Before a cleaning team starts on a new site, someone has to decide what PPE they will wear. Get it wrong and staff arrive without the right gloves on day one, or the order is padded with products nobody uses.
The Cleaning Contract PPE Kit List is a free checklist for contract cleaning companies, facilities management teams and in-house hygiene teams. It helps you match PPE to each task and site, record the specification and work out quantities before you order.
Download the Cleaning Contract PPE Kit List A 14-page checklist to work through before you mobilise a new site or review an existing PPE specification.
What’s inside the kit list
- Five questions to answer before you order
- Product guidance for gloves, aprons, coveralls, sleeve protection and shoe covers
- A site kit page to record site details, cleaning tasks and your PPE order
- A PPE planner for workforce numbers, sizes and stock levels
- A final check to run before the order goes in
What PPE does a cleaning team need?
It depends on the task, not the job title. Most cleaning teams need gloves as a minimum. Chemical handling, wet cleaning and washdown add protection for the body, arms and feet. Use this table as a starting point, then confirm it against each site.
| Task | Gloves | Body | Arms | Feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routine cleaning (offices, common areas) | Yellow or blue latex household gloves | Plastic apron where there is splash | Not usually needed | Not usually needed |
| Chemical cleaning | Green nitrile chemical gloves | Plastic apron, or Microtex coverall for wider splash | Sleeve protectors if spray reaches above the cuff | PE shoe covers if the floor is wet |
| Wet cleaning and washdown | Green nitrile chemical gloves | Microtex coverall | Sleeve protectors | PE or CPE deluxe shoe covers |
| Minimal-risk maintenance, dry or dusty work | Yellow or blue latex household gloves | Nonwoven coverall | Not usually needed | Nonwoven shoe covers |
The products on the kit list
Gloves
Gloves are the item cleaning teams use most, so “cleaning gloves” is not enough of a specification. Record the material, cuff length, grip and whether the work is wet or dry.
- Yellow and blue latex household glves suit lighter, general cleaning. They have a chlorinated, polymer-coated surface and a diamond grip, resist detergents and diluted chemicals, and can be reused.
- Green nitrile chemical gloves are for heavy-duty cleaning and chemical handling. They are flock-lined, with an elbow-length gauntlet cuff and a diamond-pattern palm for wet and dry handling.
For more on matching gloves to the task, read our guide on how to choose disposable gloves.
Aprons and coveralls
A disposable plastic apron covers the front of the body, from chest to legs. Pinnacle’s aprons are LDPE, 10 or 20 micron, and waterproof, oil-proof and dust-proof, in blue, white or red. They are not for heavy oils, sparks, flame or high-abrasion work.
When the work needs more coverage, choose the coverall by exposure:
- Nonwoven coveralls (35gsm PP with a breathable PE film) for minimal-risk cleaning and maintenance.
- Microtex coveralls (50g/m² PP/PE microporous) for chemical splash and washdown.
Our guide to chemical exposure protection for cleaning teams explains why coverall type matters.
Sleeve protectors
Plastic sleeve protectors are 20 micron polyethylene, about 18 inches long, with elastic at the shoulder and wrist. Use them for non-hazardous liquid splash and spray where a full coverall isn’t needed.
Shoe covers
Disposable shoe covers are not interchangeable:
- Nonwoven: breathable, with no liquid protection. Keep these for dry areas.
- PE: completely waterproof, with heat-sealed seams.
- CPE deluxe: a CPE upper with a nonwoven sole and an anti-skid finish. The anti-skid finish is a product feature, not a guarantee against slips.
For wet areas, see our guide to waterproof disposable PPE for wet environments.
Record the specification, not just the product name
“Cleaning gloves, 10 boxes” tells the next buyer nothing. A useful specification records the product, material, size range, task, site and monthly quantity. With that on file, anyone can place a repeat order or check whether a proposed substitute is a genuine match. The site kit and planner pages in the kit list are set up to capture exactly this.
Frequently asked questions
At a minimum, gloves suited to the task. Chemical cleaning, wet cleaning and washdown usually add an apron or coverall, sleeve protection and waterproof shoe covers. The right kit depends on the tasks and the site, which is what the kit list helps you work through.
An apron protects the front of the body only. Choose a coverall when splash or spray reaches the arms, back or legs, as it does in washdown or chemical spraying. Microtex coveralls suit chemical splash and washdown; nonwoven coveralls suit minimal-risk work.
PE shoe covers are completely waterproof. The CPE deluxe cover has a nonwoven sole with an anti-skid finish. Nonwoven shoe covers are breathable but give no liquid protection, so keep them for dry areas.
Download the Cleaning Contract PPE Kit List
Use it when you mobilise a new contract, review PPE across your sites or set up repeat orders.
Need help with your PPE specification?
Pinnacle Protection Enterprises has supplied disposable PPE to South African businesses for over 20 years. Products carry ISO 13485, CE marking and SABS/NRCS homologation where applicable. Our team offers training, advisory support and site audits.