You trust your janitorial company to clean your office—but do you know the contents of your janitorial closet?
Janitorial companies are wonderful assets to the health and cleanliness of your business. Customers and employees alike are all happier, healthier, and more productive in a sanitary environment. While the hiring of a janitorial company takes most of the stress of keeping a clean building off of staff, It’s vital that you routinely check the productivity and habits of your janitorial company.
One of the best ways to do this is to know the contents of your janitorial closet.
Clean and Organized Janitorial Closet
If you are paying a company to clean your building, shouldn’t the area where they keep their supplies be clean as well? Clearly labeled equipment, cleaning agents, and posted schedules should be present. Shelving should be well-organized, safe chemical storage should be recognized, and all available equipment should be in good working order.
A company that is hired to keep your building clean and well organized should keep the area with the equipment and supplies clean and well-organized as well. If it is not, it is a red flag—their level of commitment to keeping your building clean might not be as high as you’d like. If you see that your janitorial closet is clean and well-organized, you’ll know that they’re ready to tackle their job with the right tools for the job.
Towels and Cleaning Cloths
When you clean your home, you would never use the same towel or rag that cleans the toilet to clean the counters of your kitchen. The same level of care should be taken by your janitorial service in your building.
A good janitorial company will have a color-coded system that is clearly posted stating what color towels and cleaning cloths should be used on different surfaces. For instance, you don’t want to clean your countertops with the same cloth you’re using to clean the toilet! Here’s a breakdown:
- Red cloths— toilets and urinals
- Blue cloths— mirrors and bright work
- Yellow cloths— countertops
- Green cloths— dusting
The cleaning cloths in your janitorial closet should be organized by color and neatly stacked on the shelves. The brute and/or caddy should have clean cloths neatly folded and ready for the next day’s use.
Up-To-Date and Maintained Equipment
Your janitorial company’s consideration in what type of cleaning equipment they use should be of interest to you. It’s vital that your janitorial company uses equipment that’s well-maintained and up-to-date. This will ensure that the jobs are done properly and efficiently. For example, you should see if your janitorial closet contains:
- Vacuums with properly wrapped and maintained cords that are free of cuts, which can be a safety hazard
- Clean and dry mop buckets, free of standing water
- Auto-scrubbers that are completely clean and ready for use
Check to see if all of these use the least amount of power, are in optimal working order, and are stored correctly within the closet to avoid rusting, molding, or germ cross-contamination between areas being cleaned.
Cleaning Products
Along with having efficient cleaning equipment, the cleaning products you find in your janitorial closet are also important. Bottles must be properly labeled following OSHA labeling standards. If you find spray bottles with no labels or the name of the product simply written in black marker, alert your cleaning company that this must be remedied immediately. Each cleaning product also requires an SDS sheet. Your janitorial company should have a binder with SDS sheets neatly organized for every product used in your building.
In addition, heavy items like 5 gallon buckets of cleaning chemicals should be stored on lower shelves and hazardous chemicals must be stored away from other chemicals and properly labeled.
American Maintenance and Supply is proud to serve Northern New Jersey and surrounding areas with upstanding janitorial practices. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help keep your building and the people in it clean and healthy.