A condition, a philosophy, a choice, a way of life
I didn’t build my now world-famous Museum of Clean just to teach people how to scrub floors. My mission was much bigger. When visitors walk through the doors of the museum, my goal is to teach them that “clean” is not a process; it is a condition, a philosophy, a choice, a way of life.
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A Deceptively Simple Concept
When people hear the word “clean,” most visualize janitors and maids scrubbing, mopping and dusting. Not me. When I give tours of the Museum of Clean, I start by explaining that clean means so much more. Think clean language, clean air, clean water, clean eating, clean living and even clean arteries! All of those important ideas are wrapped up in the deceptively simple concept of clean. Even cleaning for health is about more than just killing germs and preventing illness. It means working to achieve human and planetary balance and optimal performance through clean choices. In safe, clean environments, we all live happier and healthier, both at work and home.
Clean as A Philosophy
For those who work in the cleaning profession, embracing clean as a philosophy rather than a process can manifest in many positive ways. It can mean a well-run operation, a healthy attitude, and a joyful and secure workforce. Clean work environments prevent injury, illness, lawsuits and the lost time associated with them – none of which are healthy for the bottom line. And what about equipment or structure depreciation? It’s a real profit killer. Anything kept clean and cared for lasts longer. This not only means less money spent on new equipment and structures, it also means less of a replacement burden on the planet.
Cleaning to Standards
Embracing clean as a way of doing business also means cleaning to standards, not frequencies. When the idea of clean is driven by a schedule, we either over clean or under clean. Not only is this a waste of time and products, it leads to the wrong outcome as well. Cleaning to standards means our decisions are based on conditions and soil load, not a calendar or a clock. When business owners start to look at clean as a condition and embrace the highest industry standards, then clean becomes self-propagating. Think of it this way: if you were maintaining an exterior wall where graffiti was popular, would you schedule the cleaning every Saturday? No, because that approach would welcome more graffiti throughout the week. If you could remove the graffiti immediately, however, it would ultimately discourage further defacement. The wall would actually stay clean.
This is why, during my sixty years in the cleaning profession, the word “now” has become my mantra. Germs have time to multiply when we clean to a schedule rather than a standard. Over time, that starts to negatively impact other areas of our lives. If clean is a condition rather than a process…if clean is a way of life, a philosophy, a choice…then isn’t it time we started to run our businesses that way?
Don Aslett is founder of Varsity Facility Services and The Museum of Clean. Known as “America’s #1 Cleaning Expert,” he is a sought-after media source, popular speaker and bestselling author.
Don Aslett is founder of Varsity Facility Services and The Museum of Clean. Known as “America’s #1 Cleaning Expert,” he is a sought-after media source, popular speaker and bestselling author.
