Under the umbrella of commercial cleaning you’ll find professionals offering services for a wide range of businesses from office and industrial cleaning to retail cleaning.  If you are looking for retail cleaning services, you’re sure to find a number of contractors that can tailor their cleaning to your company’s needs.  Regardless of the types of cleaning services you require, working with a professional helps to ensure your retail space reflects the quality and excellence you’d like your company to demonstrate.

When it comes to retail cleaning services, you might be surprised to learn that cleaning companies offer everything from post-construction cleanup and emergency cleaning to floor and surface cleaning, bathroom cleaning, and even parking lot services.  Ultimately, as a retail business owner, your job is to identify some the most important cleaning tasks for your business and then tailor a cleaning contract with a professional cleaning company.  Some of the tasks that might be necessary for your retail business include:

• Regular cleaning and disinfecting of bathrooms
• Window cleaning
• Pressure washing exterior building surfaces and/or sidewalks
• Replacing light bulbs and cleaning light fixtures
• Washing walls and product shelves

Still, you might be wondering why you would hire a professional cleaning company for your retail space rather than paying your own employees to do it.  There are a number of important reasons to contract retail cleaning services to a specialized company.  First and foremost, research shows that employees are more productive when their duties are focused, but also when they work in a clean environment.  This means your employees should focus on the retail side of your business, but should also be working in a clean store.  Similarly, whereas you would need to train each of your employees in proper cleaning techniques, expert cleaners would already have all the training they need.

Another reason to hire professional retail cleaners is that they have the expertise to get the job done right.  Not only do contract cleaners have all the supplies and equipment they’ll need to effectively and thoroughly clean your retail space, but they’ll also be accountable for the job they do.  In general, companies offering professional retail cleaning services will get the job done more thoroughly and faster than your store employees.

When it comes time to choosing retail cleaners for your business, always conduct a thorough search.  You could speak with other retail business owners in your area about where they source their cleaning services, but you should always create a shortlist of candidates before making a final decision.  Ask each candidate for a list of references and make sure to speak with them about which types of cleaning tasks you require.  When you check references, make sure that the cleaning company has worked in a similar space and fulfilled similar cleaning tasks.

From restaurants and offices to hospitals and care facilities, the commercial cleaning business represents a diverse industry that requires an extensive amount of knowledge about a wide range of environments.  Another one of these environments that you may not often consider is your local gym or fitness facility.  Gym cleanliness is especially important because of the risk of contact with germs.  In fact, just a few years ago MRSA outbreaks throughout North America highlighted the importance of keeping gym and workout equipment clean.

In this article, we’ll outline a comprehensive fitness facility cleaning checklist, but first, let’s discuss some of the top concerns that customers have about gym cleanliness.  The most common concerns included unpleasant odours, unsanitary equipment, messy or dirty washrooms and change rooms, floor and carpet stains, unclean surfaces, and the lack of products for wiping down equipment after use.  Now, let’s look at each of these concerns more closely and you’ll see a fitness facility cleaning checklist start to take shape.

Odours

Gym odours can be difficult to eradicate, and commercial cleaners must focus on the source of the odour.  Gym equipment, lockers, benches, and other surfaces including floors and walls need to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.  Sinks, toilets, showers, and drains must also be thoroughly cleaned to prevent the spread of bacteria and to eliminate odours.

Unsanitary Equipment

In recent years, gyms and fitness centres have tried to address the risk of bacterial outbreaks by installing paper towels and sanitizing sprays throughout their facilities.  This gives customers the opportunity to wipe down and sanitize equipment immediately after use, but commercial cleaners should also clean equipment on a daily basis at a minimum.

Washrooms, Change Rooms, and Locker Rooms

Fitness centres are shared facilities that must be maintained in order to ensure customer satisfaction.  Washrooms, change rooms, and locker rooms must be cleaned thoroughly.  This involves cleaning floors, walls, and other surfaces including mirrors, counters, and benches.  Toilets, sinks, and shower stalls must be sanitized regularly throughout the day.

General Cleaning

Finally, as is the case with any public space, care must be taken to clean floors and walls and remove any stubborn stains.  Surfaces throughout the fitness facility must be wiped to ensure they are free of dust and other debris.  Moreover, gym owners or managers should ensure to install paper towels and sanitizing spray throughout the facility and to encourage patrons to wipe down equipment after use.  These cleaning stations must be kept adequately stocked so that customers can easily clean their equipment.

Remember, keeping your fitness facility clean and sanitary is about much more than the appearance of your gym.  Indeed, the health and safety of your patrons and staff alike will rely on proper gym cleaning procedures.

As a business owner, you may not be aware that there are a couple different kinds of cleaning companies at your disposal.  Janitorial franchises are just as you would expect: franchises of a particular janitorial company that are operated independently but under some guidelines from the franchisor.  Alternatively, an independently owned janitorial company hires their own staff and provides cleaning services directly.  So which type of janitorial service is best for your business?

There are distinct pros and cons to both janitorial franchises and janitorial companies.  One problem that arises regardless of the type of janitorial business is staff turnover.  It’s a well known fact in the cleaning industry that maintaining staff for the long term is incredibly difficult.  In fact, staff turnover rates of less than a year are not uncommon.  Both franchises and the company suffer the monetary and time costs of training new staff, and this issue almost certainly impacts the quality of the cleaning work offered to clients.

Though staffing problems can affect franchises and companies alike, janitorial companies often have more flexibility with their staffing.  Hiring and firing is a much simpler process for the company as franchises will almost always involve long-term contracts.  As such, a franchise that is operating below company standards cannot easily be terminated, at least not without establishing some kind of breach of contract.  Now, you might want to argue that staffing consistency that would be offered by a janitorial franchise is a major pro for the franchises.  In fact, maintaining consistent staff is only a benefit if that staff are qualified and hard-working.  If there are problems with the quality of cleaning work offered by franchises, your business may not have as much flexibility to make the changes you need.

Cost for services can also be another important consideration.  When you are working directly with a janitorial company, you often have more flexibility with the services offered and the cost for those cleaning services.  Franchises often have much stricter guidelines around the work they offer and the rates they charge so that the franchisor can maintain consistency across all its janitorial franchises.  Especially for small business owners, it often makes more sense to go direct to the source where you can negotiate your terms and contract length.

Finally, an independently owned janitorial company will often take more pride in their work.  After all, the owner’s name is on the line.  With franchised janitorial companies, the operator is not ultimately responsible for the company’s brand image.  Though this difference in perspective may seem minor, it can actually have a major impact when it comes to results.  If my reputation is likely to be compromised, you can bet that I’m going to go above and beyond to ensure my clients are happy.  On the other hand, a franchisee can hide behind the franchisor’s name.

So when it comes to choosing between a janitorial company and a franchise, I would always want to work directly with the company owner so I can ensure the quality services I need are available at a price I can afford.

The increasingly ubiquitous consumer desire to protect the environment has given way to a world-wide, multi-billion dollar green industry.  From household cleaners to building materials and everything in between, today’s market place offers a plethora of so-called environmentally friendly “green” products.  Nevertheless, recent research suggests that many green products feature hidden hazards that are not necessarily disclosed to the public.

Indeed, researchers have recently discovered that products such as air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry detergents, and personal hygiene products emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) regardless of whether these products were labelled as green or organic.  More shockingly, many of these VOCs are classified as hazardous or toxic according to regulations in the United States.

Consumers should be especially vigilant about fragranced products.  While VOCs may be present in fragrance and fragrance-free products, fragranced “green” products appear to be no safer than regular fragranced products.  More specifically, many fragranced products emit carcinogenic and other hazardous air pollutants that can be harmful to your health.  Unfortunately, most exposure to air pollutants occurs indoors as we are more likely to come into contact with a range of consumer products.  However, there is no legislation that requires manufacturers to list all the ingredients in these green products, and specifically the makeup of the fragrances.

Among the most common hidden hazards in green products are chemicals known as terpenes.  Though not usually found in fragrance-free products, terpenes in fragranced green products are known to react with ozone to release formaldehyde, ultrafine, and other polluting particles.

So what does this mean for the average consumer?  Unfortunately, there are a number of important consequences related to the presence of harmful pollutants in green products.  Namely, many of the most common environmentally-safe products used throughout North America in schools, homes, hospitals, and other buildings may release harmful toxins into the environment.  Manufacturers are not required to list all ingredients in these products, so consumers should be especially aware of any products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient.  Moreover, even products listed as “all-natural,” “organic,” or “non-toxic” may emit these volatile organic compounds.

Ultimately, ensuring the health and safety of your family is in your hands.  Consider the following tips:

• If you prefer to buy cleaning and personal products, always choose “fragrance-free” alternatives.
• Avoid using air fresheners.
• Contact product manufacturers directly for a safety data sheet on product ingredients, but be aware that manufacturers may still not disclose all ingredients in their products.
• Consider making your own green cleaning products such as a simple mixture of vinegar and water as an all-purpose cleaner.  Other common, safe household ingredients that are great for cleaning include baking soada, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol.

The cleaning industry is a competitive market place that can be difficult for janitorial companies not only with respect to how they serve their customers but how they operate their business.  From marketing their business to employing effective, qualified staff, there are a number of ever-changing challenges for contract janitorial companies.  Success rests on a company’s ability to navigate the top 5 challenges for contract janitorial companies.

Marketing

Back in the day…ok, maybe WAY back in the day, janitorial companies could rely on relatively simple marketing campaigns to attract new business.  In the early days, flyers or cold calls might offer a great opportunity to reach new customers, and eventually email marketing campaigns allowed for even broader exposure.  But as consumers are savvier and the internet provides a wealth of information, business owners can research potential cleaning companies independently.  The need for a comprehensive marketing campaign that includes exposure online and in local media is increasingly crucial.

The World Wide Web

Directly related to marketing is the changing nature of the World Wide Web.  We all use Google – likely on a daily basis, so it’s important to have an idea of how Google operates.  Unfortunately, Google is always changing its algorithm in order to improve the user experience.  This means the way consumers find businesses are changing and janitorial contractors need to keep abreast with Google rules and regulations to ensure customers can find them.

Economy

Since 2008, the economy in North America has been on tenuous ground.  Many cleaning budgets have been cut significantly meaning there are fewer contracts available.  Janitorial companies need to be aware of economic changes so they can effectively plan for profitability.  Similarly, changes in taxes can have a significant impact on costs for business owners of janitorial companies and their customers.

Staffing

Related to economic changes are staffing considerations.  Some provinces, including British Columbia are planning minimum wage increases which will likely affect the bottom line of janitorial companies.  As the economy improves, contract cleaning companies can afford to hire more staff, but the cost of increasing staff is not only impacted by wage increases.  New staff need training which is time-consuming and sometimes expensive.

Uncertainty

Many of the challenges listed above contribute to a single, over-riding problem faced by all manner of contractor – uncertainty.  It can be difficult to predict changes in the economy or even the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.  As such, perhaps uncertainty is the main challenge faced by janitorial companies today.  Nevertheless, even uncertainty can be managed through careful business planning.  Janitorial companies should work closely with a qualified marketing firm in order to promote business development, but they must also budget effectively while providing excellent service in order to maintain their current accounts.