Zen and the art of facilities maintenance
August 1st 2006 A recent psychological study claims that cleaning can reduce stress levels by up to 25 per cent and can be more effective at improving wellbeing than meditation.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study was commissioned by a cleaning equipment manufacturer, which managed to mention its ability to deliver nirvana with a range of quality cleaning products that make life easier for the user.
However, an independent survey commissioned by Omnibus backed-up the research, finding that 83 per cent of Britons gain pleasure from cleaning, with nearly a third claiming domestic work was as satisfying as a hot bath.
While surveys and studies rarely unearth information detrimental to the organisations funding them, the sponsoring manufacturer in this case has a point: better equipment makes life easier; be it an ergonomically designed super scourer or a king size bath tub.
It's a central theme in this and any other industry. Used correctly, quality tools save time and effort meaning happier operatives, clients and bank balances, at least in the medium term.
Yet speaking to many companies, particularly manufacturers, the majority seem frustrated by the UK's inherent short termism and subsequent desire for rapid return on minimal investment.
Whether this will ever change remains to be seen. But there are companies who do value quality, and will pay a premium for it. Otherwise the only successful operators would be those piling high and selling cheap.
While at home professional cleaners may want a nice, hot bath after a day's hard work rather than de-stress through pot-washing, enlightened employers already recognise how to make life less stressful for all involved.
In this issue, you'll find plenty of products to help beat both dirt and stress. But if you read it in the bath, be careful.
Brendan Coyne editor Cleaning Matters Tel: 01342 333711 E-mail: bcoyne@progressive-media.co.uk More articles from Cleaning Matters: | 
