Operations and Systems Video

Does Your Cleaning Business Have 15-Minute Profit Leaks?

What You’ll Learn

Set up faster building access
Have supplies and equipment ready before the shift
Plan the night by time

Short Summary

Small 15-minute time leaks can drain money from a cleaning shift. In a three-hour shift, those lost minutes turn into real labor cost. A common cause is waiting at the door for building access. Another cause is supplies and equipment not ready at the start. Some teams lose time when the night starts with chatting first. Fix this with faster entry, tools ready, and a simple plan by time. Clear directions keep the team moving through each area. Set the plan for the night before the shift begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 15-minute time leak in cleaning work?

It is a short delay during a shift with no cleaning done. Waiting for entry or setting up gear can cause it.

How much can small delays cost?

Losing 15 minutes a shift adds up fast. With several accounts, it can cost thousands of dollars.

What should be ready before the shift starts?

Supplies and equipment should be ready, or close to ready, when the shift starts.

How detailed should the plan for the night be?

Keep it simple and use time blocks for main areas. Give clear directions before cleaning begins.

Is team chatting at the start a real problem?

Yes, it can burn paid minutes before cleaning starts. A clear plan helps the team start right away.

Full Transcript

Well, hi there. Welcome back. Dan again from CleanGuru.

Here’s something that can be very valuable: 15-minute leaks. Little 15-minute time frames when, in any given shift, someone may be wasting time that they could be cleaning. It may be their fault. It may be our fault for how we set it up.

What kinds of things can create these 15-minute leaks? By the way, these 15-minute leaks, if it’s in a three-hour shift, three days a week, five days a week, these really can add up to lots of money—thousands of dollars—if you have multiple accounts, right? So it’s a big deal. You work so hard to get the account, it’s worth taking some time to make sure that the hours are right.

What can it be that really often happens? Maybe they have to wait to get in the building for access. Maybe they’re taking too long to get the supplies and the equipment ready to start the night. Maybe they’re not getting any direction to start the night; they’re just chatting. Maybe folks are just chatting on the team before they get started cleaning.

Maybe they don’t know real good directions. Maybe you haven’t really laid out, “Here’s the first thing to do at 6 p.m. to 6:20. Do this. From 6:20 to 7:00, do this.” Maybe really kind of laying out the night, and what areas have to be done at what time.

But again, this is very important, and it’s so great because you work hard, like I say, to get the account. Keeping it profitable is what you want to do because you don’t want to have to land another account, and you certainly don’t want to raise the price just because you don’t have it running efficiently.

So take a look at your company and see what you can do. You can arrange to make it so that the access is easier for your people—faster—and they get there at the right time. Maybe the supplies and the equipment are ready, or close to ready, to start the night. Maybe there’s a supervisor that says, “Here’s what we’re doing tonight,” but there’s not a lot of extra socializing going on.

So two or three things, small things—big money can be involved.

Till next time, remember: you can do this. You really can.