5 Tips for Storing, Replenishing, and Managing Your Cleaning Supplies

Managing your cleaning supplies seems to sometimes be a full-time effort in itself. When you do it right, it’s hard work.

So, make sure you get the most out of your effort with these tips:

  1. Remember, Safety First

Don’t store your cleaning supplies in temperature extremes. Consider checking your storage room’s temperature from time-to-time to make sure it’s ventilated like you expect. Stock everything so it stays out of the reach of children, if that’s a potential concern at your organization. Also, keep your cleaning chemicals away from your HVAC ventilation so you don’t spread the fumes throughout your entire building.

  1. Proactively Order with Software

Managing your cleaning supplies with software takes a little bit of work up front. Entering the data and checking to make sure it’s accurate is time-consuming. However, it saves you lost of time throughout the year. So, it can be a viable solution for more effectively managing your inventory.

  1. Consider Outsourcing This, Or Asking Your Current Vendor to Do the Management for You

If you have a vendor maintaining the cleanliness of your building already, consider asking them to manage your supplies too. If they’re already experienced, they’ll know how to do this more effectively than you, which saves you more time and money. Plus, you already have a known vendor you trust so you don’t have to go through the research and selection process again.

  1. Understand OSHA Regulations

The government has a bit of a hand in the storage of your workplace’s cleaning supplies too. Make sure you know what OSHA wants to see so you keep your workplace safe – and OSHA happy. It’s easy to forget their standards when you get caught up in other business operations.

  1. Coordinate Your Team and Establish Standard Processes

Will you have just one person in charge of managing your cleaning supplies? If you have a large amount to manage, they may need some help. Regardless, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Your employees need to understand that they should promptly notify the manager when a certain cleaning product will be gone. They should be able to easily identify unsafe use or storage of your cleaning supplies. When everyone works together, it’s so much easier to manage it all – and fewer mistakes are made.

Follow those five tips, and you’ll find it much easier to effectively manage all your cleaning supplies.