Soft Services Facilities Manager: Simplifying Shopping Centre Management with Chemical-Free Cleaning

As a Soft Services Facilities Manager, one of the most taxing parts of your role is Navigating COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) compliance.

Your role as a Soft Services Facilities Manager in overseeing the smooth operation of a shopping centre is relentless.

From maintaining a welcoming environment to ensuring cleanliness and compliance, every day brings a new set of challenges.

The constant paperwork, training, and monitoring required to adhere to COSHH regulations can drain time and resources. But what if you could maintain the same high standards of cleanliness while significantly reducing your compliance burden?

Enter chemical-free cleaning solutions like aqueous ozone—a safer, more efficient way to keep your centre spotless, without the hassle of COSHH.

The COSHH Compliance Challenge

Managing cleaning operations as a Soft Services Facilities Manager in a bustling shopping centre means grappling with the complexities of COSHH compliance. For every chemical product used, there are risk assessments, safety data sheets, and ongoing training requirements to fulfil. This is no small feat, particularly in high-traffic environments like shopping centres that require a broad range of cleaning products.

Beyond the paperwork, as a Soft Services Facilities Manager, failing to stay compliant can pose serious risks, from safety hazards to potential legal repercussions. The process is demanding: new products require fresh assessments, staff turnover necessitates constant retraining, and regular audits can feel like looming deadlines. All of this consumes time from a soft services manager that could be better spent improving service standards or managing day-to-day operations.

Aqueous Ozone: A COSHH-Free Cleaning Solution

Aqueous ozone offers a safe and powerful alternative to traditional chemical cleaners. By infusing ozone into water, it creates a powerful cleaning agent that kills bacteria and viruses without leaving harmful residues. What makes this solution stand out? It’s non-hazardous, meaning it doesn’t fall under COSHH regulations. This eliminates the need for tedious compliance documentation and checks.

With aqueous ozone, you achieve the same level of cleanliness and hygiene, but with far less oversight and paperwork. It’s a hassle-free, practical solution that lets you streamline operations while maintaining cleanliness standards.

The Benefits of Going Chemical-Free

Shifting to a chemical-free cleaning system like aqueous ozone offers far more than just regulatory relief. It presents a range of operational, safety, and environmental benefits that can significantly improving how you manage your shopping centre.

1. Reduced Paperwork and Administrative Workload

Eliminating hazardous chemicals also means eliminating COSHH-related paperwork—no more risk assessments, safety data sheets, or compliance monitoring. This frees up valuable time for you and your team, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks that directly improve your operations.

2. Simplified Training

Training staff on chemical safety can be a time-consuming process, particularly in environments with high employee turnover. With aqueous ozone, the training becomes simple and streamlined. Instead of educating teams on multiple hazardous substances and procedures, you only need to teach them how to use one safe, effective solution. This speeds up onboarding, reduces the likelihood of accidents, and ensures your staff is comfortable and confident in their work.

3. Reliable, Consistent Cleaning

Aqueous ozone is effective across various surfaces and cleaning needs, from floors to washrooms. Its performance is consistent, eliminating the need for multiple products and simplifying your inventory. Since the solution is produced on-site, it’s always fresh and potent, ensuring optimal results without the variability associated with chemical concentrations.

Real-World Impact: Efficiency in Action

Facilities managers who have adopted aqueous ozone have seen tangible improvements. For example, one shopping centre reduced its COSHH-related administration by nearly half, freeing up time for more critical management tasks. Their cleaning teams reported feeling more comfortable using a single, non-toxic product, and audits became far less stressful as compliance issues diminished.

Beyond compliance, the switch to aqueous ozone led to smoother daily operations, fewer disruptions, and more focus on creating a pleasant environment for visitors—demonstrating the real-world efficiency gains of going chemical-free.

Read the full case study here.

Environmental and Cost Advantages

The benefits don’t stop at operational improvements. Aqueous ozone also offers environmental and cost-saving perks. Since the solution is generated on-site, there’s no need for the constant delivery of cleaning chemicals, cutting down on transportation emissions and packaging waste. Over time, the savings from reduced chemical purchases, simplified training, and lower administrative costs can offset the initial investment in an aqueous ozone system.

Transitioning to Chemical-Free Cleaning

Switching to a new cleaning system might seem like a big undertaking, but the transition to aqueous ozone is straightforward. Most providers offer full support, from installation to staff training. Once in place, the system integrates seamlessly into your existing routines, allowing you to start reaping the benefits almost immediately.

Conclusion: A Smarter, Simpler Way to Clean

For Soft Services Facilities Managers tasked with overseeing busy shopping centres, balancing cleanliness, safety, and operational efficiency is an ongoing challenge. Moving to chemical-free cleaning solutions like aqueous ozone offers a clear, sustainable way to reduce compliance burdens while maintaining high cleanliness standards. By eliminating the need for COSHH documentation and training, you can focus on running a smoother, more efficient operation, improving both staff and visitor satisfaction.

If you’re ready to simplify your cleaning processes, reduce paperwork, and improve overall performance, it’s time to explore chemical-free cleaning. The future of shopping centre management is simpler, smarter, and more sustainable—why not make the switch today?

Contact us today, to discuss how we can assist with providing chemical free cleaning in your shopping centre.