Spring Cleaning Tips:

By: Stan Lobchuk of Bison Janitorial

With Spring knocking on our doors, we don’t only need to clean our email inbox, we also need to see look at our surrounding physical space. As the flowers bloom and the mosquitoes arrive, we are reminded to look at our surrounding environment and plan for some spring cleaning, whether it be your residence, office, or workspace, here are some tips to make your return to the office spring clean.

Do a sweep of your building/residence;

With the winter snow gone this is the time to do a once over of your facility and identify the key issues. Use the knowledge and expertise of your maintenance manager or janitorial company to examine the facilities with you, and identify problem areas early. Manitoba winters are known for their harsh conditions, cold temperatures, snowmelt, and corrosive salts being tracked into your facilities all winter leaving floors and carpeting affected and often grimy with salts, gravel, dirt, and sand. These conditions both affect the condition of your flooring and the life of the materials. Dust from the seasonal change gets pulled into your HVAC system and often dispersed throughout the facility, creating an unhealthy, dusty environment for everyone, but especially affecting individuals with allergies and those with compromised immune systems.

Test the air conditioning system

While spring may seem too early to turn on the air, we recommend testing these systems well in advance of when you need them. Once the summer's heatwave arrives, a faulty A/C unit is the last thing your business needs. Since these cooling systems often go unused all winter, they are susceptible to dust and dirt buildup, which could lead to lower efficiency, unpleasant smells, increased allergens, and even unit failure

Flooring – Deep Cleaning

Some areas that take the heaviest toll during the winter months are flooring. To maintain a clean and healthy environment, it is important to clean your hardwood flooring, tile, VCT, and concrete floors at least once per year, preferably in spring as the winter months usually cause the most damage. All flooring should be inspected and cleaned accordingly. A qualified janitorial company using commercial equipment will be able to help you to bring your flooring as close to its original condition as possible. Stripping off the old wax and applying new sealer and wax is the best way to protect your VCT flooring. The layers of wax and sealer act to absorb most of the wear and tear created by floor traffic, which is especially tough on floors in our winter months. Replacing this protective coating at least once a year is important to the longevity of your VCT flooring.

Carpeting is known for holding any sand, salts, dust, gravel, and particles brought into the building during the winter months. To keep your carpet free from debris, it requires a yearly deep clean. They will have the expertise, knowledge, and equipment to bring your carpets back to life. A qualified janitorial company will understand the requirements and equipment necessary to ensure the proper techniques, solutions, and equipment are used to deep clean your type of carpeting, removing stains and contaminants from the fibres.

Deep Clean

A regular deep clean of your facility is essential to ensure a clean environment. Some deep cleaning points of interest are as follows:

· Floor waxing

· Carpet cleaning

· Ceramic floor scrubbing

· Light fixture and sconce cleaning

· Air duct returns and intake cleaning

· Window cleaning interior, exterior, and partition

· Lot/parkade sweeping and line painting

· Overhead ceiling fans

Effects of a Clean Environment:

Studies have shown that a clean living space, workspace, facility, or residence creates a healthier working/living environment.

Sickness.

An excuse for not keeping the facility as clean as you should is that hiring cleaning help can be expensive, especially in a multi-tenant environment. Tenant illness, is a good reason to keep your facilities clean. Investing in a cleaning company, whether they come in a couple of times a week or a couple of times a month is completely up to you, dependent on how much you’re willing to put in a budget for cleaning.

Improve Morale

Another benefit to keeping your facility clean is that it can create a happier environment. An environment that’s cleaned regularly can make people feel like they are valued. They’ll likely want to help maintain a clean environment while they are in the facility as well, by decluttering when they can.

Environmentally Safe products

Some of the most important places to invest in “going green” is in the cleaning department. Environmentally Green products should be used wherever possible. The use of these products ensures a sustainable future for our planet.

Service Offerings

Please ensure your janitorial company has fully trained employees that are specifically trained for your location. Your janitorial company should be bonded, have liability insurance, and complies with all employment and human rights legislation. Your janitorial company should offer the following services:

· Customized cleaning schedules

· Floor stripping and waxing

· Carpet Cleaning

· Post construction cleaning

· Window cleaning

· Inventory control of washroom supplies (where applicable)

· Paper, soap, bags, air fresheners (Where applicable)

· High reach vacuuming

· Covid 19 certified and trained staff

· Fogging and disinfecting services.

For any janitorial needs, please feel free to contact us at info@bisonjanitorial.bjsl, you can obtain a free quote from our website at www.bisonjanitorial.ca or call our office at 204.589.0112.

“At Bison, we don’t cut corners, we clean them”