Cleaning Industry Health and Safety Acknowledgements
November 5, 2010 Posted by maurice in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning News, Office Cleaning , 2 commentsIf we stop to think about the cleaning industry, it is probably the only industry together with the utilities industries that provides its services to all the other industries. Employing large number of people in all sectors of the economy from schools to hospitals, public places to private offices, shops to factories. With an extensive work range that covers all cleaning activities from strenuous industrial cleaning jobs to day to day office cleaning services and even household cleaning can be included.
In this article I’ll take an in-depth look at health and safety for office cleaning services. Before I dig any deeper into this subject, did you know that a risk assessment is required before a company can start to provide its office cleaning services? Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.
That said, lets take a look on how to create a Risk Assessment for a new cleaning contractor. Risk assessments are not rocket science but do need special attention as they are used to identify hazardous working conditions and provide practical actions to protect people from harm and injury.
According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) to create a risk assessment you only need to follow 5 steps:
An example of an office cleaning risk assessment can be found at the HSE’s website as a pdf file.
Now we all have a brief on how to create and the importance of a risk assessment for office cleaning services, lets take a look at the most common injuries and accidents faced by cleaning professionals working inside offices and buildings in general.
The three most common accidents faced by office cleaners are slips and trips, manual handling and falls from height. These accidents are directly related to the most common injuries affecting the cleaning industry. They are: Injury to backs and upper limbs and occupational dermatitis.
To sum things up I’d like to point out a few working places and conditions where there might be risks for those of you working or hiring office cleaning services.
Wet floors are the most common working condition with a certain accident degree of risk. Make sure all staff are provided with anti-slippery footwear and wet floors are signalled at all times.
Electricity is another area to be extremely aware of, ensure that all cables are covered properly; sockets are not overloaded with too many power leads and keep water away from these areas.
Storage room cleaning, ensure that all the old file’ boxes are pilled up evenly and do not exceed the recommended stacking height to avoid them falling on people.
Having covered the basics of health and safety within the cleaning industry now you are more prepared an aware of what needs to be done before you hire a cleaning company. In most cases, cleaning companies offer the risk assessment for free and prior to you signing their contract.
Office Cleaning Expert with over 15 years of experience working with commercial cleaning in central London and surrounding areas.
Top 10 Green Cleaning Tips
April 19, 2010 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips, environment , 14 commentsGreen is the new trend. Every industry is at least trying to convert their procedures to environmentally friendly. One industry that has been investing big to earn the “Eco-Friendly Label” is the cleaning industry with the developments of biodegradable cleaning products and cleaning methods that will keep a place smelling fresh without the toxic effect.
Here at Total Clean we strive to deliver an environmentally friendly office cleaning service by applying cleaning products and methods that are less harmful as possible to the environment.
We also have a great concern for our clients’ homes, reason why every once in a while we publish cleaning tips to help them maintain their houses as fresh and clean as we leave their working place. This time we compiled a list with our top 10 Green Cleaning tips for you to keep your house fresh-smelling without harming your family’s life.
1.Employ green cleaning products
As the health and environmental impacts of conventional cleaning products become more thoroughly understood, more and more brands of healthy, green, and effective cleaning products have started hitting the market and competing for that coveted place of honor under your sink. Many of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources (not petroleum). But if designer labels aren’t for you, home-mixed cleaners can get the job done and then some. Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Mix in a little warm water with either of these and you’ve got yourself an all-purpose cleaner.
2.Avoid poor indoor air quality
It is not uncommon for the air inside a home or office to be more toxic than the air outside. This is because of the presence of toxic materials and substances and the fact that homes and buildings are better insulated than ever before (which is a good thing from an energy standpoint). Keeping windows open as often as possible allows fresh air in and keeps toxins flowing out. This is especially important when cleaning your home.
3.Be careful with antibacterial cleaners
The antibacterial and antimicrobial ‘cleaners’ that many people think are necessary, especially during cold season, don’t clean hands better than soap and water, and also add to the risk of breeding “super germs,” bacteria that survive the chemical onslaught and have resistant offspring. The FDA has found that antibacterial soaps and hand cleansers do not work better than regular soap and water, and should be avoided.
4.Help your home smell baking soda-licious
Baking soda not only removes those strange smells coming from your fridge, it’s also a great odor-eliminator for your carpet. Just sprinkle on a little baking soda to soak up some of those odors and then vacuum it up.
5.Clean your indoor air naturally
Skip the store-bought air fresheners and instead try boiling cinnamon, cloves, or any other herbs you have a fondness for. Fresh chocolate chip cookies also have been known to create a friendly aroma. Also, plants may not make your house smell different but are good for filtering interior air–pretty much any broad green leaf plant will do. Peace Lilies are a favorite choice.
6.Toss toxic cleaners carefully
When replacing your cleaning products, don’t just throw the old ones in the trash. If they’re too toxic for your home, they won’t be good for the drain or the landfill either. Many communities hold toxics & electronics recycling days and will take all of these off your hands. Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply and come back to haunt you (see How to Go Green: Water for more).
7.Avoid conventional dry cleaners
Conventional dry cleaners are the largest users of the industrial solvent called Perchloroethylene, or perc, which is toxic to humans and also creates smog. The two most common green drycleaning methods are carbon dioxide cleaning and Green Earth. Seek out cleaners that use green methods. If you do take clothes to conventional cleaners, be sure to air them outside before wearing them or putting them in the closet.
8.Employ a green house cleaning service
For people don’t have the time to clean their own homes, fortunately there are an increasing number of green cleaning services out there to help get things spic and span. If you can’t find one in your area (or their rates are outlandish), call around until you find a service willing to use the products and methods you specify.
9.Leave the toxins at the door
Imagine what’s on your shoes at the end of the day. Bringing that oil, antifreeze, animal waste, particulate pollution, pollen, and who knows what else into the house is not good news, especially for kids and other critters that spend time on floor level. Keep the sidewalk out of your home with a good doormat or a shoeless house policy. Many green buildings now include entryway track-off systems as a means of maintaining a healthy interior environment. Less dirt also means less sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, which means less work, water, energy, and fewer chemicals.
10.Design with clean in mind
Designing houses and other building with cleanability in mind can create spaces that are cleaner, healthier, and require fewer substances to maintain. In larger buildings, good cleanability can also be a big money-saver as cleaning costs can often add up to as much as half of a building’s total energy costs.
Why not help us extend this list? Share your green cleaning tips and lets make the world a cleaner place without harming it.
Office Cleaning Tips: Reducing Paper Clutter
February 9, 2010 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips , 4 commentsAnyone who has ever visited a company’s head office to find their office looking like it’s been annihilated by adverse weather conditions, will probably admit that their opinion of the company went down as a result.
In the same way that you can’t help but judge the author of an email littered with spelling and grammatical errors, you invariably judge a company whose employees’ work at desks piled with seemingly random papers.
It all comes back to that age old rule: your first impression counts – mess that up, and you’re facing an uphill battle that could’ve been easily avoidable. Whether we like to acknowledge it, a cluttered, untidy and – worst of all – unhygienic office is likely to scare off new clients. In fact, never mind about new clients, you want your current partners to hold you with high esteem, right? If so, undoubtedly the best way for that to happen is creating a clean, organised environment and sometimes the best way to do that is by hiring a professional office cleaning company.
As a business manager, the key is to shift the company’s attitude to creating clutter. This is significant for two reasons.
First is because the overall efficiency and productivity of a business can increase when employers spend just a minute a day less searching for documents etc. By itself a minute doesn’t sound like much of course, but accumulatively – over the space of weeks, months and years – it can make profound difference to your business’ growth.
Secondly, cleaning gets harder the worse mess becomes. It’s human nature to put off chores like cleaning until tomorrow. Problem is; tomorrow comes and the mess is worse, making tidying up even more of a chore. It’s a vicious (and ultimately messy) cycle!
So how can you sort this? In today’s office cleaning tips we will bring you a wise and environmentally friendly idea to help you reduce paper clutter in your office. The tidiest offices are generally those that simply have less material clutter to begin with. And how do they manage this? By bringing in a digital filing system…
It’s likely your business already has a network, and that’s a great starting point. Next comes a complete overhaul of the network’s file structure. This will take some time and careful consideration. A general rule-of-thumb is that an effective digital file system – when compartmentalized – reflects exactly how the business is organised and leaves room for future amendment and likely change.
Of course, there will always be a need for hard copies. However, to discourage printing unnecessary hard copies, some organisations have avoided giving each employee their own filing cabinets, and instead, opt for a communal filing station that of course means getting up, walking over and finding the appropriate file.
Although simple, making this change and gathering your troops for a inspiring talk about the reasons behind, is a sure fire way to instal greater productivity and the priceless benefit of your employees and clients enjoying spending time at the office – the value of which barely needs our endorsement!
Eco Friendly Cleaning, Telling the Real From the Fake
January 19, 2010 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning News, Cleaning Tips, environment , 1 comment so farEco-friendly is the big buzzword right now in the cleaning industry and manufacturers of cleaning and maintenance products have caught on to this trend, introducing eco friendly cleaning solutions to their products lines.
The main criticism with eco-friendly cleaning services and producs is that it’s a higher expense for something that has the same outcome as traditional cleaning solutions. Overall, it’s easy to wonder if you’re getting bang for that extra buck.
Now, you will see a lot of terms thrown around such as “green” “eco friendly” and “biodegradable” when looking at cleaning products or services. The truth is that companies will grossly exaggerate their green credentials in order to convince you that their products are non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-carcinogenic.
If this is the case, then how do you tell apart the real from the fabricated?
Well, for a start, the Environmental Protection Agency offers an eco-friendly certification called Design for the Environment – which essentially validates any claims to being eco-friendly.
Another way is to look for “Green Seal” certification which, again, will appear on a product’s packaging and identifies the product as fulfilling eco-friendly standards. That said, such certifications are voluntary, meaning that not all products without these certifications are not eco-friendly.
In our experience, super-slick branding and packaging for products that profess to being eco-friendly often turn out to contain ingredients that are chemical-based as opposed to citrus-based solvents, vinegar, natural abrasives and essential oils.
This is mainly down to its parent company responding to the demand without wanting to invest in new product development. We’d suggest that, when all else fails, look for minimal packaging or cleaners that can be refilled from concentrate to cut down on packaging waste – as they often turn out to be the most effective and genuinely eco friendly cleaning solutions.
Now for cleaning companies a way to certify that their cleaning services are eco-friendly is to ask for their green accreditations and for their environmental cleaning policy.
Green Cleaning ideas for your home
December 10, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice , 16 commentsWhile it might seem rather arcane to use natural ingredients for cleaning, most modern synthetic cleaning products are based on the same principles of chemistry that allow tea tree oil to remove mould.
Not only are these natural ingredients equally effective as branded products, most can be found in your kitchen cupboards and are entirely non-toxic. Meaning you can clean every inch of your home safe in the knowledge that you’re doing it in an environmentally friendly manner using ingredients that cost – ounce for ounce – about one-tenth of the price of their commercial counterpart. Making and trying your own toxic-free cleaning equipment takes no time at all with these simple directions.
First off, you’re going to need some essential, basic ingredients – which you can mix-and-match to find the best cleaning solution. They are: baking soda, white distilled vinegar, tea tree oil, washing soda and a good liquid soap or detergent. To mix and apply the solutions you’ll want, ideally, 6 clean spray bottles and 2 glass jars handy.
Now you’re ready to get cleaning – green style! Let’s start with the most straightforward but versatile cleaning solution:
Multi-purpose cleaner
All you need for this is 1/2 teaspoons of washing soda, a dab of liquid soap and 2 cups hot tap water. Then simply combine the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag. Simples!
Window cleaning
For this one, you’ll need to mix 1/4 teaspoons of liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons of vinegar
and 2 cups of water, again, into a clean spray bottle. Shake it good and use as you would a regular branded product. The soap in this recipe is important, as it cuts the wax residue from the branded products you might have used in the past.
Oven cleaning
The notoriously hard-to-clean feature of every home: the oven can turn into a grimy mess without regular cleaning. To stay on top of this, measure 1 cup (or more) of baking soda, fill a jar of water and prepare have liquid detergent at-the-ready.
Clean by sprinkling water generously over the floor of the oven. Cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is virtually turned white. Then sprinkle some more water on top and let the mixture set overnight. The grime will loosen considerably by the next day, allowing you to wipe away the grease. Once you’ve cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent (or soap) onto a sponge and wash the remaining residue. If this recipe doesn’t work for you, use more baking soda and water next time! Don’t worry, just pile it in.
Mould removing
This spray is a proven winner with removing mould and mildew. It works particularly well on mouldy ceilings and mouldy shower curtains. The key ingredient in this mix is tea tree oil, which can be expensive, but a little goes a very long way. All you have to do is combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups water in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. And voila, you done.
Now we want to hear from you. Have you got any green cleaning tip that you would to share with us? Please use our comments to share your eco-friendly cleaning tips.
Green cleaning – The healthy option.
November 26, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning News, Hospital Cleaning, Office Cleaning, environment , 4 commentsCleaning is essential for maintaining hygiene and health. We clean our offices and homes to remove dust and germs, and it also makes us feel good, no one likes to stay in a dirty, untidy mess. Different cleaning processes and endless varieties of cleaning products are available for office or home use.
It has been proven for some time that some commercial cleaning products can pose threat to your health. According to scientists and physicians, strong chemical compounds used in cleaning products can cause different dermatological and respiratory problems for people and that’s why people are opting for green cleaning.
Indeed, green cleaning is the ideal form of cleaning which does not involve the use of any chemical based cleaning products and thus has no side affects that could harm the health of people or the environment. As the name suggests, green cleaning is a natural formula for keeping your surroundings clean and fresh. Unlike factory-made, cleaning solutions and detergents, green cleaning is totally free from all kinds of toxic chemicals.
More and more places like hospitals and nursing homes are implementing green cleaning as the safest cleaning process. The USA and European countries are using green cleaning in commercial areas like offices, markets and shopping centres that witness the presence of large numbers of people with different health conditions on a daily basis. It is also extremely beneficial to cleaning staff who work with cleaning agents on a daily basis.
Another major reason why people have largely accepted green cleaning is the availability and cheap cost of the items; lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda and washing soda are the most effective green cleaning product and are purchased at a much cheaper costs compared to toxic chemical-based solutions and detergents. You can apply these natural ingredients for cleaning anything in the office, home and leisure industry, without any kind of threat to your health minimise the risk of damage to your belongings.
Carpet Cleaning Tips: Removing Stains
August 18, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips, Floor Treatments, Office Cleaning , 12 commentsBe it a home or an office, keeping carpets clean is by far the hardest cleaning task, no matter who you ask, your house cleaner or office cleaning company, I’m sure they will agree with me.
All carpets require a periodic carpet cleaning scheme, be it a residence or an office, bacteria, soil and grit are the major causes of wear and tear and this will reduce the carpet’s life.
For offices and other workplaces, a regular carpet cleaning program will increase the carpet’s life, but without a doubt carpet’s biggest enemies are stains, here are a few tips to remove them without damaging your carpet.
Beer Stains
Not very common in a workspace, but whoever hasn’t spilled beer on a carpet can throw the first can! Mop up the stain with a paper towel and sponge with warm water or soda water.
Wine Stains
You probably have heard this one before, to remove red wine stains simply pour white wine over fresh red wine stains or squirt with soda water. For white wine simply squirt with soda water.
Chewing Gum Stains
No doubt the most feared of all carpet stains, do it wrong and you damaged your carpet for good. So get a blunt knife and scrape up as much as you can, if the gum is still sticky place ice in a plastic bag around the gum to harden it and keep scrapping as much as possible. Apply carpet shampoo to the area and clean, wait until it’s dried them vacuum it off.
Coffee Stains
Very common both in an office or at home, blot with kitchen towel or similar, sponge with soda water, blot dry and repeat until the stain has gone.
Ink Stains
Another great enemy of carpets. Removing ink stains will depend on the type of ink. For ballpoint ink stains dry it up as quickly as possible. Dab with menthylated spirits or use a stain remover.
Fountain pen ink stains need to be diluted with soda water then mop up as much as possible. Make a hot solution of soapflakes and apply on the stain and leave it for 15 minutes then blot. Repeat the process until the stain disappears.
Fat, Oil, Grease or Candle Stains
Lay blotting paper or brown paper over the stain, place a cloth over the paper and apply a medium iron to draw the grease into the paper. You may need to follow this up with a good quality carpet shampoo. If the grease has penetrated into the pile, the stain may reappear weeks later as it seeps upwards, requiring further treatment.
Tar Stains
Another nasty carpet stain that if incorrectly removed can damage the carpet for good. First, scrape the excess tar off, make a solution of equal parts of glycerine and water, apply and leave it for an hour then rinse it with water. Again repeat the process till the stain in completely gone.
There are other types of carpet stains, but to cover them all would turn this post into a book! If you have a better technique to remove the above carpet stains, or would like to share another carpet stain removing tip, please don’t hesitate to share them with us and our readers.
How to Make Sure Cleaning Products Are Eco-Friendly
August 11, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips, Total Clean Services, environment , 1 comment so farIt is no longer so easy to find non-toxic and natural cleaning products as advertisers can be tricky.
- The first rule in making sure a cleaning products are really non toxic is read the ingredient list.
- Avoid petroleum-based solvents, chlorine, ammonia and phosphates and avoid products that have “danger,” “poison” or “warning” on the label.
- Look for cleaning products that have particular information regarding biodegradability.
- If a product is marketed as “natural,” read the label more closely (petroleum is also classed as “natural”).
- If you need a scented product, choose one that uses essential oils. Avoid products with synthetic fragrances.
Now you have all the information needed to ensure your cleaning is eco-friendly. However, if what you really require is a contract cleaning company to provide a bespoke service please visit the Total Clean website.
Prevent Spread of Swine Flu Through Office Cleaning
July 21, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Contract Cleaning, Office Cleaning, Total Clean Services , 1 comment so farLet’s be honest now we are all hoping that the colleague sitting across from our desk coughing right now doesn’t have the dreaded swine flu, so much so that you’re considering pulling out the face mask you purchased the other day!
And whilst the issue of swine flu is on the rise this may be a little drastic, and is important to realise that not everyone nursing a cold is affected.
But still, there is always a chance that some unlucky person could get this horrid illness, that is where the importance of office cleaning comes in.
Making sure your office environment is clean, should result in everyone remaining healthy and clear from illness.
Here at Total Clean Services, we offer bespoke office cleaning for your company in and around the London area, by using the best and most effective cleaning methods.
The following are just a few examples of the ways office cleaning companies can help prevent clients getting swine flu or any other illnesses.
- Ensuring a good supply of tissues for office desks.
- Ensuring sufficient stocks of soap and hand drying supplies are always available.
- Clean the hard to reach areas often forgotten about like light switches, door knobs, keyboards, phones etc which can get really grubby.
For more information about Total Clean’s office cleaning services, please click here.
Summer Cleaning Tips
July 7, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips, environment , add a commentWith the sunny weather actually arriving in the UK this summer, it is time to get your home clean and ready for the many barbecues and evenings spent outside.
Cleaning Windows
Each summer, you should clean your outside windows and screens.
Always use a broom to remove spider webs and dirt before using water. Be careful of possible bee, wasp, or hornet nests.
Driveway and Deck Cleaning
The start of summer is a great time to do these once-a-year cleaning jobs. Our first tip is to not use a power washer! They are very dangerous to you, and can destroy your deck and driveway.
For outdoor decks, you can use a diluted mixture of TSP or deck cleaner, and then use a push broom or stiff brush to scrub the deck clean. Be sure to rinse well.
Grease stains can be treated with kitty litter or dry cement left to absorb the stain and then swept away.
Luggage Cleaning
It is the time for summer holidays, so chances are you’ll be dusting of your old suitcase and bags, with this you will probably notice how dirty it has gotten since you used it last year.
So here are some tips on how to clean your luggage without ruining it. Firstly, clean the outside with a diluted mild cleanser (leather should be cleaned with a commercial leather cleaner).
If the inside has developed a musty smell, clean it with a vinegar-water solution. Then let it air dry for several days.
After your holiday and before putting the luggage away for storage, toss a fabric softener dryer sheet into the closed bag, especially if you don’t use the luggage often to keep it fresh.
So now you’re set with our cleaning tips you can get your house prepared. But if you have a larger invironment that needs cleaning like an office, Total Clean Services could be just the company you are looking for.
We offer bepoke contract cleaning for businesses, for more information please click here.
