8 ways to reduce Office Cleaning costs
Now more than ever, keeping a workplace clean and hygienic is a top priority for Facility Managers. A clean and well-maintained workplace sends a positive message to staff, customers and visitors and it plays an important role in wellbeing at work. Regular benchmarking of cleaning costs is good practice, and a professional contractor will always work with clients to offer best value. Here are eight ways to reduce office cleaning costs.
Review the cleaning specification
If the cleaning specification has not recently been reviewed, then this would be a good place to start. The scope of work may highlight some time savings if its possible to modify or remove tasks. Additionally, identifying high priority areas which must be cleaned daily will focus the cleaning resource as required and highlight other areas where frequencies could be reduced.
How many hours per week?
As we highlighted in a previous blog, using productivity to calculate cleaning hours required – rather than a visual inspection only – will ensure that the right number of hours are allocated to a project. Many clients will prefer to have a daily presence. For smaller offices with less than 10 staff, it may be beneficial to consider having cleaners only for 3 or 4 days a week. Please bear in mind that it is difficult to recruit cleaning staff for less than 1 hour shift as transport costs will make it uneconomic to work for such a short period of time.
Review consumables
Cost in use is a key factor when reviewing office consumables such as washroom paper and soap products. Your cleaning provider may be able to reduce consumption by suggesting smarter dispensing options, and work with you to reduce waste and usage. It’s a fact that higher quality paper hand towels for example absorb more moisture quickly, reducing usage and wastage.
Central bins
Individual waste bins are inefficient as cleaners spend a lot of time emptying each one and replacing the bin liner. Removing them from under every desk and replacing with communal recycling bins will save time and money on the contract. Furthermore, it can have a beneficial effect on recycling rates as it forces staff to rethink how they use and dispose of their rubbish.
Technology
In certain locations and office layouts robotic vacuums can be the ideal, innovative way to reduce time spent vacuuming floors. Time savings mean more focus for higher priority tasks such as sanitising or desk cleaning.
New generation chemicals and surface protectors with increased efficacy offer another solution too. These kill bacteria and viruses and provide a longer-term solution.
Promote a culture of cleaning up
Whose responsibility is it to return used cups and plates from staff desks to the kitchen? One way to reduce the cleaning hours required is to ask staff to take their own cups, crockery and cutlery back to the kitchen. This also applies to meeting room etiquette and clearing away items after use.
Review PPM frequency
Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) is scheduled maintenance outside of the standard cleaning, for example windows cleans and carpet deep cleans. Preparation of schedules use a pre-agreed frequency of work, for example quarterly window cleaning.
However, this may not always be the most cost-effective approach, for example north facing windows may require less cleaning than south facing ones, or carpet cleans required only during the winter months. Reviewing the schedules may result in frequency reduction.
Use a professional contract cleaning contractor
As businesses increase their focus on cleanliness and hygiene, it has never been more important to work with a professional cleaning company. A cleaning contractor will work with clients to create a unique cleaning solution that mirrors the unique requirements of the work environment.
TemcoUK works with clients to deliver cleaning excellence
Commercial office contract cleaning is our business, and we have been in business for over 20 years. We are passionate about providing an excellent service to clients. Hundreds of clients trust us to deliver compliant, consistent and reliable cleaning leaving them to focus on their business goals.
Office cleanliness not only affects hygiene standards, but also overall employee wellbeing, productivity and morale. If you would like to discuss your cleaning project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01895 520370 or email hello@temco-services.co.uk
New Year Resolutions for Office Cleaning
Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022. As we welcome in the new year, now is an ideal time to review the office cleaning and set new years resolutions which will keep the workplace clean and hygienic all year round. Here are some ideas for consideration for new year resolutions for office cleaning.
New Year Resolutions for Office Cleaning
Here we have shown just 6 examples to start the process, but these vary by office type and unique requirements.
Ensure workplace remains Covid-safe
Continuing to maintain Covid-secure workplaces remains a top priority, and Facility Managers must continue to manage the risks for staff accessing the office.
Even with the vaccination and booster programmes it is still possible to catch and spread Covid-19. With the new Omicron variant it’s clear that we will be living with Covid for the foreseeable future. It’s good practice to review all site protocols, check social distancing rules are clear and consider the following:-
- Cleaning regimes in place and followed including sanitisation of frequently touched surfaces and touchpoints
- Sufficient stocks of consumables such as sanitiser, anti-bacterial surface wipes and face masks
- Improving ventilation and air flow
- Stocks of lateral flow tests, if requesting staff to test on arrival to the office
Keep up to date with innovations. For example chemicals with residual efficacy are now available and there are a range of antibacterial and antimicrobial products which protect surfaces for longer, minimising the need for constant sanitisation.
Go green, make the office more eco-friendly
Becoming more environmentally friendly in the office is not as hard as it may seem. Making some small changes can have a big impact on the office footprint.
Sustainable cleaning materials
Many professional office cleaning providers already use as standard environmentally friendly cleaning solutions and will be able to provide information and advice on this. For Facility Managers looking for more sustainable solutions this is a quick win. Innovative solutions such as SoluPak’s water soluble sachets offer a sustainable and effective solution.
Switch to reusables
Encouraging staff to switch to reusables at work is a simple way to reduce plastic pollution. A good starting point is a reusable plastic bottles (rather than single use ones), and encouraging reusable coffee cups will help to reduce the staggering 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups that are used in the UK every year. Furthermore, removing disposable plastic cutlery and plates to sustainable alternatives is another way to encourage a change in employee habits.
Start or review the office recycling scheme
Introducing a recycling scheme into the office environment is a great first step to reducing waste, carbon emissions and costs. For existing schemes, its always good to review as waste contractors are making it as easy as possible to increase rates and bins should reflect specific requirements. Latest developments mean that it is possible to collect waste in one mixed recycling service for paper, card, plastic and cans.
Plan periodic Carpet cleaning
Don’t forget the carpets when reviewing office hygiene. There are many benefits to professionally carpet cleaning on a regular basis, including:-
- Prolonging the life of an office carpet
- Improving the office appearance by eliminating stains, spills and marks
- Removing bacteria, viruses and allergens
- Freshening the office and removes nasty odours
- Creating a good impression for staff and visitors
Book window and solar panel cleaning
Planned window cleaning schedules will ensure that windows and facades are always well presented. Window cleaning frequency will depend on a number of factors. These include location, traffic, seasonality and proximity to green space (and the amount of birds).
Introduce office confidential shredding bins
Cloud storage and the digital age has reduced the need for paper but the truly ‘paperless office’ still seems some way off. Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can be achieved by providing a secure consoles to dispose of confidential waste such as paper documents or electronic or electrical materials such as hard drives and discs. An on-site or off-site shredding service can be quickly implemented, and Certifications of Destruction issued once items are destroyed.
TemcoUK Facility Services – expert cleaning all year round
TemcoUK is a professional contract cleaning provider based in Uxbridge and serving London and the home counties. As businesses are adapting to the post-Covid environment, it has never been more important to work with a specialist cleaning company. We have the expertise and experience on all aspects of office cleaning and associated services – from cleaning, janitorial supplies, window and carpet cleaning and waste management – helping you to improve and maintain a clean and hygienic office environment all year round.
If you have made some New Year Resolutions for office cleaning and would like to find out more about our service, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01895 520370, email hello@temco-services.co.uk or visit our website www.temco-services.co.uk