10 Tips for Making 2020 Cleaner & Healthier

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to look at your cleaning schedule and techniques to reevaluate your practices. If you want a cleaner, and consequentially healthier, 2020 then check out these 10 commercial cleaning tips and facts to help you reach your cleaning goals for the New Year.

1. Organize Your Storage Space
It all starts where your cleaning supplies are stored. A disorganized and dirty janitorial closet is the wrong way to start your New Year's Resolution. You'll want to properly throw out what you no longer need, make sure every cleaning chemical is labeled appropriately (it's required!), and organize your items by frequency of use. Supplies you use the most should be within hands reach.

Safety Data Sheets should all be in one place and your cleaning crew should know where that place is in case of an emergency. For more tips on organizing your janitorial closet, click here.

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2. All-Purpose Cleaners Don't Do It All
The term "all-purpose" or "multi-purpose" can be misleading. Sure it can be used on just about any surface, but that doesn't mean it will do the job well. For instance if you're using an all-purpose cleaner to try and battle tough kitchen grease, you're going have a bad time simply because it will take you a lot longer.

All-purpose cleaners are great for general cleaning but we manufacturers put ingredients in kitchen degreasers that are made to tackle kitchen grease. It's crazy, we know! The same goes for window cleaners, bathroom cleaners, disinfectant cleaners... you get the idea. 

3. Follow Dilution Instructions
Under-diluting a product (too much chemical to water) is just as bad as over-diluting it (too much water to chemical). It's great for your cleaning supplier though!!! But seriously... if you have sticky surfaces even after they've been clean, odds are the product used on them was not diluted enough. Sitting down to sticky table or shoes sticking to floors and making squeaky noises does not give off a clean vibe. Over-diluting will reduce the chemicals effectiveness for the job at hand.
For accurate dilution ratios every time, you may want to consider a non-spill metered dispensing system like the Closed Loop System. It limits chemical handling making it safer for your employees and gives you consistent results every time.

4. Mixing Chemicals is Not Efficient
Mixing chemicals is never recommended. Firstly unless you're a chemist looking at each ingredient, you have no idea how chemicals are going to react to each other which could lead to dangerous results. Secondly each product is made with the end result in mind. You might think you're saving time, but you're also diminishing the effectiveness of each product.

5. Clean Top to Bottom & Left to Right
You don't clean a room by vacuuming first then wiping off tables and end by cleaning windows. That just doesn't make sense! You want to start at the top of a room. For instance, dust the ceiling fan first because anything falling from it won't matter because the surfaces below have not been cleaned yet. Likewise, cleaning left to right ensures that you cover the entire room instead of darting from place to place helping dirt and germs travel between surfaces.

6. Don't Forget the Small Stuff that are Touched Frequently
Doorknobs, light switches, phones, mouses & keyboards, elevator buttons, drinking fountains, watercooler spigots, refrigerator door handles, coffee machines, microwave buttons, cash registers - all objects that are touched very frequently. Some of them can end up with more germs than a toilet seat because they are forgotten in the cleaning & disinfecting routine. To keep your staff and visitors healthy, make a list of your high touch areas that need cleaned every day.

7. Do Not Wad Your Microfiber/Cleaning Cloth
Using the whole microfiber cloth all at once or wadding it together is an inefficient way to clean and spreads germs. Fold the microfiber in half twice so that it is a square. Clean using one square section at a time and when one becomes soiled, change to the next section. Keep repeating until you have used all 8 sides or switch jobs. This method extends useful cleaning time of microfiber cloths with better results and reduces cross contamination.

LAUNDERING TIP: You shouldn't use fabric softener when laundering your microfiber cleaning cloths. It seals in whatever is on your cloth and therefore prevents it from being properly cleaned.

8. Use a Two Bucket System
Using two buckets keeps your cleaning solution... clean! In one bucket you mix your chemical to the proper dilution ratio and in the second bucket you put clean water. Dip your mop or cleaning cloth into the chemical solution, clean, and rinse your dirtied mop or cleaning cloth in the bucket that contains only water. This keeps your cleaning solution bucket cleaner longer meaning you won't have to switch it out as often, which saves money!

9. Focus on Your Floors
We'll let you in on a dirty secret - floors are one of the "germiest" things in a commercial building. So above all else, health reasons are a great reason to properly clean your hard floors. Additionally, your customers look at them more than you realize! High traffic areas should be cleaned daily. Start with vacuuming or dust mopping to pick up debris that could scratch your floors and afterwards mop with a neutral cleaner or neutral disinfectant. Don't skimp on the corners and edges that are easily forgotten but quickly buildup gross-looking dirt and grime.
In winter time, choose a cleaner like Freedom that neutralizes ice melt residue in one use.

When burnishing, add a floor rejuvenator such as Beyond to condition your floor to a high shine. ​

10. Invest in Matting
70%-80% of dust, grime and dirt that enter your building is tracked in by people's shoes, damaging your floor and your facility's appearance. One square yard of carpet can accumulate a pound of dirt a week and twice that much in inclement weather. Mats can be your building's first defense against dirt and moisture. In addition to protecting your floor from damage and wear, mats also filter contaminants from entering your facility which could potentially save you thousands of dollars a year in cleaning costs! Click here to learn more.

Here's to a Clean & Healthy 2020!
Contact Us or leave a comment with your cleaning questions. We're happy to help!