Severe Weather Prep

Key Takeaways:
• Prepare commercial cleaning operations for extreme weather with essential supplies and emergency plans.
• Reduce slip-and-fall risks with proper matting, frequent cleaning, and prompt water removal.
• Jan/san distributors help cleaning teams prepare through inventory planning, product standardization, and employee training. 

By Dale Franke

Extreme weather can quickly change a facility's cleaning and maintenance needs. Heavy rain, flooding, extreme heat, snow and ice, or extended power outages can turn a routine cleaning operation into an emergency response almost overnight. 

For facility cleaning managers and cleaning professionals, it's vital to prepare for extreme weather. One of the biggest mistakes facility cleaning managers and commercial cleaning teams can make is waiting until extreme weather is imminent to evaluate their inventory and response plans. 

When a significant weather event is forecast, demand for can liners, paper products, hand hygiene supplies, disinfectants, absorbents, mops, microfiber products, wet/dry vacuums, floor-care equipment, and personal protective equipment can increase quickly. At the same time, transportation and supply chains may be disrupted, making it more difficult to replenish critical supplies. 

Facility cleaning managers and commercial cleaning supervisors should identify their mission-critical cleaning products and establish reasonable minimum inventory levels. While that doesn't necessarily mean overstocking, what it does mean is understanding what is necessary to maintain operations and having enough product available to get through a potential disruption. 

Now is also a time for jan/san distributors to be proactive. They should help customers identify critical products, understand their usage patterns, and develop contingency plans before those products are urgently needed. 

Entrance Safety 

Some of the biggest cleaning challenges caused by extreme weather begin at the entrance. 

Rain, snow, ice, mud, and debris can quickly be tracked throughout a building. Once moisture and soil move beyond the entrance, labor requirements increase, and slip-and-fall risks can rise as well.  

Proper matting, frequent inspections, wet-floor signage, and the ability to quickly remove water and soil should all be part of the plan. The objective is straightforward: capture as much moisture and soil as possible before it moves farther into the facility. 

For increased cleaning at a building entrance to occur, cleaning frequencies may also need to change. An entrance that is normally serviced several times a day may require almost continuous attention during heavy rain or snow. That additional labor requirement should be anticipated and incorporated into the facility's weather-response plan. 

Then there’s water intrusion, which presents an entirely different set of challenges. Whether caused by heavy rain, overflowing drains, roof leaks, or localized flooding, standing water needs to be addressed promptly. Janitors should know in advance whether they have access to wet/dry vacuums, extractors, pumps, and air-moving equipment. 

Removing visible water, though, is only the first step. 

Affected areas may need to be cleaned, properly disinfected when appropriate, and thoroughly dried. Cleaning teams should also understand the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting. Applying disinfectant to a dirty surface does not replace proper cleaning, and disinfectants must always be used according to label directions, including required dwell times. 

Leaders also need to recognize when an incident is beyond the capabilities of their internal cleaning teams. Significant water intrusion or contaminated water may require professional remediation. 

Knowing when to bring in outside expertise is an important part of preparedness. 

Heat Advisory 

It’s also important to note that extreme weather isn't limited to storms. Periods of excessive heat can also cause issues such as intensified odor problems, which place additional demands on restrooms, waste collection areas, dumpsters, and drains. As a result, waste may need to be removed more frequently, while cleaning schedules may need to be adjusted to address changing conditions. 

There is also a human side to extreme heat. 

Cleaning is physically demanding work, and high temperatures can place additional strain on employees working in hot environments. Facility cleaning managers and commercial cleaning supervisors should account for those conditions when establishing schedules and workloads. 

Winter Weather Prep 

Snow and ice create another set of cleaning challenges. While ice melt and deicing products are essential outdoors, they are inevitably tracked inside. The resulting residue can affect floor appearance, increase soil loads, and create additional cleaning requirements. 

Facilities should have a winter floor-care plan that includes adequate entrance matting, increased vacuuming and mopping frequency, appropriate cleaning chemistry, and regular monitoring of floor conditions. 

Waiting until a storm is over to address tracked-in moisture, salt, and soil usually creates more work. Managing those conditions throughout the event is much more effective. 

Standardization is Key 

One area that doesn't always receive enough attention is product standardization. Cleaning teams that use too many chemicals, dispensers, liners, paper products, or cleaning systems can make an already difficult situation more complicated. Employees may not know which product to use, where supplies are located, or whether one product can be substituted for another. 

Standardizing core products and equipment can simplify training, inventory management, and emergency response. It can also make it easier to establish backup products when normal supply chains are disrupted. 

During an emergency, simplicity matters. The fewer unnecessary decisions frontline employees must make, the better. 

Training matters, too. Having emergency products stored in a supply room doesn't necessarily mean janitors are prepared. Employees need to know where equipment and supplies are located, how to use them, what personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required, and who is responsible for different parts of the response. 

Simple checklists and periodic reviews can help resolve this issue. Products, employees, equipment, and facilities change over time. An emergency plan created several years ago may no longer reflect the realities of today's operation. Regularly reviewing the plan helps ensure that employees understand their responsibilities and that the facility's resources still match their needs. 

This is an area where distributors can provide value beyond simply delivering products. 

Sales reps should work with customers to identify vulnerabilities, review critical inventory, and discuss what happens if a primary product becomes unavailable. They can help standardize products, establish appropriate inventory levels, train frontline employees, and recommend equipment that can improve response capabilities. 

Most importantly, these conversations should happen when there isn't an emergency. The distributor's role should be to help customers plan—not simply respond when the phone rings as a storm approaches. 

Dale Franke is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Acme Paper and Supply Company, one of the nation's largest suppliers of sanitation solutions, disposable food service packaging, restaurant equipment and supplies, retail and industrial packaging, and custom-designed packaging. Franke has nearly 30 years of experience in the facility supply industry and more than 10 years of sales leadership experience. He can be reached directly at dfranke@acmepaper.com. For more information, visit https://store.acmepaper.com/.