Go Team!... Cleaning

Football is in the air! "Go team! Go team!" are familiar chants we hear on any given Friday night at the local high schools. Team is defined as "a cooperative unit", especially in Sports. The term does not only apply to sports, however. The concept of" "team" also has great application in the business of cleaning!

Team Cleaning, combined with elements of Green Cleaning, is a combination of science, environmentally friendly products and systems implemented by specialists trained to deliver cost-effective service, and a breath of fresh air. Healthy indoor environments lead to healthy, productive employees and greater overall efficiency. Effective cleaning reduces contagiousness. By eliminating the source of infection, the transmission chain is broken. The cleanliness of facility environments sends a "we care message." The primary purpose of any cleaning and housekeeping program is to maintain and sustain a built environment which is healthy for occupants and which promotes, supports, and enhances the purpose of the building and the activities carried out in the building. The evidence suggests that environmental conditions shape attitudes and eventually behavior.

There is a term I like that I heard at a Team Cleaning seminar, it is "topophilia." It is a word that describes human affinity for a particular location. "Topophilia" is the reason that people remain in their built habitats. Those places to which people are most attracted have a common trait - cleanliness.

It all starts with a system! Most cleaning problems derive from poor systems, processes and methods, not from your workforce. Even average employees can excel in an orderly, focused, systematized environment. In Team Cleaning, work is assigned by task, not by space. In space driven work (Zone Cleaning) the worker determines the quality. With Team Cleaning, the system drives the quality.

There are four specialist positions with Team Cleaning; Light Duty (starter), Vac (closer), Rest Room (sanitor), and Utility.

A Light Duty Specialist (starter) empties trash, captures (not spread around!) dust, cleans chalkboards/whiteboards, spot cleans, and sends information to the Vac Specialist.

Vac or Vacuum Specialists vacuum, reposition furniture, and check the quality of the light duty specialist and turns off lights.

A Rest Room specialist removes trash , cleans and sanitizes fixtures and floors, fills dispensers, and vacuums and/or mops tile floors.

Utility Specialists are highly flexible. Their job is "spec driven." Some of their duties include vacuuming stairwells, cleaning brass, glass, blinds and carpets and doing periodic specialty services such as hard-surface floor work. Utility specialists also do other periodic detail work, distribute supplies, pull trash to the dumpster, and sometimes act as a supervisor on the project.

An important part of Team Cleaning is the use of backpack vacuums, microfiber products, and other state-of-the-art equipment and supplies. This is another area where Green Cleaning methods and products are used for an overall healthier building.

It's hard to believe, but a well-run Team Cleaning program actually allows you to decrease the number of cleaners in the building as compared to a zone cleaning system. The obvious result is controlled labor costs through greater efficiency.

The system has a built-in inspection element as the vac specialist follows the light duty specialist through a well-planned out workflow through a predetermined quadrant of the building. The system leaves nothing to chance as every job assignment is planned out and inspected every day. Routine cleaning (daily) is planned along with detail cleaning (weekly, monthly, etc) in to an organized, efficient system. This is particularly important in a day clean situation. Job cards map out daily work paths and timeframes and help keep specialists and supervisors on track.

Team Cleaning is truly "a cooperative unit" and will make a difference in the health and cleanliness of your building.

Go team!