A productive workspace is a clean workspace. And “chemicals” is not a dirty word! Cleaning solutions that contain chemicals are a must to achieve cleanliness, make your place of business an inviting one, and keep employees and customers safe. As long as chemicals are used and stored properly, they are a good thing—when you need to disinfect all your surfaces, nooks, and crannies, chemicals are your friend! Follow these simple tips when using cleaning solutions, to minimize risk and ensure safety for all.
How to properly use cleaning solutions to keep your workspace clean:
Know what you’re using.
If you use and store cleaning solutions in your place of business, get in the know about what you have and the risk of each cleaner. Stay informed of the hazardous nature of any cleaners, and keep product labels, a safety data sheet, and the number for poison control on hand. In particular, make sure employees that handle the solutions are aware of potential hazards when certain cleaning solutions are mixed (a common occurrence) or when ingestion or absorption in the skin occurs.
Limit access to cleaners and train your team.
Properly train employees on how to use the cleaners and when to use various solutions. Don’t let untrained personnel access the solutions to avoid scenarios where damage or exposure can happen. You would be surprised at how many people think that randomly mixing cleaning solutions is okay—simply put, it’s not.
Ventilate the space.
Whenever possible, use cleaning solutions in an area where ventilation is optimal. Opening windows, running a fan, or turning on exhaust fans will help usher chemicals and odors out. The value of ventilating an area may seem obvious, but it’s an extra step that people tend to omit.
Use protective equipment.
If you have your own team performing regular cleaning, be sure that they wear the appropriate clothing or protective equipment, such as a smock, long sleeves, gloves, and eye protection.
Store cleaners the safe way.
Keep all cleaning solutions and chemicals at your place of business stored away safely. You might even want to lock them in a cabinet to avoid accidental exposure.
