A building can look clean at first glance and hide significant problems. The trash is emptied and the floors shine, but no one thinks about the door handles, the light switches, and the corners. So, how do you know where you really stand?
Signs to watch for
- The complaints always come back to the same places. A bathroom, a meeting room, a corridor: the problem is never solved for good.
- Dust accumulates where we don't look. The tops of door frames, baseboards, air vents, and under furniture all contribute to dust buildup. This dust negatively impacts air quality and can cause allergy problems for occupants.
- We're forgetting about the points of contact. Handles, switches, handrails, elevator buttons. Yet these are the surfaces most touched, and often the least cleaned.
- The corners and edges are dirty. The center of the floor is clean, but not along the walls.
- The quality varies from day to day or from employee to employee. This is therefore a sign that a clear method is lacking.
- Nobody does the periodic tasks. For example, washing interior windows, dusting at height and stripping floors.
Clean to the eye does not mean clean
A surface can look clean but not actually be. This is especially true for high-touch surfaces that are at high risk of contamination. That's why we use a marker with a date that's only visible under UV light, to verify that the team has actually cleaned them. If the date has disappeared, the employee cleaned the surface. Otherwise, they forgot.
How to measure cleanliness objectively
To move from printing to measurement, a method is needed. Here is ours:
- Classify the premises by prototype. Offices, bathrooms, corridors, classrooms: each type of room has its own control points.
- Evaluate each point using a simple chart: Compliant, needs improvement, or non-compliant.
- Assign a rating per prototype, then an overall rating for the entire building.
- Compare the grade obtained to the expected grade. Indeed, your quote sets a level of quality. The question then becomes whether you achieve it.
- Photograph the non-conformities. This way, everyone can see exactly what needs to be corrected.
With regular visits, statistics highlight recurring problems. They can even show that the frequency specified in the quote isn't sufficient. Furthermore, they indicate which employees need help, and with what: this is where coaching comes in. A meeting on-site, a demonstration of the right method or product, and you address the problem at its source.
Measure to improve, not to punish
The goal is not to catch your employees out. On the contrary, good quality control is carried out in accordance with the specifications and with respect for the employees. Its purpose is first to understand what the problem is, and then to help everyone improve through feedback and coaching.
Do you want to know the status of your building?
CF Salubrité offers a housekeeping quality control service Tailor-made. Start with an assessment visit: we visit a sample of your premises and provide you with a clear picture of the situation, along with our recommendations.
514-795-5962 (French) - 514-730-1801 (Spanish)
