Office cleaning and housing cleaning are one in the same, aren’t they?  If you think about it, you’re cleaning floors, windows, surfaces, kitchens, and bathrooms for each so you could be forgiven for assuming the cleaning processes are pretty much the same.  They aren’t.  In fact, when residential cleaning companies try to expand into the office cleaning business without doing due diligence, the proprietors are often rudely awakened.  Sure, cleaning is cleaning, but there is a very different approach to office cleaning than house cleaning.

So what’s the difference between cleaning office spaces and houses?  Let’s take a closer look.

Time

One of the main factors that differentiates residential and commercial cleaning contracts is actually just the time of day that the cleaning is done.  For the most part, home cleaning services are provided during the day when homeowners are at work, whereas office cleaning services are provided in the evening when staff are at home.  In both cases, the goal is to minimize distractions for the client.  However, one factor you may not realize is it costs more to hire cleaners to work evening hours than to hire cleaners to work day hours.

Expertise

Residential cleaning staff must pay attention to every detail.  Homes often have more items that require cleaning – mantle pieces feature knickknacks, photos, and other items.  Office surfaces are usually clear of clutter and somewhat easier to keep clean.  Office cleaners therefore can work more quickly, though they do bring specialized skills you wouldn’t expect of home cleaners.  For example, large office buildings may feature specialized flooring that requires unique equipment to clean.  Similarly, traffic in office spaces means that it especially important to disinfect surfaces, kitchens, and bathrooms to maintain proper hygiene.  A family of four in that sense is easier to clean up after.

The Space

Another factor that differentiates office and house cleaning is the space in which cleaners work.  Cleaning in a person’s home requires special attention to the person’s privacy.  Not only must your staff be more rigorously vetted to ensure you can put the client’s mind at ease, but you are also more likely to have increased client interaction in the residential cleaning business.  This requires enhanced customer service skills – making the customer happy in the home cleaning business brings unique challenges and also rewards.  Home cleaners often build stronger relationships with their clients and they get to learn their needs and wants in a more intimate way.  Of course, this also means that home cleaners must be especially vigilant when it comes to confidentiality.  You’ll know more about a family and their comings and goings than you’re likely to learn about office staff or business owners.

As you can see, not only is cleaning offices different from cleaning homes, there are also interpersonal factors that differentiate office and house cleaning.  To move from one industry to the other is not as straightforward as one might think.