As the Director of Operations or Physical Plant, it is your job at a University, College, or K-12 school district to make sure that the work gets done. As a cleaning consultant and a custodial trainer, I have often seen that confusion

and lack of knowledge are the cause of most cleaning problems. Help you janitors, housekeepers or custodians take the guesswork out of cleaning and implement a system of standardization for all of your cleaning sites that defines the following components:

* Cleaning tasks. The task schedule should not say "clean the room." Tasks should be broken down into specific assignments, such as dust mop, clean sinks and empty trash.
* Cleaning chemicals. Have ready-to-use (RTU) products when possible.
* Cleaning equipment. Use the proper name for each tool.
* Frequency of cleaning tasks. Avoid descriptions like "as needed."
* Key concepts of the cleaning tasks. Keep it simple.

The results of this standardization should be an easy-to-use chart that your cleaners can use. A document that impresses the school board or the Vice- President finance, but cannot be understood by the employees, is a waste of paper. Be sure to take into account the factors that might hinder your employees. Not all of your people in housekeeping, janitorial, or custodial can read or understand English. Be sure to use pictures or color-coding when appropriate for your janitorial training.

A standardized system of your Buildings and Grounds department is also an excellent cleaning management tool. It can provide accountability. With all of your cleaners playing by the same rules, it is easier to facilitate and modify the behavior of employees. A standardized system can also be an excellent foundation for the assessment of staffing levels in your buildings, which can help you to modify price or service levels for your Custodial Operations. Your system will also be the bais for your janitorial training.

Once you have a system of standardization in place for your educational organization, stick to it. But you need to walk a fine line in this area. Some of your employees may be capable of cleaning more productively by experimenting with different janitorial procedures. Be flexible and open-minded enough to listen to and understand new ways of effective cleaning, yet firm enough to stop ineffective methods before they become the norm. If changes are introduced into the system, make sure that it is reflected in the standardized cleaning methods.