The Importance of a Routine Cleaning Inspection

Whether someone is meeting you for the first time or stepping into your facility for the first time, you only have seven seconds to make a good impression on them.If your school or place of business is dirty, it's going to make a bad impression and you could find yourself losing potential students and clients. That's why it's essential to make sure your business is as clean as possible.For many business owners, that means having a janitorial service come in and do the cleaning. Keep reading to learn more about why it's important to keep a regular cleaning inspection schedule and what to check.

Why Have Regular Inspections

Let's look at some of the reasons you should be regularly inspecting your facility.

Set Expectations

The first thing you do by doing regular cleaning inspections is set up expectations for your cleaning crew. This is particularly true if you've never done an inspection before.When you create a cleaning inspection checklist to follow, share this with the cleaning staff. This will allow them to understand exactly what it is you expect them to clean on a daily or as-needed basis.

Maintain Communication

Whether it's your own employees doing the cleaning or an outside crew, it's important to keep your channels of communication open. This will allow you to easily reach out to them when standards are not being met.The other thing maintaining communication does is it allows the cleaning crew to feel more comfortable contacting you when needed.They may have found damage that needs to be brought to your attention or want to ask about making changes in cleaning supplies or schedules. Whatever their need, speaking with them more often will help them be happier.This also makes them feel cared for and as though they're an important part of your company. When employees or outside companies feel valued, they're more likely to work harder for you which helps your business grow.

Create Accountability

Some people are naturally lazy and only want to do the bare minimum of what's required of them so they can get their paycheck and go home.If that's true of anyone on your cleaning crew, you need to take this extra step of regular inspections to make sure they're staying motivated to meet your cleaning standards.Remember that most employees aren't thinking about the success of your business or how their job plays a role in that. Ultimately, as a business owner or manager, it's your responsibility to make sure the business grows.In some cases, a janitor may simply feel unimportant to the company as a whole, so when you use your valuable time to check their work, it sends a message to them that what they do is noticed and does matter.Therefore, this can be another way to motivate employees in a positive way which will keep them working hard and take pride in their work.

Improve Building Cleanliness

Possibly the best reason to regularly inspect your facility for cleanliness is that you'll improve the way things are cleaned. This is because expectations are known, and cleaning crews are being held accountable.Depending on how clean things were prior to starting to have regular inspections, you may notice an immediate difference in how people respond to your building.

Cleaning Inspection Checklist

Here are some things you should check, depending on which of these you have:

• Carpets have been vacuumed and are free of stains
• Hard floors have been swept and mopped
• Garbages are empty and have clean liners
• Desks, file cabinets, tables, and other hard surfaces are free of dust
• Ceilings are free of cobwebs
• Walls are free of dirt and scuff marks
• Bathrooms are clean and stocked
• Mirrors, windows, and other glass surfaces are free of smudge marks
• Kitchen or eating areas are free of food crumbs and spills
• Facility smells clean or otherwise pleasant

Be sure to go through the checklist after the cleaning crew has finished for the day and before others have entered your facility.

How Often to Have Cleaning Inspections

Next, let's briefly discuss how often you should schedule your cleaning inspections. After all, your time is valuable so you don't want to spend too much of it making sure the toilets have been cleaned.For new cleaning crews and employees, we recommend having set inspections at least once per week to make sure they're keeping up with your standards. If they are, you should be able to drop it down to once a month.It's also important to avoid telling the cleaning staff when you'll be doing your inspections. This will prevent them from cleaning well only on the days they know their work is being checked.

What to Do if Your Facility Fails an Inspection

You and everyone who enters the building deserve a clean facility. If you completed an inspection and things are not up to your standards, there are a couple of things you can do.

Talk to Your Current Solution

Whether your current solution for cleaning around your facility is employed directly by you or hired through a cleaning company, the first step you can take is to discuss the issues with them.Unfortunately, if you start to see the same problems crop up again and again, you may need to consider making a change.

Hire a Cleaning Company

The other option you have is to hire a cleaning company that has high standards and a long history of happy customers.Although we still recommend doing cleaning inspections just to be safe, with the right company you'll see your business passing every one of them so you know you're getting a great service.

Ready to Ensure Cleanliness in Your Workplace?

Now you know the importance of performing regular cleaning inspections throughout your facility. As you can see, prioritizing cleanliness can help you grow your business by keeping clients and customers happy.If you're ready to ensure every inspection is a passing one, contact us today. We maintain high standards for all of our cleaning staff so you don't have to worry about how well your building is being cleaned.