By Jim Flieler
As cleaning facilities across North America prepare for school to start back up again, facility managers everywhere will be looking for ways to get a fresh start. One of the most important places to refresh your cleaning program is inside your custodial closet. How many different types of cleaning chemicals and solutions do you have gathering dust on your shelves? How many of these are missing labels, are expired or perhaps are leaking creating regulatory compliance issues and infractions., The simple truth is that you really only need two products to perform more than 95% of the cleaning and disinfecting required of your department. Remember, a cleaning program does not need to be complicated to be effective. Here are some tips to get your program ready for a simplified school year.
Clean Out the Closet
Start by purging the closet. Check those expiration dates and say goodbye to anything that’s beyond its prime. So many custodial closets in schools are jam-packed with aging cleaning chemicals that nobody knows are there. Perhaps you had some free samples, or tried a product that didn’t work, it’s ok to say goodbye to products you don’t use rather than hanging on to them. Perhaps members of your team want to take non-expired but unused cleaning solutions home, rather than wasting them. Once you’ve gotten rid of all of the products you don’t use, that are too old, or that are repetitive in your custodial closet, it is time to consider new options for the future. We recommend asking permission before taking home.
Switch to a Wall-Mounted Dispenser
I always recommend a wall-mounted dispenser system to keep your shelf space in the closet tidy and to eliminate user error when mixing chemicals, like the one we use with our ES72/64/364 program. Dispensers eliminate chemical contact, and ensure more accurate dilution as compared with free pouring. Remember, a cleaning program does not need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, simplified cleaning programs are often more efficient, effective and healthier. However, it is very important to ensure that you have the proper products and follow the proper processes. Finding simplified options that provide colour-coded systems to help reinforce proper procedures will ensure that a more simplified product selection is used to its maximum potential. Colour-coding is essential. For example, we intentionally colour-code our program to work in conjunction with your existing microfiber cleaning system. Microfiber enhances the performance of this program by adding additional mechanical action on top of our great chemistry.
Choose Only Two Products
A two-product system is all you need to get your fresh start. When it comes to the products you put into your dispenser, the simpler the ingredients the better. You’ll want a general purpose cleaner and a disinfectant. Our ES72/64/364 program includes a hydrogen peroxide multi-surface cleaner and the option for one of two different types of disinfectants. The disinfectant should only be used in high-touch surfaces or areas that have been or stand the risk of becoming contaminated, but that multi-surface cleaner is a workhorse that can be used on multiple surfaces, including light-duty glass and surfaces, medium-duty soils, and even stains and spot treatments. It can be used in your auto-scrubbers and for carpet extraction, too.
With this simple two-product solution your school will be off to a fresh start this school year, and your custodial closet will be ship shape, too.
Learn more about our ES72/64/364 program.