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3 WAYS TO TELL IF YOUR CLEANERS ARE TAKING SHORT CUTS

Thursday, May 23, 2019   Care, Commercial, Hospitality

How do you know if you get what you pay for with your current outsourced cleaning contractor? Here are 3 signs your cleaners might be taking short cuts.

Check the corners

Look up high, and in window sills for cobwebs, and where the floor meets the skirting boards for dirt or discolouration. Cobwebbing and high dusting are two of the first tasks that will be neglected if your cleaners are trying to rush the job. While these tasks don’t need to be done daily, they do need to be done! Check the floors in corners and near the skirtings. Are these areas darker and dirtier? It’s likely that the cleaners aren’t changing the water in their mop buckets often enough. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to change the water frequently, but it certainly takes more effort than *not* changing it! A better option is microfibre mopping. Dirt build up also happens when cleaners spot-mop, and never properly scrub the floor. It can also happen when the floors are due for a re-seal. Your cleaning company should be recommending these periodicals to keep your floor in tip top shape.

Check the frames

Run your finger (or a clean rag!) along the tops of the door frames, picture frames, window frames & ledges. Your cleaning programme should be designed in such a way that every surface is regularly wiped, dusted or disinfected as required. A cleaner who’s rushing through will often only take care of the ‘obvious’ tasks – emptying bins, spot vacuuming floors or carpets, and a quick wipe of toilet bowls or kitchen benches. Dust build up is a sign that the cleaners are compromising. The ‘boiling frog’ analogy applies here – you may get used to the build up and not remember the original standard you required your cleaners to maintain!

Check the specs.

Your cleaning company should provide you with detailed specifications which outline each area to be cleaned, the tasks to be completed and method employed, and the frequency for each task. (In hygiene-critical environments such as Care and Food Prep, steps for each task should be detailed as well as the specific chemicals to be used.) Familiarise yourself with the specs and hold your cleaning contractor to account. Many cleaning companies will ‘skip’ daily and weekly tasks, or delay monthly and quarterly tasks, and hope that you won’t notice. A member of the contractor’s senior management team should be conducting a walk through with you regularly, specs in hand, to ensure nothing’s being missed. Your contractor should also complete a periodic review of the specifications to ensure they still cover the areas you need cleaned, and to see if there are additional services you may require (or services you no longer need). If it’s not in the specs, it won’t get done. And if it’s in the specs, it should get done.

Every member of the ACW Sales Team and Operations Team is trained to conduct cleaning and maintenance audits. We can help you identify areas your current cleaning provider may be missing, where your specifications are too vague or are incomplete, or where there’s a mismatch between the standard you require and the frequency or scope of tasks. We’re keen to support you in providing a tidy and hygienic environment for anyone who works in or visits your premises. A 15-minute cleaning audit could be the key to getting a better result, and we’re happy to stop by for a no-obligation chat.