It’s never too late for a spring clean.
With the silly season nearly upon us, now is the perfect time to do a thorough cleaning of your work area Here are some tips to help brighten your mobile, salon or home-based business and have it gleaming.
Tip 1: Make a date
Make a scheduled day and lock it in, and get the cleaning done. Ensure you have all the cleaning products you need, some old clothes on and you're going to need your favourite tunes ready to go, to keep your mojo up!
Tip 2: Get decluttered!
One of a groomer's bugbears is the accumulation of old equipment, tools, towels, chamois, conditioning sprays, blade oils, and your favourite brushes or combs even though teeth are missing! Get brave and part ways with clutter. Especially tools that are broken as they can be dangerous to our client's pets. My motto is that if I haven’t had a use for it in the past 6 months it goes!
Research has shown that a disorganised work area can add to your stress levels. And seriously, with a groomer's workload, who needs that? Having clutter can signal to your brain that work isn’t done. Clutter and disorganization can have a cumulative effect on our brain and the visual interruption of clutter can increase cognitive overload and reduce our memories. And yep, that’s not something that any of us need with the thought of summer just around the corner. Our brains and minds like order so having visual reminders of clutter can burden our cognitive resources and can result in reduced focus. So simplify and say goodbye!
Tip 3: Start with Green to Clean
Don’t expose yourself to unnecessary toxins when there are great alternatives for cleaning products probably sitting in your cupboard. A great general cleaner in a spray bottle can be a simple mixture of
1 teaspoon borax or baking soda
Hot water to dissolve the borax or baking soda
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2-3 drops of dōTERRA essential oil (orange, lemon, eucalyptus, or onguard)
2 drops of dish detergent
Fill with cold water
There are plenty of alternatives for green cleaning for your toilet, kitchen and general cleaning on the internet so be sure to pick your favourite.
Tip 4: Start from the top and work your way down
We often overlook cleaning walls and the ceiling but it’s important to start from the ceiling and work your way down. Thanks to gravity, debris will come down from the ceiling and walls and fall on the floor. Working your way from top to bottom can save time. Use your vacuum or a broom to get cobwebs, dust, dander and pet hair that may be sitting on your walls and ceiling. Don’t forget the ceiling fans, smoke alarms, light fixtures or vents. Then, wipe down your walls with your cleaning products, this includes removing those special certificates or awards on your walls and wiping them down.
Tip 5: Windows that sparkle
Window cleaning can be a chore and with a bit of elbow grease and plenty of DIY window cleaners on the net to choose from, it's worth the effort. This goes for mobile groomers too with windows in their vehicles and trailers.
Another alternative is a window cleaner like the Karcha Vacuum Window cleaner. This little beauty is something that I personally use in my salon and home. I just spray, wipe and vacuum the excess off and I’m done. Wiping the sills and rails is important also as hair accumulates in the rails and can cause rollers to jam.
Don’t forget if you have screens you can remove them, gently wash them with detergent and a soft broom and let them dry and hang again.
Tip 6: Keep those Air conditioners and Air purifiers clean
Often an overlooked job, because the filters are hidden, is the Air conditioning filters. This is a job that should be done very regularly. Remember you're breathing in that air every day! Make this job at least a weekly chore on your list if you haven’t already. Be sure to wipe the face and the top of the air conditioner too.
Tip 7: Window Dressings love hair!
If you have curtains or window dressings, most are easily washable, otherwise, check your local for cleaning services as there are companies that will come and clean your awning and collect your curtains or blinds and clean them.. sometimes on the same day! Dust and dander collect in window dressings and it is another part of our work area that can be overlooked.
Tip 8: Move your furniture, grooming equipment, and stock
It’s a great habit to move your grooming equipment out off the wall. If you have a bank of cages, grooming table, baths and anything that generally sits in one place, and clean in and behind that space. The funky things you can find behind a bath can make the average person squeamish with a mixture of hair, water and any creepy crawlies that may have made it their home.
Vacuum up the hair and trimmed nails from in between your grooming table arms and wipe down. Unplug your dryers and wipe them down, and don’t forget to check your dryer filters while you are at it.
Unplug your washing machine and dryer and wipe down your machines with a cloth. Due to groomers using towels often, lint can build up and this is one of the most common causes of fire in dryers. Don’t forget to check the filters in your dryers
Tip 9: Bin time.
Clean your bins with dishwashing liquid and water and dry them. The easiest way to do this is in the bath or outside. It’s important to have a fresh-smelling bin, and one of my tips is I leave my garbage bags at the bottom of the bin. That way when I change the bin, the bags are sitting right there and I know when to buy more. Also saves a little bit of space when you have more than one bin.
Tip 10: Time for the final touches
Finally, you can finish off with a vacuum and mop for the final touches. I love to use a few drops of my favourite DōTERRA oils in my mop bucket even if I need to use a stronger disinfectant. I like to clean my vacuum hose just like I clean my blow-dryer hose of any build-up. I switch off the power and I detach from the machine, take the head of the vacuum off and hold both ends of the vacuum hose in the shape of a big U, and I pop a cup of water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid and swirl back and forth to clean any rubbish out, I then rinse the hose and hang it to dry overnight. Ensure it's dry before using it again.
The moment you walk into your salon or mobile, take a deep breath and try to notice all of the little things that might bother or impress you. It can be as simple and straightforward as too many cushions on the waiting lounges for clients or tired-looking towels in need of replacement to something more creative like noticing how much greenery is missing from inside spaces so we don't get cabin fever. Try and view it through the eyes of your clients and what they see.
Try adding some greenery to your salon, if you're unable to keep plants alive like me, there is a great selection of small or larger type artificial plants in pots on stands at places like Kmart and IKEA. I have them scattered through my waiting area. My clients love it, I love it, and surprisingly.. no legs cocked on one yet!
Keeping your salon or mobile clean is key to maintaining a professional appearance and will help keep any harmful bacteria and mould at bay. Luckily, it’s easy to make your own DIY cleaning products that will take care of all the dirt, dust, and dog hair in no time. Not keeping your work area dust, dander and hair free as much as possible is detrimental to your health, the pets you groom health and your staff’s health. Less clutter will improve your thought process and will improve your flow throughout your day. Keeping a workspace neat tidy and clean is more important than ever.
Look after yourselves and happy grooming!
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