Smart Cleaning Technology Helps Businesses Improve Efficiency And Workplace Hygiene Standards

Author: Nivaal Sadheo, technology director at Excellerate Services

A washroom on the executive floor gets cleaned three times a day whether anyone uses it or not. The same washroom on the floor above, serving three times the people, runs on the identical schedule and is out of consumables by lunchtime. This isn't a labour problem, it's an information problem – and there’s a better way to do it.

Three layers of smart cleaning

Data-driven cleaning is the planning layer. Our modelling starts from the minimum labour required to clean a building while maintaining an exceptional user experience, steered by footfall data, occupancy patterns, building telemetry and compliance requirements. The result is a baseline that reflects how a space is actually used, rather than a generic schedule. The baseline isn't fixed – it adjusts as patterns shift.

Demand-led cleaning is the live response layer that sits on top. Sensors feed real-time data into our technology platform – door sensors track restroom and area usage, footfall counters monitor traffic, restroom monitors track consumable levels. When a threshold is met – say, a restroom hits a usage count that calls for service – a task is generated automatically and pushed to the cleaning team's mobile devices as a live alert. The cleaning team attends and completes the task, confirming completion via an automated checklist. A cleaner then photographs the area, and we use AI to score its cleanliness. If the score does not meet the required standards, the issue is escalated to their supervisor, who then closes the loop, ensuring full traceability.

The same workflow applies to dispenser refills, footfall responses, and any other event the system is configured to act on.

The Performance Centre is the human layer where teams monitor sites in real time, support staff on the ground, and make decisions in the moment rather than after the fact. Without the human layer, the technology is just a dashboard, but with it, it becomes a service.

What the impact looks like

We’ve been operating smart cleaning across sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 2022. Comparable implementations indicate the potential to reduce unnecessary cleaning rounds by up to 25 percent and save up to 15 percent in cleaning hours, depending on site conditions and the operating model in place. Every building behaves differently, and the value of the data lies in the specifics, not the averages.

We brought the model into South Africa in 2024 and it’s now operational across major regional and super regional retail centres as well as a number of corporate head offices where the user experience is paramount.

We've identified usage windows that didn't align with existing schedules and reset deployment accordingly. Feedback buttons in restroom areas let cleaners respond to issues in real time rather than at the next scheduled visit. The data is informing how shifts are rostered. When cleaners aren't running redundant rounds, those hours can be redirected to tasks that often get squeezed – deep cleaning during quieter periods, or compliance work like photographing fire extinguisher inspection records for facilities management.

Cleaning based on real-time demand also means less unnecessary use of water, chemicals and consumables – all of which carry cost and sustainability implications increasingly being scrutinised. The sensors themselves are independently battery-powered with a four-to-five-year life, so they don't rely on municipal power.

The Better Way

This is what we mean by The Better Way. It's the principle that 'good enough' is not good enough, and that every space we touch should be left better than before. Smart cleaning is one of the ways we deliver on that promise.

We were recently awarded the PMR Diamond Arrow Award for cleaning across multiple categories including commercial, education, healthcare and retail. These awards are peer-reviewed and based on comprehensive research surveys, making them a meaningful indicator of how the industry views the work.

Smart cleaning will not replace the people who clean buildings – the sensors don't mop floors or restock dispensers. What they do is tell us, is where the next hour of someone's shift is best spent. In an industry that has spent a long time guessing, that is a meaningful change.

For more information, visit www.excellerateservices.co.za.