Housekeeping How TOS
A COFEE-STAINED KEYBOARD, JUICE on the carpet, leftover sandwiches in the wastebasket, corners with months-wroth of newspaper, dripping soap stalls, topped off with a fine layer of dust-all indicators of an uncared for office space. What if we told you that your surroundings have a direct impact on our productivity? The dirtier on more uncared for your s surroundings are, the lower will be your investment of time and energy into your work. Also, if you are the delight type then you are most likely to spend the better part of your day sporting out the chaos before stating on work. And, if there are others like you, who are going to shift through the clatter, then it’s not likely to be a very quiet environment either!
This where office housekeeping and maintenance staff come to the fore. Their adherence to the cleaning routine and frequency ensures that your workspace is conducive to higher productivity and lower stress levels.
COMING CLEAN:
There are three different level of cleaning. First is the cleaning that happens each day after office horse, second is the one that takes place during the office horse, and the third is the deep cleaning, which is done once in a month (or more or less, depending on the usage of the space).
The after-work-hours cleaning done each day involves surface cleaning. All the surface in the office are cleaned and prepared for the next day’s use.
The cleaning that happiness during working horse is basically maintenance of the cleaning that was one during the night and keeps the work areas free of clutter.
Deep cleaning is done to eliminate ingrained or internal dirt, and chairs, cleaning air-conditioner vents, vacuuming keyboard, etc. the larger the number of people per square foot, the shorter should be the periods between two deep-cleaning sessions.
DAILY DITTIES:
The everyday maintenance of an office space also involves taking care of the wear and tear that occurs due to use and abuse.
There are two parts to daily maintenance: Housekeeping or janitorial services and/or Mechanical and Electrical maintenance (M?t E). The letter is tougher as the environment we live in is inherently dusty. This includes updating logbooks regularly to keep track of things that were repaired and those that were replaced. “The idea is to keep everything in preventive mode”. Therefore, there has tom be a stockpile of everything from cleaning agents to wiring and spare bulbs that goes into making an office space functional.
When it comes to Housekeeping, the canteen is a big problem as attract the maximum amount of dirt and –thus rodents and pets as well. Then there are areas where there is constant spillage –around water cooler and places where plants are kept, for instance. The inaccessible areas of the office such as under, behind and atop cabinets, behind the WCs etc, also become problematic.
Luckily, the days of mops and brooms are over as there is a revolution in tools that are used in cleaning. The international-standard cleaning agents and tools that are now available make it easier to tackle problem areas. The trend of mechanization has not completely set in (except in very high-end organization), and manpower is still widely used even through the costs are higher in the long run.
AGENT IN SERVICE:
Cleaning agents can be divided into two categories: neutral cleaner and deep cleaners. They can be further classified into detergent-based and acid-based varieties. Neutral cleaners, as the name suggests, are cleaners whose pH value is zero. They do not have any kind of fragrance. The absence of fragrance is necessary because the chemical inducing the fragrance may leave a stain behind or discolor the surface being cleaned.
When it comes to housekeeping and maintenance, the use of cleaning agent and a mop is not the end of the road. Correct and continuous training is essential to ensure housekeeping staff cleans and maintains spaces in an efficient fashion and not just transfer dirt from one place to another. They are taught what proportion of cleaning agent has to be mixed with water, as well as which cleaning agent is to be used on which surface.
AU NATUREL:
Natural materials such as stones are the toughest to clean and to get stains out of. Marble, for instance, is porous and stains set in very fast. The maintenance staff has to be quick to deal with spillage on marble. Most organizations seal the surface pores of marble by applying a crystallized coat.
Cleaning agents are tested on samples of natural materials before using them on the entire surface. Various types of special paints and plastics, which have a tendency to turn yellow over a period of time, have to be treated and tested before any type of cleaning agents is used on them.
As the housekeeping and maintenance workforce strives to support you in your work life, keep in mind that keeping your working space clean and in good working condition is not only the job of your support staff, it is yours as well.
Treat the office as you would treat your home. Remember, a hygienic work space is also a more productive one.
