Developing efficient cleaning routes are essential to every cleaning business in order to maximize productivity. Every cleaning route needs to be tested and refined until the most efficient route is found for the facility or floor.
Every operations manager and/or supervisor should make sure that cleaning routes are outlined for every location you clean. With the tools available today it is easy to develop floor plans of every location you service. Develop floor plans with cleaning routes clearly outlined and post it in the janitorial closet so they can be used for training employees.
Every employee should know their cleaning routes. It is inefficient to let your employees try to figure it out on their own, and you want to make sure the route is the same no matter who is doing the cleaning that day. You will develop cleaning routes for trash removal, dusting, spot cleaning, restroom cleaning, vacuuming and utility duties.
For more videos on cleaning systems such as Team Cleaning, Collaborative Cleaning and Blending Cleaning, click on the links below.
Zone Cleaning Video Transcript:
The zone cleaning system centers around one cleaning worker assigned to a single floor or section of a building. Cleaning workers prefer this system because it gives them a sense of ownership –– they know their area well, and often build a relationship with the tenants in their area. Because the cleaning worker does a variety of tasks, there is less boredom, which can sometimes be a problem, associated with other systems of cleaning.
In this example the cleaning worker will use a two pass system. On the first pass the cleaning worker will start at the janitorial closet with a maid cart stocked with supplies and will move in a circular motion around the floor, zig-zagging back and forth as needed to complete the cleaning route in the most efficient matter.
When first starting an account test the trash/dust route for efficiency. Saving a couple of minutes on the route adds up to profit.
As the cleaning worker moves through the space they will dump trash, dust surfaces, clean restrooms, sanitize desk tops and other items, clean break rooms or kitchens and sweep and mop hard floors.
The secret to this system is to break the space into equal sections based on the cleaning frequency. In this example it is a 5 day per week service Monday thru Friday. There are 4 sections: Monday-1, Tuesday-2, Wednesday-3, and Thursday-4. On each day the cleaning worker will perform detail work or periodic cleaning tasks in that section on that day. On Fridays the cleaning worker will detail vacuum section 1, 2, 3, or 4 and will continue to rotate the detail vacuuming section through the month until they are completed.
On the second pass the cleaning worker will vacuum carpet, turn off lights, and close, lock or leave doors as originally found as they exit the room or area. When vacuuming the cleaning worker would follow the same route as they did when trashing and dusting to ensure all areas are completed and to double check their work in case they missed a trash can.
TIP: Use a color-coded dot system on outlets to identify what is the best electrical outlet to use for maximum cord reach and on door casings to identify which doors are to be locked, closed but not locked or left as originally found.