Team Cleaning: How to Plan Your Cleaning Technicians' Routes

Developing efficient cleaning routes are essential to every cleaning business in order to maximize productivity. Every cleaning route needs to be tested and refined until the most efficient route is found for the facility or floor.

Every operations manager and/or supervisor should make sure that cleaning routes are outlined for every location you clean. With the tools available today it is easy to develop floor plans of every location you service. Develop floor plans with cleaning routes clearly outlined and post it in the janitorial closet so they can be used for training employees.

You will develop routes for the Starter (light duty specialist) for trash pick-up, dusting, spot cleaning; the Closer (vacuum specialist) for vacuuming and securing areas; the Sanitor (restroom specialist) for cleaning restrooms and mopping floors; and the Utility specialist for trash collection and other duties.

For more videos on cleaning systems such as Zone Cleaning, Blended Cleaning, and Collaborative Cleaning, click on the links below.

Team Cleaning Video Transcript:

In this example the Starter leaves the elevator and will move around the space in a circular motion performing their duties, which could include dusting, emptying trash, spot cleaning, picking up debris from the floor, spot cleaning door glass, and placing trash in a strategic location for the utility specialist to pick up and take to dumpster.

TIP: Always test and evaluate routes to determine the most efficient production rates.

The floor is divided into 4 sections, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Every Friday the Starter will perform detail work or periodic cleaning tasks in that section and will continue to rotate the sections through the month until they are completed.

TIP: Fridays don't need to be the detail day; you can make it whatever day you like as long as it is consistent in your system.

The starter will use a Job Assignment Task Card to review each day in order to stay on schedule with tasks in the sections. They will also use a Job Assignment Time Card to review the allocated times for each floor or section they should be in, at a given time.

Closer or Vacuum Specialist:
The Closer will follow the Starter's route about 15 minutes later because of the cleaning production rate difference. Their duties are vacuuming all traffic areas and spot vacuuming all other areas of carpet, double-checking trash cans for trash before vacuuming under them. They could also remove debris on furniture, reposition furniture, turn out lights in completed rooms and secure rooms as required. The Closer would follow the color-coded dot system for outlets and doors.

The floor is divided into 4 sections, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Every Friday the Closer will perform detail work or periodic cleaning tasks in that section and will continue to rotate the sections through the month until they are completed.

The Closer will use a Job Assignment Task Card to review each day in order to stay on schedule with tasks in the sections. They will also use a Job Assignment Time Card to review the allocated times for each floor or section they should be in at a given time.

Sanitor or Restroom Specialist:
The Sanitor duties are cleaning, sanitizing and restocking restrooms, break rooms, coffee centers and drinking fountains. They sweep and mop floors and check for any burned-out light bulbs and report it to their Supervisor. Once their duties are done they move to the next floor or section.

Although not commonly used for the Sanitor Specialist, you can divide the floor into 4 sections, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Every Friday the Sanitor will perform detail work or periodic cleaning tasks in that section and will continue to rotate the sections through the month until they are completed.

The Sanitor can also use a Job Assignment Task Card to review each day in order to stay on schedule with tasks in the sections. They can also use a Job Assignment Time Card to review the allocated times for each floor or section they should be in at a given time.

Utility Specialist 1, 2, 3, 4:
The Utility Specialist duties are the most varied. There are 4 levels of utility specialists that can be used in a facility.

In this example the Utility Specialist 1 collects trash at drop points and cleans the back stairwell. They will work in a circular motion on the floor that is the most efficient and productive.

Other duties of a Utility Specialist are:

Utility Specialist 1:
Their duties can be cleaning entrances, stairwells, trash collection, distribute supplies, clean glass, polish metal and spot clean carpet.

Utility Specialist 2:
Their duties can be machine operation, hard floor care and heavy mopping.

Utility Specialist 3:
Their duties can be carpet spotting, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and medical waste disposal.

Utility Specialist 4:
Their duties can be more specialized cleaning such as clean rooms and work requiring protective gowning.