What is National Cleaning Week?
National Cleaning Week was created by The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) and occurs annually during the 4th week of March. This week-long event represents a unique opportunity to celebrate the value of clean, raise public awareness, honor fellow cleaning industry professionals and is helping to change the way the world sees the commercial cleaning and janitorial industry and the value it brings to businesses across the country.
The Value of a Clean Workplace
As most businesses are starting to recover from COVID-19 related shutdowns, proper cleaning and disinfecting play an essential role in boosting confidence that workplaces and businesses are safe to return to for employees and customers.
In January 2022, 2.3 percent of the American work force was home sick, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — three times that of a typical pre-pandemic month. The time employees take away from the workplace annually can cost upwards of $225B and in addition to the direct costs, unplanned absences cause a significant decrease in productivity and a huge drop in sales.
Now more than ever, cleaning is a critical business investment that not only keeps customers and employees safe, but also improves bottom lines for facilities.
Germ-spread illnesses such as cold, flu, headaches, and now COVID-19 are the most common causes of short-term employee absences. An un-sanitized space can have a huge impact on employee productivity and a negative impact on customer experience, while a clean space has been shown to increase productivity and sales while also preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and protecting employees, customers and tenants. That being said, a relatively modest investment in an effective cleaning and disinfecting program can help to avoid and significantly reduce the health and economic impacts of infectious diseases. This results in the “value of a clean workplace”.
Tips For Keeping Your Business Clean During National Cleaning Week and Beyond
- Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces – Daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces, including all elevator buttons, door handles, countertops, and desktops will extend the lifetime of your assets and improve the health of all who occupy your building or facility. Additionally, when employees work in a clean environment, their overall mood and health will improve.
- Disinfect Gathering Rooms And High-Traffic Areas – Keeping your conference rooms, bathrooms, and break rooms clean helps to prevent the spread of germs in areas where so many of your employees and guests congregate. While cleaning can remove dirt and grime from organic matter, disinfecting kills germs and bacteria which is crucial for high-traffic areas as well as poorly ventilated areas, to keep guests and employees healthy and free of viruses that are easily spread.
- Clean Often – Frequent cleaning is key to minimizing illness in the workplace. Keep in mind that bacteria and viruses don’t just survive on hard surfaces – they multiply and remain infectious for up to 24 hours. So, unless you use commercial cleaning supplies to clean facility surfaces often, you could be creating a breeding ground for exposure to viruses. The most effective way to stay on top of office cleaning and disinfection is to utilize a routine cleaning program or the use of day porter services.
- Use High-Quality Products – When selecting a disinfectant product, read the label to make sure it states that it’s an EPA-approved product. Some of the cheaper products might save some money, but they usually take longer to be effective…and as we stated above, when it comes to the spreading of germs, time is of the essence.
Leave the Cleaning to the Professionals
A professional janitorial company like Team iNX can deep clean your business utilizing high-grade disinfectants and professional equipment such as electrostatic sprayers and commercial-grade floor scrubbers like the Tennant T20 Heavy-Duty Industrial Rider Scrubber. Also, our teams are trained and certified to follow industry standards and regulations.
We offer regularly scheduled cleaning appointments in addition to day porter services during the hours that make the most sense for your specific business. iNX is here to help keep your office building, campus, or facility clean and hygienic… Not just during National Cleaning Week, but every day of every week.
For more information on professional sanitizing and disinfecting services for your school, office, medical facility, or industrial warehouse, iNX Commercial Cleaning is here to help. Please fill out this form or call 1 (888) TEAM-iNX to start services, today!
