There is nothing worse than going into a business that is dirty. Of course, it is hard to keep some businesses spotless, but there is a difference between being filthy and being messy in the course of doing your work. While it would be nice to walk into an engineering factory where the floor and machines are spotless, this may not be practical. However, if you were to compare two such factories, the odds are that one will be noticeably much cleaner than the other.
What is worse is going into a business that should be spotless, such as a restaurant , pharmacy, supermarket or bakery, only to see cockroaches and other vermin running around, food scraps on the floor, dusty shelves and dirty walls. Toilets are common areas for a lack of cleanliness. If I go to a restaurant and the toilets are filthy, I can't help but wonder what the kitchen is like and in all likelihood I won't go back.
The same applies to the staff. If the staff look dirty, the business gives the feeling of being dirty. We have done a number of customer satisfaction surveys in recent years for various companies and, without exception, cleanliness is considered one of the main prerequisites for retaining customers. This cleanliness applies to the actual premises, the staff and the facilities.
Customers expect clean businesses. Meet this expectation and you are well on the way to really satisfying your customers and increasing the chances of them coming back.