Adhere to These Cleaning Protocols at Your Warehouse Facility

Cleaning protocols and checklists have come under intense scrutiny lately due to the ongoing pandemic. The reality is that there is no downside to this, even though visiting and revisiting your cleaning responsibilities can be stressful and time-consuming. 

While no two sets of cleaning protocols for different facilities are the same, especially not so across different industries, the DNA (or frameworks) for cleaning is very similar. What that means for your warehouse facility cleaning protocols is that you can save some time and mental energy by gathering or refreshing your cleaning protocols by glancing at the same for other types of facilities. The rest is up to you and the specifics of your warehouse. Here are some cleaning protocols you should adhere to for your warehouse facility:

Distinguish Tasks by Frequency

Daily, weekly, and monthly should cover the three prongs of your cleaning protocols when it comes to the different cleaning tasks and the frequency at which you execute them. Here are a few tasks within each category:

• Daily: sweep floors, empty trash, disinfect high traffic surfaces, wet mop floors (in the event of spills, stains, or presence of other contaminants).
• Weekly: dust light fixtures and fans, polish windows, wipe blinds or shutters.
• Monthly: deep clean floors and inspect warehouse floor coatings, remove pallets from storage and cleaning storage areas, steam clean any carpeting, check wet areas for mold and mildew.

Interior vs. Exterior

While exterior warehouse areas provide a lower risk of exposure to viruses such as COVID-19, their maintenance is just as important as your warehouse’s interior. Why? Airborne viruses and other germ or bacteria particles easily and regularly attach to common outdoor debris, such as grass, leaves, dirt, and more. 

Debris that is tracked in is an unsuspecting contaminant. To combat this, your warehouse cleaning protocols should include attention to your warehouse’s exterior. For example, sweeping walkways, steps, landings, doorway areas, and loading docks requires only one person and one broom, and makes a world of difference.

Make a Habit of Making Checklists

A good checklist is an easy way to keep track of who did what, and when they did it. When it comes to the size and cleaning needs of even a modest warehouse, it will be incredibly difficult to sustain today’s sanitary standards without making a plan, setting clear procedures, delegating specific cleaning responsibilities to specific warehouse staff, and executing day in day out.

Incentivize Your Staff

There is no healthy competition like a clean(ing) competition. The beefed up cleaning protocols and added tasks may require you to hire professional help. In the event that this puts a strain on your budget, you may want to explore incentive programs for your employees. Having your warehouse staff compete to display the best sanitary habits and increase their cleaning efforts is a fun and cheap way to raise the standard of “clean” in your warehouse facility!