ISSA Releases Value of Clean paper

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management. 

As the U.S. faces the worst influenza (flu) outbreak in the last 10 years, facility decision makers now have a new, free tool to help them prove not just the value of improved cleaning in protecting building occupant health, but also the financial benefit such steps can produce, according to a press release.

ISSA has released a new Value of Clean paper, which aggregates data from mainstream business, facility management and cleaning industry specific studies, quantifying the positive impact of cleaning on a business' bottom line, the release stated.

One of the key points the paper addresses is the increased productivity achieved in a workplace that takes additional cleaning and hygiene steps to avoid transmission of viruses and other illnesses, and how this can lead to higher business profitability, the release noted.

According to the release, the areas covered in the paper include:

• Work-ticket resolution costs
• Occupant wellness: Absenteeism
• Occupant wellness: Improved productivity
• Image enhancement: Customer satisfaction
• Asset preservation
• Energy savings
• Reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

"Connecting cleaning to a business' ultimate bottom line is a new approach many facility managers haven't considered, because they frequently view this area of their operations as a cost instead of the profit center it can be," said ISSA Director of Industry Outreach Dianna Steinbach.

"The results we have gathered prove that reducing cleaning budgets, or avoiding requested increases in proper cleaning, can be penny-wise and pound-foolish. In fact, such cut backs usually prove more costly in the long run, a fact many organizations don’t realize," Steinbach added.