Spring Cleaning Your Tanning Beds and Business

It’s that time of year again. Spring cleaning! Some people find this intense cleaning, or any degree of cleaning, daunting and pesky. Others find it therapeutic. But really, whatever your personal feeling is about cleaning, it’s the necessary chore that helps a business run smoothly both internally and externally. Customers feel a lot more secure about the service they’re paying for when everything looks and functions to a standard. And within your business, employees can work more efficiently if their setting is free of clutter and systems are up to date.

First things first are the basics. Dust, sweep, vacuum, and mop. Sanitize counters and other surfaces that are frequently touched, such as doorknobs and system control units. Give all of your décor a good wipe down, as plants and wall hangings can accumulate a lot of dust! Make sure to get all of the hard to reach places under and behind equipment that get passed over day to day.

Don’t forget how important the cleanliness of the outside is as well. Sometimes the exterior is a customer’s first impression of your business, and that can even make or break their decision to come inside. Clean up dead landscaping and power wash your sidewalks and walls (if applicable). Wipe down your windows until they’re sparkling, both inside and out. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way too, just saying!

Proper tanning equipment care is something that should be maintained every day, but during spring cleaning is a good time to refresh yourself and your employees on the daily and weekly procedures that should be implemented when cleaning. The bed and canopy acrylics should be thoroughly wiped down after each session. Clean and sanitize every bed’s exterior daily using only a manufacturer-approved cleaning solution (never use ammonia or bleach based cleaning solutions). On a monthly basis, get a little more in-depth by removing and cleaning the inside of both canopy and bench acrylic sheets. Dust the lamps, clean the reflectors and wipe and vacuum fans, vents, and hoses for optimum ventilation.

Next are your products. Toss anything that’s expired and then come up with a plan, like a clearance or BOGO sale, to move product that’s close to expiration. Throw out any outdated promotional or informational material taking up space on shelves and table tops.

Once you have everything looking and smelling fresh, it’s time to take care of the internal clutter. This is where you’ll truly see improvements in the way your business runs. Updating customer databases might be tedious, but information becomes inaccurate over time, so company updates and offerings end up lost in email outer space, or in the hands of a new resident who is thoughtlessly tossing your flyer in the trash.

Surveys are a useful tool for finding out who needs their info updated, and who still wants to receive mailings. Additionally, surveys can be used to request feedback on what type of content clients would prefer to see, or if they have any general business suggestions. Your customers and clients are who keep the business up; therefor it’s important to routinely measure their satisfaction.

Lastly, spring clean your employees. This may sound harsh, but it’s crucial to step back and see who is truly invested in the success of your business, and who is doing the bare minimum to get by. Check in with your team and make sure they’re happy, or if there are any concerns that need resolving. Employees are more likely to thrive when they are in a positive work environment and feel everyone is equally doing their part to keep things moving.

So spring those clocks forward, bust out the cleaning gloves (or Yelp! to hire someone to do the dirty work for you), and put forth the initiatives that will help your business “blossom” even fuller this spring.

For more equipment cleaning tips, visit our equipment care page on the ProSun website!