Running a library or rental store is a practical business. You deal with regular and new customers, sending out some of your inventory and reshelving some percentage every day. Rental businesses and libraries tend to run a clean shop with friendly but limited time spent with each of your customers. It’s best to keep the floors clear and the shelves tidy to help customers find what they are looking for and feel comfortable in your venue.
Of course, with the new safety precautions, rental businesses must also take special care to prevent customers from accidentally infecting their fellow shoppers or the staff with unsafe indoor behavior or by returning infected books and movies. Can you keep your venue and inventory pristine with a practical checklist that your team can easily implement? Absolutely. Let’s go down the list.
Cleaning from Top to Bottom
The most important principle of cleaning is to start at the top and work your way down. Of course, your ceilings don’t need cleaning every day but they should be cleaned at least once a month. From there, consider your top shelves and cabinets, above-fixture spaces, and other potentially dusty items near the ceiling (that can drop dust on you later).
1. Prepare Cleaning Gear
Start with cleaning gear. Gather your cleaning supplies. Whoever is cleaning should wear gloves and, in some cases, face and eye protection. You may choose to wear aprons to protect from cleaner splashing or dust streaks on nice clothing.
2. Dust the Ceiling and Light Fixtures
Starting at the top, address your ceiling and light fixtures with a long-handled duster. Because you are cleaning from top to bottom, the knocked-down dust will be cleaned away with each lower layer of cleaning. You may want to wear eye and face protection for this part. Don’t forget the backs of ceiling fan blades and vent covers.
3. Dust the Tops of Shelves and Upper Cabinets
Next, address the top shelves and upper cabinets. These top-level surfaces collect the most dust. Keep using your long-handled duster to knock the massive ecosystems of dust to the floor.
4. Wipe Down the Shelves
Below the top layer, use a cleaner and cloth to wipe down every shelf. Gently lift your inventory to remove dust and lingering particles from the shelves around and under. If the products are easy to clean, give them a quick wipe-down as well. Work your way down shelf by shelf, making sure each shelf above is clean before moving to the one below.
5. Dust or Rebuild the Displays
Turn your attention to the displays. For one-piece or decorative-only displays, give them a quick dusting and wipe-down. For stacked product displays, wipe the foremost products and rebuild the display for the next day.
6. Sanitise and Re-Shelve Returned Inventory
When sorting returned inventory, books or rental equipment, be sure to sanitise everything as it returns to the venue. Many venues today are bathing their return box in UV light and handling inventory with gloves. As you handle returns, lightly spray each item with sanitiser to reduce its potential to carry infectious particles. You can also set aside well-stocked items for a week, which is long enough for virus particles to die without a host.
7. Wipe the Counters and Furniture
With the upper areas and new inventory cleaned, focus on the work surface layer. Wipe down countertops, tables, and other work-level surfaces that people use regularly. Wipe the wood and metal part of seating and spray a gentle disinfectant over the upolstery.
8. Wipe Down High-Touch Handles, Railings, and Dividers
Next, focus on the high-touch areas that are not furniture. Wipe down handles and railings along usual and unusual traffic paths. If you have dividers where people like to look and touch or breathe on, wipe these down as well.
9. Give Special Attention to the Break Room or Snack Area
When cleaning the break room, put in extra effort to clean every appliance, fixture, and dish. This is an area where people gather regularly and often don’t wear masks. Break rooms have a large number of high-touch areas, including portable objects like the salt and pepper shakers or the coffee creamer.
10. Vacuum the Floors and Upholstery
Libraries and rental shops often have more carpeted area than other public venues because people like to browse in a comfortable setting. Vacuum any carpeted areas and run the hose attachment over your upholstery as needed.
11. Mop the Hard Floors
For your hard floor areas, mop with a disinfectant solution and be sure to include door thresholds, nooks, and hallways. If your mop water gets too murky, change it out in the middle of your mopping routine.
12. Take Out the Trash
Finally, complete the cleaning routine by taking out the trash and putting new bags into the bins. Clip or tie the bags as needed to keep them in place.
13. Wash Hands and Remove Work Gear
Last but not least, wash your hands and remove any gear you wear for cleaning. Put away your supplies and lock the cupboard containing the cleaning chemicals for tomorrow’s cleaning routine.
If your library or rental shop needs more cleaning than your staff can take care of, contact us today! We proudly manage complete and as-needed cleaning services for businesses in the London area.
