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What your organisation should think about when it comes to the debate on gender-neutral washrooms

Unisex washrooms may soon become the norm in our increasingly evolving and equal society. It’s an issue that can still cause some debate, but putting aside the moral arguments for and against gender-neutral bathrooms, there are some practical considerations that all organisations need to consider.

The realities and norms of single-sex toilets

In most countries, it is accepted that all washrooms in public buildings and most in the workplace will be segregated into ladies’ and gents’ facilities. But times are changing and we live in a much more inclusive society.

The non-binary and transgender communities in particular are challenging the need to divide washrooms by gender. A recent YouGov survey in conjunction with Stonewall concluded that nearly half of transgender people felt unsafe using single-sex public toilets.

Aside from the debates on rights and safety concerning transgender, non-binary and people who identify as either gender – which continues to rage – it’s also true that unisex washrooms remove the worry that parents or caregivers may have when taking children or less-abled people of a different sex to the toilet. It’s simply not acceptable for children or people with an impairment to have to visit a bathroom unaccompanied when they are probably unable to do so.

Covering all needs – the basics of gender-neutral bathrooms

Meeting the needs of all people who use a bathroom is becoming increasingly essential for all organisations. Each cubicle should be equipped with a toilet roll, a sanitary bag dispenser and a waste bin. It is also good practice to include a supply of toilet seat disinfectant and hand sanitiser. It matters not for whom the washroom is designated as these are practical basics that will promote hygiene and dignity for all.

But on top of the essentials, it’s also increasingly common for those who provide bathrooms and toilets to supply products that appeal to everyone. This should include air fresheners, fragrances, lotions and soaps.

There have been some high profile controversies when public buildings have adopted gender-neutral bathroom policies. Most commonly these have arisen through a lack of forethought and consultation. For example, there have been instances when schools have introduced unisex washrooms while leaving urinals in situ in facilities that girls have been expected to use.

Professional cleaning services for your washrooms

Whatever your thoughts on this subject, the fundamentals of washroom hygiene and cleanliness must apply to all. It’s no longer the case that the gents’ is accepted as a smelly place while the ladies’ always has a queue. Adopting policies that apply to all people will also assist those with hidden disabilities, cognitive issues and temporary impairments such as an injury.

Engaging the services of contract cleaners for your washrooms, restrooms, bathrooms and toilets can ensure that this happens. Why not get in touch with Associated Cleaning Contractors to find out more about our commercial cleaning services?

Good housekeeping and thorough cleaning practices are essential for keeping patients and staff safe in hospitals. Hiring a professional specialist cleaning service with experience working in clinical settings is the best way of ensuring the job is done right. Below are some of the key services professional cleaners provide for hospitals.

Thorough cleaning and disinfecting

Proper hospital cleaning procedures ensure that every surface is disinfected, depriving germs and bacteria of a home and preventing them from contaminating clothes and equipment. Cleaners need to know what disinfectants and cleaning utensils to use to accomplish this. Specialist cleaners will know which tools to use for the job.

Appropriate use of PPE

Even in the pre-Covid world, all hospital staff needed to use suitable personal protective equipment. Since Covid arrived on the scene, this has become even more important. Experienced hospital cleaners will already be familiar with the available PPE options and how to use them to keep themselves and those around them safe.

Prioritising high-touch surfaces

Cleaners need to cover every possible surface in a hospital to ensure there are no forgotten areas where pathogens could potentially accumulate. However, some surfaces, particularly high-touch surfaces that patients and staff touch more than others throughout the day, require more attention. Professional contract cleaners working in hospitals will know to hone in on these surfaces and ensure they get the attention they need.

Starting with the cleanest areas first

A common mistake among less experienced hospital cleaners is first to begin cleaning the dirtiest areas before moving to cleaner zones. This approach can cause problems because it increases the chances of inadvertently spreading pathogens from the dirtier areas. This rule also applies to patients’ rooms; cleaning should begin with the lowest-risk patient’s rooms and end with those who are more infectious or ill.

Avoiding cross-contamination

Throughout their work, hospital cleaners need to be mindful of potential cross-contamination. To minimise the risk of cross-contamination, cleaners need to consider their workflow and make sure contaminants are isolated and disposed of as soon as possible.

Hiring experienced contract cleaners who understand the unique challenges involved in cleaning hospitals ensures the best service possible and minimises the risks associated with cross-contamination and improper disposal. Proper cleaning is essential for keeping hospital environments clean and ensuring the safety of patients and staff. To find out more about our professional hospital cleaning services, get in touch today.

Thinking about hiring a professional cleaner to help with your commercial property? There are many benefits of doing this, including freeing up time for more important jobs or removing the need for an in-house cleaner.

Here are 4 reasons that professional cleaning really is worth the money.

Your property will always impress

If you are in charge of a commercial premises, like an office, school or restaurant, you will be responsible for making sure that it is always spotless. As well as ensuring that visitors are happy with the cleanliness, there are also health and safety regulations like food hygiene ratings that need to be met.

Our professional team of cleaners are trained to the highest standard so that you can rest assured your workplace always meets every standard.

Cleaners can be flexible

Need someone to come and clean on a Saturday? Or perhaps you want to arrange for cleaning out of your working hours?

One of the great things about hiring a cleaning company is that it is flexible to suit your individual needs. Our cleaners can come to your premises at a convenient time to guarantee minimal disruption to you and your employees.

It’s cost-effective

You may think that commercial cleaning is expensive but it really doesn’t have to be.

We offer a wide range of packages to suit every budget, whether you’re looking for daily visits or something less frequent, like fortnightly or monthly cleans.

ACC works hard to make sure that you don’t pay more than you need to and still get a reliable, professional service.

It saves you time

As a manager or business owner, you probably have much more important things to be doing than cleaning.

It is still an important job that needs to be done, but is it worthwhile for you or one of your employees to be doing it?

Our commercial cleaning service is a hassle-free way to maintain the tidiness and cleanliness of your property while saving you hours of valuable time. So, leave the cleaning to us (it’s what we do after all!)

If you would like to discuss the needs of your North West business, we would be more than happy to help. Get in touch with us by calling 01204 495 222 or emailing us at info@acc.uk.com.

What is the dirtiest place in the office?

Recent research by Furniture@work suggests that the office door handle can have 30 times more bacteria than the toilet seat while the staff kitchen harbours many of the most germ-laden areas in the workplace.

The study showed that the sink, microwave door and kettle accounted for three of the top five places for bacteria counts. The fridge fared little better with more germs and other contaminants than keyboards and desk phones – items staff touch repeatedly all day long.

Interestingly, the kitchen table barely had any bacteria, suggesting this might be one place we’d more likely to clean above other places in the staffroom. Elsewhere, an earlier study by sanitary product manufacturer Kimberley Clark noted that the staff kitchen tap was the object with the highest bacteria count.

Why is the staff kitchen often so dirty?

If you work in an an office that has a staff break room with cooking facilities you’re probably familiar with notices that are put up from time. “Please wash up after yourself” and “If you spill it wipe it up” signs rarely seem to work, while attempts to catch the attention of users such as “Your mother doesn’t work here” might be noticed for a few days before normal sloppy service is resumed.

The truth is probably that staff who pop into make a coffee and raid the fridge for a snack, ping their lunch in the microwave and take five minutes to gobble down their lunch are often too preoccupied to make staff kitchen cleaning a priority.

Office kitchens almost seem to bring out the worst in many of us. We wouldn’t make such a mess at home but the workplace remains fair game.

Contact Associated Cleaning Contractors now

If this sounds like your workplace, then perhaps it’s time to engage the services of a commercial cleaning company. After all, hygiene has never been so important, as the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic have taught us. Associated Cleaning Contractors can help. And best of all, all of the staff in our contract cleaning north west teams actually love tackling kitchens – no doubt a whole lot more than the rest of your workforce.

A cleaner office is one of the leading ways to improve your business baseline. It also has other benefits, such as improving productivity and promoting good health among staff. However, keeping the workplace clean doesn’t come naturally to everyone. You need to find ways to develop cleaning habits among your staff.

Here are some of the ways to go about it:

Connect cleanliness with brand identity

Everyone in the office has the mandate to work in line with the brand identity. By making cleanliness part of the identity, everyone will play a role in keeping the office clean. Other than the commercial cleaning services, everyone else will be responsible for the cleanliness and organisation of their workspace.

Clean more often

Another way to inspire and cultivate cleaning habits in your workplace is to do more cleaning. Whether you have daily cleaning or currently clean just once in a while, it’s time to increase the frequency of pre-work, during work, and post-work cleaning sessions. Liaise with a professional cleaning service to help you develop the proper cleaning routine for the office. Once staff notices the new cleaning routine, they will start paying attention to dirt and mess in their environment too.

Develop an organising system for both physical and digital files

Clutter from paper is one of the leading causes of office untidiness. Consider moving your documents and communications to a digital platform, cutting out the paper trail of envelopes, printed documents, and other communication papers. Create a system to keep your organisation’s digital files in order. Consider sorting the files by names, projects, or in alphabetical order.

Lead by example

Being the change you want to see is another way to inspire your team to keep a cleaner working space. Consider starting routines like eating away from the desk, clearing clutter, and keeping your desk organised at all times. Once you achieve this, you can encourage others to follow through with it too. A routine becomes easier to implement once proven it can be done.

Are you looking to integrate cleanliness among your staff? Speak to Associated Cleaning Contractors to help you come up with the right cleaning routine and culture.

Most businesses consider commercial cleaning as routine expenses that are only necessary for running the enterprise. However, they never think about how much keeping the offices clean contributes to the business’s success.

Here are how commercial cleaning helps improve your business bottom line in 2022:

Improves productivity

The employees’ immediate surroundings determine their state of mind, attitude, and emotional well-being. The same happens with the employees and the state of the office.

A clean office helps improve the staff concentration levels as it reduces the risk of distractions. A cleaner office also means easier maintenance of working tools, reduces search time, and inspires motivation. All these combine to ensure top-level productivity, resulting to better returns.

Increased customer satisfaction

Your office is where you get to make the first impression on your clients. A clean office shows the client that they are dealing with an organised and professional outfit. This means they can easily trust you with their money and other resources.

Once the clients are impressed, the staff has an easier time dealing with them; they can also bring referrals, increasing the customer base. However, by having a dirty office, you portray lack of seriousness which losses you business.

Saves money

If there were a choice, most companies would opt to skip the budget of commercial cleaning services. However, hiring a commercial cleaner tends to save the company money.

Specialist cleaners have the expertise to notice issues like pest control, HVAC needs, leaks, and other problems that arise from lack of maintenance. Therefore, the commercial cleaning services are preventative maintenance options to avoid spending too much on emergency repairs or replacements.

Free up time for main office tasks

It takes a lot of time for staff to work when they have to look for tools through clutters and do most organisations by themselves. With a professional cleaning service, the team has all the time for work hence more output and returns for the company.

Are you looking for a professional cleaning Manchester to improve your baseline? Reach out to Associated Cleaning Contractors for your free quote and a cleaner and safer office.

A stockroom is an essential part of your retail store and makes sure you are well-stocked for your customer’s needs at all times. Whether you are storing food, clothing, or electrical items, failing to maintain cleanliness standards will have a massive impact on your business and reputation, not to mention being unsafe for your employees.

Commercial cleaning services can help you maintain hygiene standards in your storeroom or back offices of your shop with ease. Read on to find out more.

Reduced contamination risk

There is always the risk of contamination when storing any items, especially around foodstuffs. While a quick brush floor clean of debris can eliminate some of these external factors, missing nooks and hidden spots can allow bacteria to grow or spills to seep onto your stock, increasing cross-contamination. Dirty premises will also attract pests and rodents, which can further damage stock, cause health and safety problems and deter customers from shopping with you.

Specialist stock room or warehouse cleaning services can ensure this risk is eliminated quickly, and your stock rooms and the products held in them are safe and secure.

Time management

Cleaning your stock room thoroughly on a regular basis can be time and labour intensive. Using contract cleaners for commercial cleaning needs means you can manage your time better and invest it where it is needed: running your business and increasing sales. Commercial cleaners for retail spaces can work with you to carry out their services around your operating hours for minimal disruption to your business and increased demands on your time.

Improved reputation

If your customers are confident you are running a clean store and taking health and safety seriously, they will be more confident in shopping with you, thus increasing your brand’s reputation. You preserve the quality of your products and support your employees by providing a clean and safe working environment at the same time too. Using professional cleaners to ensure your store and your stock room is cleaned effectively and safely instils confidence that you are a retailer who has customers’ and employees’ best interests at heart.

At ACC, we are experts in cleaning in various commercial sectors, including all aspects of retail cleaning to support your business. Contact us today to find out how we can work with you to improve hygiene standards within your store.

The last thing any company wants is for one or more of their team members to be off sick from work. When someone comes to the office with a cold or other related illness, this can quickly spread to other coworkers leaving companies with multiple staff members off at a given time. This isn’t ideal for anyone and should be avoided if possible. This is why employers are so quick to tell staff to stay home should they become ill for fear of spreading their infection to others. But, life happens, germs spread and people get sick. The good news is that there are steps companies can take to limit the spread of germs in the office through deep cleaning. Keep reading on to find out more.

The spread of germs

Professional cleaning companies don’t just clean offices so that they look appealing to staff and clients. They also clean offices in a way that lowers the spread of viruses and bacteria throughout the office. This is important given how germs spread.

Viruses such as Covid-19 are spread when people are in close proximity to each other and when droplets from coughing or sneezing are produced and left on objects and surfaces. All someone needs to do is touch an object or surface an infected person has left droplets on to potentially come into contact with their germs. Sounds pretty gross, right? Luckily there are solutions out there to ensure these surfaces are sanitized in an effective way so that the germs are eradicated.

How professional cleaners can help

Professional cleaners will know which products to choose when it comes to effectively disinfecting surfaces. They will be well versed in the world of disinfectants and know how to target viruses and bacteria thoroughly. This ensures that your team is as protected as possible, especially during the colder months when the risk of illness is higher than the rest of the year.

Keep your office safe

Keep your office and team safe with specialist cleaners who will limit the spread of germs as much as possible through expert cleaning practices. Contact our team today for information on how we can help keep your office clean.

Many companies work in glass-fronted buildings or offices where glass panels comprise a large chunk of the facade. While such arrangements look attractive and offer all kinds of benefits for workers, including plenty of natural light, they can be challenging to clean without professional help.

Here’s a case in point: If you’ve ever tried cleaning windows yourself, you may have noticed streak marks appearing as the cleaning solution dries. By contrast, professional office buildings and commercial properties always seem to be streak-free, begging the question: what are professional cleaners doing differently? Let’s take a look.

They rinse thoroughly

Streaks usually appear when the cleaning solution dries out and elements within it leave a deposit on your window. After evaporation, you’re left with a precipitate or residue.

The worst offenders in this regard are alcohol and ammonia-based cleaners. These often have large quantities of chemicals added to their solutions. When the carrier evaporates (which alcohol does very quickly), then you’re left with deposits from the remaining substances.

Professionals, however, know how to get around this problem. The trick to getting streak-free windows is to rinse them thoroughly. That’s why you’ll see commercial window cleaners armed with water-fed cleaning poles with squeegees on the end of them. These squirt out a jet of water to remove any annoying residues that could spoil the look of the windows.

They always use the right technique

Professional window cleaners also always follow best practices. They avoid window streaking due to damage from improper cleaning techniques.

For example, they:

1. Always use lint-free wipes, preferring instead to use microfibre cloths, squeegees or paper towels.
2. Never use any sharp implement on windows, even if stains, such as bird droppings, are dried-on and difficult to remove.
3. Don’t clean glass with formulations that could attract dust or other airborne particles.

Using the wrong technique could permanently damage your windows. Therefore, anyone who runs a business should hire contract cleaners to ensure high-quality, streak-free window cleaning. Hospitals, factories, offices, schools and colleges can all benefit. If you’d like professional window cleaning, contact us today.

Construction is a thriving industry here in the UK, with many residential, industrial and commercial projects continuously underway. While building work requires skilled tradespeople to perform specialist tasks, like bricklayers, plumbers and electricians, professional cleaners are also an asset to any construction scheme.

All construction sites in the UK must remain compliant with the rigid code and operating protocols established by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Expert cleaners can help operations adhere to these rules by enhancing hygiene standards and keeping work areas clear to avoid accidents. Read on to find out the advantages offered by a professional cleaning service on-site.

Protecting worker health in construction

Since March 2020, when the pandemic started, there has been an increased awareness of the importance of hygiene standards in all working environments, including construction. Ensuring that adequate facilities exist on-site, including toilets and areas for washing and eating, is essential, but their maintenance is also vital.

It is understood that such communal areas used by construction workers will see higher levels of dirt and debris due to the nature of their duties. However, contract cleaning services can ensure they are kept at optimum hygiene levels to keep construction sites compliant.

Avoiding accidents and injuries

Constant site cleaning is crucial to sidestep the potential risks. A messy construction site can present trip hazards and slippery surfaces that often lead to injuries. Regular cleaning will keep on top of such issues. Specialist cleaners can ensure work areas and walkways stay clear from debris and spills, reducing accidents and ensuring sites pass HSE inspections.

Preparing to present

Finally, while a site in progress might be littered with scrap materials and tools, when it is time to hand over a building to its new owners, developers must ensure it is pristine. Professional cleaning teams can make sure sites are in perfect condition after work is completed and ready to display.

With the skills, experience, and specialist equipment necessary for every job, our expert team at ACC can help your construction site improve health and safety standards. Contact us today for a free quote.