Many times, janitorial service companies do not clean fan blades in offices. Why? In many offices, especially during the summer, fans are simply running when the commercial cleaning company enters the room. Turning the fans off could increase the temperature in the room, which can be uncomfortable for the cleaner, so the fans are simply left running.
Other times, an office cleaning company may not have access to the remote control to turn off the ceiling fan. Occasionally, the maintenance team may need to climb ladders to pull the chain on the fans to turn them off.
If a commercial cleaning company attempts to use a microfiber duster to dust an extremely dirty ceiling fan, the dust particles can stay suspended for hours. After the cleaning of the room has been completed, the dust can settle and the next person who enters the room will notice the dust on the surface that wasn’t present during the dusting phase, making it appear as if the office cleaning company did not properly dust the office.
Fans Are On During The Cleaning
Some fans are not able to be controlled by a light switch or pull chain. Some are controlled by a remote control, which the janitorial service may not have access to during the scheduled cleaning time. If the fans are operational, a cleaning technician is simply unable to see the dust buildup. Even if the technician attempted to clean the fan while it is operating, the cleaning will be inefficient and ineffective and the fan blades may be damaged.
Ineffective Dusting Equipment
Many janitorial services use microfiber dusters to remove dust from surfaces. Microfiber dusters are extremely effective at removing dust from horizontal surfaces. However, if the duster isn’t extendable, it simply may not be able to reach the top and bottom of the fan blades. If the fan hasn’t been dusted in many years, the dust buildup may be too great for dusting alone. A deep cleaning of each fan blade may be required.
Employee Turnover
Experienced cleaning technicians are aware of dust buildup on fan blades. The janitorial service industry can experience employee turnover as high as 300% annually. Newly trained cleaners may simply skip this task, as it isn’t as visible as many other cleaning tasks.
It’s Alot Of Work
Dusting the overhead fan blades will unfortunately make a mess throughout the room. Some dust will be captured, but a lot of the dust will become airborne and will not settle for hours. When a person enters the office the following morning, it isn’t uncommon for a layer of dust to be on the horizontal surfaces. The janitorial service typically gets blamed for not dusting the room, despite properly cleaning the fan blades.
