Warehouse Cleaning Checklist: Sweep, Scrub & Degrease

A warehouse cleaning checklist should cover daily sweeping of aisles and docks, spill clean-up, bins and amenities; weekly machine scrubbing of high-traffic aisles and racking bases; and monthly to quarterly degreasing, full-floor deep scrubs and high-level dusting. All of it should be timed around forklift traffic.

A clean floor is a safety control, not just housekeeping. Dust, shrink-wrap offcuts, pallet splinters and oil on the slab cause slips, trips and product damage, and they are exactly what a WHS auditor looks for. This checklist covers what to clean and how often, how to sweep, scrub and degrease safely, and what records to keep. Adjust the frequencies to your traffic, products and shifts.

Before any cleaning: plan around the forklifts

Cleaners on foot in a busy warehouse are pedestrians in a vehicle area. SafeWork NSW says the safest workplaces physically separate people from moving forklifts. Where that is not possible, it recommends scheduling work so people and forklifts are not in the same area at the same time, and clearly marking walkways and crossings.

In practice, that means:

• Clean to the traffic management plan. SafeWork NSW advises having a traffic management plan and site safety rules, and training workers, contractors and visitors in them. Cleaners should be inducted into it like any other contractor.
• Pick the right window. Machine sweeping and scrubbing of aisles is safest between shifts, on weekends or in zones that have been closed off.
• Close the zone, don’t just sign it. Use barriers or agreed aisle closures, and tell forklift operators which aisles are out of use.
• Only licensed operators drive forklifts. A high risk work licence is needed to operate a forklift (class LF or LO), so cleaners should never move stock or pallets with one to reach a floor. Ask your own team to clear the area first.

Daily warehouse cleaning checklist

Weekly checklist

Monthly and periodic checklist

How to sweep a warehouse floor properly

Sweeping removes the grit that wears floor coatings and makes surfaces slippery.

• Use a ride-on or walk-behind mechanical sweeper for large open aisles, and push brooms or dust mops for edges and under racking.
• Start at the far end and work towards the dock or waste point, so debris is not dragged back over clean floor.
• Collect strapping and wrap by hand before machine sweeping. They wrap around brushes and stop the machine.
• Empty the sweeper hopper outside the work area into the correct waste stream.

How to scrub without creating a slip hazard

Scrubbing is where a cleaning task can briefly make the floor more dangerous. Safe Work Australia lists polished, wet or greasy floors as a cause of slips, and says workplaces should have procedures to report and clean spills, dry floors after cleaning and use cleaning schedules.

• Use a scrubber-dryer that picks up water as it goes, rather than mopping large areas.
• Close the aisle until the floor is dry, not only while the machine is in it.
• Use the dilution on the product label. More detergent leaves residue that makes floors slippery.
• Check the squeegee blade before each job. A worn blade leaves streaks of water.
• Dispose of dirty scrubber water through the site’s approved route, never into a stormwater drain. NSW councils remind businesses that only rainwater may enter the stormwater system, and penalties apply under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.

Degreasing: chemicals, SDSs and spill kits

Oil and hydraulic fluid build up at dock levellers, forklift parking bays and under machinery. Degreasers are often hazardous chemicals, so the paperwork matters as much as the technique.

SafeWork NSW sets out the key duties:

• Get the SDS first. Obtain a current safety data sheet before using any hazardous chemical.
• Label every container. Chemicals must stay properly labelled even after they are transferred out of the original container, including spray bottles and buckets.
• Keep a register. The workplace keeps a register of hazardous chemicals used, stored or handled on site, with the current SDS for each one.
• Have spill materials ready. Spill and leak containment materials should be on hand wherever chemicals are used, handled or stored.

Safe Work Australia’s register fact sheet adds a point many sites miss. In its example of contracted cleaners working at a workplace, the workplace keeps the register and current SDSs, and the cleaning company still has to give its own workers information about the chemicals they use. So ask your contractor for the SDS of every product they bring on site and add it to your register.

On the job, follow the SDS for PPE and ventilation, rinse treated areas well so no slippery film remains, and never mix degreasers with other products unless the label allows it.

Who does what: client and contractor

Clear lines prevent the gaps auditors find.

Records to keep for a WHS audit

An auditor will want evidence that cleaning happens as planned and that hazards are dealt with. Keep:

• the cleaning schedule and signed or digital task logs
• spill and incident reports, with what was done and when
• the hazardous chemicals register with current SDSs
• contractor induction records and site rules acknowledgements
• inspection reports and photos of floor condition

Frequently asked questions

How often should a warehouse be cleaned?

Most warehouses need daily sweeping, spill clean-up, bins and amenities, weekly machine scrubbing of high-traffic aisles and docks, and a full-floor deep scrub monthly to quarterly. Heavier traffic, food or pharmaceutical stock, dusty products or oil leaks mean more frequent cleaning. Set the schedule by zone rather than for the whole building.

What do warehouse cleaners do?

They sweep and scrub floors, clean up spills, degrease docks and forklift bays, empty bins, clean amenities, lunchrooms and offices, and carry out periodic work such as high-level dusting and dock door cleaning. A good contractor works to your traffic management plan and keeps cleaning logs you can show an auditor.

Who keeps the chemical register if cleaning is contracted?

In Safe Work Australia’s fact sheet example, the workplace keeps the register and current SDSs. The cleaning company informs its own workers about the chemicals, and should give you the SDS for each hazardous chemical it brings on site.

Can cleaners move pallets with a forklift to clean underneath?

Only if they hold the correct high risk work licence (class LF or LO) and your site allows it. It is usually simpler to have your own licensed operators clear the area first.

Planning warehouse cleaning around your operations

The hard part of warehouse cleaning is fitting it around shifts, deliveries and forklift movements. B&K Services provides warehouse cleaning in Sydney, Wollongong and Nowra. We start with a free site inspection and a site-specific risk assessment, then put the scope, timing and responsibilities in writing, including which zones are cleaned when and what your team clears beforehand. Our teams complete WHS induction and safe chemical handling training.

If you also need waste management, pest control or grounds maintenance, they can sit under the same contract. See how we work, request a free quote or call 1300 136 954.