WILMINGTON, Mass. () – Spring—a time of year symbolic of warmer weather, blooming flowers, and starting fresh. This most welcome time of year, however, can turn into a harsh reality for some “spring cleaners,” especially building managers who may not have a comprehensive maintenance and facility service plan in place to help them stay on top of cleaning and maintenance needs all year long. But, why wait for spring to tackle facility maintenance chores that can build up if left unattended throughout the year?
Facility managers can virtually eliminate that once-a-year challenge and address facility needs on a routine basis with a managed facility service program to help ensure clean and well-maintained buildings throughout every season. A qualified facility service products provider can be essential to helping managers create a safer, cleaner, healthier, and more attractive work environment—while also reducing overall facility maintenance expenses and helping enhance their overall business image.
“Spring is a great time of year for building managers to reevaluate the effectiveness of their facility service and maintenance programs,” said Adam Soreff, marketing director at UniFirst Corporation, a leading provider of uniforms and facility service programs throughout North America. “Businesses today cannot afford to run the risk of allowing the most basic facility maintenance or inventory restocking to go by the wayside, especially given that surveys have shown 50 percent or more of customers state that a poorly maintained restroom is reason enough not to patronize a business again. It’s best to have a quality service program in place to help managers provide a routine clean all year long and, in turn, eliminate the need for annual spring cleanings altogether.”
An effective facility service program should start with a personalized needs assessment designed to identify areas that need regular cleaning and upkeep, such as floors and restrooms. This assessment also identifies appropriate cleaning and ancillary supplies needed on an ongoing basis, as well as proper product inventory levels, to maintain the facility and keep it in tip-top shape.
Here are four recommended steps for a healthy and productive work environment.
- Prevent dirt and moisture from entering your facility. Scraper and walk-off mats placed at entrances help remove and capture shoe grime and outside dirt before it can enter the building. Over one pound of dirt can accumulate in one square yard of carpet in just one week, and vacuuming only removes about 10 percent of the dirt. If floor mats aren’t regularly deep-cleaned, they can become a source of dirt, not a barrier to it. Soiled mats should be picked up for professional laundering and returned on a regular schedule to help ensure cleanliness all year.
- Maintain clean floors, counters, and hard surfaces. Traditional and microfiber floor mops, towels, and wipers designed specifically to clean more effectively provide a “cleaner clean,” thereby reducing labor time and costs. Like floor mats, these products should also be picked up regularly for professional laundering by a qualified facility products provider to maintain their effectiveness.
- Equip your workplace with essential restroom and ancillary products. High-quality soaps, hand care products, and paper towels in handy portion-controlled dispensers with touch-free options, as well as toilet paper, air fresheners, trash can liners, and more show your employees and customers that you take hygiene, cleaning, and appearance seriously—all year long.
- Hire a qualified provider to service, inspect, deliver, and maintain facility service products and equipment. A reputable service provider should offer a year-long regular schedule for laundering and delivering all cleaning textiles, restocking required inventories, refilling cleaning solution dispensers, and ensuring all equipment is in proper working order, as well as replacing worn-out items as needed.
When compared to buying retail and managing product supply on their own, businesses and their bottom lines can greatly benefit from partnering with a facility services provider that routinely delivers the highest quality items at the very best value so they consistently have what they need, when they need it. And also so they don’t find themselves subjected to the dreaded “spring” cleaning chores.
In addition, a usage-based inventory program is optimal to allow businesses to pay only for the products they need. Maintenance programs that incorporate these steps help minimize the hassle and expenses related to purchasing, stocking, cleaning, and maintaining supplies and inventories.
It is essential for any business to have peace of mind when it comes to overall facility maintenance. “Working with a qualified managed facility services provider makes good business sense and can benefit employees and customers alike,” added Soreff. “Not to mention the help it provides to eliminate the need for that often overwhelming traditional spring cleaning.”
About UniFirst
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products, and with over 250 service locations, 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 888.831.1787 or visit UniFirst.com.
Contact:
Donna Kish
PR/Communications Specialist
UniFirst Corporation
68 Jonspin Rd.
Wilmington, MA 01887
978.527.3871
Donna_Kish@unifirst.com
