This week I want to spend time visiting with you about one of my pet peeves in our industry---the disorganized, unclean janitor's closet. This was the first area I visited when I went to one of my accounts. You see, I had a wise customer of mine, early in my career tell me that if I couldn't keep my janitor's closet clean, how could he expect me to keep his building clean? He was right. Our business is one of KEEPING THINGS CLEAN and yet many of us have the dirtiest looking janitor's closets known to mankind.
So as you start thinking of new year's resolutions, I would like for you to consider resolving to make sure all your closets are neat and clean for the new year AND that they stay that way all year. Look in each closet. Do you have a bunch of hand written notices tacked up on the wall? If they need to be there how about making nice signs with the wording on them and then tack them up on the wall?
How about the specifications? Do you have them on the wall somewhere for everyone to read? What is the date on them? 1997? How about replacing all specifications of the work to be done with nice laminated sheets tacked on the wall or in a nice binder? Do you have the emergency numbers posted in a place where both your employees and the customer can see them. ARE THEY UP TO DATE? Do your employees know what to do in case of an emergency or in the case of an injured employee? Are the procedures and phone numbers posted in each janitor's closet?d
I have relayed to you in an earlier blog how I secured a large account because a building had an emergency on Christmas Eve and all 3 numbers listed for the BSC were either disconnected or the person no longer worked for the BSC. Is that true with your emergency numbers posted? Are they even posted? This is important.
Recently I had a client of mine send me a Company Standards poster that he places in each of his buildings that includes the following,
1. The company dress code
2. The Janitorial Closet procedures
3 The chemicals used in that account and how to use them
4.The microfiber cloth color coding reference chart
5. An employee handbook pouch
6. The cleaning specifications for that building
7. The emergency phone numbers
8. Pay day procedures
With his permission I am going to list what they posted as the closet procedures.
1. All trash shall be taken out every shift with none left for the next shift.
2. At the end of each shift, always organize and restock your janitor's cart and prepare it for the next shift.
3. Shelves should be organized so that chemicals are stored together, paper supplies together, liners together, etc.
4. Dust mops and brooms are to be hung up and stored standing upright. To keep them in good condition you should never leave the mop or bristles on the floor.
5. Wet mops should be rinsed in clean water each shift. Never store them in the mop bucket. They should be hung over the mop sink or draped over and fanned out over the mop bucket.
6. The mop bucket should be emptied and rinsed out after each use as well so buildup doesn't accumulate. Keep the bucket clean at all times.
7. Vacuum bags should be emptied at the end of each shift and checked at the beginning of the shift.
The way you keep your janitorial closet, or the place we keep our supplies and equipment is a direct reflection of you and our company.
There were some other items of a confidential nature on the list but the above list gives you an idea of what should be posted in every janitor's closet you have. Agree? You, no doubt, may want to have different items listed or word them in a different way but the point is to have a procedure to follow in the closet every day.
Many times we share a closet with our customer so they have the opportunity every day to visit the closet and see how organized or disorganized we are. If the closet is a mess, it just might encourage them to take a tour of the rest of the facility to see how the cleaning is. If your customers did that today, would you be proud of how your closets look? Would it prompt them to take a tour of all the cleaning you do? What would be the result?
There is no better time than right now to take the steps to clean and orderly closets. It just might save an account or three.
Till next time.
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