Top 5 Cleaning Mistakes Businesses Make (And How To Avoid Them)

Successful businesses understand the importance of a clean environment for both employees and customers. Although it may not seem like a difficult task, maintaining a cleanly appearance and hygienic space takes careful routine and commitment to keep your facility’s appearance at its best. Here are the top cleaning mistakes business owners make, and how you can avoid them.

Using the Wrong Cleaning Products

Invest in cleaning products that are appropriate for the surfaces they are being used on, and read the labels to ensure safety. Disinfect cleaning equipment regularly and be sure to replace any worn equipment for the best results.

Not Cleaning Frequently Enough

Establish a regular cleaning schedule that includes daily cleaning tasks, and weekly or monthly deep cleaning tasks. Consistency is key.

Not Following Instructions

Read product instructions carefully and train your employees on how to use each product and equipment. All employees who perform cleaning tasks should be consistent in performing their duties and using the correct materials for each task.

Overlooking Important Areas

Your daily cleaning routine should include wiping down high-touch surfaces, and using disinfectant cleaners to help reduce the spread of germs. In addition to cleaning your restrooms and kitchen daily, be sure to replenish supplies such as soap and toilet tissue to avoid running out. Regularly change the air filters in your facility to maintain healthy air quality.

Not Hiring Professional Cleaning Services

The best way to avoid these common mistakes is to hire a professional commercial cleaning company. Invest in a general cleaning program by C.M. Cleaning Company, customized to fit your unique business needs and exceed your expectations.

Risks of Dust in the Office

Dust is everywhere making it easy to ignore until it starts to build up and become visible. Believe it or not, much of the makeup of dust is dead skin cells but some of it can also be toxic chemicals. Lead and pesticides have been found in dust, and when disturbed, these pollutants are put into the air allowing them to be breathed in. The three risks from breathing in dust is asthma, allergies, and dermatitis.

Asthma: Bacteria from by-products found in dust can trigger an asthma attack.

Allergies: Many people are allergic to dust and too much in the air can trigger these allergies to start. Symptoms such as itchy and watery eyes, sneezing and a runny or stuffy nose can occur.

Dermatitis: Inhaling dust can cause skin rashes such as eczema. In homes, young children can also get atopic dermatitis if they have been crawling on rugs with dust inside the fibers.

It is impossible to have a completely dust free home or office, but to reduce the amount of dust you can limit the amount of carpet in an area or perform thorough cleaning. Carpets are a breeding ground for dust and Cleaning bagsrequire more cleaning to prevent the amount of dust. Air purifiers reduce the number of airborne particles which will also reduce the amount of dust. When dusting remember to use products that will pick up and trap dust instead of just moving it around.

Having a dust free office or home will help reduce the chance of the people in the facility getting sick. At C.M. Cleaning we use ProTeam backpack vacuums with HePa Filters to trap dust. These vacuums conveniently trap the dust while cleaning inside the filters instead of releasing it from the carpet and allowing it to go airborne. This allows the air to stay cleaner, and for nobody to be breathing in unhealthy air.

We also use yellow dust cloths that we wrap the feather dusters in so when we dust the particles do not go airborne. These yellow dust cloths grab and pick up more particles to reduce the amount of dust left behind.

How to Help Alleviate Seasonal Allergies in the Workplace

With the warmer weather allergies are caused by more outdoor triggers like pollen instead of indoor ones like dust. You may find your employees becoming victims to allergy cases including stuffy noses, sneezing and irritated eyes. According to the American Academy of Asthma and Immunology, 10 to 30 percent of the population has an allergy.

Fight Pollen: Pollen usually enters buildings through ventilation systems or can also be tracked inside on your clothes and shoes. Carpets and upholstery are magnets for trapping pollen inside of buildings so vacuuming at least once a week is highly recommended to make sure all the pollen is removed not only from carpets but also upholstery. Making sure air filters are regularly cleaned and changed can also stop the pollen from circulating through the air. Air duct cleaning may be necessary to remediate spring allergy problems. Carpet cleaning tips

Fight Dust: Dust mites are the most common allergy and can work together with mold in triggering allergies. Mites feed on mold and can spread spores throughout buildings. Dust mites, like pollen, can be found in carpets, curtains and upholstered furniture. Unlike pollen and mold, dust mites can cause rashes and itching in addition to respiratory allergies.

Get rid of these mites by using HEPA filters to ensure cleaner air in the building. Consistent and thorough vacuuming and carpet/upholstery shampooing is another key to cleaner air and healthier employees.

Fight Mold: Mold tries to grow in dark, damp areas that are not treated right away. To avoid the growth of mold always clean up water damaged areas right away. Leaving a humidifier in the area can help get rid of the moisture and stop the mold from growing.

Don’t take on these battles alone! C.M. Cleaning can help keep your workplace allergy free.

Cubicle Wall Cleaning

Today, you can walk into almost any office space and see cubicle walls that divide co-workers. People eat, drink and are sometimes even sick at work, so did you ever think how dirty that cubicle wall is? Since they are usually an upholstery material routine cleaning can help reduce the dust. The walls are like standing dust traps which can lead to health risks.Cleaning improvement tips

Steam cleaning or vacuuming these walls can reduce these allergens. Allergens are a top three reasons on why employees miss work. Not cleaning these regularly can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms such as sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, headaches and difficulty breathing. A regularly cleaning can help improve the air quality as well since not as much dust will be circulating the facility.

Another benefit to cleaning cubicle walls is appearance. When employees eat or drink at their desk accidents are bound to happen. This can cause stains to appear on cubicle walls. These are ugly and unhealthy and provide a breeding ground for bacteria to form on. These types of distractions can lower productivity and employee morale.

When you have a clean workplace it leads to happier, more productive employees. A survey conducted by OfficeMax found that 90% of people said that an unorganized clutter at work has a negative impact on them. 77% of them also said that productivity is effected the most.

C.M. Cleaning knows that you don’t always have the time to clean yourself so consider us to do the dirty work for you. Contact us to find out how steam cleaning or vacuuming your facility’s cubicle partition walls can benefit you and your staff!

Why Is It Important to Keep Ceiling Tiles Clean?

It has probably never occurred to you that your ceiling tiles need to be cleaned. That is because more attention is given to the floors and walls of a business. Just like a dirty floor, ceiling tiles that are dirty or stained can distract from the overall appearance of a business.Ceiling cleaning service

Not only can clean tiles last longer without having to get replaced, but they also improve the air circulation and provide healthier air that your customers and employees are breathing in every day.

If your ceiling tiles are cleaned they can also act as a fire retardant. Hanging cobwebs and dust are a fire risk that makes the ceiling more flammable, putting your employees at risk.

To clean the tiles, they can be brushed or vacuumed. This will remove the dust and dirt that has collected on them over time. In certain environments such as kitchens, grime and smoke build up on the tiles. This may require removal with an enzyme detergent that can be done by a professional. As always, regularly cleaning the HVAC systems in your facility will prevent the dust from clinging to the ceilings.

It is recommended to have your ceiling tiles cleaned every two to five years to keep your business as clean as possible. So the next time you consider getting your ceiling tiles cleaning call C.M. Cleaning.