Sorting Out Your Supply Closet

After a while, chemicals can pile up in your facility’s cleaning supply closet. There’s no need to take time out of your or your cleaning team’s busy schedules to organize the cleaning supply closet since Cintas offers its Signet Cleaning Chemical service. With this service, a Cintas partner comes into your facility to assess your cleaning team’s needs. From there, they’ll regularly monitor, refill and maintain the chemical dispensers to ensure your cleaning team is ready to go. 

Simplifying Your Supply Closet is Easy as 1, 2, 3 

Having too many cleaning chemicals on hand can lead to improper use or dangerous mixing of those chemicals. It’s a good idea to consider streamlining your facility’s cleaning supply closet as it can make your cleaning team’s job easier and minimize safety risks at your facility. 

While it may seem like a daunting task, remember that the benefits of streamlining your facility’s cleaning supply closet include: 

Increased labor efficiencies

A properly stocked cleaning supply closet with the suitable types and amounts of chemicals and tools can mean huge time savings for your cleaning team. For example, four types of window cleaners, three types of floor neutralizers and six types of oven degreasers are unnecessary. Fewer cleaning chemicals lead to shorter training times since newer cleaning professionals will need to be trained on how to use fewer items. 

Reduced safety risks

Each chemical in your cleaning supply closet comes equipped with a specific set of instructions for proper use. It can be difficult to quickly learn and remember the correct steps for each, which gives way to unsafe chemical mixing. This can be highly dangerous as mixing even common chemicals, like bleach and rubbing alcohol can produce toxic fumes – in this case, chloroform. Fewer chemicals can lead to fewer incidents of mixing incorrect chemicals by providing an easier understanding of chemical labels. 

Regular training can also help minimize safety risks. Having too many chemicals on hand can complicate training, so a simplified closet can help provide cleaning professionals with a targeted training approach that newer cleaning team members can quickly learn and execute. 

Helping the planet

Almost 8 in 10 consumers believe sustainability is a crucial part of running a business; therefore, finding ways to invest in sustainability strategies should be top-of-mind for facility operators. Some options include minimizing waste, using third-party certified products and recycling when possible. All these options can be incorporated when you clean out your supply closet as well. For example, use up existing cleaning chemicals before purchasing new ones and ensure the new chemicals you purchase are certified by a third party like Green Seal or ECOLOGO®. In fact, Cintas offers Green Seal-certified products as part of its Signet Cleaning Chemicals service. 

No Better Time than the Present 

While the time for spring cleaning is many months away, it’s never too early to get your supply closet organized, especially when it can help improve health and labor efficiency. Making a conscious effort to improve your cleaning team’s procedures will be extremely beneficial in the short- and long term. By doing so, your facility can help your cleaning team feel prepared to take on the workday while also helping the planet. 

Julia Messinger is a marketing manager for the Facility Services division of Cintas and is currently responsible for product line management in the cleaning tools and chemicals category.

For more information about facility services offerings from Cintas, visit cintas.com/facilityservices.