With so much traffic, is there any way to guarantee that your supermarket cleaning jobs are getting done, and done right?
The short answer is “yes.” Yes, you can guarantee that those contracts for supermarket cleaning jobs get done, and they get done right. There are, however, a few obstacles to work around.
Supermarket cleaning jobs can be lucrative. They usually have a large footprint, get a lot of foot traffic, and need regular cleaning. They can also be complicated.
Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those that aren’t open overnight typically have crews stocking shelves, ordering, and taking inventory. In other words, there’s rarely a situation when you aren’t working around people shopping or working. And unlike an office cleaning job, the people in supermarkets are constantly moving.
At the same time, supermarkets depend on offering customers a clean, inviting shopping experience. Scuffed floors, dusty shelves, and stained carpets give the impression that the overall cleanliness and food safety aren’t the priorities they should be. That’s why it’s so important that you can guarantee the work you and your team perform is top-notch. Here’s how.
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7 Ways to ensure your supermarket cleaning jobs are done well
1. Start with your walkthrough. Your walkthrough is going to be very different when you’re bidding on a supermarket cleaning job. Not only are supermarkets massive, they have a little bit of everything: cooling units in the refrigerated and frozen foods sections, employee breakrooms, public restrooms, glass along the entrance as well as on freezer doors, tile, carpet, floor mats, shelving, and multiple kitchen and food prep areas. It’s essential that your walkthrough accounts for all these details; not only will that impact your bid, but it’s also crucial for workloading and your cleaning checklists.
2. Ensure you have the right people. Because there is so much square footage, a supermarket cleaning job requires a solid team that communicates well and has the skills necessary to perform the different tasks.
3. Make sure you have the right equipment. Again, with so many different surfaces, you’ll want to ensure you have the right equipment for the job. Floor surfaces may include wood, polished concrete, tile, or carpet. You’ll have high-touch surfaces around check-outs, dry and wet surfaces, and there will likely be high surfaces that you’ll need a ladder to reach.
4. Use a detailed checklist. Organization is critical to make sure the job gets done right. Your team might find it helpful to use a checklist divided into sections of the supermarket, such as bakery, produce, frozen foods, dairy, and so on. You may even want to break things down further, as if each area was its own job.
5. Take advantage of QR codes. QR codes, like Scan4Clean by Janitorial Manager, can help you and your team track and document your work. Your team can upload pictures and get real-time details about any work that is or is not complete.
6. Close sections as you work. Although not the most convenient approach, you may need to close off sections of the store as you work to ensure safety. This might not be an issue if the store is closed and you’re working around people stocking, but in the case of a store that’s open 24 hours, you can’t keep an eye on every customer that walks in. Certainly, use your wet floor signs and other safety protocols, but some of your work may require a traffic-free period. Your best bet is to work in small sections, one at a time. That way you can maintain safety while disrupting customers as little as possible.
7. Bring on the robots! While cleaning robots aren’t right for every situation, supermarket cleaning might be one of the times when they are called for. You’ll find they range from programmable to almost entirely autonomous. Similarly, their features and indications vary widely, too. That said, once programmed, many of them will do the exact same job the exact same way every single time. If you’re short on cleaning staff or want to look at new ways of working, robots and drones are at least worth checking out.
Supermarket cleaning jobs do require some extra effort, but the rewards for your commercial cleaning business can be immense. Stay organized and work efficiently and you’ll find it becomes second nature.
Harness the value of Janitorial Manager to streamline your cleaning operation like never before. Learn more today with a discovery call and find out how to make your cleaning operation more efficient and cost effective!