Outsourced janitorial services will help your business achieve maximum potential and efficiency by assessing specific aspects of your operations, including the dreaded cleaning closet.
Janitorial Services and Cleaning Closet Assessments
As current events unfold, increased pressure will be placed on schools and private businesses to decrease their waste, carbon footprint, and resource use while improving learning and working conditions for building occupants.
More and more, organizations are learning occupants and customers are shocked to discover they have lagged behind the adoption of sustainable business, and green cleaning practices.
Many business owners, as well as district and office managers, would likely be surprised to discover that their facility cleaning closets are filled with hazardous toxins that are inappropriately applied throughout occupied spaces, contributing to the loss of untold millions of dollars per year in illness, workers comp claims, absenteeism/presenteeism, and lost or reduced productivity.
An experienced janitorial services provider can assist you with assessing your organization's current cleaning practices, tools, chemicals, training, and operations to eliminate production and profit waste.
Cleaning Closet Assessments
When evaluating the contents of your organization's cleaning closet(s), there are several things you will want to identify:
- Product Purchasing, Certification, and Labeling.
- Equipment Evaluation, and;
- Waste & Resource Assessment.
Product Purchasing, Certifications, and Labeling
Pull out every cleaning product your organization uses for any purpose.
Review the labels and MSDS to ascertain chemical makeup, then document the use and potential hazards to identify and justify healthier green certified alternatives.
To increase efficiency and reduce cost, focus purchasing guidelines on bulk, concentrated products with simplified dilution requirements.
Switching to concentrated institutional cleaning products is clearly a simple cost-saving measure that can also bring major environmental benefits.
While concentrates pose higher worker health hazards due to their higher acute toxicity, this risk can be mitigated by requiring the use of automatic dilution systems.
Equipment Evaluation
Evaluate the status of all equipment, including upkeep requirements and maintenance scheduling, especially for electronic devices that are likely covered under OSHA regulations.
Determine the serviceable lifespan of disposable equipment--mops, brooms, towels, and rags--and compare the total cost of ownership, alongside water and energy consumption, to microfiber alternatives.
Finally, evaluate and document the entire lifecycle of current equipment, if possible, and the proposed lifecycle of new equipment purchases to ensure sustainable business practices are adhered to.
The initial cost of microfiber products may be higher than what many departments are prepared to pay, but manufacturers guarantee significant savings over time.
Before implementing a program, it is important for departments to consider life-cycle savings, reduction in chemical purchases, water bills, laundry services and reduced labor costs.
Comparing current expenses to costs associated with microfiber will give departments a good idea of long-term savings.
It is also important to consider the fact that housekeeping departments are constantly being asked to do more with less.
Products such as microfiber will help staff productivity and efficiency – saving time and money in the long run.
Waste & Resource Assessment
Given the present state of climate change, forward thinking industries have implemented several plans to address the realities of future business paradigms, today.
As the efficiency and storage capacity of renewable energy sources increases to a practical level, it is pertinent for facilities and property managers to assess the viability of pursuing net-zero energy initiatives for their financial benefit and future.
Additionally, waste management and recycling programs must be implemented to reduce the volume of, especially organic waste, that is directed to landfills, and ensure that it is diverted towards more a more responsible purpose.
The assessment of this process will undoubtedly involve a good deal of 'dumpster diving,' which can be dangerous, and should only be performed by experienced personnel.
Recycling is big business in California.
It is a mainstream industry of statewide importance accounting for approximately 85,000 jobs and producing $10 billion in products and services per year.
It is equivalent in size to the motion picture industry in California.
Green Cleaning Tips
A cursory self-assessment of your school or businesses cleaning closet can provide substantial financial and health benefits.
- Ensure that the way chemicals, tools, containers, paper, and any other products are stored following OSHA standards, and do not represent a fire hazard.
- Examine your cleaning chemicals, find out what they are being used for, then go to GreenSeal.org to assess the availability and practicality of switching to a certified green product.
- Examine your brooms, mops, buckets, towels, and cleaning rags, then ask yourself, do those look sanitary? Probably not. Microfiber has been proven, in repeated studies, to outperform and outlast comparable cotton and cloth alternative solutions.
- Make the ultimate goal of your assessment process identifying areas of waste that can be cost-effectively addressed by focusing on reducing the consumption and use of toxic chemicals and non-sustainable products.
Takeaway
One of the most challenging aspects of positive change is knowing where to begin.
For schools and businesses that wish to cost-effectively pursue a plan to adopt green and sustainable business practices, assessing their central cleaning closets are the perfect place to start, and we can help.
If you would like to learn more about the advantages of outsourced janitorial services to improve the operational efficiency of your cleaning program, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
