As offices in the UK and Europe adapt to their new normal, ‘daytime cleaning’ has become much more prominent across workplaces.

But what exactly is daytime cleaning?

Daytime cleaning is pretty self-explanatory. It’s cleaning that takes place during daytime, business hours. 

With daytime cleaning, operatives are present and ‘on standby’ to carry out cleaning duties that may arise throughout the day.

They’re also available to help deal with the enhanced cleaning that is required for offices that remain open through the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Is daytime cleaning new?

No - daytime cleaning has always been around, in some form or another. 

For example, in train stations, airports or shopping centres, you would expect to see cleaners throughout the day. High footfall necessitates frequent cleaning, with tables, chairs and toilets used by many different people throughout the day.

But, it’s less usual to see daytime cleaning in the office. For many office workers, seeing the cleaners signals home time, and the end of the working day. 

Traditionally, office cleaning takes place in the early hours, or later in the evening. This is to minimise any disruption to office workers. After all, it’s not ideal to hear the vacuum cleaner while important meetings and calls are underway.

Daytime office cleaning isn’t completely unheard of though. Some larger office buildings may have a toilet cleaning rota throughout the day, for example, or cleaners who wipe the canteen down a few times each day.  Even in these cases, other cleaning tasks within the office space are generally left to an after-hours team.

Why are offices now booking daytime cleaning?

As offices look to become ‘COVID-19 secure’, a once-daily cleaning rota is no longer effective. In fact, government guidance for non-healthcare settings suggests that cleaning should occur at least twice a day.

It is believed that coronavirus (COVID-19) can be transmitted through touching ‘high-touch’ surfaces, such as door handles, stair rails and light switches.  To reduce the risk of transmission, government guidance for offices encourages ‘enhanced cleaning of busy areas’ as well as the ‘frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly including door handles and keyboards’.

This frequent and increased cleaning is impossible to achieve with a traditional out-of-hours cleaning schedule. 

That is, unless the office workers themselves complete these tasks throughout the day. This is bound to damage productivity though, and is likely to deter workers from wanting to return to the office.

As a result, daytime cleaning is becoming an increasingly popular solution for offices and workplaces. With cleaners available throughout the day, high-touch surfaces can be frequently cleaned to reduce the risk of illness being transmitted.

Why do employees like daytime cleaning?

The obvious perk is that office workers can benefit from frequent cleaning of high-touch and high-traffic areas, while focusing entirely on their own day jobs.

But, there are other benefits too.

Any cleaning tasks that arise throughout the day, such as spillages, can be immediately cleared up, without distracting workers or being left until the end of the day.

Symbolically, having a cleaner present, visible and available can also help to alleviate any concerns that workers may have about cleanliness and hygiene in the workplace. This is particularly important during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

With daytime cleaning, staff also have greater visibility on the work of cleaners, seeing what exactly it is that is being done and by who. This removes the anonymity from cleaning work and reassures office-goers that their cleaners are seeing to essential cleaning tasks, without cutting corners.

Most importantly, seeing a cleaner serves as an effective reminder that cleanliness is at the top of their employers’ priority list. They’ll know that their bosses are committed to creating a COVID-secure office space with staff welfare as priority no. 1. 

Does daytime cleaning distract workers?

Part of the attraction of daytime cleaning is visibility. Cleaners are ever present, supervisable and busy working away, throughout the day.

Employers may worry that this could cause distractions. 

In reality, as long as a few basic rules are followed, there’s no reason that the presence of cleaners should affect the productivity of workers.

Vacuuming and other loud tasks should still be completed after- or before-hours. Cleaners should also keep a safe distance from workers and attempt to keep a subtle presence.

Cleaners’ focus should be on communal areas, such as the kitchen toilets and meeting rooms, as well as high touch surfaces, like door handles and railings. Most of these areas can be maintained with almost no disruption to workers.

How can I book daytime office cleaning?

Most commercial cleaning companies offer a daytime cleaning service. You could look to replace your existing after-hours cleaning service with daytime visits, or you could use a daytime cleaner to complement your existing schedule.

Here at Housekeep, we offer a safe, seamless office cleaning service. We’ve got lots of office clients, and we also clean shops, schools and almost all other workplaces.

We're going above and beyond government guidance to offer a ‘COVID-19 Secure’ service, and we’ve introduced enhanced cleaning, handwashing and hygiene processes for all office cleans. We’re also providing cleaners with PPE and taking all the steps we can to maintain social distancing during cleans. 

To book office cleaning, simply fill out our online quote form. A member of our commercial cleaning team will give you a call to schedule and confirm your clean, and we’ll answer any questions you may have about the service.

Once you're set up, you'll be able to book extra cleans, reschedule visits and manage payment online. You'll also be supported by our dedicated commercial cleaning team, to ensure a smooth, seamless experience.