How Do You Clean a Warehouse? [Tasks Involved and Cleaning Process]

Warehouses are known to be notoriously dirty. With their large dust-prone spaces, heavy machinery, high ceilings, dirty old pallets, and vehicles coming and going, it’s no wonder they get as filthy as they do. 

Is your warehouse caked in different substances that are as tough as nails to remove? 

Is there dust and dirt all over the amenity floors? How about the staff breakout areas? Are those really filthy too?

If you’re reading this and nodding your head, then you’re probably in need of a commercial cleaning service. Or, maybe you need a better cleaning service. You know, one that’ll actually remove all the dust, dirt, and germs from your site.

But I don’t actually know what warehouse cleaning is. Will they clean everything that I need to be cleaned? How do I know if I actually need a warehouse cleaner?

At In-Tec, we are asked on a regular basis whether our commercial cleaning services cover warehouses and what it is we actually clean within them. So, in order for you to fully understand what warehouse cleaning entails and whether we’re the right fit for you, we’re going to answer all your questions within this article.

Let’s get started.

What is warehouse cleaning and what areas are cleaned?

Often when we think of warehouse cleaning, we assume it’s just a “quick” sweep of the warehouse floors and a “basic” clean of the pallet racking.

But in this instance, this actually isn’t the case. 

At In-Tec, we see warehouse cleaning as maintaining all of the areas that would fall within a warehouse facility. These areas can encompass:

•     Offices
•     Staff breakout areas 
•     Amenities 
•     Warehouse pathways 

This doesn’t mean that we don’t sweep warehouse floors. This is something we can do if requested by the client. For instance, every week we sweep and auto scrub warehouse floors to remove dust and grime for one of our clients located on the southside of Brisbane. 

What tasks does a cleaner do within a warehouse?

There is a standard 5-6 step process that our highly trained team of cleaners follow for warehouses, offices, amenities, and staff breakout areas. They are: 

🔍 Related Resources:

I highly recommend, if you haven’t already, reading 3 of our articles linked below that talk about how the team at In-Tec cleans these areas. They go in-depth about what we clean, how we clean it, and why we clean it.

What does commercial office cleaning include? [task list + definition]

Commercial Amenities Cleaning Task List

What Cleaning Tasks Are Involved in Staff Breakout Rooms?

What’s the difference between office and warehouse cleaning?

If warehouses and offices both follow the same 5-6 step cleaning process, is there even a difference between the two? Aren’t they the same?

In some instances, yes, they are the same. It’s the same in the sense that office areas, amenities, and staff breakout areas are cleaned both in warehouses and offices. But there are actually 2 major differences that set them apart, and that’s what we’re going to break down for you. 

Warehouses require more intensive cleaning

If you’ve ever been into a warehouse, you would’ve probably seen employees walking around with dirty uniforms, dust flying around everywhere, and rubbish all over the place. 

One of the constants of working in a warehouse is dust, dirt, and grime – that’s just the nature of the site. 

But what does this mean?

Well, because the site is generally a lot dirtier than your standard office building, it requires a lot more rigorous cleaning. 

Think about it. Employees who work in a warehouse are constantly walking back and forth from the main warehouse floor to the amenities and staff breakout rooms. This means that every single time they walk from room to room, they bring dust and grime in from the machinery they use and the forklifts they operate. 

To put it simply, that’s a lot of dirt moving around and is just a constant cycle that never ends. 

Cleaners who work predominantly in warehouses are trained differently from those who clean office buildings.

Why?

Because warehouses require intensive cleaning daily to keep the dirt at bay, cleaners need to be trained to use the appropriate cleaning techniques to get rid of all the filth. 

Tougher stains/grime, means tougher cleaning.

However, keep in mind that finding a really good cleaner for a warehouse facility can be a big ask.

Are you starting to see the difference yet? 

Well, hold onto your safety hats because there is one more key difference that we’re yet to discuss.

Warehouses require more safety protocols 

Have you ever seen warehouse staff wearing high-vis vests, steel cap boots, and/or safety glasses? You probably know why they wear all this gear, but let’s just recap why with a one-worded answer. 

Safety.

Keeping your employees safe is extremely important in any workplace, especially where heavy machinery is used. When our cleaners turn up to clean a warehouse, they are asked to wear high-vis vests and protective boots. 

But it’s not just the uniform the cleaner wears that matters.

Cleaners need to be equipped to work in an area that has more hazards and risks. This could include limited lighting, or unclear pathways, especially if the site is cleaned after-hours. 

As we said before, warehouse cleaners are trained entirely differently from office cleaners, and it’s not just because of the type of cleaning. It’s also because the nature and safety measures of the site are totally different.

What does quality warehouse cleaning achieve?

Quality warehouse cleaning achieves 2 main goals:

• Actively improves the hygiene of your workplace – keeping your team productive and happy
• Ensures your site is clean, not just looking clean – keeping all who visit the site healthy

Do I need a warehouse cleaner, office cleaner, or both?

Take a moment to consider these questions about your site.

Do you have an office complex and warehouse?

Or, do you have a standalone warehouse (with no office buildings attached)?

If you’ve answered yes to the first question, then you’ll need both services. However, if you’ve answered yes to the second question, then you’ll only need warehouse cleaning.

Most people don’t realise that there’s a lot more to warehouse cleaning than meets the eye. Cleaning this type of site requires a high level of intensive cleaning and also a lot of safety protocols that need to be followed. Often, this is something other commercial cleaning companies underestimate. 

And that’s where we’re a little bit different. We understand that cleaning a warehouse is entirely different from cleaning an office building. 

Here at In-Tec, we offer exceptional warehouse cleaning services that are tailored to suit your specific requirements. 

Feel free to download our printable checklist that includes all the tasks your commercial cleaner should be doing in your warehouse!

If you think we may be the right fit for you, schedule a call with us. We're here to help you with any questions or queries you may have about warehouse cleaning.