A good time for businesses to spring into action

Alan Lewin, Business Development Director of ServiceMaster Clean, explains how regular periodic/seasonal work to maintain your premises can help save you money 

Spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom, and typically takes place in the first warm days of the year. It has been and suggested that its origins date back to the Iranian ‘Norouz’, the Persian new year, which falls on the first day of spring. Iranians continue the practice of ‘khooneh tekouni’ which literally means ‘shaking the house’ just before the new year.

The term has also become synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning and spring is a time when businesses should be thinking of giving themselves a reorganisation to ensure everything in their building is thoroughly cleaned and restored to a pristine condition.

Less harsh weather conditions mean this is a good time to undertake major periodic work to floors, carpets and upholstery. Many environments require more than a daily clean to ensure a comfortable and safe environment for staff, customers and visitors. Deep cleaning and protective treatment will also lengthen the serviceable life of your flooring and upholstery.

What should be included in the cleaning and restoration schedule?

Some vinyl floor surfaces may require deep scrubbing using a rotary machine and a suitable brush head to properly clean the floor. Other floors may benefit from removing damaged seals and applying fresh coatings. Parts of a carpet get greater use than others, like doorways, the area in front of chairs and the middle of stairs, so are likely to show signs of wear earlier. Spot cleaning can be used to remove specific marks or spills.

All too often carpeting, vinyl and other flooring is disposed of in favour of new surfaces when it starts to look tired. The technology for dealing with surfaces that were previously considered beyond repair, has improved dramatically.

Maintain high standards

Once you’ve undertaken a thorough deep clean and restoration programme, it’s important to maintain those standards throughout the year. Without regular, professional care, carpet or flooring that could remain fresh and bright for thirty years will be dull and worn after as little as ten.

Clearly different facilities will have varying requirements. For example, industrial sites will differ greatly from an office environment or educational setting. Your cleaning service supplier should take time to understand the company they are working for and approach the work with enthusiasm. Specialist products may be required to clean specific flooring and surfaces.  The amount of footfall will also have a bearing on the cleaning schedule.

Bespoke carpet care

Michelmores is a leading law firm, advising commercial and private clients across the UK and abroad. The organisation prides itself on keeping its offices in Exeter, Sidmouth, Bristol and London sparkling clean.

A key feature of the interior design in its Exeter office are Milliken floor coverings – which are particularly colourful, hard wearing office tiles. Every six weeks, ServiceMaster Clean provides a regular carpet cleaning programme, focusing particularly on high traffic areas. This is conducted at the weekends, so that the 290 staff across the six floor levels are not disturbed when consulting clients.

Facilities Manager, Andy Heard, said: “The floor coverings are over eight years old, but that’s hard to imagine, as they look as good as new. ServiceMaster Clean make sure the floor coverings are cleaned to a very high standard and, therefore, we have not had the extra expense of replacing or restoring. They have also stripped and polished vinyl floor coverings in other areas and made sure that entrance matting is free from dirt.

“ServiceMaster Clean has been working with Michelmores for over ten years and provides a high quality service, whilst being extremely trustworthy. They also clean floor coverings at our Sidmouth office and our newly fitted offices in London and I would recommend their services to any type of commercial business.”

Further information about ServiceMaster Clean’s full range of services can be found at: www.servicemasterclean.co.uk or by calling 0845 762 6828.

Published in Cleaning Matters – February/March 2013