As the colder months approach, retail store supervisors and facility managers need to implement a rigorous cleaning schedule. Janitorial services are essential year-round, but in the winter and as the effects of COVID-19 continue, additional preventative measures protect your staff and visitors from germs and illness.
Why Are Winter Cleaning Services Especially Important?
As you prepare for the wintertime rush of holiday shoppers, look around your retail store. Is it clean and inviting? Or does it look like it’s seen better days? If your store looks less than pristine, now’s the time to double down on thorough retail cleaning before the winter months arrive. Invest in customized services that enhance your store from front to back and make customers feel safe and comfortable.
Falling temperatures are an indicator that cold and flu season is around the corner. This doesn’t help the current health crisis we’ve experienced over the past year, either. To combat microbes and bacteria that wreak havoc on our health and minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, winter cleaning services, including disinfecting, sanitizing, and many other tasks, are crucial.
How To Maintain Retail Cleanliness
Chances are you anticipate high foot traffic this holiday season, which is excellent for your business. But such a high volume of customers in one place at the same time negatively affects the air quality of your store, and germs are carried from one place to another. To prevent sickness from spreading among your associates and shoppers, take the initiative to keep the building as safe as possible. Follow these steps to prioritize a healthy and clean retail store:
Disinfect
Cleaning with soap and detergents is necessary to remove dirt and other build-up from surfaces. However, one of the most effective ways to eradicate germs is to disinfect the area. Disinfecting reduces the risk of spreading disease because it kills viruses on non-porous surfaces with chemicals registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To keep the building’s occupants safe during the cold months, be sure to implement disinfecting services.
Sanitize
Sanitizing, not to be confused with disinfecting, is not intended to kill viruses. Sanitation involves EPA-registered chemicals that are powerful enough to kill bacteria and other harmful microbes on contact. Initially, sanitation services were mainly for restaurants and grocery stores. But given the current global health concerns, sanitizing is now necessary for all industries, including retail stores.
The cleaning agents in sanitizing products can keep shoppers and associates safe by reducing the number of germs carried from one person or object to another. Just as you may have hand sanitizing stations throughout the store, add sanitation services to your store’s cleaning checklist.
Clean Restrooms
It’s best to keep your restrooms clean at all times, for obvious reasons. No one wants to be greeted with filth, foul odors, and overflowing trash when they go to the bathroom. Unsanitary toilets are a turnoff to shoppers, creating a negative perception of your company’s values.
Cleanliness all around the store is vital, and that includes comprehensive restroom cleaning services. Although restrooms are a small part of your store, they account for 40% of a building’s soil and bacteria. Proper sanitation prevents these germs from venturing onto the retail floor.
Target High-Touch Points
Certain areas in your building are more contaminated than others. For this reason, high-touch point cleaning services are a great idea for the winter months, when illness is rampant. Regular cleaning may not be enough, so it’s worth going the extra mile to sanitize things like:
- Entry touch points
- Exit touch points
- Doorknobs
- Light switches
- Toilets
- Breakroom kitchens
- Phones
- Registers
- Keyboards
- Countertops
Do your part to mitigate the spread of germs within your retail store by investing in high-touch point cleaning services.
Scrub and Buff Floors
With winter comes snow, mud, ice, and salt, all of which ruin your floors. The salt used to melt the ice is carried across your store as customers walk back and forth. Over time, this makes your hard floors look dull and dirty. Since your floors are one of the first things customers notice, it’s important to keep them clean this winter.
Don’t just keep the floors clean, but dry as well. The last thing you want is wet, muddy footprints causing a slip and fall accident. That’s why it’s important to include floor scrubbing and buffing in your commercial cleaning package. By doing so, you extend the service life of your floors and keep your building looking bright and presentable.
A Clean Store Enhances Your Customers’ Shopping Experience
The first impression your store makes on your customers is everything. It can lead to a sale or it can cause them to shop elsewhere if your building looks sloppy or unclean. A clean and organized store keeps shoppers at ease as they browse.
On the other hand, if your store is unkempt and has dirt, dust, and grime on the floor and walls, the word may spread fast. Never underestimate the effect of negative customer reviews. You want people to have nothing but great things to say about your store’s appearance.
Carlson Building Maintenance Makes Your Retail Environment Shine
Retail store cleaning has endless advantages. It enhances your customers’ experience, improves your indoor air quality, and reduces the spread of germs and bacteria. Just as keeping a clean home makes you more comfortable, your associates and customers feel better in a clean store. Do yourself and your shoppers a favor by prioritizing retail store cleaning services.
Carlson keeps your building in tip-top condition, no matter the time of year. From day porters to green cleaning, our retail cleaning services are customizable to fulfill your needs. Call Carlson today to discuss a wintertime cleaning regimen that makes a beautiful difference.
