Offices, restaurants, schools and kindergarten cleaning. These appear different but have something in common. Unlike domestic cleaning there are no permanent residents living there. When people live in an area they put at least some effort into keeping it tidy, even when they pay professionals to clean. Restaurant clientele may care a lot about a clean table, but they expect it to be cleaned for them. The restaurant staff may undertake some cleaning, though this is usually not their main job. Schools may also clean some of their grounds and equipment, but teachers are not paid for this, and students (at best) are being trained into responsibility. The same goes for kindergartens, only more so. The people who frequent these venues do not have a personal investment in keeping the place clean, it’s not of any great concern to them and it’s not their job, hence the reason why virtually every commercial venue employees professional cleaners.
Kindergarten cleaning:
The two big factors here are germs and untidiness. Children are in the process of leaning to pick up after themselves, but they need reminding because of their negligence. They are just as likely to hide an object as put it back in its proper place. Occasionally this is a safety issue, when things fall out of cupboards or find their way underfoot, but it’s mostly just inconvenience. Fix things whenever they can.
Germs are more of an issue than anything else. Kids are taught about hygiene, but often don’t form the habits till later in life. Saliva, food and drink, the contents of the sandpit and anything from a bathroom surface can get passed around to every chair, table and wall in the building, not to mention the collection of toys. The child’s height means the germs can never get more than a few feet off the ground, but every surface a child might touch everything under three or four feet, should be routinely disinfected. Wipe down handles, chairs and anything the children touch on a regular basis. This includes window, which children find fascinating.
A few kindergarten teachers told me that hygiene practices improved when they put in dispensers with scented soap. Children were more likely to use soap if they thought it smelt nice like candy. The same principle, make it attractive to children, probably applies elsewhere. Notice what the kindergarten uses and suggest this if you think it is appropriate.
Restaurant Cleaning:
Restaurant kitchens are the biggest issue here. They are bigger, heavier duty versions of domestic kitchens, along with a few problems of their own. There’s probably as much food preparation in one night at an average hotel as there is in a domestic kitchen in a month. And remember, all the waste product from that is going down the drain in a matter of a few hours. Given the heavy demands made on the drain I always suggest checking this before anything else.
Floors should be cleaned first, so that any debris that lands on the tables and food machines is removed later when these items are cleaned. The floors should be treated with anti-slip compound where appropriate.
An advantage with a commercial kitchen is that a lot of the floor can be mopped directly into a drain. As long as the floor is dry before the next shift starts this shouldn’t present any problems.
Sinks are the worst area ever for germs. Any decent kitchen has several sinks, including one for the mops and cleaning equipment. Disinfect sinks every time you clean, and check for potential drain blockages. If a sink is slow to empty of water there is a blockage forming. Either remove this, or report it to the person in charge.
Use green/natural products where you can, though there is some truth to the notion that heavy duty cleaning requires something that the natural products struggle with. The vast majority of cleaning can be done with natural products; save the stronger stuff for the occasional stain.