The British hospitality sector is a stalwart institution. From the bars and clubs that offer glittering lights and a raucous chorus of nightlife, to restaurants and bistros that provide a flavour of the world’s cuisines, the UK is often famed for its hospitality scene.
The cornerstone of that lies in our pubs. Beer gardens, bars and plush furniture often characterise what we picture as the iconic British pub, but there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to make that postcard perfection. Cleaning is integral to that – sticky floors and stained tables do little to bring returning business.
With our newest foray into the nuances of cleaning in hospitality, Vanguard are offering a one-stop-shop guide to keeping your pub clean, and why that makes all the difference in such a competitive hospitality sector. We’ll also pinpoint key tips for delivering a cleaner, more attractive pub, and ultimately a better experience for your visitors both occasional and regular.
While cleaning your pub can seem an extensive process, there are several areas that warrant more of a focused eye. We’ll pick out 7 of the key focal points for pub and bar hygiene, and how you can best address those.
While we’re often focused on the cleanliness of our tables, furniture and bar areas, the outside plays just as much of a role in creating an atmosphere as the inside does. Grimy windows and surrounds only serve to draw attention to other cleanliness issues, which is why we’ve opted to highlight them first here.
Our article on effective window cleaning delves far more into the nitty-gritty of keeping your sills sanitised and a streak-free shine, but suffice it to say that first impressions are integral – and windows play a massive role in that.
The evidence points towards that first impression being made within just 7 seconds, meaning your windows, glass-panelled doors, and any covered outdoor areas (like an orangery, porch or conservatory) are pivotal in creating repeat business.
With that in mind, we’d recommend investing in some of the key equipment we’d often associate with window cleaning – think squeegees, glass cleaning sprays, extendable mops and microfibre cloths.
Take your time, and use a zig-zag or circular motion rather than longer sweeps or wipes – these only lead to a streaky surface. Make sure to mop up any excess liquid (not doing so can leave water marks or cloudy stains) and you’re guaranteed crystal clarity.
Alternatively, if you’ve got quite a few windows, or you’re looking to clean at heights, it’s an excellent idea to outsource your window cleaning to qualified professionals. Not only does that remove the onus from you and your staff, but it’s also a great way to guarantee a clean finish every time.
While it’s often the first port of call for your visitors, it can be easy to forget about the entrance to your pub. When we see something so often – as you no doubt do with the front door to your premises – we can develop a tolerance to things that might not be as acceptable to your guests.
That includes dusty skirting boards, long-forgotten marks on the walls, and ground-in mud and dirt on your entrance mats or carpet. It’s so easy to develop a tolerance to these things, and they’ll so often go under the radar, especially when we’ve got a business to run and customers to serve.
But as we touched on, that entrance often plays a role in delivering the ideal first impression. Even just keeping floors vacuumed and dusting regularly can help cultivate that positivity you’re no doubt looking to convey, as well as ultimately make all the difference to those who are visiting you for the first time.
We’d also recommend hanging decorations over any structural damage. While not a pub cleaning tip as such, it can be a huge help for older establishments which might have seen damage over time.
Once guests have gotten over the threshold and perhaps ordered that first drink at the bar area, they’ll no doubt be heading for a table or seating area. Rightly so – long gone are the days of standing room at bars, and people are instead opting for a more comfortable, well-rounded experience when it comes to visiting a pub.
That’s where your furniture comes to the fore, and where pub cleaning takes on an entirely new dimension, especially if you’re looking to (or already do) serve food. Staining can become a persistent problem over busier periods, and while we’ll do all we can to ensure that there are limited opportunities to spill, they can and do happen.
Take red wine stains as a fantastic example. Without the right cleaning, we’re all well aware of its ability to leave behind those deep red blotches, and these can be a deal-breaker for customers, especially if you’ve got lighter wood or fabric-clad tabletops. They don’t look attractive, and can often come with a sticky residue that persists long after the spillage.
A bleach-based spray is essential here. Wholesalers will often sell larger amounts of those chemicals, and this is an area where we’d recommend investing, especially if you’re operating a busier establishment, or you’re gearing up for a period where you’re expecting increased foot traffic (such as during the festive season, or over the summer).
These are also easier, and crucial if you’re looking to turn tables around quickly. However, they have their limitations, and with those more stubborn stains, outsourcing your pub cleaning is an ideal and scalable solution that can ensure you’re always putting your best foot forward when it comes to your tables, chairs and other upholstery.
While we’ve already addressed the main furniture in your pub, it’s also crucial that you consider your flooring, too. While tacky floors and grubby carpets often characterise hospitality horror stories, they can be a serious negative in a customer’s overall experience.
That’s particularly true if you’re operating a more high-end or boutique establishment – your clientele simply won’t stand for stained flooring, especially in a world where the hospitality market has only become more competitive.
While there’s a multitude of options on the market, it all comes down to the type of floor you have. Our deep dive into floor cleaning methods addresses that in much greater detail, but as a general rule, most pubs will have either a carpeted or a laminate floor.
For carpets, you’ll need to regularly hoover, as well as use specialised carpet shampoo to address those more stubborn stains. For laminate flooring, you’ll follow a similar process by hoovering first, before mopping with warm water and specialised cleaning products.
However, for a truly clean floor, there’s no better alternative than turning to the professionals. Floor cleaning from a trusted and consummately professional floor cleaning firm like Vanguard ensures that you’ve not just got that shining flooring year-round, but that you’re able to adapt seamlessly as you start to see more customers.
Often the first port of call for your customers, and frequented throughout the evening by both regulars and new visitors alike, your bar or serving area comes under so much scrutiny throughout even a slower evening. Naturally, there’ll be a wait for drinks or bar snacks, and in that time, your customers are often scanning around, meaning cleanliness is crucial.
That’s the key reason behind why we’ve drawn attention to this aspect of pub cleaning, and why it’s a crucial part of any schedule you have in place. The bar top itself is the focal point – drinks get spilt, stains get forgotten about, and customers lean on not expecting a sticky residue.
Make sure to wipe this area down regularly. Not only does it prevent the spread of germs (integral during the festive season when customers are likely to be sneezing and spluttering), but it also prevents the build-up of spillages like wine, beer and soft drinks. If it’s not possible to clean as regularly as you’d like, make sure you do it as soon as there’s a lull.
Your bar is often the core of your pub set-up, so it’s incredibly important that you address every area. That includes smaller but no less important tasks like:
These are just the tip of the iceberg, and by combining those smaller factors with more in-depth aspects (like floor or window cleaning), you’re ensuring a more comprehensive cle3an for one of the most heavily scrutinised places in your pub.
While some pubs are self-contained, the majority will often have an outdoor area. That comes in many forms, from sprawling beer gardens and children’s playgrounds to small yards and smoking shelters. Regardless of your pub’s outdoor areas, however, the level of cleanliness should reflect what you strive to uphold across your business.
That’s particularly important during the seasonal peaks, such as sprucing up your beer garden for the summer months or making your outdoor decking presentable ahead of the winter festivities. It’s equally important year-round, though – you’ll always have eyes on your outdoor areas, and as we’ve already said, there are standards to uphold.
While the usual indoor pub cleaning tips don’t apply here, there are small things you can do to ensure you retain the cleanliness standards. Make sure to hoover doormats or entranceways, and clean any outdoor tables (whether wooden or plastic) using appropriate cleaning chemicals.
If you’ve got particularly sensitive outdoor equipment (such as a barbequing kit, or electrical fittings and fixtures), ensure these are covered and that – in the case of cooking equipment –they’re effectively cleaned after each use.
While they’re the last thing anyone wants to clean, bathroom sanitation is crucial. Not only are they a hive of germs and bacteria when they’re not properly looked after, but they’re also a key piece of the puzzle in keeping your pub clean, your guests happy, and your cleanliness standards high.
Our first recommendation here, and one that you’ll no doubt have already seen across a wide range of premises, is to set up a schedule. If you plan to keep this aspect of cleaning your pub in-house, a rota is critical and helps set the ground rules for what you’d expect from your staff members.
Invest in the right cleaning chemicals, as well as automating processes (such as air fresheners or bleach blocks in your toilet cisterns) that can be done so simply, is the first port of call once you’ve established that schedule. This not only alleviates some of that stress but also ensures there’s always a clean smell that greets your guests.
While these only scratch the surface of effective washroom hygiene, they do offer that consistent and firm foundation upon which to build. However, with that in mind, cleaning your pub toilets is a hurdle too far for many, especially if you’re looking for that streak-free shine that only the best establishments have.
Here’s where outsourced hospitality cleaning truly steps up to the plate, and offers that all-encompassing reassurance you need to know that your pub is clean, safe and welcoming. By choosing Vanguard, you’ve ensured a comprehensive clean.
While we’ll often only think about the cleanliness of our pubs when we’ve got a huge influx of guests on the way, it’s equally true that keeping your pub clean throughout the year only serves to reinforce a positive opinion of your business. While that can seem a Herculean effort, there is a simple solution in the form of Vanguard Cleaning.
With our extensive, tried-and-tested solutions for the hospitality sector, we’ve elevated pub cleaning to the next level. From our expertly delivered window cleaning services that guarantee a streak-free finish to the meticulous washroom services that keep even the most germ-prone surfaces sparkling, we’re perfectly positioned to provide the cleaning you need.
Whether you’re planning for 2025, or you’re looking to get cleaning in place as we ramp up for the Christmas period, reach out to Vanguard today to discuss how our pub cleaning services are the ideal solution for Britain’s bustling hospitality sector.
