MANAGING THE CHALLENGES OF WAREHOUSE CLEANING
Any business that utilizes a warehouse or distribution center to store goods or equipment will require regular warehouse cleaning. Whether you decide to manage the cleaning in-house or hire a professional warehouse cleaning service is entirely up to you. When making this decision it is important to understand how to approach the task at hand and the costs associated with each option.
MAKE A PLAN
Warehouses present unique cleaning challenges and going in without a plan is just not an option. Proper warehouse cleaning requires a well-thought-out plan to ensure a thorough and complete cleaning. This is particularly true for large warehouses that may require special equipment and several hours of cleaning.
To construct your plan you will need to develop efficient cleaning processes and take into consideration the prep work required for each step. You will need to accurately estimate the time required to complete each step and the total time required to finish the job.
It is also important to consider what cleaning chemicals, equipment, and supplies you will need. For instance, if you have a large warehouse with high ceilings and massive floor space, you will require lifts and floor cleaning machines to manage the cleaning task.
MAKE THE TIME
Obviously, you can not efficiently clean an entire warehouse during business hours. Not only will this result in inefficient cleaning, it will also interfere with regular business operations.
Ideally, warehouse cleaning should be done after regular business hours or on weekends. This means if you choose to perform the cleaning in-house, you will need to schedule extra staff to get the cleaning done.
If you have done your due diligence in step one and made a good plan, you should have a fair idea of the amount of time and manpower required to complete the warehouse cleaning.
Speaking of step one; do not forget the time required to make a proper plan.
SCHEDULE REGULAR CLEANINGS
It is important to understand that warehouse cleaning is not a one-and-done deal. As a rule of thumb, warehouse cleaning should be done at least once a month to ensure your warehouse stays clean. If your warehouse receives a lot of foot traffic, utilizes heavy equipment, or creates a lot of dust, you will likely require more frequent cleaning.
Bear in mind, that regular cleaning can reduce the amount of time required to get the job done and each scheduled cleaning may address different tasks. For instance, you may not need to dust high shelves every month but should do so every other month. Likewise, your warehouse floors may not need polishing every time you clean but you will want to have them polished on a regular basis.
ADOPT A DAILY CLEANING CHECKLIST
Whether you do your warehouse cleaning in-house or hire professionals, adopting a daily cleaning checklist will make your monthly cleanings easier and more efficient. The daily dumping of trash bins, sweeping of floors, and removal of packaging materials will help keep your warehouse organized and free of clutter.
Some companies adopt a clean-as-you-go policy that helps ensure daily and monthly cleaning tasks are not overly burdensome. If dock workers are required to break down boxes after every shipment, it requires less time and effort at the end of the day.
FACILITATE CLEANING WITH PROPER MAINTENANCE
In order to manage your warehouse cleaning in-house it is imperative that you always have the requisite cleaning supplies on hand, that your trash dumpsters and recycle bins are emptied regularly, and that cleaning equipment if properly maintained.
This helps facilitate in-house cleaning by removing potential obstacles for your staff. Don’t give dock workers an excuse to let boxes pile up by neglecting to empty the recycle bin.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
As you can see, there is a lot to consider when it comes to warehouse cleaning. Many businesses consider professional warehouse cleaning services to reduce costs and save time.
A professional warehouse cleaning provider will already have efficient processes and protocols. They will already have the proper equipment and supplies. And they are specifically trained to thoroughly clean your warehouse.
In addition, most qualified warehouse cleaning companies understand OSHA requirements and will customize a cleaning plan to meet your facility’s unique cleaning requirements.
