Museum Janitorial Services: Don’t Distract Any Attention From Your Exhibits With These Tips

Museums can be very exciting and informative places to be for children and their parents. So exciting, that three Ben Stiller movies were dedicated to documenting what we hope to imagine happens in museums overnight. From the point of view of Ben Stiller, a security guard in the trilogy, museums (and museum janitorial services!) can be stressful and even scary.

From the point of view of a janitor, museums can get and be very dirty. Especially in today’s sanitary climate, even the smallest bit of dirt or blemish can take away from what it is that audiences and visitors come to museums to be fascinated by. Here are some museum janitorial tips to include so that your visitors’ attention stays on the exhibits:

Museum Janitorial Services: Mind Your Entrances

This is not so much a tip on how to approach janitorial service of your museum exhibits as it is a tip on how to avoid deterring patrons and museum visitors from reaching your exhibits. Keep your entrances clean and organized!

Nothing is more discouraging to museum visitors than a dirty, cluttered, and unsightly entrance. Typically, museums (like yours) will have a few different entrances, as museums require lots of space and therefore large properties. Keeping up with the sweeping, leaf-blowing, and powerwashing (as needed) of your museum’s entrances will make it inviting to visitors. Then you can focus on your exhibits.

Museum Janitorial Services: High Traffic = High Frequency Cleaning

Depending on the layout of any of your museum exhibits, the janitorial needs of each will be different. One thing is for sure, though. They will all have high traffic areas; rooms, hallways, paths, sitting areas and the likes that run through and wrap around each exhibit. While the attention will likely be on the exhibits themselves, dirt, garbage, dust, and other surface contaminants will likely take visitors’ attention away from the exhibits, so be sure to include the rigorous cleaning of high traffic areas in your janitorial services.

Museum Janitorial Services: Hands-On Exhibits Need More Attention 

Museums have adapted the exhibit experience to be more hands-on, meaning you must adapt your janitorial service of your more interactive exhibits. For these, make sure to frequently sweep and vacuum the floors, disinfect all surfaces and touch-points, dust furnishings, and sweep and mop under and behind exhibit items.

Museum Janitorial Services: From the Department of the Interior

The United States Department of the Interior published a helpful guidance for the handling and maintenance of museum property (which you may find here). It’s a great resource that includes a detailed, in-depth guide to museum property maintenance. It also contains several useful checklists, so we recommend giving it a read when reviewing and revamping your museum exhibit janitorial services and protocols.

Overall, just having a heightened attention to detail for your janitorial services will help keep museum visitors engaged in the exhibits!