The COVID pandemic has heightened attention towards facility cleanliness in virtually every business environment. This is an opportunity for facility managers to enhance cleaning procedures and develop a permanent culture of cleanliness to protect employees as well as customers from outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Five Ways to Promote Consistent Cleanliness

To create a lasting culture of cleanliness and hygiene, consider the following tips:

  1. Prioritize building occupant health.To instill a workplace culture of cleanliness, begin with frontline cleaning professionals. Focus must be placed on training and providing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) that will enable employees to successfully perform cleaning tasks in order to provide a cleaner workplace environment. Additionally, promote hand hygiene with an adequate supply of hand sanitizer or soap and clear signage reminding occupants to wash their hands. Widespread handwashing can help prevent the spread of pathogens such as Influenza or common cold viruses.

  2. Invest in training. Training all employees allows organizations to reinforce core values, set cleaning program expectations and help staff become experts on best practices. Seek guidance to develop custodial training programs from reputable organizations and associations that explain the “why” behind basic hygiene and disinfection practices.

  3. Use high-quality tools. Invest in high quality leaning tools that will maintain consistent cleaning tasks as well as achieve goals related to hygiene, sustainability and safety. For example, use a dual-cavity mop bucket that separates clean and dirty water to avoid cross-contamination while cleaning floors. Look for equipment that meets third-party standards for sustainability and safety with certifications from Green Seal® and the National Floor Safety Institute.

  4. Maintain cleaning frequencies.Facility managers should plan to dedicate considerable time, budget and energy into best cleaning practices moving forward. Determine the right frequency based on facility size and layout, foot traffic and other key factors such as weather conditions. Once facilities have an established cleaning schedule and protocols, it further engrains a culture of cleanliness throughout the organization.

  5. Focus on restroom cleanliness. Managers know that restroom cleanliness is a priority. When establishing a cleaning and disinfecting schedule, make sure to include frequent cleaning and disinfecting of restroom floors and high-touch surfaces such as faucets and hand dryers. Follow best practices for cleaning and disinfecting, including applying any products according to their label instructions to ensure effectiveness.

A Continuing Commitment to Hygiene

By implementing frequent cleaning with high-quality tools, facilities can maintain indoor air quality and disinfect surfaces to slow the spread of viruses and bacteria. Train employees to apply cleaning and disinfecting best practices throughout the facility to help maintain building occupant health.

Investing in high-quality cleaning tools is a key step in creating a long-lasting culture of cleanliness. Learn more at www.abcoproducts.com or contact us at (888) 694-2226.