The Most Overlooked Cleanings in Industrial Spaces

03 January 2022
The Most Overlooked Cleanings in Industrial Spaces

Cleaning industrial spaces can be, in some ways, one of the most frustrating jobs in the janitorial profession. A wide array of different facilities fall under the “industrial space” banner, and they can have wildly differing cleaning and maintenance needs. In some, cleaning (in the very literal sense of removing dirt and grime from surfaces) will be the primary objective; in others, sanitizing/disinfecting activities may be the chief concern. But they do all have one thing in common—some room or area is consistently overlooked by janitorial staff in almost every industrial space. Let’s take a look at two of the most frequent culprits.

Cleaning Locker Rooms

In especially large spaces like warehouses and manufacturing facilities, employee locker rooms are common. Because they’re essentially storage for personal effects that can’t be taken onto the production floor, these rooms will typically be both the first and last stop for workers. That means that the floors in locker rooms tend to accumulate the greatest amount of dirt and debris brought into the facility from inside and outside—hence, they’re also a major source of harmful or damaging contaminates that are spread throughout the space. Cleaning these floors thoroughly is a vital step in preserving the health of employees and operating life of machinery in the facility.

Storage Areas

Most industrial spaces—especially those used for manufacturing—will have some sort of long-term storage area(s). These may house machinery or equipment that’s used infrequently, cleaning and painting supplies for shutdown periods, old/overstock production, or as catchall rooms that contain a little bit of everything. Whatever the case, these rooms should not be overlooked just because the amount of foot traffic they see on an average day is low. Allergens and other environmental contaminants have an opportunity to settle and accumulate, and when people do enter the storage areas, they kick them up into the air in huge quantities. Make time to clean these spaces intermittently so that that doesn’t happen.

Above all, never be complacent when cleaning industrial facilities. Don’t skip spaces that seem underused or otherwise “clean enough”. Apply a critical eye as you clean; try to spot areas where dirt or debris settles and spreads to the rest of the facility. And, when in doubt, trust the experts at Benman Industries.

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