Smart cleaning: cleaning buildings efficiently and sustainably

Many offices are deserted between Christmas and New Year, and not only then. At many companies working from home has relocated the preferred workplace to employees’ homes on a year-round basis. In a recent IHK survey nearly one in four firms polled said they were planning to extend working at home, and nearly half of the respondents aim in the long term to adopt hybrid working models. Office workplaces are also unused when employees are on vacation or business trips. In short, the office is increasingly becoming a place where you are more likely to meet with colleagues from time to time, to build professional relationships and to collaborate creatively.

Cleaning schedules, however, continue at many companies to be based on employees being around during regular working hours. Cleaners even clean rooms that have been empty since they were last cleaned. That not only incurs superfluous costs but also runs counter to sustainability because energy consumption is unnecessarily high, as is the the usage of water and cleaning materials. The problem is that as long as there is no transparency about where cleaning is required, cleaning work is hard to plan efficiently.

This is where the Swiss startup Soobr kicks in with its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) smart cleaning solution. It enables artificial intelligence (AI) to be used to develop optimal cleaning routes. Cleaning is only undertaken where it is needed and in the most sensible sequence in order to eliminate unnecessary routes. Infrastructural facility management, which includes cleaning, can in this way be optimized.

The solution and the compilation of cleaning routes are based on data such as up-to-date room utilization. It can come from different sources and be derived from, say, room plans, existing occupancy systems or from IoT sensors in the offices that record room utilization. At Soobr this information converges on an online platform. Facility management systems already in use, such as occupancy systems, can be linked to the platform via an API interface.

On the Soobr platform itself the ideal cleaning routes are then calculated automatically using AI. Equipped with tablets or smartphones, the cleaners can see the routes on an intuitive app that also shows the floor plan of the building and the cleaning tasks, which can be checked on completion. In the event of uncertainties or off-the-cuff changes, cleaners can use a chat function to communicate directly with administrative staff. The software enables the facility management to follow the progress of cleaning in real time and retrieve data evaluations and reports for documentation.

The technical basis of the system is connectivity in the shape of Telekom IoT SIM cards. It ensures that the data is reliably transmitted via mobile communications at all times.

The benefits of Soobr's smart cleaning solution include cost savings: According to the company's own calculations (PDF), these amount to around 30 per cent per week in operational management and, depending on the country and industry, an average of 15 per cent per year in execution. This makes facility management and associated services noticeably more (cost) efficient.

On the other hand, companies can become more sustainable through the digitalisation of building cleaning and the Internet of Things. After all, not only can resources such as water and energy be saved. Less plastic waste is also produced as the consumption of cleaning agents is reduced. This helps companies or building managers to fulfil ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria.

Companies benefit from such positive aspects just as much as hospitals and other healthcare facilities. For the latter, however, smart cleaning applications are also valuable for other reasons. Time and hygiene are two factors of central importance there. After all, patients need to be admitted or treated as quickly as possible and health risks from contamination need to be minimised. If building cleaning is not optimised, critical delays can occur. Communication between cleaners and hospital staff is often inefficient. For example, several phone calls may be necessary to clarify which beds need to be reupholstered or where the traces of spilt tea need to be removed - and then to confirm that the work has been done. One possible consequence: the quality of care suffers.

With the Soobr system, hospital staff can immediately alert cleaning staff to acute cleaning needs via an app. They then also receive a direct notification as soon as the affected area is clean again. With its mobile application, the solution speeds up the entire process and allows medical staff to concentrate on their core tasks and the patients.

Such use cases show: Intelligent technologies such as smart cleaning with IoT support make life easier and more efficient. Regardless of whether they help to save time and money, optimise medical care or protect the environment.