I am not normally one to be fanatical about order and cleanliness. But, during this past month I had the experience of visiting two of the cleanest warehouses that I have ever been in – and, two of the dirtiest. The contrasts were stark.

In the clean ones, I was able to focus my attention on the dynamics of the business and the processes. In the others, all I could think about was the dirt and clutter. And, as you can imagine, the manager was desperately looking for ways to improve productivity and accuracy.

Of course, there are some legitimate reasons that a warehouse may be difficult to keep clean. Open doors and truck traffic in gravel parking lots let in a lot of dust. Unsealed floors and spalling concrete raise even more. The handling, opening and closing of corrugated cartons adds yet another layer of dust.

One way that we commonly used to raise questions about product age and obsolescence is the "white glove" test. Running a finger across a box top always draws a comment from my host about how difficult it is to get the purchasing and marketing people to part with this stuff. But in these dirty facilities, even the new products failed the test.

As I walked along the dock listening to complaints about the lack of space to stage outbound loads, I stared at one continuous pile of jumbled return merchandise and broken pallets. In the racks, product spilled from several open cartons in each picking location where broken case quantities had been removed. The partially filled cartons then collapsed, creating a messy pile of what remained, making the picking task considerably more difficult.

So, if your warehouse looks even a little bit like this, what can you do?

If you happen to be in the position of moving into new digs—and, at the bargain prices of space today, many are taking the opportunity to upgrade—then:

• Resolve to start out right
• Insist on hardened surfaces or properly sealed floors
• Provide positive pressure ventilation to keep the dust out
• Pave the lot. It's not just about parking!

If you're staying in your current facility:

• Get a powered sweeper, and use it daily
• Permit only one open carton in a pick face. And make sure that it is broken down and carried away when empty.
• Make sure that cartons don't overhang the pallet and collapse, creating an unsightly and dangerous situation.
• At a minimum, take the returns, junk and old stuff to the back of the warehouse where it is not in the way.

By their very nature, warehouse operations collect dirt, dust and old product in broken cartons. It takes vigilance and a concerted effort to fight off the clutter. But when you do it, it creates a positive environment with happier employees, less turn-over and higher productivity. It broadcasts, "Quality counts here!"

In the cleanest of the facilities that I just visited, the DC manager frequently bent over to pick up even the smallest piece of paper and threw it away. Take a walk yourself and see how much you find, and how many others will follow your example.