The power of first impressions is everything. In retail, your first impression could mean gaining a customer or losing one. The attractive store layout, squeaky clean floors, and odorless air all make for an excellent first impression. Maintaining clean premises is vital to ensure you win your customer’s hearts the first time. But therein lies the catch.
It is tough to clean and sometimes unpleasant. That’s why many American retail owners turn to retail cleaning services to get comprehensive cleaning services. Whether running a multichain store or a minimart, cleanliness is crucial to your success. This post complies with our most effective tips you can implement to ensure your store is the benchmark for clean retail spaces.
1. Create a cleaning checklist
Cleaning a retail space is not the same as cleaning a house. Some cleaners may argue about this, but you can trust our word. Cleaning a retail space involves using safe cleaning supplies, scrubbing, disinfecting, and guaranteeing shoppers a distraction-free shopping experience. The challenge is wrapping around how to balance all that. But you can bypass all your woes by simply having a cleaning checklist.
A cleaning checklist or schedule comprises cleaning times, procedures, and places to be cleaned. In detail, it outlines who should be cleaning where, how, and how many times. While creating a cleaning schedule, prioritize washing high-touch areas like shelves, handlebars, knobs, and more. Consider having squad rotations for efficient cleaning.
2. Choose the right products
Going for eco-friendly products improves the clean quality and creates a lasting impression on your customers. While shopping for cleaning products and equipment, choose all-natural and nontoxic supplies. Prioritize nonaggressive products that retail cleaning services use to clean. The products may be on the steeper rung but are worth every penny. In a similar vein, purchase ergonomic equipment that makes cleaning a cinch for your team. Be green when you clean.
3. Don’t miss the steps
Cleaning standard operating procedures (SOPs) typically outline the areas that need cleaning. It is easy to forget to brush up on some areas in retail cleaning. One particularly common is the stairs. A quick washdown on the steps does not guarantee you a clean space. The steps, like the floor, collect dirt and debris, which over time decolorize them, resulting in a costly paint job. To avoid incurring unforeseen costs, clean the vertical faces of the steps just like you would clean the floor. Schedule pressure washing services from retail cleaning services to remove grime if it has started to build up.
4. Disinfect high-touch surfaces
All cleaning services agree that disinfecting your retail store is the best way to prevent the spread of disease-causing germs. High-touch surfaces like shelves and carts require regular disinfecting. Point-of-sale systems also should be on your roster while disinfecting. Disinfecting and eliminating contaminants create a healthy environment for shoppers and a valuable customer experience.
If your business relies on shopping carts, prioritize a disinfectant wipe-down. Shopping cart handles harbor the most germs in a store.
5. Don’t forget the magical eye test
Crouch down to your table and put your eye horizontally with the surface – this is the magical eye test. A scan over the surface in this position will tell you whether the surface is clean or not. Even pros use the magical eye test to determine the level of cleanliness. The test helps identify spots that are still dusty or lackluster for metallic surfaces. More advanced quality checks involve UV scanners.
6. Pressure wash the entrance
Customers can quickly notice unkempt floors and stuck gummy bears as they walk toward your store. In most instances, customers change paths and head to a cleaner store. Maintaining a clean front yard can be a headache, especially with all the human traffic. While considering the best methods to clean floors and front driveways, look no further than pressure washing. The high-pressure water eliminates the debris building on your floors and imparts sparkle. Best practices indicate pressure washing at least once a month. You can also add pavement sealing to guarantee durability and improve entranceway aesthetics.
7. Thoroughly clean restrooms and changing room
Toilets and changing rooms are probably the most undesirable places to clean. This explains why they are often overlooked. Customers browsing through a retail space rarely access the restrooms or changing rooms. However, this does not mean they won’t notice a dirty washroom. Even though out of view, washrooms must always be clean. The foul stench from a dirty toilet is off-putting to many customers. You will need deodorizers, scouring products, and disinfectants to guarantee hygienic toilet conditions. Equally so, you should accord great care to changing rooms and lactating rooms. Always ensure the restrooms are fully stocked with sanitary supplies such as soap and toilet paper.
8. Leave it to the professionals
Cleaning your store may not be your business’ priority. Admittedly only some execs have specialized knowledge in cleaning retail spaces. Instead of gambling on which product and what schedule is best for your business, hire professional retail cleaning services to get all the surfaces in your store spotlessly scrubbed. In our experience, hiring a cleaning service gets the work done efficiently and results in an immaculate retail space. While shopping for retail cleaning experts, consider the company’s certification and check their past work to gauge the quality. One mark of quality is OSHA certifications. Pricing is also another vital factor. Do not go for cheap services that use unsafe cleaning products, nor do not go for overpriced cleaners. Shop around to get multiple quotations from cleaning companies and determine the one that gets you the most value for your money.
The Bottom line
If 92 percent of customers won’t return to a dirty store, then marketing your store as a clean brand is a no-brainer. Cleaning retail spaces has multiple aspects that you must get right. At Jan-Pro cleaning and disinfecting, we step in to give you a boost in ensuring a pristine retail space for your shoppers and employees. Our practical tips and innate liking for clean aesthetic spaces help us deliver green cleaning solutions to your retail spaces.
A clean retail space creates a positive customer experience that ultimately drives sales. Do not gamble with your retail space’s cleanliness. Take action and watch the big bucks roll in.
