ARE YOU SPENDING TOO MUCH ON CHEMICALS

On recent inspections of a clients costs I was shocked to find out that the cost of their cleaning supplies was almost €350 per week. It was a medium sized hotel which would admittedly require a high quantity of cleaning materials, but at such a high cost?.
It then became evident that this cost was only for the food and beverage department and didn’t include the forty or so bedrooms which would include toilet roll, soap and the other various cleaning agents. 

I started to look at several areas to see where this high cost was being spent and found a number of problems: 

The problems

• The chemical stores were unorganised and overstocked
• Purchases were being made from the cash and carry and in 500ml and 1ltr bottles
• The cleaning chemicals/materials used were household brand names
• The kitchen porter was ordering the cleaning chemicals
• There was no budget set for cleaning materials
• An alternative supplier was never sought
• Staff had no idea what amounts they should be dispensing 

The solution step by step

• Write down the name of all the cleaning chemicals/materials required (not by brand)
• Send the list of all the required cleaning products to all cleaning suppliers who service your area informing them that you would like the highest quality and the lowest price and you will want those prices set for 12 months
• Organise your cleaning locker by taking all empty boxes out of the store and place as many items on shelves as possible. This way it is easy to see at a glance what is required for ordering.
• Once a new price list is received choose the materials which are most suited to your needs ensuring that they are more competitivly priced than what you were using previously.
• Once new prices are agreed set a budget for the food and beverage department cleaning suplies. The appropriate manager is then assigned to the ordering and monitoring of this budget.
• Have your supplier train your staff as to the correct quantities needed for cleaning tasks. 

TOP TIP: Some companies offer a cleaning station where they supply you with a unit which is mounted to the wall and their product is then dispenced at the correct quantity into a plastic bottle. This can save you thousands per year on cleaning chemicals and reduces wastage of chemicals. It is also safe and reduces the risk of an accident with your staff as there is no pouring from a large container into a smaller one.

Contact Friendly Systems for high quality, cost effective cleaning chemical solutions. Find out more here