Why hiring an industrial cleaning service may help protect your investment.
Ask many owners and managers in industry where much of the investment goes and in all probability the answer will revolve mainly around end product; so in some instances the development of new products may be the focus, or improving the production process or perhaps streamlining the logistics involved in getting the product to the customer but ultimately the bottom line for most industries is meeting the demand of customers whilst maximising profit.
Ask those same owners and managers what percentage of their budget is set aside for industrial cleaning and the chances are very few will know and if they can reply the answer may well be “very little” or at least “as little as possible”.
Cleaning of any workspace is often seen as an unpleasant inconvenience, a simple but unwanted by-product of whatever the core trade activities may be, with some operators not taking any notice of such detail until it starts to get out of hand and have a negative effect on business. There are even some employers would rather rely on their workforce to double up as in-house cleaners rather than employ professionals to do the job, however this is often entirely impractical and can be a recipe for disaster as industrial cleaning is a complex and specialised field in its own right governed by a raft of legislature including the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Quite apart from anything else however, having a clean and healthy factory or industrial premises is often a huge contributor to the success of the company as it creates a good first impression for customers and business partners as well as making for a much more pleasant and effective environment in which to work.
Here are a few areas where industrial cleaning services can make a huge difference to any business.
Window cleaning
Windows are an integral part of a building but don’t always get considered in a way that correlates with more general workspace cleaning. If anything, however, the windows of a building should be regarded as being equally fundamental to a building’s general cleanliness, they are one of the first things any visitor will see so form an important part of any first impressions.
Hiring a professional cleaning service to maintain windows may seem like an unnecessary investment on the face of it, but scrimping on this aspect could well be a false economy as dirty, cracked or even broken windows suggest neglect or a lack of investment by owners. This will very quickly turn clients away whereas sparkling, clean and aesthetically pleasing windows reflect professionalism and pride and suggest to anyone passing that the company within is equally polished; look at it as a bit of basic subliminal advertising.
Floor cleaning and general dust/grime removal
Another vital, though slightly more obvious area. Any business which has floors strewn with detritus is likely to struggle to attract new customers or retain existing clients and certainly runs the risk of slips, trips and falls amongst its staff and visitors. Given that these types of accidents are amongst the most common industrial accidents, it is easy to see why maintaining clean flooring is vital to any business. Quite apart from anything else dirty or messy floors hamper movement around the work area and so impact on efficiency; if you visit even the busiest of warehouses and factories those working at peak efficiency will generally have surprisingly clean floors.
Flooring takes many forms; carpeting, laminate, wood, linoleum, tile, concrete and often combinations of each, equally there can be specialist coatings applied to these so it is vital that you employ an industrial cleaning service with the expertise to ensure floors are cleaned and maintained correctly to keep them at their best and reduce wear and tear and the associated costs and risks.
Dusting and the removal of general dirt and grime, whilst fundamental to keeping a building looking clean, is often looked upon as an afterthought, a “quick going-over” before an important visit or inspection however is not going to cut it, especially in larger industrial units where there is a huge surface area to be accounted for and kept clean. A properly organised cleaning schedule is key not only to maintaining a clean and sanitised working environment but helps to keep both employees and visitors happy. Dust can also be a major carrier for airborne pollutants and dirt can harbor germs so by keeping the working environment clean you are ensuring the workplace is a more healthy and productive place. By the same token many manufacturing and production processes can be adversely affected or even halted by the build-up of dust and dirt, so keeping on top of this minimise the risk of breakdowns and lost revenue.
Domestic area cleaning
The cleaning of domestic areas within a business can often be a very painful bone of contention. This is again an area often left to staff, either being asked to clean as they go or having to “nominate” someone to take responsibility at some point.
A professional cleaning company is again the way to go. They will clean kitchen areas to the highest standards in a way compliant with food safety regulations, which is unlikely to be the case if you rely on the goodwill of your staff!.
Without proper cleaning of domestic areas within a workplace the results are unthinkable; waste food, packaging and poorly maintained cooking and eating areas are a magnet for bacteria, disease and vermin and increase the risk of accidents multi-fold. The impact on the workforce and any visitors could be catastrophic both for employees and the business as a whole.
Waste Removal/Recycling
Waste removal takes many different forms depending upon the nature of the business. Employing an industrial cleaning company can be hugely advantageous in this regard in that they will have the expertise to identify how wastes need to be treated and disposed of correctly and also be able to give advice on the recycling of materials such as production waste or packaging, this can be particularly important for large scale businesses as waste can build up very quickly. There is a vast amount of H & S legislation relating to the governance of waste disposal and recycling, and for the uninitiated it can become something of a minefield so having a professional team handle this can be vital for almost any business. The HSE can provide further advice and guidelines if required.
On a final note, keep in mind that whilst employing an industrial cleaning company may seem like a costly expense, the costs in terms of potential losses for ignoring this vital aspect are exponentially greater and potentially far more serious for any business, from helping to make that all important first impression to maintaining a happy and healthy workforce and adhering to Health and Safety regulations an industrial cleaning service can provide an invaluable service.
