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Cleaning Tips

Info courtesy of www.Enviro-Solution.com.

General Tips

1. Organize Your Work
Have a schedule based on the most productive time to clean any given area. Planning 1 to 2 days or even 1 - 2 hours in advance enables one to increase their productivity and quality of workmanship.

2. Ensure High Profile Areas Are Clean
Visitors and staff will notice these areas first (front doors, offices, washrooms, stairs, etc.). PERCEPTION IS VERY IMPORTANT!

3. Set High Standards and Realistic Goals
Setting high standards and achieving them will give you a lot of satisfaction. Setting realistic goals that lead to these high standards will make your tasks less stressful.

4. Clean Rags & Equipment
Always make sure your rags and equipment are clean for doing tasks in high profile areas. People notice if dirty tools are being used and form a judgment about the cleanliness of your facility.

5. Keep Supplies Close
Store supplies in the closest storage area to the area the work will be done. Eliminates traveling back and forth to get a job done.

6. Carry Notepad & Pen
Record any needed repairs or service that requires outside assistance. Report it as soon as possible. If it is not an urgent task, review your notes at the end of the shift or at a break and notify your supervisor or repair service. Also record any unusual problems or situations. Make sure that each note has the time and date plus an identifying description of the location.

7. Have Glass Cleaner & Rag Ready
Glass cleaner can do a lot of small cleaning tasks until proper maintenance can be done later. As you move through your facility, touching up these small things will keep up that "POSITIVE PERCEPTION" that is our goal.

8. Clean Equipment Regularly
Build 1/2 hour per week into your schedule for equipment maintenance. Clean equipment reflects a "POSITIVE PERCEPTION". Clean the filters on vacuum; clean dry mops; wash down all power equipment and cords; clean out buckets; lightly grease yoke connectors on pad holders.

Common Mistakes

Dust Mopping

  • Swinging the mop, causes dust
  • Tapping or raising the mop, causing dust (Does not include "lopping" the mop at the beginning)
  • Over-treating, making the floor slippery
  • Under-treating, mop too dusty
  • Letting mop get too “loaded!” (vacuum, wash or replace)
  • Bumping furniture or walls
  • Failing to dust mop when required
  • Reaching too far (causes back strain)

Wet Mopping

  • Over-use of detergent (leaving dirt-attracting residue!)
  • Failure to change dirty water (redistributes soil)
  • Marking baseboards not "striping" the baseboard
  • Mop not wrung completely (soil transfer, inefficient)
  • Handle sticking out, hazardous
  • Overuse of water
  • Failing to wash out mop
  • Twisting upper body or reaching too far

Spray Buffing

  • Application on a very dirty floor
  • Not washing out the pad
  • Not cleaning out the sprayer
  • Letting the spray dry
  • Overloaded pad
  • Use as a cure-all
  • Improper pad selection

Stripping

  • Using too concentrated a solution - "burning" the floor
  • Leaving water down too long - loosening, curling tiles
  • Letting the solution dry on the floor (re-depositing)
  • Failure to strip completely
  • Failure to rinse after stripping
  • Failure to clean baseboards

Applying Finish

  • Applying coat too thick (soft, slippery, soils)
  • Putting more than one coat up to the wall
  • Changing finishes without stripping or testing
  • Putting finish over a dirty floor
  • Putting on second coat before first has dried
  • Getting wax on baseboards and furniture
  • Rubbing, causing bubbles
  • Pouring old wax back into a pail or drum (break emulsion, contamination)

Buffing

  • Letting floor machine hit furniture & walls
  • Not dust mopping first - scatters dirt & scratches surface
  • Using wrong pad
  • Fighting the floor machine

Restroom Care

  • Not cleaning under lip of bowl
  • Daily use of acid bowl cleaner
  • Not dusting high up
  • Letting waste receptacle stay dirty
  • Reliance on deodorants
  • Not cleaning "splash" areas around urinals & toilets

Room Care

  • Not dusting under furniture
  • Not dusting over lamps, doors, cabinets
  • Door frame and hinge dusting
  • Not cleaning wastebaskets
  • No attention to handprints
  • Ignoring overhead surfaces