7 Valuable Spring Cleaning Tips That Will Make Your Facility Shine

Spring is finally here. It's time to work on a plan for your facility to make a fresh start. Winter snow and sleet is combatted with liberal use of salt. Salt and moisture makes its way into your facility. Even with regular winter maintenance, they leave their mark. As facility managers, you need to be proactive. A thorough spring cleaning of your building from top to bottom is essential to maintaining employee health by preventing illness and allergies. It is also a necessary step to protecting your brand image by keeping your facility in top condition.

What are the steps to achieving this monumental task? Before you begin, it is prudent to take a walk through your facility. A walk-through is a fabulous way to catch even those small problems that have arisen due to wear and tear throughout the year. If you can, ask your facility service provider to walk with you in order to catch those details you might overlook. Keep an especially sharp eye for unobtrusive items that require repair or replacement such as:

• Door stops, door sweeps and sticking locks;
  
• Damaged blinds and draperies including their hardware;
  
• Cracks in tile and grout, floors and walls;
  
• Damaged light switches and faceplates;
  
• Expired fire extinguishers.
  

Now that you’ve made that checklist it's time to attend to breathing new life into your winter-tired facility. Armed with your checklist and following the 7 steps to a thorough spring cleaning, you will be managing a healthy and attractive facility once again.

1. Begin by looking up. Clean and Repair the unseen surfaces at ceiling height. Thoroughly clean:
   
   • ceiling beams;
     
   • light fixtures;
     
   • ceiling fans;
     
   • ceiling surfaces
     
2. Eye level is next including Walls, Blinds, Draperies.
   
   • Thoroughly dusting and washing walls and draperies will significantly reduce allergens and prolong their practical life span. 
     
   • Deep cleaning blinds removes dust, dirt, grease and other pollutants.
     
   • If marks and scuffs are significant, spring is an excellent time for giving the walls a facelift with a fresh coat of paint; if you are upgrading your brand, spring is a great time to work wall treatments into your overall plan.
     
   • Thoroughly clean and sanitize countertops, cupboards and appliances.
     
   • Scuffs or gouges in wood trim or other surfaces should be repaired and refinished at this time. Follow with polishing and buffing.
     
   • Dust and disinfect work areas including keyboards and phones.
     
   • Wash the dust, grime and insect activity that has accumulated on windows including sills and ledges.
     
   • If you have glass partitions this is the time to wash and buff these as well.
     
3. Next look down - Hard Floors, Carpets and Furniture. Winter is extremely harsh on hard floors and carpets. Spring is the time to both bring them back to life and prolong their useful service by removing stains, allergens, odours, bacteria and mold.
   
   • If you have hardwood floors, have them cleaned using manufacturer’s recommendation, fix any scratches and gouges and have them resealed.
     
   • Thoroughly clean tile floors, repair damaged grout and reseal them.
     
   • Vacuum all carpets and steam clean them.
     
   • Vacuum and steam clean all upholstered chairs and fabric furniture panels.
     
4. Make your Restrooms Fresh as a Daisy. Spring is the time for deep-cleaning by getting rid of build-up that harbours dirt and germs and making any necessary repairs.
   
   • Sanitize all restroom surfaces, fixtures and floors.
     
   • If mirrors are cracked or damaged replace them now; if not clean thoroughly.
     
   • Re-calk sinks if necessary; replace cracked or damaged sinks and hardware.
     
   • Repair or replace damaged toilet paper, hand towel and soap dispensers.
     
   • Check baby change stations for safety and repair or replace if necessary.
     
5. Give your Kitchen a Thorough Cleaning. Spring is a good time to give your kitchen areas a complete clean – inside and out.
   
   • Take everything out of cupboards and clean inside.
     
   • Do the same for all appliances.
     
   • Strip, seal and wax vinyl floors.
     
6. Condition Air Conditioning Units. In the heat of summer, comfort of employees and patrons is paramount. Unused, air conditioning units build up dirt, sludge and insect activity resulting in odors, allergens and higher operating cost. Without regular maintenance, the unit degrades and may fail when you need it the most. Spring is the perfect time to ensure that your air conditioning is in optimum working condition when you need it.
   
   • Thoroughly clean the outside of the unit.
     
   • Make sure the ground around the unit is clear of debris.
     
   • Clean the coil to improve energy efficiency, air quality and longevity.
     
7. Green up Your First Impression.
   • Make people happy before they walk through the door through landscaping;
   • A formal landscaping plan or a few pots by the front door will make a valuable impression and can be an integral part of your brand statement.
   • Greenery inside also contributes to a welcoming environment as well as having the ability to improve indoor air quality.

Giving your facility a thorough spring cleaning is a win-win proposition for the company. Just like with winter maintenance, money spent on spring cleaning will improve your bottom line by improving employee health and productivity as well as improving customer experience through revitalization of your brand. Capital expenditures are reduced through proper maintenance of infrastructure and equipment. Be proactive this spring. Make a fresh start for your facility with a thorough top to bottom spring cleaning.