What are the 3 Things a Cleaner Must Have?

The three most important things to keep in mind when it comes to commercial cleaning are tools, training, and time. Without them, it would be incredibly difficult to do a near-perfect job when it comes to the actual clean.

I say near-perfect because let’s face it, nothing is ever perfect (as much as we try to be).

Imagine showing up to work one day and you’ve forgotten your laptop at home. Immediately you’re without your required tool to do your job exceptionally.

Now, to add to that stress, your boss assigns a task to you that is due at the end of the day... Not only do you not have your laptop, but the assignment you’ve been given is also not going to be completed in the requested timeframe.

This is what some commercial cleaners end up facing every day – they aren’t provided with the right tools, or the time necessary to complete their tasks. Imagine the frustration and stress you would feel in that situation.

But don’t worry, that’s why the team at In-Tec are here to reveal to you in this article why the three T’s are so vital to any commercial cleaning company.

And with over 27 years of experience in this industry, we know exactly what cleaners need to provide outstanding cleaning results!

Why is it important for a cleaner to have the right tools?

The world is evolving every day, all around us things become more technical. Technology is constantly on the move and this doesn’t stop in the cleaning industry.

Part of the cost that you’re paying for a cleaner, falls back onto the tools that they use to clean your business. Lower quality tools = cheaper.

However, this may not mean that they don’t do a good job. But could it be even better? The simple answer is yes!

When it comes to modern cleaning equipment, we’re talking battery pack vacuums and battery-powered mops. Yes, you read that right, battery-powered mops!

Those two alone increase productivity levels instantly, saving time on tasks that aren’t required when cleaners use these products.

For example, having to unplug and move around with a vacuum only to plug it in a different spot that was just out of reach! With a battery-powered vacuum, that step is eliminated.

The battery-powered mop – its correct name being the i-mop. A gift to all cleaners in the commercial cleaning industry. Without it, they’d be stuck doing it the way most of us do it at home! And I’m sure we all know how time-consuming that can be.

With the right equipment, comes the right training which we discuss in the section below.

Why training a cleaner is so crucial

Training. It’s everywhere. Most businesses go to the effort to train their employees, but I say most for a reason.

Last week, the team at In-Tec interviewed an employee. We’ll call him Bob.

Bob explained to us that the previous cleaning company he had worked for didn’t train him. They more so gave him the tools and off he went, expected to clean with little to no experience behind him. Now, of course, he certainly cleaned to the best of his ability with the tools he had, despite lack of experience. But could he have been better? Definitely.

But how could this have been achieved?

If the cleaning company trained him of course!

In fact, he was very relieved to know that at In-Tec, we would assign a supervisor to train and monitor him and work right beside him until he was confident enough to work on his own.

Now I understand that training costs more, and it’s easy for companies to just throw the cleaner in and hope for the best. Because it’s cheaper, they don’t have to pay someone to work alongside them, they saved a buck.

But did they really? Well, yes, they did. But what they didn’t realize was the impact that it can cause later down the track. Dun! Dun! Dun… An unhappy client. And we all know nobody wants this!

So, what’s the trick to avoid this?

Hire a cleaning company that train their cleaners! Both you and the cleaner deserve it – you’ll be a happy customer and the cleaner will be a happy employee.

The importance of time in a cleaning service

Finally, the last T you’ve been waiting for... time!

Time is the key to everything, it never stops. It’s always ticking by, even in the moments you wish it would slow down. Sometimes you need more time, sometimes you’re sitting there waiting for it to go by, like when you’re counting down to a concert or a much-needed holiday.

Time is an important aspect in the commercial cleaning industry. If you give too little time to an employee working on a site, they’ll rush to get things done, because they don’t have the allocated time to work through it all. Can you blame them? Of course not.

Do you know what else you’ll end up with? A burnt-out employee - an employee that has run out of energy and time to do their job to the best of their ability.

If you don’t allow enough time for a cleaner to do their job, you could end up with cobwebs still lingering in the corners of your office. It’s an easy thing to skip over when you have ten minutes left and a whole area that still needs a good vacuum.

This precisely is why it’s so important to allow your cleaners enough time to do the required tasks.

At In-Tec we understand this, which is typically why we budget for two hours per site. However, sometimes a cleaner won’t even need the two hours. It could be done in… 30 minutes... 45… or just a single hour.

This is because sometimes a site will already be clean from the previous day, and won’t need as much tending to because it actually hasn’t become messy in those 24 hours. But at least our cleaners know that the allocated time of two hours is there if they need it.

No chickens running around headless here trying to achieve all the cleaning tasks in a limited time!

Why tools, training, and time are vital for a cleaner

By now, you should have a fair idea of the importance of the three T’s.

To briefly summarize this article for you, training is a must for any cleaner. Not only will they benefit from it, but so will you. Remember, trained cleaners = happy clients.

Everyone needs time. Giving cleaners the right amount of time to get things done at a reasonable pace will result in a happier employee and a more thorough clean. No missed cobwebs!

And lastly, modern technology is your friend. Whether it be by using a battery-powered vacuum or the i-mop, time won’t be spent on pointless tasks like having to unplug and plug in a corded vacuum numerous times a day.

If you’d like to know more about the modern technology we use here at In-Tec, feel free to read the article How Modern Cleaning Equipment Can Benefit Your Workplace Sustainability Goals.