April showers bring May flowers, but they can also bring in shoppers dripping on displays and tracking mud all over your retail space. This doesn’t make for the most attractive (nor inviting scene); a dirty store can definitely send some customers heading right back out the door.
Unfortunately, there are only two real solutions. One is to prevent the mess from reaching your retail space in the first place. The other is to clean like mad! Obviously the first is preferable, but not every store has a vestibule with interior and exterior doors to act as a staging area for muddy feet.
That said, there are certainly options to help you cut down on the springtime messes and maintain a clean and attractive retail space. Here are a few things you might want to try.
Floor Mats at Entrances
This is a good idea rain or shine since it helps to keep customers from tracking in summertime dust, fall debris, and winter slush, as well as spring weather. Many stores prefer custom floor mats that feature their logo or a welcoming message, but if you’re dealing with messy weather conditions, what you really want is a product that’s durable, absorbent, and a dark color (to help hide the mess).
It’s probably wise to procure several mats in case they become water-logged or filthy so you can swap them out regularly. At the very least, you’ll need to wash your mats periodically, so having backups is essential. With wet, muddy conditions in spring, you’re likely to find yourself switching mats frequently to stop mud and water from making their way into your store.
Umbrella Receptacles
Customers might not hang their hats and coats at the entrance to your store or take off their shoes while they shop, but they’ll probably be glad to set down their wet umbrellas so they can more easily move through your shop and look at wares. Placing bins at the entrance can help to keep dripping umbrellas out of your store and away from your inventory.
Frequent Mopping
Even with floor mats and bins for umbrellas, water and mud will still make their way into your shop, which means you’ll have to be ready with a mop for both appearances and safety reasons. You should instruct employees to keep an eye on the entry and mop up water and mud that get tracked in whenever they have time. They should also post wet floor warning signs. Both of these will help to prevent slip and fall accidents, and frequent mopping will preserve the neat appearance of your retail space.
End-of-Day Deep Clean
If employees stay on top of messes throughout the day, the end-of-day cleaning checklist won’t take nearly as long. Still, you’ll have to do more than mop the front entrance. When the weather is wet and muddy, you’ll need to clean the entire floor and probably windows, walls, displays and other surfaces where water droplets land when customers enter and shake off the weather.
Stock Cleaning Supplies
Like Benjamin Franklin said, “by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” If you know that weather conditions are likely to get wet in spring, make sure you’re ready to deal with the resulting mess by stocking up on rags, mop heads, solvents, and whatever else you’ll need to keep your store spic and span.
Scented Solvents
The appearance of your store is important. If you want to bring the best of spring into your store and appeal to more senses than just sight, think about enhancing the atmosphere with the clean scent of lemons or spring flowers. Scented cleaning solvents or air fresheners could help to dispel the damp mustiness that creeps in with the inclement weather.
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