Residence Facilities maintains cleanliness levels across all 18 Residence buildings on the Queen’s campus. Our team completes regularly scheduled cleaning activities 7 days a week. We align to service levels endorsed by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) in all Residence buildings.
Custodial Services
- Cleaning & disinfecting all washroom components
- Restocking paper products & soap
- Cleaning & disinfecting high touch points
- Cleaning & disinfecting all student study and lounge space components
- Routine Floor Care
- Sweeping & dust mopping floors
- Wet mopping & auto scrubbing floors
- Vacuuming carpeted floors
- Dusting flat surfaces
- Removal of waste and cleaning the associated waste containers
- Replace bulbs in light fixtures as needed
WandaNEXT in Residence
WandaNEXT allows student-generated requests for custodial dispatch to service specific areas of residence buildings using unique QR codes. The system tracks cleaning activity, protocols and task completion. After a successful trial in our Gordon-Brockington residence in 2023, the WandaNEXT custodial management system has expanded service to Brant House, Endaayaan-Tkanonsote, Leggett Hall, Smith House and Watts Hall.
How to use the WandaNEXT system:
- In public and common areas, washrooms, elevators, and stairwells; look for the sticker that says “Please let us know if this area needs custodial attention.”
- Scan the adjacent QR code to bring up a selection of custodial items.
- Submit your response.
Facilities custodial staff will receive notifications for the custodial items submitted and will attend the area to resolve the reported issues.
Cleaning Frequencies
The Residence Facilities routine cleaning program has been developed in alignment with industry standards, leveraging predetermined cleaning times for specific tasks. The serviceable area for each building has been assessed, and we have aligned our cleaning schedule with the resources available to achieve this goal. For routine cleaning, the following table illustrates the associated frequency:
| Cleaning Activity | Monday - Friday | Weekend |
| Washroom cleaning, disinfecting & restocking of supplies | Daily | Once |
| Cleaning & disinfecting high touch points | Daily | Once |
| Cleaning disinfecting student lounge & study spaces | Daily | Once |
| Routine floor care (all surface types) | Daily | Once |
| Dining hall full clean with waste removal | Daily | Daily |
| Waste removal (excluding Dining hall’s) | Daily | Once |
| Light fixture bulb replacement | As Needed | As Needed |
Our custodial team also responds to emergencies or priority work that arises in the buildings. Responding to active leaks, bodily fluid clean-up, conducting fire watches, assisting with student lockouts & investigating concerns reported to the Front Desk are just a few examples of emergency or priority work that our team completes.
For urgent assistance, please contact your associated Front Desk Representative.
For non-urgent assistance, please submit a Maintenance Request Order (MRO) through the online portal.
A Deep Dive into Cleaning and Hygiene
Queen's University is a stellar example of how an organization can identify challenges and then embrace solutions that work. The experts who are part of the leadership team for keeping Queen's University clean and healthy discuss how ISSA's CIMS-GB certification has helped them reach their goals and not lose the momentum they know they must maintain. Learn more about the benefits of the CIMS certification.
Certified Green Cleaning
Residence Facilities has transitioned to a new range of eco-friendly cleaning products to improve performance in sustainable product usage, occupancy wellness, asset preservation and waste diversion.
As a result of this work, Residence Facilities has been recently recognized by the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA). We have successfully met the requirements established within the Cleaning Industry Management System – Green Building Advanced by Global Biorisk Advisory Council (CIMS-GB with Honours Advanced by GBAC). This certification ensures our team of employees is properly trained to maintain an environment conducive to a seamless day to day operation. In addition, in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, our staff are trained in safe practices to react and respond to such circumstances.
Quality Assurance in Residence
The Facilities department has an active monitoring program in place, to ensure we meet our established quality standards. We have seen very positive results when conducting worksite audits across our buildings and we are continuing to use Orange QC daily to validate our cleaning practices and take follow-up action as needed.
Orange QC is an app based program that our Management team use through their mobile devices. It references user-created, building specific inspection criteria that match the APPA cleaning standards. Each Assistant Manager audits 15% of the spaces cleaned in their respective areas on a weekly basis. The program provides the opportunity for our team to continuously improve our cleaning operation, by providing us with concrete feedback that can be quickly shared with our team members. It also allows us to retrieve inspection data by area to respond to any specific student concerns and ensure due diligence in achieving established cleaning standards.
Residence Facilities Quality Policy
The Facilities department is dedicated to deliver high quality housekeeping services throughout Residence & Conference Season operations. The following statements are the fundamental responsibilities of facilities staff and the supporting management team:
- Continuously monitor operations to enhance our residence facilities and to provide students with the most optimal residential setting to support their studies
- Frequently measure performance during the conference season to identify improvement opportunities while supporting our guests
- Implement effective Quality Assurance measures into our business practices to provide management information necessary for data based decisions
- Ensure staff and management work in a collaborative, team based manner, conducive to continuous improvement of day-to-day operations
- Utilization of approved cleaning supplies & disinfectants that supports recommended service levels and complies with industry standards
- Conform to statutory obligations, standards, specifications and codes of practices relevant to the Quality Assurance measures in place as well as additional tasks performed in residence