Being aware of our environmental impact is an important responsibility nowadays.  Indeed, environmentalism drives innovation in a wide range of industries including the cleaning industries.  Yet, when it comes to green janitorial services, the benefits extend far beyond the effects of these services on our ecosystem.  Green janitorial services not only help protect nature from the damaging effects of chemical cleaning products and processes, but they also protect the people we serve.  So then, what are green janitorial services and why should you consider them for your business?

In a nutshell, green janitorial services are those that utilize environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods that not only promote environmental health but human health as well.  There are a wide range of approaches to green cleaning that start with the use of products that are free from toxic chemicals and volatile compounds that have been shown to have a negative impact on body systems.  Traditional cleaning methods may cause respiratory or dermatological conditions, and in some cases, these techniques have been associated with even more serious chronic diseases including cancer.  Janitorial professionals who identify as green or eco-friendly use cleaning products that are biodegradable and toxin-free.

There are a lot of myths surrounding green janitorial services.  First and foremost, many people believe that green cleaning products are not as effective as products with harsh chemicals.  On the contrary, green cleaning techniques tend to be gentle but highly effective not only for producing sparkling, clean results, but more importantly for reducing exposure to toxins and contaminants.  Particularly for individuals with established chronic conditions such as asthma or allergies, green janitorial services can ensure better health while creating a clean and sanitary environment.

Nevertheless, as society at large is increasingly interested in reducing humans’ environmental impact, green cleaning products and service providers have begun to flood the market.  Unfortunately, not all products are independently reviewed and certified eco-friendly.  As such, it is important to work with reputable green cleaning professionals to affirm that the green janitorial services you receive are indeed environmentally sustainable.

Still, employing green cleaning services in your business and even your home can have a number of important benefits.  Not only can you rest easy knowing you are relying on services that minimally impact the environment, but you are also promoting better health and well-being for your staff, colleagues, clients, and family.  Ultimately, green janitorial services utilize products and techniques that are ideal for individuals with allergies or other sensitivities to chemical products, but also for those in ideal health as well.  Avoiding the use of perfumes, dyes, caustic or corrosive ingredients, and volatile organic compounds means you achieve efficient, affordable, and effective cleaning that won’t negatively impact the environment or your health.

Office maintenance is fundamental when you are running a business.  Not only does a well-maintained office promote productivity and workplace health and safety, but it signals to your current and future clients that you run an organized and efficient operation.  Just take a moment to consider your own reaction when you enter an office or business that is messy, dusty, or disorganized.  Ultimately, if you want to impress, you need to keep your office in tip top condition.  Obviously, there are many different cleaning services to consider, but let’s take a closer look at window cleaning.  How often should you clean your office windows?

Now, there’s no hard and fast, one-size-fits-all answer to this question.  There are many things to consider.  Factors such as the type of business, your geographic location, the size of your office, and of course your budget all come into play.  Are you scheduling indoor or outdoor window cleaning?  Do you regularly host clients or other professionals in your offices?  Where are your windows located?  These all seem like irrelevant questions when all you want is clean windows, but they’re not.

Typically, interior window cleaning is less costly and scheduled more frequently than exterior window cleaning.  A small office with only a few staff that rarely host clients probably has more limited window cleaning needs.  If you have windows within your offices (for example, between private offices and shared office spaces), or your main entry features windows, your cleaning schedule may vary.  Even the geographic location of your offices is important.  Weather, landscaping, or an urban or suburban location are also factors that influence window cleaning frequency.

When it comes to weather, if you are situated in a climate with a lot of rain or a rainy season, you’ll likely require more frequent exterior window cleanings during this season.  Some business owners choose to regularly schedule window cleanings and then increase that schedule or add cleanings whenever weather plays a bigger role.  If you’re considering landscaping, factors such as surrounding trees can impact cleaning schedules.  For example, birds and insects can definitely leave their mark, so you may need to have your office windows cleaned more frequently.  Likewise, windows on an office on a busy urban street with high traffic is likely to get dirtier faster than windows on a quiet street.

Ideally, you want to work with a professional cleaning company that can help you develop an office window cleaning schedule that works for you and your business.  When you collaborate with professionals, you can trust that you’ll get effective window cleaning services that allow you to keep your office in its best possible condition.  And ultimately, this is good business for your business.

Janitorial services, cleaning services – they are pretty much the same thing, right?  Wrong! There are distinct differences between janitorial and cleaning companies, though some professionals offer both types of services.  If you’re wondering about the difference, you’ve come to the right place.  We’ll take a look at the some of the details of these differences, but in general you might expect commercial cleaning companies to provide more specialized cleaning services than a janitorial company.

First things first, let’s talk a bit about janitorial services.  Typically, you might want to seek janitorial companies if you are looking for standard office cleaning tasks.  Maintaining a clean and hygienic office environment can contribute to healthier workplaces, fewer lost days to illness, increased productivity, and even improved morale.  Plus, a clean office helps you make a good impression on your clientele.  Janitorial companies exist to provide your essential cleaning services – trash removal, dusting, surface cleaning, and regular cleaning tasks.

A few of the services offered by professional janitorial companies include

• Trash removal
• Vacuuming
• Floor mopping and dusting
• Wiping surfaces
• Bathroom sanitation
• Kitchen cleaning
• Break room cleaning

Ultimately, you might consider janitorial services as the light office cleaning tasks that need to be done daily or weekly to keep your office in good order.  Janitorial services help to eliminate germs and maintain basic cleanliness, and they are offered on a regular schedule that is determined based on your own needs and standards.

Alternatively, commercial cleaning companies tackle the more serious cleaning tasks.  You might consider commercial cleaning as the heavy office cleaning tasks.  Just as you wouldn’t need to shampoo your carpets at home every week, you don’t need your janitorial services to include weekly office carpet shampooing.  Instead, these kinds of cleaning duties fall into the realm of commercial cleaning.  While the services are equally important, they are not scheduled as frequently, and they require more specialized skills and equipment.

A few of the services offered by professional commercial cleaning companies include

• Carpet shampooing
• Tile and grout cleaning
• Furniture cleaning
• Window washing
• Exterior power washing
• Site cleaning

Your commercial cleaning needs are likely to be as unique as your janitorial needs, so these cleaning tasks also need to be negotiated with your provider.  You want to pay careful attention to the scope of the commercial cleaning tasks and their impact on your business to ensure they’re scheduled to have a minimal impact on your day-to-day operations.  You’ll also want to consider the chemicals or equipment that is involved in commercial cleaning to ensure the overall health and safety of your staff and customers.

No matter your cleaning needs, working with qualified professionals can ensure that you develop an affordable and effective cleaning schedule that is right for your business.

The commercial cleaning industry is one that many of us take for granted.  We enter offices and retail spaces and we spend little time (if any) considering how these spaces get clean.  The commercial cleaning industry is everywhere at the same time it is nowhere.  These cleaning services seem to be completed silently, even when we are witness to the services provided we rarely pay attention to the routines.  It’s interesting when you really start to consider those industries that do the unsung work, of which commercial cleaning is one.  For example, have you ever considered commercial cleaning etiquette?

That’s right, there’s an etiquette to commercial cleaning.  These are not necessarily hard and fast rules about how cleaning services are provided, but professional cleaning companies take pride in offering exceptional services, so it shouldn’t be so surprising that they have procedures guiding how the work is done.  At its core, the etiquette of commercial cleaning services ensures quality cleaning in a way that minimizes impact on the stakeholders involved.

What does that mean, to limit the impact on involved stakeholders?  First and foremost, commercial cleaning companies will want to arrange a regular cleaning schedule.  What time of the day is your office or business likely to be least disrupted by cleaning services?  Or, what services can be provided at which times of the day to maintain a clean and efficient workplace?  Shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and breakrooms will likely need to be cleaned on a daily basis, and sometimes even throughout the day depending on the number of people using the facility.  These services are often provided outside office hours so that staff and customers are not affected except to benefit from clean shared spaces.

Another way that commercial cleaning etiquette helps to maintain a positive impact on stakeholders is the prioritizing of cleaning tasks.  Workflow and traffic will often dictate how these tasks are prioritized.  A small office will have different demands than a large office, but priority cleaning areas tend to be washrooms, break rooms, reception, waiting rooms, and conference rooms.  With respect to workflow, how do your day-to-day operations impact your cleaning needs?  Do you have a lot of recycling or do you need garbage emptied more frequently?  Identifying priority cleaning services will help commercial cleaning companies provided the services you need on the schedule you need them.  There’s no cookie cutter approach to prioritizing these services.

Finally, commercial cleaning etiquette demands safety awareness.  Not only should cleaning supplies and equipment be properly stored, labeled, and maintained to ensure safety of cleaners and other staff, but cleaning services must be provided in a safe manner.  For example, adequate signage (perhaps for wet floors or hazardous spills) is important for proper health and safety.

Knowing commercial cleaning etiquette is important for the cleaning company as well as their clients.  When both parties are mindful of cleaning protocols, they are more likely to forge a successful working relationship.

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.