Should ‘night time fairies’ be a thing of the past, while daytime cleaning becomes the norm?

Daytime cleaning might be touted as the ‘next big thing’, but it seems that UK organisations still prefer their cleaning to be a ‘covert’ operation.

This is also the case across the majority of Europe. According to the European Federation of Cleaning Industries’ (EFCI) survey, ‘Cleaning in Europe – 2012 edition’, cleaning services remain predominantly performed outside of the usual periods of occupation of the premises. This trend is particularly seen in office buildings, but it also applies to commercial premises and buildings with public access.

In Europe, on average, cleaning services are performed either early in the morning (24%) or in the afternoon/early evening (38%). In the UK the survey found that just 11% of cleaning is undertaken in the daytime, contrasting sharply with Norway (80%), Finland (75%), and Sweden (70%) who seem to have embraced daytime cleaning far more rapidly than other countries.

At Ceris Burns International, we are proud to work with some of the best contract cleaning companies in the business, and their feedback mirrors the EFCI findings.

Some organisations do acknowledge the potential benefits of daytime cleaning. Cost savings in terms of energy and security can be made by not having to keep workplaces open for longer; and by having operatives on-site during ‘office hours’ a more responsive service can be provided. However, it seems that the idea is a bit too radical to be taken up across the board, with concerns about noise and disruption still taking precedence.

One UK sector that does seem to be warming to daytime cleaning, according to our clients, is higher education. University campuses are big places, so daytime cleaning can work well in these locations, with operatives cleaning rooms and spaces that aren’t in constant use, such as lecture halls, while students are studying elsewhere. This makes for a responsive, but unobtrusive service – which is an attractive proposition in educational settings.

So, while night-time cleaning might remain the UK favourite, the alternative may well be starting to make up some ground.

Published in Tomorrow’s Cleaning – September 2013