Duties and responsibilities of a cleaning manager
Cleaning managers play a pivotal role in maintaining sanitation and hygiene across many industries. Their responsibilities go beyond just keeping things tidy — from overseeing staff to ensuring safety compliance, they’re at the heart of making sure your facility is not only clean but also efficient and safe. Today, with the possibilities for modern solutions on the rise, cleaning managers have a chance to streamline your operations and boost efficiency in new ways.
Let's dive into the main duties and responsibilities of cleaning managers, how they can benefit your facility, and some technological options to take their daily operations to the next level. For example, we'll discuss how integrating facility management solutions like Tork Vision Cleaning into your business can make cleaning easier, smarter, and quicker.
What does a cleaning manager do?
In a nutshell, cleaning managers make sure health, safety, and hygiene standards are met. They oversee the core responsibilities of cleaning staff and create schedules for facility spaces to be maintained regularly and efficiently. This means they have a critical position in sectors like healthcare, hospitality, and office environments, where cleaning and hygiene are essential for the wellbeing of your employees, patients, guests, or clients.
Main duties & responsibilities of a cleaning manager
Oversee daily cleaning operations
Your cleaning manager is a key player in ensuring staff consistently delivers high-quality cleaning. For example, they use time management to assign tasks and delegate specific areas to different cleaners, making the process both thorough and well-organized.
Manage supplies and inventory
Keeping track of cleaning and hygiene supplies is crucial to avoid any disruptions in your daily operations. Therefore, it’s your cleaning manager’s responsibility to make sure there’s always enough stock of all necessary products. That includes basics such as hand soap and toilet paper, as well as paper towels, cleaning cloths, and wet wipes.
Ensure compliance with health and safety standards
Cleaning managers are responsible for making sure all cleaning protocols meet health, safety, and hygiene standards, taking care of the wellbeing of your employees and visitors. For instance, in the foodservice industry, restaurants have strict guidelines they need to follow to serve meals safely. Some of those practices might include, making sure cleaning chemicals are kept away from food preparation areas and cleaning all surfaces frequently. [1]
It's your cleaning manager's job to get informed on the unique requirements of your facility and to arrange for cleaning staff to upkeep those standards.
Budgeting and cost control
Cleaning managers need to balance effective cleaning with the allocated budget for staff and supplies. Nowadays, it is also common for impact on the environment to be an important consideration. Therefore, they can do themselves a favor by selecting efficient products made with efficiency and sustainability in mind, especially in high-traffic areas like restrooms.
For example, products like Tork toilet paper dispensers are designed to deal with the wear and tear of high-traffic environments, which can lead to lower replacement costs. Or for instance, our Tork PeakServe® paper hand towel dispensers, with one-at-a-time serving, help control consumption and increase hygiene levels. Not only that, but they can also hold as much as 250% more paper towels*, meaning less maintenance and a reduced risk of run-outs.
Controlling costs while also considering sustainability is a fine balance — one that requires smart decision-making andresource management. That’s why at Tork we make the choice easier by also offering you a range of carbon neutral certified dispensers, sustainable packaging, and even refills made from 100% recycled or recyclable materials.
How can cleaning managers handle staff efficiently?
There are several ways your cleaning managers can streamline processes by managing and supporting their staff. Being mindful of and implementing a few best practices can help their teams become more skilled and efficient in daily operations.
Leveraging technology
A good way to help staff work smarter is with data. Knowing exactly where and when to prioritize cleaning or refill hygiene products can really optimize daily routines. Modern solutions like Tork Vision Cleaning gives managers real-time information to improve cleaning efficiency and support better hygiene in your business. Using the power of people counters and connected dispensers, cleaning managers can better save resources and time by reducing unnecessary dispenser checks. Additionally, built-in reports help managers get a clearer picture of how operations are running, spot opportunities to improve efficiency, and back up their budgeting decisions.
Providing training
Be mindful that not every member of your cleaning staff may be used to your high standards. So, it’s important for managers to regularly train them on the latest cleaning techniques and proper product usage, as well as basics like proper hand hygiene. This helps keep your teams be well-prepared for any situation.
Every business has specific requirements when it comes to hygiene, safety, and overall health and wellbeing. Luckily, our Tork Clean Care Program provides solutions, tools, and trainings according to your facility’s needs. Additionally, pattern insights from Tork Vision Cleaning can be a great tool to help cleaning managers understand the most critical tasks in your facility and address them during trainings.
Communicating clearly
Maintaining open communication with your cleaning teams about your expectations as well as any changes in procedures is key to helping your facility run smoothly — a good cleaning manager can make that happen. Regular check-ins and performance reviews can go a long way in ensuring tasks are understood and giving staff a chance to ask questions or voice concerns.
Part of a constructive communication strategy with your cleaning staff is celebrating their progress and highlighting improvement areas. Tork Vision Cleaning can help with this task. Our data-driven solution enables cleaning managers to monitor performance in real time, providing them with the insights and performance metrics they need to support their cleaning teams.
It’s clear that cleaning managers play an important part in running your facility's daily operations, from maintaining hygiene standards to protecting and enhancing staff wellbeing. When you fully understand their role and support them with smart strategies, you can enable your managers to do their job more effectively. And providing them with tools like Tork Vision Cleaning, combined with high-quality products like Tork wipers and cloths, can make all the difference in taking your business to a new level.
To continue learning about the best ways to streamline your facility’s operations, why not read our guide on computerized maintenance management systems or our advice on facilities maintenance management and cleaning?
* Compared to Tork Universal refills and folded towel dispenser 552020