The look and cleanliness of a storefront is becoming increasingly important to attracting and keeping customers, especially in regards to laundromats. If a laundromat isn’t clean and well kept, a customer will not view it as a space that will clean their belongings. Think about it in this sense, “If I were a patron, would I want to use this laundromat?” Standardizing and putting a cleaning program in place is a great way to have a consistently clean store.
The first step for standardizing your laundromat's cleaning program is to define the cleaning standard. The standard should cover the main areas of the facility that customers will interact with. Key areas include bathrooms, outside the store, and the laundromat floor. All areas should have no visible grime or litter, clean floors, and no odors. A frequency schedule of what needs to be cleaned will need to be set up for what needs to be done multiple times a day, once a day, once a week, and so on. Any other standards can be put into place for the store according to preferences and what each space needs.
To accomplish and maintain a standard that will impress customers, consider devising a green cleaning plan; this is step two. Using green cleaning involves using specific products, processes, tools and equipment. Concentrated cleaning products reduce waste while also boosting cleanliness, microfiber can conserve water, low-temperature cleaning can also save energy.
Step three is to implement training and to teach all employees the way to be able to do a consistent job. For instance, with the bathroom, start high with mirrors and then work your way down to the floor, refill all paper goods and soap, empty trash receptacles, and mop floors. The bathroom should be checked multiple times throughout the day because it is a high volume area.
You should work on keeping up the outside of the store everyday. Pick up trash and sweep, clean outside windows and doors to remove dirt, grime, and any handprints or smudges. The laundromat floor where all the machines are will need to be dusted, wiped down, floors mopped, trash baskets emptied and new liners put in. Wiping down the machines should be done multiple times throughout the day while mopping can be done at the end of the night. Anything else deemed necessary can be customized to each store's needs and preferences as well.
Implementing a reward system for employees who follow the training will increase the likelihood of employees doing a consistent job. Holding monthly lunches or parties for staff to show appreciation for their work and cleaning efforts won’t go unnoticed. Another way is to turn cleaning into a competition. Providing a reward to the person who does the most cleaning in the laundromat is a good way to incentivize cleaning.
The final step, step four, is monitoring the green cleaning performance. This final step provides the ability to track continuous improvement of safety and hygiene standards by recognizing where the cleaning programs need to be refined. Tracking how much time is taken to complete a task versus how much time it should take and how much product is being used are basic ways to start monitoring the cleaning performance.
Following these steps can help maintain a consistent image to customers. A clean business is incredibly important, especially for a laundromat. When a laundromat is in disarray, it’s never a good sign. Having a business that is clean and pleasing to the eye is a positive sign to customers, both new and old, and will help maintain a profitable business.
Searching for Electrolux Dealers NC? Consider Speed Queen and Continental First!
If you want to buy equipment for a new facility or replace your old commercial washers and dryers, call T & L Laundry Equipment. We're not Electrolux dealers NC, but we are the top Speed Queen and Continental dealers. We’ve been around for 40 years, so we can give you valuable advice on the best equipment for your laundromat. We know that purchasing industrial dryers and commercial washers in North Carolina is no small investment, so were are here to make it easier. Make the choice to partner with T & L so you can have access to the best commercial laundry equipment on the market.
