The Top 10 Challenges Businesses Face with Daily Cleaning and How to Overcome Them

A clean and fresh business is essential for creating good customer experiences, fostering a good working environment, and helping to keep everyone safe and healthy.

The importance of keeping the business clean can’t be overstated. Customers actually consider cleanliness to be a dealbreaker and a single encounter with a dirty environment can turn them off for good. On the other hand, cleanliness can also lure customers away from less hygienic competitors.

Plus, clean and tidy workplace environments boost employee productivity and job satisfaction while reducing sick days and absenteeism.

Thorough and regular cleaning is the only way to maintain a sanitary, uplifting, and spotless business environment. And most companies that accommodate the public or have multiple on-site employees need to be cleaned on a daily basis.

Otherwise, grime, dust, and dirt will accumulate and germs will begin to proliferate. The premises will look drab, dingy, and uncared for. Scents will linger, particularly in areas that haven’t been steam-cleaned, mopped, or wiped down. Nose-blind and visually desensitized business owners, managers, and other employees may not be aware of these issues, but customers will.

Daily cleaning might be best but isn’t always easy to get done. Businesses that attempt to implement this often face challenges with insufficient resources, knowledge gaps, or management and HR problems. 

This guide covers ten of the core issues and outlines some solutions that can be implemented.

Lack of Time and Resources

A daily cleaning routine takes time, resources, and managerial attention. Time-strapped businesses can find it difficult to balance sanitation duties with their main responsibilities.

Some businesses focus on doing the bare minimum. Some start out strong but eventually start putting tasks off and letting conditions slip over time.

If your business plans on carrying out a daily cleaning routine on its own, try to schedule and delegate as much as possible.

Write out all the cleaning that needs to be done. Make sure to include everything that happens on a daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis. Then estimate how long each task takes, schedule it in, and block out sufficient time for it.

After that, delegate each cleaning task to a specific employee. This assigns clear responsibility and makes it easier to hold people accountable for getting things done.

Remember to allocate enough resources for ongoing cleaning activities. Keep enough cleaning supplies on hand for what needs to be done. Basic cleaning tasks can become difficult and time-consuming when the right products aren’t available.

It may be helpful to do a light daily cleaning on your own and hire professionals for periodic deep cleaning.

Inconsistent Cleaning Standards

A daily cleaning schedule should leave the business spick and span with every service. Finding poorly cleaned or missed areas speaks to inconsistent practices and a lack of operational protocols and checklists.

The premises should be cleaned according to a specified standard with staff members following scheduled tasks and clear protocols.

The standards, practices, and methods should be written and provided to anyone cleaning the business. Documented standards help to ensure consistency and maintain continuity during employee changes. 

Along with this, every janitorial staff member has to be trained on proper cleaning techniques as well as how to best meet the business’s particular sanitation needs.

High Employee Turnover

The commercial cleaning industry has a high turnover rate, ranging anywhere from 64% to 400% per year. Turnover rates this high are tough to deal with.

Businesses have to spend time and money to recruit, hire, and train new cleaners. You have to post new job listings, review applications, interview, purchase background checks, and ensure that new hires meet the cleaning standards.

And when in-between cleaners, you might need to hire temporary cleaners or find other employees who can pitch in. It’s a major inconvenience that usually results in lowered productivity and diminished sanitary conditions.

If your business seems to keep losing cleaning employees, look into strategies for improving their workplace happiness and contentment. High cleaner turnover is due to general job dissatisfaction. Some of their complaints include low wages, insufficient training, no career advancement opportunities, poor safety conditions, and substandard working environments.

These issues are understandable. Janitorial work isn’t something that receives learning and development resources at most companies. And there’s little chance for career progression with a business that just needs routine cleaning services.

If dedicating resources towards custodial growth opportunities doesn’t make sense for your business, look into utilizing professional cleaning services. A big part of their value proposition is in preventing service interruption, managing turnover, and handling HR.

Specialized Cleaning Needs

Companies with specialized or more stringent cleaning, disinfection, and sanitation requirements can find it difficult to meet these on a daily basis. Anyone cleaning these businesses must be properly trained and equipped with appropriate cleaning substances and equipment.

The food, medical, and childcare industries are three that have to meet higher cleanliness standards. But companies can also have specific cleaning requirements for various equipment, assets, or facilities with delicate fixtures, finishes, and items.

Other companies may require special attention due to their handling of chemicals or industrial substances. Or there may be environmental considerations to work around.

Does your business require this level of care? If so, hire trained cleaners who can ensure proper cleaning, meet industry standards, and who understand how to handle your specific conditions.

Managing Cleaning Supplies and Inventory

Cleaning supplies require just as much work and cost optimization as anything else in the business. 

Business owners and managers often underestimate how much cleaning supplies are required for daily cleaning or how much is involved in managing janitorial inventory. But there’s procurement, vendor management, inventory management, cleaning, and maintenance to deal with.

Some basic inventory management has to be done to ensure that needed supplies remain in stock and that nothing is over-purchased.

Ever purchased a hand soap refill only to find an extra bottle tucked away in the closet? Or run out of toilet paper when you were sure there was more in the back? What about reaching for a mop only to realize that it was left dirty?

Consider implementing a janitorial supply management system. This is the best way to get a grip on inventory management and ensure waste reduction, good cost control, and overall efficiency. 

If you’d rather not manage and optimize this yourself, outsource custodial management to a professional cleaning company.

Compliance with Health and Safety Regulations

Sanitation and cleanliness aren’t optional. It’s a public and occupational health concern which means the government sets regulations around it.

A company doing its own daily cleaning routine has to be careful to meet all the applicable health and safety standards.

OSHA sets bare minimum sanitation standards for any business employing workers. Sanitation-related health and safety regulations have only increased since Covid-19. The CDC has outlined daily cleaning and disinfecting guidelines for general businesses to follow. 

All surfaces need a daily clean, including hard surfaces, like counters, light switches, desks, seats, and floors; soft surfaces like carpets, rugs, drapes, and sofas; laundry items; electronics; common outdoor areas; and other high-touch places.

The best way to ensure compliance is by working with a certified cleaning service. Use professional cleaners who remain up to date on regulations, guidelines, and industry best practices and are equipped to provide a thorough daily cleaning and disinfection service.

Dealing with Emergency Situations

Accidents, emergencies, and unforeseen events happen. When they do, your business needs to get things under control and back in order – fast. 

A cleaning emergency can be as simple as having customers track in mud during a mid-day rainstorm. Or it could be a more serious incident where bodily fluids and waste contaminate the premises and need to be cleaned up. Others are caused by natural disasters, vandalism, chemical or biohazard spills, and various crises.

Any of these situations can interrupt operations, force a shutdown, and present a hazard for customers. Don’t wait until something happens to start scrambling for a solution. Create an emergency response plan for quick and efficient cleanup responses. There is a chance that your business may not be able to handle everything on its own, so look to collaborate with companies that offer emergency cleaning services.

Ensuring Consistent Cleanliness

Cleanliness has to be maintained at consistently high levels. A little mustiness or dinginess is enough to give customers a poor impression, even worse if the premises are visibly soiled.

Did you know that 93% of customers will avoid returning to a business with poor cleanliness and unhygienic conditions? Some of the biggest turnoffs are bad smells along with dirty entrances, surfaces, and restrooms.

A thorough daily scrub is essential for keeping things clean, but some businesses may need to freshen things up throughout the day.

Do customers track in dirt or mud? Is it raining or wet outside? Are you expecting higher than normal foot traffic? Does your business have restrooms that are available to customers or used by multiple employees? Are there any common eating or food areas? 

Floors, entrances, and restrooms are some areas that typically need more frequent cleaning. Even a daily clean may not be enough, depending on how much traffic the business gets.

Keeping an eye on things can be a challenge for companies that don’t have professional cleaners on staff. But don’t let customers be the ones to inform you that the premises are dirty. Use quality control measures to oversee cleanliness levels and ensure everything is up to your standards.

Some quality control measures to look into are periodic inspections, feedback systems, and customer satisfaction surveys. Schedule periodic inspections throughout the facility. Use feedback systems to give and receive input from the cleaning staff. And include cleanliness-related questions on customer satisfaction surveys.

Dealing with Budget Constraints

A daily in-house cleaning schedule can put a dent in the budget. Expenses include stocking up on bulk cleaning supplies, investing in cleaning equipment, and labor costs.

If you’re operating with a limited budget, it can make sense to roll up your sleeves and do some or most of the cleaning yourself.

But for most businesses, in-house cleaning isn’t always the most affordable option. You can end up saving money by outsourcing certain cleaning tasks, such as carpet and upholstery cleaning, which require specialized equipment.

It can be helpful to prioritize certain cleaning tasks based on their importance and impact. Then take care of the most manageable jobs yourself and hire out the more difficult or specialized ones.

For example, countertops, phones, doorknobs, and other high-touch surfaces should be cleaned every day. That’s easy to get done with disinfecting wipes and other basic supplies. And tasks like daily floor cleaning can become far more efficient when using a basic steam mop.

However, you might want to hire out restroom cleaning. Cleaning commercial restrooms is more unpleasant than mopping down an entryway. And this job requires extra attention and heavier cleaning. 

Commercial restroom cleaners use tools like high-pressure equipment that can remove stains much better than brushes and hand scrubbing. They have EPA-registered cleaning solutions, disinfectants, and sanitizers on hand that are suitable for cleaning public accommodations that can be more contaminated than residential spaces.

Keeping lighter cleaning tasks in-house while outsourcing heavy-duty, high-skilled jobs is one way to make daily cleaning more cost-effective.

Sustainability and Green Cleaning

Commercial cleaning products and equipment have become quite eco-friendly. And there are best practices for maximizing sustainability and resource conservation.

But green cleaning methods aren’t that well known outside the professional cleaning industry.

Some companies are still using products with harsh chemicals that linger in the air and irritate employees and customers. And a daily cleaning routine that doesn’t use eco-friendly techniques can end up wasting water and other resources.

If you value sustainability, eco-friendliness, and being a responsible corporate citizen, those values can and should be carried into the company’s sanitation practices.

And if you value working in a low-toxin environment that’s better for your health and cognitive functioning, look into companies that offer green cleaning services.

Conclusion

Don’t let cleanliness slip due to these or other challenges. Be proactive and implement ways to overcome time constraints, scheduling difficulties, and other internal limitations.

If daily cleaning is too much of a burden for your business, look for professional cleaning services to partner with. A commercial cleaning company with well-trained staff members and specialized equipment can offer reliable, efficient, and thorough daily cleaning services.