22 July 2021

You may have heard the saying ‘tidy house, tidy mind’, but did you know this also applies to warehouses? A tidy warehouse, a tidy mind! A well-organised, clean warehouse isn’t just about complying with legal regulations. It’s also about creating an efficient, safe and healthy place to work, and helping to provide a positive, productive atmosphere for your employees.

Why it’s so important for you to keep a clean warehouse

There are many benefits to maintaining a clean warehouse. Proper warehouse maintenance helps your warehouse operate like a well-oiled machine and without it you risk delays and accidents that could seriously impact your warehouse’s efficiency and success. Keeping your warehouse maintenance up to date will also make it easier for staff to find, use and store equipment and supplies, which will increase their productivity.

A clean warehouse promotes warehouse safety. Warehouses not only hold a lot of stock but as busy environments with equipment constantly in use, they also hold a lot of potential hazards. By keeping a clean, tidy environment and upholding safety regulations, you will improve your warehouse safety, resulting in staff having fewer injuries and accidents.

A clean warehouse also helps to create a healthier environment for both your machines and staff to operate in. Aside from dusty, dirty or contaminated products giving a negative impression and resulting in rejection by customers, dust can damage warehouse machinery and create slipping hazards for vehicles and staff. Dirt and dust particles, as well as encouraging the presence of vermin, can also affect the health of your workers and a dirty, grimy warehouse is no good for your staff’s morale or mental health. Therefore, keeping your warehouse maintenance in check and upholding a hygienic environment will result in a happier workplace with employees having fewer sick days and time off.

Finally, where a dirty warehouse gives off feelings of neglect and low morale, a well-maintained, clean environment projects a professional and positive impression. This demonstrates to both your customers and suppliers that you take pride in your place of work, giving them the confidence to do business with you.

We thank SpaceVac International for the helpful infographic which summarises why warehouses should be kept clean and tidy.

For further advice on the issues raised here, we can recommend the following articles from our online Eureka archive:

Dust: how to protect warehouse staff from dust hazards

Floor quality: why you must keep your warehouse floors tidy and in shape

Vermin: why pest management is essential in logistics

General safety: management’s role in safe materials handling

Happy and healthy employees: keeping your core asset in shape

Making a good impression: the case for flexible warehouse safety barriers

Information on SpaceVac, which specialises in vacuum cleaning and inspection systems for use at high levels, can be found here.

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The importance of a clean warehouse