The Janitors' Closet

How necessary is the day porter?

Had a call from some folks wanting a day porter.  It seemed to be about the same situation as one I wrote about a few years ago.

A client wanted us to quote and provide a day porter for their facility, perhaps an hour per day, mid-day, in addition to our regular nightly cleaning.  They're a large call center, with lots of folks using a couple of large restrooms, in something of a high pressure environment.  So the restrooms get hammered, and my client thought they needed an extra mid-day cleaning

I dropped by, early afternoon, to check the restrooms with the client and to probe a bit on exactly what his concerns really were.  Turns out that overflowing trash cans and empty towel and toilet tissue dispensers were more of an issue than that the facilities' needing to be cleaned.

While I'm not adverse to building some into a contract, I can't see allowing a client to waste his money, even on me.  So I suggested larger restroom trash cans, and more (and larger) paper dispensers.  Buying cans and dispensers cost less than a couple of weeks of day porter service would have.  And we're always available to run someone out on short notice, in an emergency.

Less hassle for me, and much less expense for my client.

Water use and the World Cup

It seems that Tokyo's plumbing system has felt the strain of recent World Cup competition. 

To quote an article from Japan Times:

"During their team’s 2-1 World Cup win over Colombia, Japan’s armchair soccer fans risked triggering a plumbing disaster of biblical proportions when millions rushed to the toilet at halftime.  It was a case of squeaky bum time when fans finally tore themselves away from the TV last week after a nail-biting first 45 minutes, with water use jumping 24 percent in Tokyo during the break, the city’s waterworks bureau said Friday."

Wonder if one could calibrate better viewer data from flushing than from traditional Neilson ratings (or whatever we're using these days).  The latter simply measures if the TV is on, not if anyone is watching, or how many are watching, and certainly not the viewer's enthusiasm - whether he is (or they are)  "glued to the screen".

I particularly enjoyed the evocative use of language further down in the article:

"Flushed with joy after watching Yuya Osako bag a second-half winner for Japan against 10-man Colombia in Russia on Tuesday, jubilant fans made another dash for the loo at the final whistle, causing an additional 50 percent spike in water use."

One of the board members of my commercial janitorial firm argues that we could track economic trends via janitorial service - measure the number of 44-gallon trash bins one gets every night out of a given facility.  Or out of a variety of facilities.  The more trash, the more workers (and the more work each is producing).  Less trash ought equate to a slowing economy.  And, the results would be in close to real time - we could report yesterday's economic activity this morning.  No waiting for folks to file unemployment claims, and for various agencies to tabulate the results.

Somehow, a "Garbage based economic indicator" seems highly appropriate.  Garbage in, garbage out.

Spring Cleaning

We're a few days into Spring.  What does that bring to mind, given that I run a janitorial service for a living?

From Cleaning & Maintenance Management:

"Ninety-one percent of Americans participate in some form of spring cleaning every few years, according to a recent study by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI)."

Sounds high to me.  Particularly suspicious was a finding that "millennials are more likely to partake in spring cleaning than baby boomers."  I knew baby boomers were bad - but worse than millennials?

We don't do spring cleaning.  We figure that a client's facility needs to be maintained at optimum level ongoing, not just when the mood strikes.  Thus, we also include various periodic services (burnishing and refinishing, carpet cleaning, windows) on a regular schedule, so that nothing is ever neglected, or allowed to deteriorate. 

Spring cleaning strikes me as akin to restoration.  Maintenance is cheaper, preserves the facility, and never embarrasses our client.

Or us.

Osha and the common fire extinguisher

Thought I should deal with this issue again; it's been several years. Those dozen little boxes on the back of the annual service card wired to the top of your office fire extinguisher - they let you date and initial each time you do the monthly visual inspection of the unit.  Didn't know that you need to do a monthly inspection?  Neither did I, until a few years ago.

We're in a restored 1914 two story house, less than a mile from the center of Phoenix.  Old wood, untreated, doubtless very dry; wiring's been updated and fooled with, from time to time (all up to code, but who knows?).  I've got a half dozen fire extinguishers scattered around the building, where by OSHA and insurance regs I probably need but one.  Paranoia can be a good thing.

I've known for decades about the regulations requiring an annual professional inspection and (if needed) the recharging of the units, and do so religiously (at least more religiously than I do religion).  But nobody ever told me that OSHA, and probably my insurance company, require a monthly visual inspection.  Simple stuff; a technician is not required.  You confirm that the extinguisher is where it's supposed to be (duh!), check that the little arrow on the dial is in the green field, insure that the little pull-pin is in place (it locks the unit, so insures that nobody has used it - I'll tell that story later - and maybe left the nozzle clogged), and that no ugly fluid or powder is leaking out.  Then sign and initial, so you know (and can demonstrate to the interested regulator) that you check it regularly.  Simple stuff, and obvious.  A fire extinguisher that is not there, or not working, doesn't do much good in a fire.

A bit after I checked (and initialed) my units, I got to thinking.  If I was not aware of the requirements, given all the trade literature and safety stuff I read, some of my janitorial clients might be unaware as well.  They are mostly small to medium sized facilities, generally too small to have a full-time safety coordinator on site.  So we did a quick, surreptitious survey during our regular monthly daytime customer service visits.  Looked at extinguishers in about 50 client facilities.  Found 4 in compliance.

After a quick bit of training, some programming of our client inspection database, and confirming that the folks who do the annual on our units would be available for any of our clients who might need them, we're set to add monthly fire extinguisher inspections to the safety check (security lighting, battery back-up on "exit" signs, janitor closet and chemical storage issues) we already do for our clients.  Minimal time is involved, so we don't charge extra for the service.

It's just another "value added" item.

Don't sell what's not needed: Day porters are not as necessary as one might suppose

Took a call from a long time client a bit ago; they wanted us to quote and provide a day porter for their facility, perhaps an hour per day, mid-day.  They're a large call center, with lots of folks using a couple of large restrooms, in something of a high pressure environment.  So the restrooms get hammered, and my client thought they needed an extra mid-day cleaning

I dropped by, early afternoon, to check the restrooms with the client and to probe a bit on exactly what his concerns really were.  Turns out that overflowing trash cans and empty towel and toilet tissue dispensers were more of an issue than that the facilities needing to be cleaned.

While I'm not adverse to building some extra service into a contract, I can't see allowing a client to waste his money, even on me.  So I suggested larger restroom trash cans, and more (and larger) paper dispensers.  Buying cans and dispensers cost less than a couple of weeks of day porter service would have.  And we're always available to run someone out on short notice, in an emergency.

Less hassle for me, and much less expense for my client.

Facial recognition to foil TP thieves

Theft of toilet paper has gotten so severe in Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park (a major tourist destination) that the authorities have installed facial recognition software on the TP dispensers; anyone wanting more that his proper allocation must sit tight (as it were) for nine minutes before being allowed another two sheets.  (Here's the full CNN article.)

It seems that China does not usually offer said necessity in public restrooms - one must bring one's own.  So perhaps folks have not gotten used to an economy that provides abundance, at least of necessities.  (Or perhaps, the economy does not provided necessities as effectively as we might assume - just reading "The End of the Asian Century" by Michael Auslin - interesting stuff.)

The prime perpetrators are "older people - those born in the 40s and 50s" (I'm insulted); they grab big wads to take home.

On the other hand, I can't help recalling a high tech manufacturing facility we had as a client down in Chandler, one of Phoenix's suburbs (we provide commercial janitorial service in the whole metropolitan region).  They had a small locked caged area in a back corner of the shop.  Much expensive tools, material and product scattered around the facility, but what they kept in the locked cage was....the toilet paper.  Maybe cultures are more alike, at the necessity level, than we appreciate.

I also can't help but think of the media coverage given to an indicator of the severity of Venezuela's current economic crisis - their inability to either produce or import sufficient TP.  Perhaps, years back when they might have afforded the gadget, they should have done a better job rationing the stuff.

Water from the ceiling

From Tony, my operations manager's, overnight report:

"While Ernie was doing the floor at ..... a pipe burst in the ceiling and started pouring water down on top of him. He was able to get his wet-vac and keep the water from flooding the building until I arrived. I spoke to Bob, the emergency contact, who walked me through where to find the shut off valve for the water pipes. Had to climb up above the ceiling but I got everything shut off. Lucky for them we were there when this happened so there was no real damage except for the wet ceiling and water in the light fixtures."

And, from our Phoenix janitorial service client, this morning:

"Good morning Gentlemen, There was a call on my voice mail this morning from Tony. He called at 10:30pm last night. Please apologize to him for my not answering.  The problem was water was coming out by one of the light fixtures in the showroom. It turned out to be an old hot water heater we have upstairs. It hasn’t worked for years, but somehow the valve got turned on. Probably pressure or something. Tony called Bob and I think he walked him through it. We really appreciate him calling and taking care of it. You really train your teams well.  Please let him know we appreciate everything he did."

It's all in the details, and in contingency planning.  We stress communication; we're careful to get several after-hours emergency phone numbers from the client (three in this case; two of them did not answer); we encourage our folks to take the initiative to better serve our clients, and protect their facilities.  The latter is particularly significant; we provide office cleaning Phoenix, so have keys to client facilities, and feel just a bit of responsibility for them.  And our floor techs generally carry wet-vacs.

 

No job shortage here

Caught a couple of articles on a firm called "Momentum Machines", that has developed an entirely automatic gourmet hamburger making device, with fixings to order, from grinding the hamburger to wrapping the burger - with no humans involved.  They're currently hiring for their first restaurant, in San Francisco.

You might almost think that with scanners replacing cashiers, touchscreens replacing restaurant waiters, ugly tellers long having replaced people tellers, and robots replacing assembly line folks - and now this - that society would strive to protect lower skill jobs by keeping employment costs down.  Instead, we mandate health insurance, restrict flexibility of hours, and vote in huge increases in minimum wage.  Particularly in "Progressive" places like California.

I happened to put together a janitorial package (we provide office cleaning Phoenix) for an aerospace manufacturing firm the other day.  In conversation, the firm's office manager remarked on being unable to find machinists.  Seems a high paying job, and a solid career.  No qualified applicants.  American kids do not seem to want to undertake rigorous training.  In like manner, my plumber remarked a bit ago that he would hire an assistant, should he find someone willing to work and to learn.

Spain is a bit ahead of us.  They outsource (that is, send overseas) a good many high skilled jobs, while experiencing a 25% unemployment rate. Spain may be ahead of us, but I suspect we're catching up fast.  We do not lack jobs; we lack a skilled workforce.  And a society with large numbers of low skilled workers will not only see high unemployment in a modern world, but will find itself poorer, to the extent that it is nonproductive.

Personally, though, it's all good.  The automated San Francisco restaurant figures they will still need managers, and cleaning staff - as in commercial janitorial service Phoenix.

Clean for appearance, or health?

Most commercial janitorial firms clean for appearance.  They sell to clients, train and equip their crews, and inspect their jobs based upon "sparkling restrooms, dust free furniture, debris free floors" and so on.

In choosing a Phoenix commercial cleaning service, consider whether the health of you and your employees might be at least as important as the appearance of the building.  You can pick up a lot of diseases from airborne allergens, germ laden touch-points, and not quite disinfected restroom fixtures.  A sick staff means more sick days and lower productivity while at work.

Your bottom line demands a healthy staff, and thus "cleaning for health".

An unexpected bonus is that cleaning for health improves building appearance as well.  You cannot disinfect restrooms or touch-points without first "cleaning" the surfaces; get rid of the dirt so the germs have no place to hide.  Vacuuming (both carpet and tile) with a HEPA filter on your vacuum, and microfiber dust wiping rather than feather dusting, will remove visible dust and debris while removing allergens and bacteria.  So a healthy building tends to be a sharp looking building as well.

Finally, the way CBN Building Maintenance performs, “cleaning for health” does not have to be more expensive than old-fashioned “cleaning”.

Unfortunately, the converse does not hold.  An old fashioned janitor might clean and polish restrooms and touch-points without disinfecting, and might remove visible dust and debris without removing the small particles and germs that impact health.  So you have a clean appearing, but unhealthy, building.

Particularly in a tight economy, the bottom line for commercial cleaning services Phoenix demands "cleaning for health".

To learn about the benefits of our Phoenix janitorial service, visit us at http://cbnclean.com/

Many folks neglect servicing their fire extinguishers; most omit the monthly visual inspections.

Just had our fire extinguisher tech in to do the annual check and recharge.  It cost us all of $120.00 for six extinguishers; that's cheap insurance.  Six units seems a bit much for a 2600 square foot office (though one of those six is a spare), but my restored 1914 building is partially wood frame, and the wood has had lots of time to dry out.  So I'm paranoid; but am I paranoid enough?

We realized some years back that some of our customers (we are a Phoenix commercial cleaning service) were neglecting the OSHA required annual inspection by a certified tech; what surprised us was that well over 90% skipped the also mandated monthly visual inspection.  The monthly inspection can be done by anyone; it's just a matter of checking that the charge arrow is in the green field, the lock-out ring is in place, and the extinguisher is sitting where it's supposed to be. Then you date and initial the back of the card (that's what the dozen little boxes are for, on the tag that the tech puts on when he does the annual).  Might take 20 seconds, on a slow day.

While I admit to occasionally tweaking OSHA's collective nose on their occasional over-the-top regulation, the fire extinguisher regs make pretty good sense.  You want to have an extinguisher reasonably close at hand to everyone in the office and, if you do have an extinguisher, it rather makes sense to look at it regularly to see if it is likely to work when called upon.  So I am pretty religious about the annual tech visit, and the monthly visual.  It's on my calendar and everything.

But we go a bit further.  When we noticed that our clients were neglecting their fire extinguishers, we added the monthly visual inspection, date and initial to our no additional cost monthly safety inspection.  (We check exterior security lighting, batteries on interior "Exit" signs, the janitor closet for unlabeled, uncapped or other inappropriate chemicals and for clutter, and so on.)  Because our office cleaning Phoenix operation consists primarily of "route work", we serve quite a lot of firms too small to have a dedicated safety officer (or even a not very dedicated one...).  So someone has to do it.   And, being in janitorial Phoenix, we tend to be at the bottom of the food chain.