning process, taking into account the earlier red and orange stages.
To properly jump-start your office cleaning checklist and schedule we have listed the main compliance pointers you have to remember.
Before hiring a professional cleaner, it is best to know what their insurance covers to avoid any trouble in the future. The central aspect you should look for is public liability. If you are looking for more insurance coverage then try looking for ones that cover employers, contents, and even buildings and vehicles in case of accidents occurring while they are cleaning your office.
Keeping your office clean does not mean you can put your employees’ lives at risk with the cleaning chemicals being used. Most cleaning chemicals are hazardous to human health especially if inhaled and in a closed space. Furthermore, with cleaning equipment inside your office accidents are hard to avoid if everything is laying around the floor. That’s why risk assessment is encouraged before anything else. Ensure that your cleaning provider strictly follows the COSHH Health and Safety Policy.
This might not be the first time you are getting your office professionally cleaned. If your previous cleaning provider has informed you of what cleaning substances work best for your office then try to keep those in a record so you do not have to do everything all over again. You might also want to safely store away any excess cleaning chemicals they or you have used.
Whether you are planning to build your own in-house cleaning team or hire a professional cleaner, knowing they have been professionally trained to do these tasks is quite reassuring.
Investing in signs and notices does not require a huge sum of money yet saves you a ton of trouble ranging from slips caused by newly mopped floors to trips caused by various wires laying on the floor. It also comes in handy when you need some cleaning or repair done. All you have to do is put up a notice or sign that says it needs some cleaning or repair.
Knowing when to clean is as important as what to clean. This allows you to minimize any disturbance the cleaning can cause to your employees’ productivity. Also, it keeps things organized, neat, and clean on a regular basis.
Every building has different guides and policies such as fire evacuation policies, and access and security arrangements. All of which needs to be known before any cleaning can start. The same goes for employees. They must also have policies regarding cleaning such as the CLAYGO Policy or a policy that prohibits them from entering an area that is currently being cleaned.
In addition to data protection for individual cleaners, the policy for the office business must be understood, such as what information can be viewed, discarded, or shredded by the cleaner.
As much as the digital age is blossoming, keeping actual files in designated folders must still be practiced. You never know when your systems would be down and you would need to take out an important document. Having them on actual paper would make things easily accessible for you.
After all the preparation you have done, then it’s time to start gathering all the necessary cleaning chemicals, equipment, and PPE needed to get the job done. We have listed some of the most needed and most common things you might need during your cleaning process.
After everything’s been checked and prepared, the ‘getting things done’ comes next. Take a look at your office cleaning schedule, you will see tasks that should be done daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. These not only serve as a guide and reminder of what to cover and when, but also serve as a record of what was actually completed, with the cleaner signing and noting what was completed, as well as any issues or comments noted.
So, whatever stage you’re at with cleaning your office areas, whether it’s by yourself or others pitching in, or you’re an office manager organizing through workers and an outsourced cleaning company, these three traffic-light stages will help you get to the bottom of what’s required.
If you think you still need some consultation done by professional cleaners, don’t hesitate to connect with us. Burgos Cleaning is a team of cleaning service professionals that ensure all important parts of your office are in top condition and create a comfortable working environment. We offer our services in Fairfield, Hartford, and Litchfield County, Connecticut, and provide numerous office cleaning services on the commercial level from small businesses to big buildings and complexes. Contact us now to avail the best commercial cleaning services in town!