QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Cleaning Benchmarks

Written by Heidi Schwartz. Posted in Interiors, Question Of The Week, Safety

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Published on January 09, 2012 with 2 Comments

QOW logo 150x102 QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Cleaning Benchmarks

Q. What are typical/benchmark cleaning frequencies for office areas including hard floor surfaces, vacuuming carpets, steam cleaning, carpets, etc.?

Also, should building occupancy/load be used in determining a specific cleaning schedule (in addition to RSF)?

Rodger Evans
Engineering Group Manager
General Motors
Michigan
Essilor USA

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About Heidi Schwartz

Heidi Schwartz

Schwartz joined Group C Media in April 1989 as managing editor of Today's Facility Manager (TFM) magazine (formerly Business Interiors) where she was subsequently promoted to editor/co-publisher of the monthly trade magazine for facility management professionals. In September 2012, she took over the newly created position of internet director for TFM's parent company, Group C Media, where she is charged with developing content and creating online strategies for TFM and its sister publication, Business Facilities. Schwartz can be reached at schwartz@groupc.com.

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  • http://pibenchmark.co.za Karen Ward

    I am in South Africa and am involved with a company called Purchasing Index and we do cleaning benchmarking but only in SA unfortunately. If anyone find a similar service in the USA please ask them to contact me as sharing processes would be great. Thanks, Karen

  • Chris Cusick

    Great question. Although my view may be a bit biased, I think from a carpet cleaning perspective, it all depends on the facility. FM’s should work with service providers to develop custom cleaning solutions that meet the building’s size, traffic patterns, occupancy, etc.

    As a general rule, the more traffic a space has, the more often the carpet should be cleaned. The program should maximize your budget dollars by creating a schedule that takes into account the high, medium and low traffic areas. Daily vacuuming in your high traffic areas is also a good idea.

    Thorough cleaning should also be done more frequently during cold and flu season to help limit the spread of bacteria and viruses.

    Best of luck!