How to Deep Clean and Prepare Your Facility for Summer

It’s National Cleaning Week, a time to focus attention on areas that need deep cleaning in facilities. As cold and flu season winds down and we move into summer, our focus shifts to deep cleaning to remove winter dirt and grime, complete daily tasks of preventing allergies and the spread of illness-causing germs, and empowering building occupants to take up some of their own cleaning tasks. In this blog, I will share some of the spring cleaning tasks I do every year to keep the facilities I service in good shape for summer. From deep cleaning to refocusing on daily tasks and identifying efficient ways building occupants can help, this approach keeps buildings clean and well-maintained for the year ahead.

Deep cleaning and seasonal tasks: improve indoor air quality and refocus on overall building health

Deep cleaning this time of year is critical: Dirt and grime from winter gets baked into carpets and rugs, HVAC systems need maintenance to prepare for air-conditioning, and as pollen levels rise a focus on removing allergens from air and surfaces becomes even more important.

Here are the deep cleaning tasks I recommend to optimize building health:

1. High-dusting of vents, returns and completing HVAC maintenance
2. Glass and window cleaning, especially exterior glass to remove the dirt and grime of winter
3. Carpet cleaning and floor care: winter weather conditions bring dirty shoes and salts from snow melt into facilities, everyone wants this removed as we move into spring
4. Replacing or deep cleaning of entry mats that may have taken a beating during the winter
5. Revisit any outdoor seating or common areas to power wash chairs and tables as more people look to soak in the sun
6. Cleaning solar panels to prepare for more sun during the day as the seasons shift

In all cases, deep cleaning does not always mean heavy-duty tools or more product: I have found that ready-to-use (RTU) products can accomplish most tasks without the added complexity of dilution or time-consuming mixing.

Re-focus on daily cleaning to keep buildings healthy all summer: from allergies to Norovirus

Spring is also a good time to re-focus on the basics of daily cleaning and disinfecting, which helps protect surfaces from illness-causing germs and removes and neutralizes allergens to help building occupants breathe easier. Here are some things to consider:

1. Clean and disinfect outdoor areas that people will use such as tables and chairs. As more people get outside to enjoy the changing weather, disinfecting wipes like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes makes quick work of daily refreshes to make these spaces clean and inviting.
2. High-touch points and proper disinfection continue to be important even as we exit cold and flu season to prevent the spread of germs such as Norovirus, which spreads throughout the year. Disinfecting wipes are a great option for during the day high touch surface disinfection, especially wipes that can kill Norovirus like Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes.
3. Keep closets and storage areas clean and organized and keep canisters of wipes accessible for building occupants who may want to do some of their own spring cleaning of their work areas.
4. Check any microfiber cloths, microfiber flat mops, mop heads or other tools that may need replacement. Consider if cleaning and disinfecting wipes would be better suited than microfiber cloths and sprays in areas that need daily touch-ups.
5. Especially in the spring, consider implementing products that remove allergens from surfaces. Many cleaning and disinfecting products can do this.

Engage building occupants to help you and enable them to help themselves

Maintaining facilities is not just about doing a good job with our cleaning tasks, it’s also about creating good relationships and partnerships with the building occupants. By working with them, we signal that we are here to provide services and products that they need and highlight the work we are accomplishing for them.

I recommend providing disinfecting wipes for building occupants in areas they are most likely to use them: kitchen areas, shared conference rooms, their desks, or in classrooms. They will be glad to have easy-to-use products on hand to help handle quick messes, and it will help your team out with the daily cleaning tasks.

Spring is a good time to reset and renew commitments to clean

Tasks can change from facility to facility, so be sure to consider the specific needs of your building. Regardless of the task, RTU products are essential for saving time, allowing teams to focus on what matters most. Whether it’s quick disinfecting or touch points and common areas, or daily reduction of allergens in the air, there’s a product that’s right for the season and for your facility.

If you’d like to learn more about my experience making the switch to RTUs, read my case study here.