How To Maintain A Clean Factory

• Clean little and often
• Make employees responsible for ensuring certain areas stay clean
• Have supplies and equipment readily available
• Bring in professionals for chemical and oil spills
• Create a cleaning schedule
• Invest in a cleaning culture
• Contact us today

Manufacturing is one of the most dangerous industrial sectors, with over 3000 injuries occurring in manufacturing facilities last year (the Health & Safety Executive).

A clean and tidy factory is critical to staying up to code with health and safety regulations, minimising the risk of accidents, and maximising productivity. But keeping it that way between cleans can be challenging, especially if your employees don’t have the time or expertise to clean. 

Here at ICE Cleaning, we offer bespoke, all-inclusive factory cleaning services. Our industrial cleaners can use state-of-the-art equipment and industrial cleaning products to make your facility hygienic and organised.

Read on to find out our top tips for keeping your industrial facility looking spotless.

Clean little and often

Frequent, small cleans are essential to stopping dust, dirt, and other debris building up. Daily chores, like sweeping, hoovering, wiping down surfaces and machinery, throwing away rubbish, and emptying bins can quickly restore a facility to pristine condition.

These quick tasks can be done at the end of every shift or at the end of the day so they will not disrupt operations.

Make employees responsible for ensuring certain areas stay clean

Workers will know what needs to be cleaned in their workspace, where dirt tends to build up, and how clean it should be to be productive. So, assign them the duty of cleaning it.

By designating your staff specific chores, too, they should soon learn how to make the cleaning process more thorough and efficient. They can also help you prioritise problem areas that require lots of attention.

Have supplies and equipment readily available

When litter is dropped, something spills, or dust builds up, a quick response is essential to stopping a manufacturing plant becoming very dirty. Encourage your employees to clean up any grime or debris when they spot it by having easy to access cleaning stations dotted around the factory.

However, you should not expect them to clean up spills and messes that require specialist expertise or will take a lot of time. Just invest in simple products, like brooms, vacuums, and disinfectant wipes, for example, to help them quickly clear things up.

Bring in professionals for chemical and oil spills

Serious messes, like fuel or dangerous chemicals that have spilled, should always be left to professional cleaners.

Exposure to some oils and chemicals can cause serious health problems, and clearing it up puts you in much closer contact with the substance. They are also very hard to clean, and you could leave traces of it behind, making for a dangerous environment.

ICE Cleaning’s technicians can swiftly and safely remove all the spilled substance. They are available nationwide and can be on site in a matter of hours in an emergency.

Create a cleaning schedule

A maintenance plan that details what your staff should do, when, and where will ensure your facility is cleaned and tidied regularly. Get input from your workers who know where dirt disrupts operational efficiency to help you focus on areas that matter.

Don’t forget to monitor the cleanliness of the factory so you can pinpoint what requires more cleaning. Check machinery, as well, as dust and grime could impact performance, lead to downtime, and reduce its lifespan.

Certain industries, like pharmaceuticals, require much more intense cleaning to meet the high hygiene and health and safety standards. You can find out more about maintaining these standards in this blog.

Invest in a cleaning culture

To promote routine cleaning, give your employees lots of training in how to effectively clean their designated areas and perform essential chores. They must know the basic standards of cleanliness you expect, and how and when they should clean.

Give them experience with cleaning equipment, too, so they can efficiently use the products and minimise disruption to operations. Make them familiar with the new processes to do with cleaning, such as logging cleaning activity, so you can implement your programme quickly, as well.

Although your workers should keep it tidy and hygienic, don’t expect them to do thorough, intensive cleans. Instead, leave this to factory cleaning companies, like ICE Cleaning, for a high-quality, deep clean. You can find out more about the benefits of professional factory cleaning solutions in this blog.

Contact us today

Our factory cleaners can clean your entire facility, including hard-to-reach areas and the exterior. They have a number of qualifications, including CSCS and IPAF, and can make your facility immaculate outside of operating hours.

To book our technicians for factory cleaning, call our team at 0208 066 0360 or send us an email at enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk.