If you work in facilities, healthcare, hospitality, or manufacturing, you already know how crucial hygiene is and how quickly things can go wrong when standards slip.
Last year, the UK recorded around 148.9 million working days lost to sickness, averaging 4.4 days per worker. The Health and Safety Executive reports that 33.7 million working days were lost in 2023/24 due to work-related ill health and non-fatal injuries.
In the hospitality industry, the stakes look different but are no less serious. The Food Standards Agency estimates 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness each year, carrying a societal cost of around £10.4 billion.
But that’s not all. Hygiene is also a requirement for the medical and research sectors. These industries are tasked with ensuring complete hygiene control to ensure safe and effective results.
This short guide walks through seven hygiene practices that make a measurable difference and also refers to trusted suppliers for hygienic equipment and services, such as Suncombe, for situations where the choice of equipment, dosing or cleaning systems matters.
1. Cleaning Schedule
Maintaining a cleaning schedule boosts consistency and removes ambiguity. This reduces the risk of infection spreading and cuts down on unnecessary rework.
Create a simple one-page checklist that answers three questions: who, what, and when. Keep the “what” section to single, specific tasks, such as wiping door handles or spraying a designated area. High-touch points should be cleaned daily, while deeper cleaning can be done weekly. Use a clear visual cue, such as a green sticker, to show when a task has been completed so staff and inspectors can see progress at a glance.
Strong routines turn ad hoc effort into measurable results, and that measurability is exactly what inspectors look for.
2. Chemical and Dosing
The wrong chemical on the wrong surface damages equipment and creates residue that attracts dirt, whereas the right dosing saves money and time.
When possible, use measured dispensing systems to minimise chemical waste and lower the possibility of overdosing or underdosing. Additionally, match disinfectant and cleaner to the surface.
If you need reliable dosing and simple staff training, choose engineered solutions that cut errors. Euromec supplies and supports industrial cleaning machines as large area and for larger sites, while AMB Hygiene provides tailored cleaning solutions for every sector and hands-on training so staff use products correctly.
3. Tools and Demos
Train with real tools and have short demonstrations so that your staff learns faster. You can also bring training to life by using the same type of equipment your technicians and teams handle on-site.
For example, if your facility uses automated cleaning systems, a short hands-on familiarisation session helps staff understand safe operation and maintenance. When teams understand the actual controls, the procedures stick.
The reason this works is because short and repetitive practices beat one long session once a year. It also reduces the risk that staff will improvise and make costly mistakes
4. Zoning and Cross Contamination
Cross-contamination is a frequent cause of outbreaks and product defects in food and pharma sites. Zoning reduces the chance of moving contamination from one zone to another.
Create clear zones, assign cleaning kits to each zone, and use colour-coded cloths, mop heads, and labelled buckets. Keep the food prep kit physically separate from the bathroom and office kits.
These simple separation habits are much easier for people to remember and stick to than complicated rules that change all the time.
5. Logs and Verbose Reports
Regulators and auditors want clear evidence that routine checks have been completed. Use short signatures and time stamps on paper logs, or a simple digital check-in system that records tasks automatically. Keep records searchable and store them somewhere managers can retrieve them within minutes.
Add a quick photo or a one-line note when something doesn’t look right, so you have proper context if the issue is reviewed later. Decide how long records should be kept so you meet audit requirements without creating unnecessary piles of paperwork. Make sure staff know how to complete entries correctly so logs stay consistent and genuinely useful.
Clear, legible evidence builds trust quickly. It also speeds up root cause analysis when something goes wrong, because you can see exactly who carried out each task and when.
6. Seasonal and Local Conditions
This is key because germs and pests behave differently in different seasons. Create a simple seasonal checklist to guide your team. For example, increase cleaning of communal areas and air vents during the winter months.
If there’s a local gastro outbreak, add an extra cleaning cycle to staff rooms and toilets. And if your sites see tourist spikes, be ready for higher footfall during the summer. This approach works because doing a little extra at the right time prevents bigger problems later on.
7. Take Care Of Cleaning Machines
Neglected scrubbers, washers, dosing pumps, and other cleaning equipment fail at the worst possible moments, so service them regularly to maintain reliability and preserve warranties.
Keep a short maintenance log for each piece of the cleaning kit. Replace filters and consumables on the manufacturer’s schedule. If a machine smells or loses suction, log it and book a service call immediately.
In Conclusion
Hygiene is the slow, steady work that keeps places running and people healthy. It protects your teams, your customers, and most importantly, your reputation far more effectively than emergency clean-ups ever will.
All you need are a few simple habits done reliably, the right kit that actually works for your site, the occasional deep cleaning when the seasons change, and a list of trusted suppliers that you can rely on.
Consistency and recurring results are your indicators, as they show fewer absences, smoother audits, a cleaner environment, and safer staff.
If you’re just getting started, consider suppliers who combine kit, support, training, and offer after-sales service.