All the talk in the cleaning press at the moment and over
the past few months has been about the move to cleaning offices
during normal working hours. Machine manufacturers are coming
up with quiet vacuum cleaners, scrubber driers and buffing
machines all of which supposedly allow you to carry out the
cleaning without disturbing the occupants of the premises.
For cleaning companies this would make life a lot more pleasant
and cleans easier and cheaper to manage and the cleaners would
be able to work more sociable hours. According to some reports
in the cleaning press companies are falling over themselves
to switch their cleaning to office hours as opposed to after
they have closed down for the day. My own experience would
not indicate that this is so. None of our clients have asked
to move their cleaning times or even considered it as a feasible
option when they have been approached about the possibilities
of changing the cleaning times.
Vacuuming with 'silent' vacuums is not a problem. Cleaning
toilet areas is not a problem. Cleaning kitchen areas is a
problem as they tend to be in constant use during the day.
Doing anything to hard floors is also a problem. If there
are people using those hard floors then while they are being cleaned
they have to be diverted away from those areas which is obviously
an inconvenience to them and something that is not going to
be tolerated for long.. Any food deposited in waste
disposal units, bins etc will be left overnight with the potential
to smell come the following day. Also there can be no attempt
at cleaning work stations whilst someone is at work.
All in all the problems of cleaners trying to do their work
whilst the occupants of a building are trying to carry on
with their work far outweigh the advantages. Cleaning times
will be extended and prices will rise. The theory is good
and would love to be able to get all the cleaning out of the
way come five in the evening but the practicalities will not
allow it to happen in many work environments.
David is the owner of a contract cleaning company http://www.wesparkle.co.uk
which provides a whole range of cleaning services across the
UK
