Houston commercial cleaning services typically involve many chemicals, from those used for disinfecting the restrooms to chemicals needed to maintain floor durability and longevity. Even green cleaning products use chemicals and solvents to help remove dirt, grime, and germs from your facility. Yet, chemicals can come with some serious dangers. That’s why it’s essential to choose a cleaning company that has a comprehensive cleaning chemical safety program. Let’s talk about what that looks like and why it’s important for your company.
Benefit of Outsourcing Houston Commercial Cleaning Services: Less Risk for Unsafe Chemicals
As a business owner or facility manager, you probably outsource your cleaning needs to an experienced Houston janitorial services company. This is an incredibly cost-effective way to keep your facility clean, safe, and professional. In addition, it can help reduce some of the risks of unsafe chemical use in your workplace. Choosing an experienced cleaning company means you have peace of mind that all personnel have training for safe use and storage of cleaning chemicals. It also reduces the amount of time and cost needed to train an employed custodian at your facility on chemical safety. Therefore, there are many reasons to work with a cleaning company you can trust for safe methods, products, and procedures.
Choose the Right Houston Janitorial Services Company
Of course, not all janitorial companies are made equal. It’s important to make sure that you choose a team that not only offers the quality Houston commercial cleaning services you need, but also makes chemical safety a priority. How exactly do you know? Here are some things to look for:
All Crews Need Chemical Safety Training Before Providing Houston Commercial Cleaning Services
One thing to ask is whether cleaning personnel are thoroughly trained before entering your facility to provide Houston commercial cleaning services. It’s important that every person in a cleaning organization knows the potential dangers of misused cleaning chemicals. This includes having clear policies to never mix cleaning chemicals or use them in ways that go against the label. These actions can increase the risk for serious health issues, injury, or other hazards.
Make sure you ask what kinds of training your cleaning crew receives. Always check about specifics like what kinds of chemicals your cleaning crew will use. Also, ask about the janitorial company’s policies are for using and storing cleaning chemicals. This can help you avoid dangers from poorly trained janitorial staff.
Making Sure All Chemicals are Labeled & Listed for Easy Safety Information
Of course, accidents can happen to even the most well-trained and experienced individuals. That’s why it’s also important to make sure your cleaning company has thorough documentation of the types of cleaning chemicals they use. This includes not only a complete list of the chemicals used in the building, but also records of all the safety data sheets for those chemicals. This way, if someone does have a reaction or negative effects from exposure, you can provide all the necessary information about what they may have come into contact with. Ask your company where they keep their cleaning chemical safety data sheets and how you might get a hold of them if needed to assess how good their records are regarding cleaning chemicals.
Storing Cleaning Chemicals at Your Facility
Even if you hire a company for Houston commercial cleaning services, you may still store some cleaning chemicals at your workplace. For instance, most offices keep some basic cleaning supplies on hand for between cleanings. This way, employees can easily clean up any messes quickly. This helps you maintain a welcoming, professional environment even after accidental spills.
Therefore, it’s also important to consider how to keep your facility safe for these cleaning chemicals as well. One mistake we see a lot of facilities make is improper storage of cleaning chemicals. This can create some serious hazards for your workplace.
First, make sure you have a dedicated place to store your cleaning chemicals. This makes it not only easy to find them when needed, but also prevents them from being stored in improper places, such as next to food or near potentially hazardous places.
You want somewhere like a cupboard or closet, which is typically cool and dry. You also want to keep all cleaning chemicals in their original bottles and make sure you keep the labels on. This helps ensure everyone can read the necessary directions and safety precautions before use.
Make sure you keep your cleaning chemicals away from places where the fumes could cause dangers. For instance, right next to an HVAC intake vent could spread potentially harmful fumes throughout your building. Also, some cleaning chemicals might be flammable, so you want to make sure they’re away from any flames or spark sources. Ask our Houston janitorial services company for additional cleaning chemical storage tips specifically tailored to your workplace for help.
Why Concern Yourself with Chemical Safety for Houston Commercial Cleaning Services?
So, why is it important for you to hire a Houston commercial cleaning services company that prioritizes chemical safety? The main reason is because it can create many risks for your workplace. Chemicals don’t just affect the janitorial staff that use them, but can also create serious hazards for your own employees and your customers. Here are a few reasons to make sure you choose a cleaning crew that understands and follows a cleaning chemical safety program:
Major Safety Risks from Improper Chemical Mixing During Houston Commercial Cleaning Services
Many people make the mistake of mixing cleaning chemicals improperly during Houston commercial cleaning services. This can create huge risks to your building, personnel, and the cleaning crew. Improper mixing or dilution can lead to fumes that can harm people’s health. One common example is mixing two popular cleaning chemicals together: ammonia and bleach. This can create chloramine gas, which can burn the skin and lungs, causing permanent damage. In high concentrations, some have even died from this serious cleaning chemical mixing mistake. Therefore, you want to make sure that your janitorial crew knows the rules and proper techniques for mixing cleaning chemicals to prevent health issues and even deadly conditions.
Potential for Hazards from Improper Storage
We mentioned some storage tips earlier for cleaning chemicals. Let’s delve into why this is important and why facility managers should consider proper storage. First, you want to make sure cleaning chemicals are stored in a place where spills are unlikely to happen. This helps prevent unnecessary and unwanted exposure to potentially harsh chemicals. Also, fumes from chemicals can sometimes escape during storage. These fumes can be harmful, especially to those sensitive to them, such as people with asthma or allergies to the products. Finally, many cleaning chemicals can also be potentially flammable, so you want to store them in a place where they are unlikely to come into contact with flames, sparks, or other ignition sources.
Cleaning chemical storage may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Just look at the incident on June 14, 2022 where children were served floor sealant instead of milk because of improper cleaning chemical storage. It’s an extreme example, but not necessarily an extraordinary one, unfortunately.
Other Risks of Incorrectly Used Cleaning Chemicals During Houston Commercial Cleaning Services
We’ve talked a lot about the safety hazards of cleaning chemicals commonly used for Houston commercial cleaning services, but what about other risks? There are certainly other issues to consider. First, if a crew doesn’t use the right chemicals or uses them incorrectly, then they simply may not be as effective. This means your workspace may still be covered in dirt, grime, and germs, despite receiving cleaning services.
Another potential risk of incorrect cleaning chemical usage is that it can damage surfaces and materials inside your building. Just imagine what would happen if someone accidentally used bleach to clean your office carpets. This can lead to aesthetic issues in your building as well as higher replacement costs overall. So, it’s just one other reason to make sure you choose a commercial cleaning company that understands how to properly and safely use cleaning chemicals.
Get Houston Business Cleaning Near You from Accredited Building Services
When you need Houston business cleaning near you, choose our team at Accredited Building Services. We have locations in Houston and Beaumont to provide top quality cleaning services to industrial and commercial businesses. As a local company, we are proud to serve you through superior quality cleaning services and customized commercial cleaning contracts. Since 1980, we’ve been dedicated to helping you keep your building safe, clean, and germ-free. Get in touch now to get a free quote and learn more about our janitorial services!
