It’s almost time for Spring. Baby birds, blue skies, flowers will start to bloom… and don’t forget about spring cleaning!
The practice of spring cleaning has a long history with many different traditions worldwide. In the 1800s, deep cleaning traditionally occurred in the spring after layers of soot and grime from the fireplace and traditional kerosene lamps had built up over the winter. This annual deep clean has a cleansing aspect to it for everyone.
Here’s how you can get the most out of spring cleaning for your commercial building.
Schedule a Deep Clean
While the days of fireplace heating and kerosene lamps are gone, winter still tends to leave a feeling of grim over an office. Days of muddy boots tracking snow into the office have taken its toll and sun-less days may have allowed some mold to grow without the drying properties of natural light.
Scheduling a deep clean for your office can help your office feel new again. Discuss which areas need the most help with your cleaning team so everyone is on the same page. Make it a company wide effort by encouraging employees to clean up their desks and work areas, bring in spring flowers, and work together to create a fresh environment.
Prepare for Mud
April showers bring May flowers is a happy little saying that keeps everyone looking forward to when spring is in full swing. Unfortunately, April showers and melting snow in March also means lots of mud. Are you prepared to handle muddy boots tracking dirt into your office?
Use some of our same tips for winter cleaning during this season. Prevent a slippery entryway by putting down heavy-duty rugs. Keep one dry on hand to switch out should rugs become too wet and muddy. You can also request that your environmental hygienists spend a little extra time on the floors to make sure the mud, dirt, and springtime rain doesn’t damage hardwood floors or ruin carpets.
Don’t get into legal trouble. Make sure you put out wet floor sign anywhere water or mud is building up inside your office. If there’s even the slightest chance someone could slip, always have a sign out.
Use Green Cleaning
Springtime is a great time of year for rejuvenation and celebrating nature. Using green cleaning methods are a great way to honor the season and do your part to increase your energy efficiency.
Contrary to popular belief, green cleaning doesn’t mean lower quality cleaning. In fact, in a lot of instances it means higher quality cleaning. Equipment used is cutting edge. It uses less water for a deeper clean without the harsh chemicals that break down your carpets and mean that you have to replace them sooner. Green cleaning can save you money off of your energy bill by using efficient carpet and floor cleaners.
Green cleaning not only helps protect the environment, it helps to protect your employees. We know the toxic chemicals, also known as volatile organic compounds, used in most regular cleaning products can take a toll on the health of your workers, leading to avoidable illnesses that end up needlessly costing your company money.
The last thing you want to do is start off a new season with half of your workforce out sick with avoidable illnesses. As more people are out and about, springtime can be a good time of year for the common cold. Cut down on the risk of illness by using better cleaning products that help to create a healthier work environment.
Take Care of Your Carpets
Your carpets have spent all winter long collecting crumbs from lunches, being trod on all day, and soaking up the wintertime slush that your employees brought inside with them. Carpets can often take the most damage over the winter. Their fibers are usually broken down with harsh chemical cleaners, making them look dirtier faster, and they soak up all the wetness brought inside.
As you hopefully won’t find out, wet carpets don’t smell great. Especially when the weather begins to warm up in the springtime, you could find yourself dealing with a mold issue. Mold grows best in dark, warm, moist places. Most offices keep the shades down over the winter to help with insulation, creating a darker office space.
As the weather begins to warm, make sure you deal with your carpets right off the bat. Take a close look at them, while considering their age and condition. Has that carpet been here since you first started 20 years ago? It might be time for a replacement. If your office begins to smell musty, it might be the carpets.
If you’re not replacing carpets, it’s always a good idea to get them deep cleaned. Bring in the professionals to analyze the carpets for mold and clean them appropriately.
Let the Sun Shine In
It’s finally Spring! Celebrate by letting the sun shine in.
The sun has a lot of natural healing qualities. It gives your employees a good boost of Vitamin D, dries out mold, and is even a natural disinfectant. Opening windows and throwing up the blinds on sunny days not only creates a great office environment, but it also helps to dry out your carpets.
Remember those moldy, musty, soaking up slush all winter carpets we just talked about?
Let the sun dry them out for you.
Celebrate Spring with a Great Office Clean
Springtime is a time of year for renewal, rebirth, and cleaning. Let the Wilburn Company handle your spring cleaning. With our quality assurance program, green cleaning, and customizable packages, we’re proud to offer you our best when it comes to spring cleaning.
Ready for springtime? Get in touch with us today.