One of the Toughest Cleaning Tasks Around

Cleaning large retail store warehouses, mega-hardware stores, and other big-box retail stores are some of the most difficult jobs in the cleaning industry. One reason for this is that there is no set cleaning system used as a uniform guideline. Most facilities develop their own cleaning systems to fit their particular needs.

Another reason is that large warehouse locations are often dirty environments. Whereas offices buildings just need to be maintained once satisfactory cleaning standards have been attained, large warehouse locations can have demanding cleaning needs on a daily basis, requiring professionals to start from scratch just about every time they clean.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that some locations are operated around the clock. Cleaning while workers are present makes the task more difficult because the warehouse workers’ health and safety become primary concerns. Additionally, cleaning itself can produce a considerable amount of dust that can be harmful to workers, the machines they use to do their jobs, and the products stored in the warehouse.

Bill Allen is an industrial cleaning specialist with Tornado Industries. He suggests the following mega-warehouse facility cleaning strategies to make the job easier, safer, and healthier:

Conduct Proper Hiring

“Warehouse and large-area floor cleaning can be much more physically demanding than many other forms of cleaning,” Allen says. “The industrial cleaning workers hired must be physically able to do the work.”

Allen says that he has seen warehouse managers purposely rush potential new cleaning workers through a warehouse. “If they can keep up with the manager, they will have the endurance to do the job,” he says. “If not, they will probably tire too easily.”

Allen also suggests looking for team players when hiring large-area floor cleaning workers. “Working in teams boosts productivity, morale, and efficiency. If they are not team players, it simply makes getting the job done properly, quickly, and safely more difficult.”

Offer Training

As with all cleaning, the better trained the workers, the more thorough and professional a job they are likely to do. Some machinery used for cleaning warehouse floors, such as heavy-duty industrial sweepers, requires advanced training and experience. Additionally, different machines often have different controls, features, and capabilities. Depending on the equipment, the worker may have to learn the particulars of the machine such as how to maneuver, guide, and operate the sweeper; how to stop it quickly when necessary; and how to avoid harming walls, warehouse equipment, and other workers.

In some states and localities, special certificates or licenses may be required to operate certain equipment that is used when cleaning and maintaining warehouse facilities. Additionally, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and other organizations may have trash-removal restrictions that apply to industrial sweepers, as well as safety and hazard-prevention guidelines that must be adhered to.

Select the Right Equipment

Because a heavy-duty, industrial sweeper is usually the main piece of equipment used to clean warehouse floors, choosing the right sweeper to tackle the task is imperative. “You need equipment that is large and powerful enough to do the job. It should be versatile, be thorough, be easy to operate, and have superior filtration systems,” Allen says.

Controls used to operate the sweeper should be centrally located. These gauges should monitor fuel, engine, and all other major equipment activities and allow for a full range of speed and brush settings, according to Allen. He also notes that the sweeper should be able to travel forward and in reverse and able to negotiate slopes up to approximately 20 percent.

Sweepers that operate on gas as well as propane or battery power make the machine more versatile and useful, according to Allen. Gasoline-powered sweepers cannot be used indoors at most localities. A machine that can switch from propane or battery power indoors to gasoline outdoors saves customers a considerable sum of money while improving productivity.

“The air-filtration system is also very important,” says Allen. “I have seen industrial sweepers with poor filtration that release dust and dirt into the air, harming indoor air quality, [harming] the health of workers, and blanketing warehouse machinery and products.”

He suggests using machines that have plastic fiber filters because they provide improved dust control and are less prone to damage or moisture in the vacuuming process. “I would also advise using machines that have washable filters,” he says. “And some machines even have ‘filter shakers’ that release dust and debris from the filter once the machine is turned off. This helps keep the filter clean on a regular basis.”