Tips for Keeping your Office Kitchen Clean

The office Kitchen can cause unnecessary stress for its users; it can be a battle to keep clean and organisation can go out the window when there are high numbers of staff in and out 5 days a week. But there are strategies that can be put in place to help keep your staff room clean and tidy.

Stock up on cleaning supplies

If there is no access to decent cleaning supplies, then staff will have no incentive to try to keep things clean and tidy in the kitchen. If spills and food residue are left unchecked, then they can become a health hazard which is bad news in a food prep area.

A good stock of cleaning sprays, soaps and detergents, clean cloths, and paper towels, means spills can be wiped up and dirty cups, plates and dishes can be washed up immediately.

Get appliances that are fit for purpose

If you have a medium to large workforce and they’re all using a plate, cup or mug and various pieces of cutlery every day, then that can add up to a large number of dirty dishes. Invest in a dishwasher; dirty items can be loaded in immediately by the user, leaving counter tops free of debris.

To help maintain tidiness in the kitchen you’ll need a fridge big enough for the whole workforce; it needs to have room to store packed lunches, milk, and other sundries. This will also stop counter tops being cluttered.

Have bins emptied regularly

Bins can soon start to emit nasty smells, particularly in warmer weather. If leftover food has been thrown away it can attract flies and other insects, not to mention vermin if not emptied regularly. Make sure that kitchen bins are emptied daily to avoid insect infestation and to avoid bad smells.

Organise storage effectively

Consider all the consumables that need to be stored in your staff room. If your workforce is large enough, then you may have bulk supplies to find homes for. Supplies do need to be easily accessible, and in cupboards within the room, but surplus stock can be stored in a dedicated storage cupboard elsewhere. Boxes or piles of items will not only look untidy but can also gather dust and accumulate dirt before they’ve even been used, so a stock cupboard is a must for bulk buy consumables.

Hire a Professional Cleaning Contractor

Even if you have the most cleaning conscientious staff in your business, there are still tasks that need fulfilling that they just won’t have time for. A professional cleaning contractor has the time and expertise to clean efficiently and thoroughly, looking out for stray spills and crumbs!

Using the appropriate cleaning products is essential to ensure that fixtures and fittings are maintained correctly, and not inadvertently ruined. Your cleaning contractor will have specialist knowledge and have undertaken training in Health and Safety.

 

If you’d like to know more about our services or would like a no obligation quote, you can contact us here.

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Why Some Commercial Cleaning Companies Provide a Poor Service

When you need to hire a cleaning contractor, it’s important to find a reputable and professional provider with positive reviews and recommendations. You need to feel like your premises is in good hands, and that you can trust your cleaning team when you’re not on site.

Many commercial cleaning companies sadly give the industry a bad name. Their customer service is poor, their staff untrained and they deliver an inadequate service. So how can companies like this trade successfully, and why do these problems occur so regularly? Well, the answer to the first part of the question is that ‘success’ can be a two sided coin; unfortunately, some second-rate cleaning contractors can leave a trail of dissatisfied, short term clients and then move on to newer, trusting prospects. The second part of the question is a little broader. Here are some of the reasons.

Bad Management

The cleaning industry is huge in the UK and many business-minded entrepreneurs assume that a contract cleaning business will make them easy money without knowing the challenges and pitfalls. Cleaning may seem easy, but many aspects of it are skilled. Knowing how to deal with health and safety issues, risk assessments, hiring competent team members, all whilst delivering a professional service isn’t as easy as it looks!

Cutting Corners

The size of the contract will depend on how many cleaners and which cleaning supplies are sent to get the job done. Sadly, not all cleaning companies are willing to invest which could result in a substandard job being done. For example, they may only send 3 cleaners for a 4 person job, or cleaning materials may be of an inferior standard. This all adds up to teams cutting corners in a rush to get things done, as manpower or equipment isn’t up to specification.

Lack of training

As stated earlier, many people assume “it’s just cleaning, how hard can it be?” without realising there are many protocols to follow, especially with health and safety and the use of hazardous chemicals. In addition, there is a variety of equipment needed for specialised cleaning jobs. Without adequate training, these machines can be dangerous pieces of equipment.

Knowing how to clean and care for different surfaces is only something that can be learned through training and experience. Providing a high level of training and vetting is just as important in the cleaning industry as it is for any other.

Poor Communication

Sometimes there may be issues with the service you receive, but this isn’t just confined to the cleaning part of the contract. Customers are very particular about instructions and expectations about their cleaning contract, and the contractors need to be transparent. There should be a communications system in place from the outset, so that a client can reach their account manager easily and without disruption to the service.

Providing feedback is an important aspect of any service, so that improvements can be made if needed. Likewise, giving the client regular reports and arranging inspections is valuable in order to maintain a long lasting and rewarding working relationship.

 

Here at Brightr, we ensure that all our cleaners provide us with two references, undergo a rigorous training program, and agree to close supervision of their cleaning. With this process, we can promise commercial cleaning services of the highest possible standard. Each of our team are uniformed and badged so that they are easily identifiable. You can request a no obligation quote here.

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The Less Obvious Benefits of Engaging a Professional Cleaning Contractor

When hiring a cleaning contractor, there are a number of stand out reasons to do so; you want your premises to be clean and hygienic and you don’t want the responsibility of overseeing cleaning personally, to name a couple. What many business owners don’t perhaps think about are the less obvious benefits of hiring a professional cleaning contractor. We’ve put together our favourites to give you some food for thought!

 

  • You’ll enjoy a calmer and more tranquil working environment

Stress in the workplace is very common, and it’s not always just down to the job. It’s a known fact that mess and clutter have an impact on stress levels. Your premises may well be clean, but that could all be for nought if there is clutter and detritus on every surface! Hiring a cleaning contractor will keep the untidiness in check.

Mental Health is as important as physical health, and thankfully we are all more aware of the problems surrounding mental health issues than ever before. A cleaner workplace will have a positive impact on morale within the workforce and your staff will feel valued as well as valuable.

 

  • No Storage Issues

Hiring a professional contractor reduces your storage problems; they’ll bring their own cleaning equipment freeing up your precious storage space. Furthermore, you won’t have the responsibility of ordering cleaning products and equipment as your contractor will take care of this for you.

 

  • Professional Grade Equipment

Every cleaning contractor will have the necessary cleaning tools and equipment for the job. If there’s something that needs more specialist attention, then your cleaners will know how to deal with it. Sometimes, domestic grade cleaning products and equipment are not adequate in a commercial setting.

 

  • Lower Staff Absenteeism

We all know that viruses, germs, and bacteria are becoming more robust and can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours. With your workplace being a busy and communal area, cross infection is inevitable, unless it is cleaned regularly. Light switches, desks, IT equipment, staffroom/canteen equipment and other frequently touched surfaces can harbour all kinds of bugs, so regular cleaning will help eliminate them. This in turn will lead to less illness spreading within your workforce and a reduction in staff sick days.

 

  • Security and Peace of Mind

As an employer, peace of mind is important for you when you hand over responsibility for any part of your business. Each member of a cleaning team will have been fully vetted ensuring that only honest, trustworthy, and reliable operatives will be working on your site. If your cleaning contract is out of office hours, it is vital that you have trust in your chosen provider.

 

Here at Brightr, we believe that commercial cleaning is a people business, and it is only by very carefully recruiting and training the right people with the right supervision that the job will get done. Good people and good systems deliver the right culture! If you would like a quote, contact us here.

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Using a Commercial Cleaning Contractor Could Make your Workplace Safer!

You want your business to be clean and tidy; that’s why you would hire a cleaning contractor in the first place. To keep on top of the day to day cleaning is a really hard undertaking if kept in-house, so entrusting your business to a contractor can take the burden from your shoulders. In short, you need them! But there are other benefits to investing in regular commercial cleaning. By employing a contractor on a regular basis, you’ll be looking after the health and safety of your staff, and any other visitor that enters your building.

Vast experience in the commercial cleaning sector tells us that regular cleaning can bring other benefits to your workplace, which is important as we plough on through the Covid-19 pandemic.

We’ve highlighted a few as follows:

Kill germs dead

High traffic areas and regular touch points are a haven for germs and bacteria to settle and multiply. Your contractor will clean all these surfaces and touch points (light switches, door handles, desk surfaces, phones and IT equipment etc), preferably with an anti-bacterial cleaner to eliminate as much bacteria as possible.

Carpets and soft furnishings can also be a problem, particularly for anyone who suffers from asthma. Dust mites and other allergens are known to trigger asthma attacks, so keeping these furnishings clean is a must!

Clear visibility

Many companies hire the services of an exterior window cleaner, forgetting about the interiors. Of course, the outsides are bound to become dirtier than the interiors, but let’s not forget the benefit of having clean windows inside and out. A clean window lets in more natural light which is known to enhance productivity.

Footfall

Hard flooring can be a slipping hazard if it’s not cleaned properly. In high traffic areas, like the staff room/canteen and toilets, floors need to be cleaned regularly and kept free from debris. Spilled liquids can make floors slippery, and accumulation of dirt and grime can make them feel quite greasy. Not a good combination for a busy workplace.

A cleaning contractor will make sure hard floor are cleaned and treated as necessary.

Prevent trips and falls

Clearing litter and clutter is essential to keep floors clear and your contractor will take care of this each time they visit. Trailing cables can be dangerous and are an obvious tripping hazard, so your contractor will report anything which needs attention. You have a duty of care to every person who enters your building, including your cleaning contractor!

Encourage good hygiene

Of course, keeping a clean and germ free workplace isn’t just the job of the cleaning team. Your employees should all keep good hygiene habits to stop the spread of infection and germs. Washing their hands more frequently, sneezing into a tissue or the crook of an elbow, and cleaning hands after sneezing or nose blowing will help. Provide them with hand sanitising gel if there is no easy access to hand washing facilities.

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How to Maximise Office Hygiene, Safety and Wellbeing

It’s a natural reaction to be a little anxious or nervous about returning to work after months of working from home or being furloughed. It could almost feel like the first day of a new job, as although the surroundings will be familiar there will undoubtedly have been changes made, however slight.

The pandemic has had an effect on everybody, detrimental or not. So, it stands to reason that many employees will be apprehensive when it comes to sharing office space with multiple other people. Lone or remote working has become very attractive to employers and employees alike; employers can retain their workforce but allow them to work from home. This allows the opportunity to downsize to smaller office premises, which means smaller overheads. Employees can enjoy a flexible working week; with no commute they can begin work earlier, allowing them to finish earlier and childcare issues can be reduced for those with children.

Of course, it’s not always practical to have your whole workforce at home. But flexibility is key to staff retention, wellbeing and ultimately safety. Staggering the number of employees in the building at any one time is a good place to start. This way, social distancing can be safely adhered to, and desk arrangements can be implemented accordingly.

So what else can be done to keep your business running safely?

Stop the spread!

  • Sanitising must be the one thing we do regularly. Installing hand sanitising stations, or just placing sanitising gel at strategic points throughout the building will encourage everyone to be more vigilant in the hand hygiene. You could invite any visitors to the premises to use these stations too.
  • Ensure that regular cleaning of high traffic areas/shared surfaces is undertaken.
  • Invite mask wearing. Although this is no longer a legal requirement in indoor spaces, those who wish to can wear a face covering.

Ventilation

  • Where possible, let in fresh air. Poor ventilation allows viruses to remain in the air and on surfaces for longer.

Review Cleaning Procedures

  • Commercial cleaning has always been key in keeping on top of the spread of germs and viruses, but never more so than now. Your current cleaning procedures may need reviewing and adapting to ensure that all sources of potential infection are eliminated, paying particular attention to door handles, phones, keyboards, and appliances within communal areas.
  • If your premises has been exposed to a positive case of Covid-19, then a specialist cleaning service may be required. This will prevent any further spread of the virus within the building.

Relax

Nobody wants to be in an environment that feels ‘uptight’ or uncomfortable. The reality is that we are all adapting and learning to live with Covid, but as the majority of the population are vaccinated and new infection rates are reducing, we also need to relax a little. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be vigilant and abide by rules issued to keep us safe, but if we are to return to anything like the pre-pandemic normal then we must start somewhere.

Why not invest in a commercial cleaning service to take care of the day-to-day cleaning duties? It will help take some of the stress away from workforce, knowing that hygiene and cleanliness throughout the building are being professionally addressed.

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The Germiest Places in your Office

Before the Coronavirus crisis hit, it’s fair to say that most office based workers were spending many of their waking hours in the workplace. Since restrictions have eased and more of us return to work, even part time hours could see us spending 20 hours or more back in the office. Maintaining a clean and sanitary working environment is essential for wellbeing as well as productivity.

The naked eye might see a bright, clean, and vibrant workspace. But germs and bacteria aren’t visible, so unless there is dirt and grime that can be visibly seen, many areas get missed during cleaning as they’re mistaken as already clean.

Ensuring your workplace is clean, and as germ free as possible will help to keep your staff in rude health! It will also be a welcoming environment for client’s and visitors alike.

So which places within your workplace harbour the germs and bacteria that we don’t see? We’ve picked out the hotspots as follows.

Door handles

It can be difficult to get through some doors without holding the handle. The more people who touch handles, the larger the variety of germs left on them. These germs are then transferred from person to person through touch. Make sure you wash your hands regularly with soap and water to reduce the risk of spread. Door handles should be sanitised regularly.

Desks

You may think that the desk you sit at is clean, but you’d probably be surprised to learn that they can harbour more germs than the average toilet seat. These germs usually infect surfaces due to touch from hands, but some are airborne. Again, the best defence against them is hand washing.

Keyboards and telephones

Phones can be more densely populated by germs than your desk. Because of the way in which they’re used, there can be infection transferred to them from hands through touch, and from the mouth onto the mouthpiece. Regular cleaning with anti-bac wipes should reduce the risk of transference between co-workers.

Keyboards are a haven for cough and sneeze residue, crumbs, and spills. All these scenarios are a perfect breeding ground for germs. Clean up and try not to share any equipment with others.

Kitchen

Many items in the staff kitchen should probably concern you more than they do. The fridge can be infested with mould spores from decaying food. Tea and coffee mugs are often inadequately washed up leaving dirty residue, and the microwave can be a health hazard with cooked-on food attracting all kinds of hungry flies and insects as well as moulds and germs.

Even if care is taken with the washing up, sinks and plug holes can often be a magnet for bacteria if the dirty water is not washed away properly. Taps are germ hotspots too, due to constant use.

Bathrooms

E.coli bacteria can cover literally every surface in the bathroom. Washing your hands won’t always rid you of the germs either, because when you have to turn the tap off, you can re-infect your clean hands. Unless you have those push down taps which dispense a timed amount of water, the only logical answer is to dry your hands on a paper towel, and then use it turn off the water.

 

A professional cleaning contractor will be able to assist you in keeping your workplace clean and sanitary. At Brightr, each of our cleaners are fully qualified and will arrive badged and uniformed so you can easily identify them whilst they are on your site. If you’d like more information, you can find it here.

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Cleanliness Visibility in the Workplace in Relation to Peace of Mind for Employees

As the economy reopens and continues its long journey to getting back on track, countless employees who are returning to work after months of home working have one question on their lips: ‘Is it safe in my workplace?’

The pandemic has had a globally disruptive effect on people and the way in which they work and live. Social distancing has had physical and emotional repercussions, as the nation puts safety first. Hand shaking, which was once commonplace, has been substituted with elbow touching or ‘air’ high fiving for fear of passing on the virus.

The challenges for employers eager to have their workforce back on site are no mean feat. Workplaces need to meet a higher standard of hygiene whilst building employee confidence that their place of work is safe.

So how can they do this?

Give them peace of mind

Communicating with your employees is a must. Reassuring them that hygiene standards have been met is key, and the obvious way to prove this is by having cleaning staff as a visible presence during the working day.

Office cleaning has, in days gone by, been carried out ‘after hours’. A cleaning team would enter the premises out of office hours and carry out their cleaning tasks ready for the next working day. But by having a visible presence within office hours, employees can actually see the cleaning being done. This can also have the added benefit of encouraging employees to contribute to keeping their surroundings cleaner and safer for everyone.

It has been proven that productivity can be increased when employees are feeling happy and safe. It’s also an employer’s duty of care to provide a clean and safe work environment. This provides the perfect opportunity to enhance the wellbeing and peace of mind of every employee that returns to their place of work.

Prioritise cleaning in high traffic areas

Busy areas within your work premises could potentially carry the hazard of cross infection. Dirt and grime build up is easy to see, so you know when to clean, but it is invisible germs and infection that are cause for concern.

High contact surfaces or touch points should be cleaned regularly and often, with particular attention paid to door handles, light switches, and stair banister rails etc. Hard surfaces can harbour germs for up to 72 hours, so it is imperative to keep them clean and sanitised at all times.

Keep up high standards

Extra cleaning schedules and routines have generally only been implemented since the outbreak of Covid-19, but the pandemic has certainly given people food for thought. We are all more stringent with hand washing and cleaning in general, and although the majority of the adult population have had at least one dose of vaccine, high cleaning standards need to be continued well into the future.

Here at Brightr we offer a deep cleaning service for Covid-19 infection control and our cleaning teams are available 24 hours a day. For other enquiries about our other daily cleaning services, click here.

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Cleanliness in the Office and its Connection to Workplace Wellbeing

Poor cleanliness and hygiene at work are top of the list of reasons why absence occurs within the workforce. With the exception of the Covid pandemic, minor and short term illnesses such as colds and flu, stomach bugs and headaches are the most common reason why employees take time off sick.

Whilst your company tries to maintain its maximum level of productivity, a bout of coughs and colds is all it takes to throw a spanner in the works. Couple that with time lost through ‘seasonal’ distractions (the office Christmas party for instance) and you could find that the man hours lost can really tally up.

So where does hygiene and cleaning come into play?

It can reduce absenteeism

With common illnesses like colds spreading through the workforce like wildfire, it helps to cut off the problem at source, where possible. Pre-Covid, people weren’t so stringent about their personal hygiene as they might be now, and the spread of infection via contact points and hotspots was commonplace.

Germs and bacteria can stay present on surfaces for up to 72 hours, so regular daily disinfection would eliminate the possibility of harmful infection being transmitted via contact. This would almost certainly have an impact on the number of employees potentially being infected, thus reduce the risk of loss of productivity.

It can highlight presenteeism

This might not sound like a problem, but it is. The fact is people turning in to work when they are ill is doing far more harm than good. They might think they are being conscientious or are afraid they’ll fall behind in their tasks if they take time off. But spreading germs around could cost the company far more in lost man hours in the long run if that one person infects ten more.

Encouraging your staff to work flexibly if they are under the weather could save time and hassle. Ask yourself how productive would they be if they come to work poorly?

Encouraging good hygiene and self-care within the workplace will work wonders!

It boosts overall productivity

Workplace cleanliness is not necessarily something you’d consider a top priority, especially if your company has money to make and no time to waste. When employees have got piles of work to get through, that dust and dirt build-up doesn’t seem all that important. But failure to maintain a clean workspace could be harming employee wellbeing.

A clean and tidy workspace is not only pleasant to look at, but it also has numerous benefits for your company – it creates an excellent first impression to visitors and impacts employee productivity, contributing to overall employee satisfaction. When their working space is clean, staff are more likely to be happier and work harder.

It can highlight the need for solutions and strategies

In order for any solution to be successful you will need to strategise. Start with a comprehensive inspection; find the issues that need to be addressed, for example areas that are high traffic, or are susceptible to clutter or dust and dirt build-up. A professional cleaning contractor will be able to help you identify key areas with cause for concern.

Secondly, for any cleaning task to be carried out successfully, clutter and mess need to be tidied away. Ask your employees to keep their desks tidy and get storage systems in place to help.

Thirdly, seek professional help. Investing in regular contract cleaning will keep your premises pristine. Plus, carpet and upholstery cleaning is time consuming and often requires specialist equipment.

It is however worth remembering that the task of maintaining cleanliness isn’t just a job for your cleaning team. Each employee needs to take responsibility for keeping their workstation clean and tidy during the working day to reduce the risk of cross infection.

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COVID-19: Tackling Challenges and Seizing Opportunities

The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has left almost every industry sector grasping to keep their businesses afloat.  The knock on effect from lost or reduced business has filtered down to the Commercial Cleaning sector with gusto.  That said, the cleaning industry is one that can survive and ultimately thrive as we move forward into the ‘new normal’, whilst we wait for a vaccine to be found.

Right from the start of the pandemic widespread business closures meant that there was little or no need for commercial cleaning services.  The short term outlook for many cleaning companies was bleak.

It seemed for a time that every daily bulletin from the government was issuing new or updated guidance.  Information about how to deal with the virus could sometimes seem conflicting leaving strategists at a loss as to how to move forward safely.

Challenge or Opportunity?

Why not both? Every challenge, however difficult, can create new opportunities.

Cleaning services are still a concern at a time when purse strings are being tightened, especially as many businesses are only employing a skeleton staff. But many of the larger businesses want and need more frequent cleaning as they navigate their way through a new way of working in a more responsible way.

Companies are now looking for daytime cleaning and disinfection within their daily schedule of cleaning.  The challenge with this is having the staff available to facilitate the almost unceasing and round the clock work required!

Update and Upgrade

At Brightr, this time gave us the opportunity to learn more about infection control within our local communities.  Our service offering changed somewhat with the addition of Coronavirus COVID-19 Deep Cleaning and Sanitisation in a bid to help contain the risk of infection within local businesses.

Because of the nature of the virus and it being completely unprecedented, before COVID the demand for disinfection and sanitisation services were not at the levels we find today.  We received countless enquiries and requests for help as the public tried to get to grips with the levels of hygiene required to combat infection rates. This extra communication with our clients has enabled us to respond to their apprehension about bringing employees back to work, their visitor footfall, and the levels of cleaning they should expect once they reopened their businesses.

The Reality

Once thing is for sure; the challenges will remain for the foreseeable future. With local lockdowns being enforced at a moment’s notice, the shifts in expectation of cleaning (and trying to ascertain which services will be needed and when), are far from palpable. In an effort to keep costs stable and retain your clients, the best advice is to remain in contact, continue engagement and be ready to start work as soon as you’re called upon.

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Promoting Good Hygiene at Work

Every business, healthcare facility, school or place of worship has the potential to be an infection hub. The more people that reside or visit there, the higher the risk of the spread of germs and infection. Bacteria and viruses spread quickly from person to person, and we all know as we live through the current pandemic, COVID-19 is a particularly nasty virus that is passed via droplets in the air.

It has always been important to promote good hygiene, particularly in the workplace when you are in the proximity of other people. But it has never been so important as now. Peoples’ lives are literally at risk.

Since we were all first made aware of the COVID-19 outbreak, the number 1 priority has always been hygiene.

Whatever your business, encouraging people to follow good hygiene guidance is fundamental. Ensuring there are facilities available to enforce this is paramount.  Introduce signage around your workplace to encourage the use of hand sanitising in between hand washing, the wearing of face masks as and when appropriate, and reminding people to stay at a good social distance from each other.  Where an acceptable distance cannot be met, then extra precautions must be taken with the appropriate use of PPE.

Where you can provide hand sanitising gel, it must contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective against the COVID-19 virus.  Any hand soap can be provided in your hand washing areas, as the virus cannot survive on soap. Encourage hand washing for a minimum of 20 seconds (sing happy birthday to yourself. Twice!). Paper towels should be provided for hand drying and disposed of immediately.

Although personal hygiene is really important, we must not forget that viruses can survive on surfaces for prolonged periods of time. A rigorous schedule of cleaning should be put into place, taking into account the amount of ‘traffic’ passing through busy areas of your building. Common touch points such as door handles and light switches should be regularly disinfected, as should kitchen and bathroom areas. Desks and equipment, particularly if shared, should also be cleaned on a more frequent basis.

 

Brightr can help, particularly with specialist COVID-19 cleaning. Our team of dedicated cleaners can help you get your premises ready for ‘business as usual’. Whatever ‘usual’ will be for the foreseeable future!

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