There’s much more to factory cleaning than simply wiping down surfaces and mopping. Read our full guide to learn how to plan a comprehensive cleaning schedule that ensures site safety, aesthetic cleanliness and longevity for your machinery and infrastructure.
Published by Leonie Leeder on 12 September 2023, updated 12 June 2024
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2023 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.
As a specialist industrial cleaning company, we understand how difficult it can be for industrial facilities to work in-house cleaning into their busy schedules. It can be very easy for factory cleaning to be a low priority compared to the myriad of their day-to-day operations, especially in round-the-clock manufacturing facilities.
Read more to learn why daily, monthly and annual cleaning jobs are so important to keep your business running smoothly, and why outsourcing to a specialist cleaning company can save you time, stress and money.
Making and implementing a comprehensive factory cleaning plan is vital so that every department of the facility knows what needs to be cleaned and how often. This is especially true for direct manufacturing or furnace area departments where cleaning can often be sidelined in favour of production, even though these areas often become dirtier more quickly.
Industrial cleaning companies can come in handy as they can accurately assess your site and put together a project plan to keep on top of cleaning tasks.
The frequency at which a factory should be cleaned, including routine cleaning and more infrequent deep cleans, depends on various factors, including the type of factory, the processes involved, industry regulations, and the specific cleanliness standards required.
When we visit our clients, we will always devise a project plan that meets their specific needs, so that we never overcharge for unnecessary works and we know that works are effectively completed in the most efficient time possible.
Even though every facility is different, in our 40+ years of experience, we have picked up on some common trends of what should be cleaned and when. Here are some general guidelines:
Daily cleaning tasks should involve more routine, general cleaning of bathrooms, restrooms, floors/walkways, emptying bins and sanitising high-touch areas. While it is not necessarily categorised as specialised or industrial cleaning, it is important to keep on top of daily cleaning to avoid build ups of dirt and debris.
General Equipment Maintenance: Use stronger industrial degreasers to remove carbon dust, oil, dust and debris from equipment, control boxes and production lines.
Floor Cleaning: Full floor scrubber cleans of factory floors should be completed at least twice weekly.
Brief Machine Shutdown Cleans: In manufacturing, a production machine may need to be temporarily stood down to make necessary repairs, design changes, etc. It is important to capitalise on these shutdowns and plan shorter cleans to keep on top of any oil or residue build up.
In-your-eyeline equipment or infrastructure: Over time, when a daily cleaning schedule is in place, it becomes easy to miss certain pieces of equipment, pipework, machines or specific areas of the factory. These areas perhaps fade into the background for full-time employees, however they are easily noticed by visitors or customers. Get a fresh pair of eyes to regularly assess the factory to see if areas are being missed by the regular routine.
Shutdown Maintenance: If your facility plans any shutdown maintenance, it is important to schedule specialised deep cleans with a trained and experienced cleaning company. Professional cleaners will use specialised kit and cleaning products to deep clean production machinery or sensitive areas before regular production starts again.
High-Level Cleaning: High-level infrastructure, roofing panels, pipework and equipment can get easily covered in dust, oil and contaminants if left too long. This significantly increases the fire risk of your facility as well as being an eyesore for employees and visitors. Specialist MEWPs, trained operatives and high-powered cleaning equipment are needed for this work, so it is important to schedule a consultation with professional industrial cleaners.
Depending on the industry, certain facilities will have shutdown periods scheduled for quiet times throughout the year, for example between Christmas and New Year. It is a very good idea to take advantage of these times to schedule a factory-wide clean ahead of production lines restarting.
At the same time, certain industries may require more regular deep cleaning during periods of high production when there is a greater risk of contamination or the buildup of residue. For example, agricultural processing plants may need more intensive cleaning during harvest seasons.
