DC cleaning that delivers the goods

Innovative cleaning technologies can make short work of once labour-intensive tasks, with many eliminating the need for downtime during use altogether. A warehouse floor represents a significant expenditure; you can prolong its appearance and its lifespan with regular cleaning; packaging residues, waste paper and vehicle tyre marks can be removed quickly and effortlessly with powerful and robust scrubber driers, vacuum sweepers and wet and dry vacuum cleaners. 

Intralogistics cleaning can be looked upon as a threefold asset defence exercise; protecting the health and safety of your workforce, the quality of the goods you handle and the longevity of your machinery and equipment on site.  

Beyond the physical dirt you can see, cross contamination risks from the cold store, bathroom, locker room and catering facilities need to be managed. While a mop and bucket may be commonplace, this traditional method moves dirty water around, leaves floors wet, creates a slip hazard and renders areas out of bounds while they dry. Scrubber driers instead, scrub the floor in a wet process and dry it by recovering the washing solution in a single pass, providing a safer, more consistent, efficient and hygienic alternative.

Many DCs now operate 24/7 and all have tough throughput targets. Therefore time is precious and cleaning windows are short, so it’s easy to see why more efficient, preventative cleaning is often overlooked in favour of cleaning only when there is an accidental spill, or the dirt has built up to an unacceptable level. However - much like taking time to schedule preventative machine and equipment servicing - in reality, cleaning little and often is the less onerous route.  

The value you place upon cleanliness will to some extent be governed by the goods you’re responsible for; if you handle hazardous or potentially explosive goods - such as aerosols, laundry additives, cosmetics, paint, flour and sugar - or high value electronic components and garments where dust could damage your goods, cleanliness takes on added significance.

While we often think of wet or contaminated floors as a slip hazard, even seemingly innocuous dust can, once settled, greatly increase the risk of slips; therefore the simple act of sweeping can play an important part in preventing accidents.  Moreover, productivity savings through technology applications soon stack up; even a modest walk-behind sweeper is seven times faster than a broom - cleaning faster and more effectively in picking and packing areas, plus reducing messy and inefficient trips to the bin.  

By nature warehouses, in particular parcel and freight hubs, are sizable buildings and it is here that ride-on cleaning vehicles really prove their worth. Special considerations for logistics environments include compact machine dimensions for easy manoeuvrability, even among highbay racking and VNA situations. Roll over protection structures (ROPS), impact protection canopies and visibility aides ensure operational safety, while LPG and battery powered machines are available to avoid emissions concerns. 

Aside from accidental spills, the majority of dirt inside your warehouse comes from outside, and in times of wet or wintry weather, this can mean excess water, leaves and mud blown in from your loading bay doors or carried in on pallet and fork trucks.  Sweeping outdoors will cut the dirt entering by two thirds, and it’s significantly easier to keep dirt out of a building than to clean up once it’s indoors.  

Adopting efficient cleaning technology in the workplace doesn’t only mitigate the risk of costly slips and trips; the resource and time saving benefits of Kärcher machines often mean they are much more cost-effective than alternative methods of cleaning.  

When upfront cost is a concern, talk to the experts; a reputable provider will demonstrate and often let you trial machines to be sure you have the right fit for your business and provide options to hire, lease and manage payment so you can unlock the productivity savings of cleaning technology without the upfront investment. Hire is also an excellent route for occasional tasks such as outdoor grounds maintenance, or moisture-free ice blasting to deep clean automation and production machinery.

To find out how Kärcher can make a difference to the efficiency, productivity and cleanliness of your business, call 01295 752142, email [email protected] or visit www.karcher.co.uk.