5 Reasons to Maintain a Clean and Organized Warehouse

As a company that buys scrap plastic, turns it into regrind, and sells it to manufacturers, we maintain a number of warehouses in the seven states in which we operate. We have been to tons of warehouses from which we’ve picked up scrap plastic. We have seen our fair share of messy and disorganized spaces over the years.

We know what it’s like to operate a messy warehouse. We have seen it with our own eyes. If there is one thing we know about warehouse space, it is that keeping it in tip-top shape helps a lot. If you are not sure why, check out the following five reasons to maintain a clean and organized warehouse:

1. Safety Is a Top Priority

Safety is a top priority in any warehouse. So much so that OSHA has developed strict rules as to how warehouses should be operated. The rules cover everything from how goods are stored to designating lanes for forklifts and pickers. There is no doubt that OSHA believes the old adage that says, ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place’.

A messy and disorganized warehouse is a safety hazard. There is no other way to put it. A lack of organization is an open invitation to accidents, accidents that could lead to injuries and serious penalties.

2. Rodents Love Messes

Warehouses are intended to store goods and equipment. No architect designs a warehouse with the intention of providing food and lodging to rodents. The thing is that rodents aren’t averse to living in man-made structures. In fact, they love them. Rodents are particularly fond of messy warehouses because such spaces give them plenty of room to nest and hide.

3. Maintaining Saves Time and Money

At some point, even the messiest warehouses need to be cleaned and organized. Again, we have had first-hand experience with this in some of the very messy warehouses we have visited. Sometimes customers need to clean up their warehouses just so that they can prepare their industrial scrap plastic for pickup. Guess what they learn pretty quickly?

Having to clean and organize a messy warehouse takes time and effort. That means it also costs money. It is a lot cheaper and less time consuming to always maintain a clean and organized warehouse.

4. Messy Warehouses Are Unprofessional

Every time we go to pick up a load of industrial scrap plastic, we are treated as visitors. That’s the way it should be. But we aren’t the only visitors a given company might welcome. The thing about messy warehouses is that they look unprofessional to visitors. They give the wrong impression. Messy disorganization is probably not the impression you want your company to give.

By the same token, a clean and organized warehouse presents a professional image. It tells visitors you know what you are doing. It tells them that your employees take pride in what they do.

5. Inventory Management is Important

Finally, inventory management is an important part of running a successful business. But a messy and disorganized warehouse is not very conducive to accurate inventory management. In a messy warehouse, inventory can be miscounted. It can go missing. All sorts of things can happen because it’s too difficult for the warehouse manager to keep track of everything you stock.

We have given you five reasons to maintain a clean and organized warehouse. Whether you sell us your industrial scrap plastic or not, a messy and disorganized warehouse isn’t good for your business. Take it from us. Maintaining a clean and organized warehouse can only help your efforts to run a successful business.