In restaurants and hotels the cleaning store is usually a cupboard behind the kitchen or a room in the basement. Nobody sees it, until something is missing on a Saturday night. A little organisation is enough to stop that happening.
01A minimum for every code
For every product set a minimum, the quantity below which an order is placed. Write it on the shelf, next to the product. Whoever takes the second to last case tells the person in charge. It does not need software, it needs a habit.
02Old stock to the front
New cases go to the back, old ones come to the front. The rule applies even to products that do not expire, because packaging wears and labels fade. For disinfectants and gloves, which carry a date, the rule is essential.
03One supplier, one delivery
The more suppliers, the more deliveries, invoices and phone calls. When paper, detergents, bags and equipment arrive together, you order once and the store fills once. In seasonal businesses, agree a delivery schedule before the season opens.
The storeroom should not be full. It should be right.
04The room itself
- Shelves, not piles on the floor. Paper draws moisture.
- Chemicals apart from paper products and from food.
- Light and ventilation, especially where concentrates are kept.
- A list of what is there, stuck on the door.
If you like, we can work out minimum stock levels for each code with you, based on your consumption.
Want to go through this for your space?
Tell us what you clean and how often. We will suggest products and quantities.