How much do commercial cleaners charge?  It seems like a simple enough question, doesn’t it?  In fact, there are a wide variety of factors that will influence the charges that commercial cleaners quote.  From location and services to the frequency of cleaning and even the time it takes to complete the job, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before you can get a clear picture of commercial cleaning costs.  So, instead of talking hard and fast figures, let’s take some time to understand how commercial cleaning companies charge for their services.

Geography

Nope, this isn’t a lesson in world capitals, but a realistic approach to understanding that depending on your location, commercial cleaners will charge differently.  In urban centers, everything costs more.  The increase cost of real estate essentially trickles down and affects the cost of everything from parking to the cost of cleaning supplies.  Generally speaking, when the cost of living is higher, the cost of cleaning is higher too.  Products cost more, wages are higher, and the cost of business is higher in urbanized areas, so your commercial cleaning services will typically cost more as well.

Services

Not all commercial spaces are exactly the same, from the size of the space to the types of services required, cleaning charges will vary significantly.  If you are operating a large factory that utilizes harsh chemicals or a hospital that has very specific disinfection and hazardous waste cleaning requirements, your cleaning costs will be more compared to the basic cleaning required in your average office environment.  More complicated cleaning processes cost more; for example, sanitizing surfaces requires more work and more expensive cleaning products than dusting surfaces.  As you can see, the services you require will be reflected in how much commercial cleaners charge.

Frequency

Do you require daily cleaning, or will a weekly cleaning suffice?  Obviously, the frequency with which you require cleaning services will affect the cost.  A busy office that needs to have recycling and trash removed daily will likely cost more to clean than a small commercial space that requires less frequent servicing.  One point to note here, you can generally negotiate lower per hour or per square foot rates for more frequent cleaning, but this doesn’t usually translate to lower costs in the long run.  Still, ensuring a clean and safe work environment should be your paramount concern.

Time

Finally, the amount of time it requires to clean a space will also impact costs.  Most commercial cleaners will charge hourly, though some will charge by the square foot.  Either way, larger spaces usually require more time to clean, so the bottom line is the same.  Also, some companies will charge more per hour, but be careful to ask how many cleaners will be involved.  While one company will charge you $40 per hour while another charges $60 per hour, you’ll probably pay less if the more expensive company offers more cleaners.

Ultimately, in determining your cleaning costs, you should start with a very specific outline of the types of services you require, the frequency you need cleaning, and the size of your commercial space.  Then you can contact local cleaning companies to get a quote that will give you an idea of what you’re likely to spend.  Read more about janitorial services prices here

Insurance coverage from one janitorial company to the next can vary significantly.  Sometimes, certain companies don’t require the same level of insurance, and sometimes they try to reduce their costs by avoiding certain coverage.  If the latter is the case, you probably don’t want to work with that company as it seems they are willing to cut costs indiscriminately, and this may ultimately reflect on the work they do.  Nevertheless, answering the question “are all janitorial companies insured” can be complicated, so let’s take a look instead at the types of coverage you should expect from your cleaning company?

Business Liability Insurance

When a janitor or one of their employees damages something in a client’s home or office, they need business liability insurance to cover it – or they’ll be out of pocket for the costs.  Minor damage is obviously not a major problem, but if your janitorial company accidentally breaks a computer or other major equipment, the costs can run into the thousands.  Can an uninsured janitorial company afford these costs?  Possibly not.  More importantly, the costs of lawsuits can far exceed the cost of damage, so you want to make sure your janitorial company has a valid business liability or general liability insurance plan.  These types of coverage also cover the costs of injury to a janitorial staff member while working at your office.

Property Insurance

Your company and your janitorial service provider probably have a lot of equipment and supplies that need to be protected.  On site, you may have office furniture, computers, chairs, phones, and other equipment.  Your janitor probably needs vacuums, cleaners, brushes, and dusters (to name a few), that you may or may not supply in order for your cleaning services to be properly completed.  Property insurance with a limit equal to the value of your office equipment will help you protect said equipment in case of damage.  In addition, this insurance should be structured such that your janitor can work in multiple sites (unless they are contracted to clean in your offices only).  You may want to get this insurance yourself, or insist that your janitorial company is also covered.

Building Coverage

Building coverage is important if you own the business where your office is located.  While it is unlikely that a janitor will have this coverage, building coverage protects you against damage from the elements including fire, tornado, hurricane, or storm.  However, your janitor will probably want to invest in business income and extra expense coverage which will cover income and equipment loss in case of problems like illness to the service provider or lost, damaged, or stolen equipment.  Anything that impacts the ability of the insured to earn income (providing that item was covered elsewhere in their insurance) will allow the service provider to recover lost income.  For example, if a janitorial company owner falls ill and cannot provide regular service, lost income would be covered.  In addition, if a fire occurs at a location and destroys all the janitor’s cleaning equipment, the cost of the equipment and any lost income would also be covered.

Ultimately, insurance helps protect the office manager/owner and ensure that cleaning services are provided with no unexpected costs to the office.  In addition, these insurance policies will ensure that the janitor can continue to work or receive income in case of an unexpected accident.  Not all janitorial companies are covered by all types of insurance, so it’s up to you to consider your needs and check that your janitor is covered appropriately.

The costs of janitorial services should be cut and dry, shouldn’t they?  You want particular things cleaned and you agree on a price for those services…it’s a piece of cake.  But then, you start working with your office maintenance company, and each month your bill isn’t what you expect.  You’re probably infuriated and feel ripped off, but you’ve also got a contract.  When you take a closer look at it, you finally notice the fine print, and there are a lot of hidden costs.

Indeed, depending on the professional cleaners you hire, there are a number of janitorial services for which they will charge extra.  Some maintenance companies indicate an hourly rate, and you might be under the impression that this rate covers all the cleaning costs, but you would be incorrect.  In fact, these companies need to cover their own operating costs such as insurance, employee-related costs (e.g. hiring, training, payroll, and equipment expenses), buying cleaner, and even supervision or inspection.  Plus, if you require specialized cleaning services such as required for certain equipment or machinery, shredding and disposal of sensitive documents, or 24-hour service from your cleaner, you should expect to pay more.

So what can you do to avoid hidden costs for janitorial services?  It’s fairly simple, you need to pay close attention to your cleaning contract.  You want to determine a fair rate that will include all of the cleaning services you need accomplished.  That being said, you also need to expect any add-ons or changes to your cleaning contract to impact the bottom line – there are not many companies willing to do more for less.

First and foremost, you need to make a list of all the cleaning tasks you want completed.  And you need to be thorough, i.e. check and double check your list.  Here is a typical list of services provided to the average office environment:

• Sweeping and cleaning all floors.
• Cleaning surfaces and windows (inside and out).
• Cleaning and restocking washrooms.
• Vacuuming and washing carpets.
• Dusting furniture and desks.
• Removing garbage and recycling.
• Cleaning break rooms including appliances, dishes, and sinks.
• Watering plants.
• Disinfecting office equipment including photocopiers, keyboards, and telephones.

This list may include all the cleaning services you require, or it may be too many or too few services.  Ultimately, you need to construct your own list to ensure your office will be kept in good shape.

In addition, you need to pay close attention to your janitorial company and the contract they provide.  Here are three tips that will help you avoid hidden costs:

1. Read through the entire service contract before you sign it.  Check to see if all the services you require have been included at a price you can afford.
2. Conduct some research on your janitorial service provider.  Check to see how long they have been in business and ask for references from current companies they service.  While you may get the same level of service from a start-up maintenance company as a well-established one, the piece of mind you’ll get from contacting references will help you determine whether you’re working with somebody who is going to nickel-and-dime you.
3. Never let a janitorial company strong-arm you into a service contract.  If you’re not getting the services you require at a reasonable price, look for a different maintenance company.

Flu season is upon us and that means we’re all at risk of at least missing a few days of work to this seasonal illness.  Perhaps the main and most effective way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated, and considering the prevalence of new strains of the flu such as H1N1 (swine flu), this really is your best course of action.  Still, for one reason or another, not everybody can or wants to get the flu vaccine.  So what are some other methods of preventing flu?

Keep your Hands Clean

This is a no-brainer.  Regular and thorough hand sanitation is an important step in preventing all kinds of contagious illness including the cold and flu.  During flu season, health experts recommend keeping a hand sanitizing solution on you at all times.  You should have a supply at your work, home, in your car, and even on your person.  Fortunately, there are many excellent hand sanitizers on the market nowadays, and you can even get a personal size that you can easily carry in your pocket or purse.  And here’s a tip for saving money: buy one personal sized sanitizer for everybody in the family but refill them from a larger, more cost effective bottle.

In addition to hand sanitizer, you should also thoroughly wash your hands several times a day.  This includes washing between fingers, under finger nails, and your palms and the back of your hands as well.  After using the washroom, scrub your hands with soap and try to avoid contact with tap and door handles.  Also, when you come in contact with other people (especially if they are showing signs of illness) or after using public transportation, wash or sanitize your hands.  This will help prevent the spread of the flu virus.

Disinfect!

Not only do you want to keep your hands clean, but you should also thoroughly disinfect areas of your home or office that are frequented by multiple people.  You can find disinfectant sprays at your local supermarket, and even disinfectant wipes that make it easy to quickly wipe keyboards, telephones, and door handles.  Especially during the cold and flu season, you should think about all the places that are touched frequently – the fridge door, kitchen counters, television remote controls, etc.  Keeping these areas disinfected means they’re germ free.

At the First Sign of Illness

Sometimes, all the preventative measures in the world won’t prevent you from getting sick.  As soon as you start to feel an itch in your throat or other early signs of flu, you need to act.  Gargle with an alcohol-based mouth rinse or a solution of warm salt water to kill germs in your throat before they take hold.  Always cough or sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your arm to prevent depositing germs on your hands where it’s easier to spread them around the house.  You could also consider wearing breathing protection, like a surgical mask, to contain your illness and keep your family from getting sick too!

A clean office is an efficient one, where the health and safety of employees along with a general attitude toward organization is valued.  Still, the question of whether to hire in-house staff to provide janitorial services or whether to outsource these services is an important one.  Ultimately, you want to get the best bang for your buck while ensuring that your office staff can be as productive as possible.  So what are the main benefits of outsourcing your company’s janitorial services?

Expertise

You might not realize it, but there are actually different kinds of cleaning companies often offering disparate services.  There are even differences between companies when it comes to the experience of their staff.  Depending on the type of company you operate, you’ll likely find a number of cleaning companies that can provide you with the services you need.  But remember to take care when selecting a janitorial service, traditional cleaning companies or even your own company may employ cleaning staff at minimum wage, while franchises are generally operated by their owners who invest their own time, money, and effort into the quality of service they provide.  It should come as no surprise that owner-operators are often more dedicated to the job.

Availability

By outsourcing your janitorial services, you can generally find a company that can work within the parameters of your business.  If you require cleaning staff on the weekends or evenings, or even on holidays, a contracted janitorial company will likely always adapt to your needs.  This often means as a company owner you have peace of mind knowing that you never have to stress about replacing a sick cleaner or rescheduling cleaning jobs for any reason.

Quality

Janitorial companies must provide a standard of quality or they won’t be in business for long.  If you opt to hire your own cleaning staff, you will be responsible for reviewing and managing the quality of the cleaning work.  On the other hand, janitorial companies are motivated to ensure their standards are always achieved, or they risk losing business.  Moreover, specialists are more likely to have the products and equipment to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and health.

Budget

Most janitorial companies offer a range of services that can be tailored to the needs and budget of your company.  Even if one company doesn’t offer the services you need at a price you can afford, you’ll have many alternative cleaning companies to consider.  Ultimately, you’ll be able to develop a schedule of cleaning services within your budget without concerning yourself with the day-to-day management of a janitor.  More importantly, business owners often discover that they save money on maintenance, staff, equipment, and cleaning products that are related to cleaning services.