or a successful operation and streamlined efficiency, regularly cleaning the warehouse should be a top priority for businesses in any industry. Studies have shown the clear connection that cleanliness has with overall job satisfaction and productivity.
If you are not keeping your warehouse clean and organized, you are not ensuring employee health and safety. Accidents and illness can lead to missed work days and potentially hazardous consequences, especially in logistics facilities.
Keeping a cleaning routine can optimize the pace and workflow of your employees. It is critical to talk with your staff to set common expectations and solicit feedback to assure buy-in. Adding extra tasks can inspire the “it’s not my job” mentality and keeping expectations reasonable and fluid can avoid contention. Depending on the size and structure of your warehouse, you may find that having a professional cleaning service perform regular deep cleans is most efficient.
If you feel your staff is ready to take on the rigorous task of a deep clean, understanding how to prioritize duties and create a step-by-step process can greatly improve the speed, consistency and efficiency of the chore. Follow these guidelines on how to deep clean and sanitize your warehouse to keep your operation running smoothly and employees happy.
When to Deep Clean Your
Arranging a convenient cleaning time is largely dependent on who is going to perform the cleaning: inside staff or an outside professional cleaning service. Warehouse cleaning is an hours-long task that needs special time allotted to prevent interruptions in the normal workflow.
If you are hiring a professional cleaning service, warehouse operating hours should never be set aside for a deep clean. Having them occupy the same space as warehouse staff trying to do their job hinders productivity for everyone. Schedule the crew to clean on weekends, evenings after close or even early morning before your first employees arrive, depending on what would be convenient for their team and yours.
With an in-house staff, it can be hard to find a time for everyone to be fully and readily available for a deep-clean. Ideally, if you can set aside several hours specifically devoted to the task, you can finish quickly and ensure everyone is held accountable to their role. Try to incentivize them to stay extra hours after work or come in on a weekend. In many instances, this is not feasible and you must find a slow period during a normal work day to set up a deep-cleaning.
Warehouses that see a lot of traffic and significant dirt buildup should try to schedule a monthly deep clean. Others may need to only schedule their deep cleans once every three to six months. At a minimum, warehouses should be cleaned top to bottom at least twice annually.