Fall in Wisconsin is an opportunity for businesses, both internally and externally. This season is your chance to prepare for the inevitable deep freeze and snow that comes with our Midwestern winters, and to clean your office space and warehouse in preparation for winter business and all the melted water that gets tracked in during the winter. As a business manager, you can seize this opportunity in one of two ways: you can in-house the work to your maintenance and janitorial employees or you can outsource the work to an external company. Outsourcing does make sense for many businesses, regardless of size, as we discussed in our recent blog post. However you handle your business fall maintenance, you can utilize the same fall cleaning and maintenance checklist:
- Clean out the file cabinets & clear off desks. Is the pile of papers on employee desks as tall as your staff members? Though you’re all busy, set an hour or afternoon for cleaning desks and shared common cabinets. Bring in a shredder or large boxes for unneeded papers. Sort, organize and shred all unnecessary paper piles.
- Deep clean your kitchen. Even with regular cleaning, a quick deep clean by a professional can keep your kitchen functional and extend the life of your appliances.
- Remove the dust from curtains and blinds. Dust and grime can build up in your curtains and blinds and you may not notice; this can cause allergy issues for staff members.
- Organize and inventory. In your warehouse and office, clean, sort and take inventory of office supplies, product and raw materials. Dust and take stock of what you have so you’re prepared to process orders and customer inquiries efficiently and expediently.
- Give the floors a professional cleaning. Get your floors ready for the inevitable tracking of snow, ice and salt across your warehouse and office floor. Take this opportunity to get your floors cleaned beyond regular vacuuming and an occasional spot clean. Hire a professional cleaning service to wax, polish and carpet clean your facility during business off hours so your floors are protected from the winter grime. If you have area rugs by your exterior doors, get those professionally laundered as well—before the snow falls.
- De-landscaping. Now is the time when a thorough landscaping is not optional, especially when preparing for winter. Hire a maintenance service to clean out dying vegetation (such as flowers, shrubs, etc.), trim trees so you don’t have any issues with ice building up and dropping branches, clean up branches and leaves so your storm drains are clear and clean off walks and steps before they are coated in snow.
- Keep your outside as maintained as your inside. If you own your building, or are have an agreement with your landlord to maintain the parking lot, pick up the parking lot, lawns and outside areas around your workplace. Hire a professional cleaning service to power wash the building, seal the parking lot and keep the exterior of your building looking professional and clean. These small preventative tasks can save you a lot of headaches when the snow comes in, and even a few trips and falls from ice that dams up around your blocked storm drains.
