Entrepreneurs can clean up on demand
Adverse events can spark innovation, just as dirt and germs create the need for new and better ways of cleaning.
And now we’re seeing both coming out of the coronavirus crisis. The new normal includes intense interest in cleanliness, of course. The question is whether the change will revolutionize the cleaning service industry.
“It may be a good area for an entrepreneur to get into that business because the upside is that people are going to be focused on keeping their facilities spotless and clean,” said Tony Cirone, of CironeFriedberg LLP, an accounting and consulting firm working throughout southwestern Connecticut.
“The extent of the clean is going to be much more integral and detailed than it may have been historically.”
The old basics — vacuuming, wiping counters scrubbing floors — may now seem inadequate. A survey commissioned by the American Cleaning Institute reported four in 10 Americans were not properly allowing disinfectant sprays and wipes to kill viruses or germs.
The survey conducted by
Ipsos in mid- March also showed most Americans were making changes to their hygiene and cleaning practices due to the pandemic. After life returns to some sense of normal, Cirone said specialty cleaning services could be in high demand.
The trend could mirror the dramatic rise of security businesses after the 9/ 11 attacks, especially in commercial buildings. And just as large corporations such as Stanley Black & Decker and United Technologies Corp. jumped on that opportunity, Servpro, a commercial service, is among the companies already touting pandemic “biohazard cleanup services.”
Companies that offer training may start as well, or concierge- like services could appear through phone apps. Cirone said new technology will be key in any change.
“I believe there will be more efficient techniques and processes for actually doing the cleaning,” he said. “I would suspect folks are going to come out with better ways to disinfect because it will be all about disinfecting the facilities.”