Between the number of people working in each one, as well as the constant flow of products coming in from every corner of the globe, cleaning supplies are an absolute must in warehouses.

Hand sanitizer for the floor staff, disinfectant wipes for work areas, heavy-duty chemicals for the deep cleaning jobs – the forms that these cleaning supplies & disinfectant supplies can take is a long list that can be hard to store.

But with a little proper planning and space, you can create an area for storing cleaning supplies in your warehouse—keeping your spaces clean and your workers safe and healthy, especially during times of more widespread germs and viruses. Here’s a few methods for storing cleaning supplies that can help any warehouse:

Create a Cleaning Supply Closet

From convenience to safety, creating a designated cleaning supply storage closet can be a huge benefit to any warehouse. Most cleaning supplies, particularly chemicals such as bleach or ammonia, need to be stored safely away from the hustle and bustle of the warehouse floor to prevent damage or cross-contamination with any of the other products you store. Find any available closet space in your warehouse (or create one with security partitions), and organize your products on rust proof wire shelving to help further mitigate any potential damage or contamination.

Keep Supplies in Work Areas

Particularly for workers that tend to touch a variety of items and surfaces during their day, such as shipping/receiving staff and picking staff, you should provide their work areas with access to things like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes as able. Shipping departments should keep these items near their workstations to help wipe down any incoming product (as well as their work areas), and picking staff should have access to hand sanitizer stations throughout the warehouse for easy access.

Provide Easy Access to Needed Supplies

Above all else, any cleaning products you store in your warehouse need to be made easily-accessed and readily available. When setting up your cleaning supply closets, make sure to keep them clearly identified and in a location that’s easy for any worker on the floor to get to. This includes things like trash cans, hand soap, and other essentials that your workers will need during the course of their everyday work. (Don’t forget the break rooms!)