Cleaning Strategies Author examines cleaning approaches from a cost perspective. By: Rich Parillo Cost-effective B Beginning in the late 1990s and continuing for several years, there was an ongoing debate in the professional cleaning industry regarding which cleaning strategy was best. In other words, which cleaning system improved worker productivity the most, was the most cost-effective, was the best at enhancing worker morale and resulted in the greatest customer sat-isfaction. Now, with the staggering slowdown in the econ-omy, cleaning professionals and their customers no longer have the luxury of debating these issues; everything has become more about the bottom line. The key considerations now for a cleaning strat-egy are which is the most cost-effective, produces the best results and can be implemented the fastest. Unfortunately, even with this new criteria, itʼs still difficult to determine which strategy is the “best.” There are many variables to consider, including how the facility is used, how it is laid out, how long the cleaning workers have been servicing the building and so on. However, the majority of cleaning strategies have been in use long enough now that we know most of their strengths and weaknesses. From that, we can make some reasonably solid determi-nations. Photo courtesy of Kaivac Inc. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Cleaning Strategy . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Consultants . The Cleaning Strategies Before comparing the major cleaning strategies in use in the United States today, letʼs first better understand them: Zone Cleaning: This is by far the oldest clean-ing system and still the most common. In its sim-plest form, Zone Cleaning refers to one cleaning worker cleaning one area and performing all the ⊳ Regardless of the cleaning strategy, cleaning effectiveness starts with well-trained employees. 38 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2009
CMM – Archives Apr 2009: 38
