A clean, sanitary, and organized office is fundamental to the success of any business.  While we cannot always control the cleanliness of individual employees – some of us are messier than others, maintaining a clean office is important for the health and safety of employees, the impression we make on potential employees, and even for efficiency and productivity.  Even for small businesses, working with a professional janitorial company can help employees focus on their most important tasks while creating an environment that is conducive to success.  So when is it time to hire a new janitorial company?

Your Office is Chaotic

Dust and dirt on surfaces, grime on windows, overflowing trash cans, and other signs of a chaotic office are key indicators that it is time to hire a new janitorial company.  When you can easily see that things have gotten out of hand, you have little time to waste.  Working with a professional cleaner helps keep your office sanitary so that your employees keep their sanity!  Ultimately, when employees and potential clients are met with chaos in the office, your business is likely suffering.

High Rates of Sick Leave

Are your employees regularly sick with the common cold or flu viruses?  Bacteria and viruses can spread through contact with office surfaces; so, if you have high rates of sick leave, it’s probably time to consider hiring a qualified janitor.  In fact, even when bacterial and viral infections are not the culprit, your business can lose valuable work hours simply because employees can be stressed out, frustrated, and easily distracted by an unclean office environment.  Finally, allergens that live in dust and debris can wreak havoc on your employees’ respiratory tracts which will also certainly contribute to unnecessary sick leaves.

Poor Productivity

When you want to support an efficient and productive work environment, one of the best things you can do is keep things clean and organized.  Not only can a disorganized and dirty work environment create unnecessary lulls in focus which limits productivity, but the time spent on maintaining the cleanliness of their workstation and shared offices spaces is usually time that could be better spent on growing your business.

A Book and Its Cover

As much as you want to tell yourself that clients will judge the quality of the work you provide, the reality is that if clients see your office as messy and disorganized, they are likely to apply those judgements to the work that you do.  It’s hard to imagine that a successful business can operate in the midst of clutter and disorder.  If you want to impress your clients, you must know that their initial impressions will almost always be based on what they see.

Remember, working with a professional janitorial company can help you keep your office clean and sanitary so that your staff can focus on their most important tasks and clients can see an office that reflects the hard work you do.

As the world is universally entrenched in the most significant health crisis of the last 20 years, businesses, institutions, and individuals alike are rapidly adapting to living and working in a new environment. 

Every industry and sector is faced with the challenge of incorporating new procedures and policies in order to protect staff, clients, and the population at large from COVID-19.
While there is still so much to learn about this novel coronavirus, we know enough to start implementing commercial cleaning practices that prevent its spread.  Whether you’re cleaning schools, offices, warehouses, or everything in between, proper cleaning practices are essential right now.

Indeed, commercial cleaning in the age of COVID extends beyond removing dirt and debris.  Today, businesses are stepping up to the challenge of disinfecting their facilities through the use of disinfectant chemicals that kill germs and reduce the risk of infection.  Further, if you are cleaning an area where a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 has recently been in the facility, there are specific procedures that must be followed.

For example, the Centre for Disease Control recommends closing off areas visited by a person with COVID-19 for at least 24 hours.  During this time, you need to ensure adequate ventilation to this area by increasing air circulation and opening doors and windows.  Cleaners then need to thoroughly disinfect all areas of the facility including bathrooms, workstations, break areas or other shared spaces while paying particular attention to high-touch areas like door knobs, elevator buttons, telephone pads, etc.

Additionally, disinfecting practices will depend on the surface being disinfected.  Hard, non-porous surfaces need to be cleaned with soap and water first.  Next, an EPA-registered disinfectant or diluted household bleach can be used to disinfect these surfaces.  Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for proper disinfection which will include details on how to apply the disinfectant, contact time for the disinfectant, and even the concentration of the disinfectant.  If you’re cleaning soft, porous surfaces including carpet, curtains, or clothing, you’ll need to rely on appropriate cleaning practices.  For items that can be laundered, follow manufacturer’s instructions and use the hottest possible water for cleaning.  Carpeted flooring, upholstery, and larger soft surfaces should be cleaned with an appropriate solution indicated for these surfaces.  Again, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Ultimately, there is always new information becoming available about how to best manage the spread of COVID-19.  As you have probably already experienced, protocols and recommendations seem to change almost daily.  Consider working with a professional cleaning company so you can rest easy knowing your commercial facility is cleaned using the most up-to-date practices.  And remember, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your cleaner what they are doing to keep abreast of all the latest guidelines.

One of the great cleaning debates is whether companies should hire professional cleaners or go it on their own.  After all, you have plenty of cleaning experience when it comes to keeping your home in order; but, will this translate to office cleaning?  In fact, the skills, equipment, and supplies required for office cleaning are not exactly parallel to those required for smaller home cleaning tasks.  So, even though you’re mindful of your monthly budget as a business owner, working with professional janitors for office cleaning has many benefits.  In the long run, professionals tend to be more thorough but also more effective when it comes to commercial cleaning.  Indeed, the benefits of working with professional cleaners can be attributed to expertise, tools and supplies, and even your own efficiency.

Expertise

Hiring the right person for the job is critical to a company’s success – and this is as true of cleaning jobs as any other role in your company.  Professional cleaners have the background and knowledge base to efficiently and effectively clean office environments.  Even different offices will have different cleaning requirements – something you’re not likely to fully comprehend if you don’t have professional cleaning experience.  For example, carpet cleaning and laminate floor cleaning require different products and equipment. Moreover, ensuring a sanitary environment is critical to maintaining workplace health and safety.  Sometimes this means using specialized cleaning materials that require expert knowledge when it comes to handling those products.  If you overlook professional cleaners’ expertise, you not only run the risk of operating a poorly maintained office, but you may also be liable if cleaning materials are stored or used incorrectly.

Tools and Supplies

Just as professional cleaners have the expertise to identify the right tools and supplies for particular jobs, they also have access to those tools and supplies.  Consider your own business – whatever product or service you provide, you likely have the most advanced technology or equipment to ensure your work is done well.  Likewise, professional cleaners will have a suite of cleaning products that are effective no matter your office cleaning requirements.  They rely on professional products to thoroughly clean, and they can usually offer specialized services that include the use of environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

Efficiency

As a business owner, you need to use your time effectively. By extension, you want to optimize employee efficiency.  When you self-manage your own cleaning or require staff to participate in cleaning, this distracts from the central work of your business.  Working with professionals allows you and your employees to focus on more important tasks while also limiting workplace distractions.  Professional commercial cleaners can be scheduled to provide cleaning services on a schedule that will be less disruptive so you can make your business more successful.

A clean and sanitary workplace is fundamental to the success of your business.  This is not an overstatement.  Not only does the appearance of your office or business help make a good impression for clients and customers, but it also supports the health and safety of your staff.  Happy customers and healthy employees are inarguably fundamental to the success of your business, and so it is important to choose a janitorial service that will help you keep your workplace in optimal condition.  Still, with many janitorial companies serving any geographic area, it can be difficult to know which to choose.  Indeed, when it comes to how to hire a janitorial service, the process involves so much more than selecting the first company that appears in an online search.

As with any hiring process, you want to narrow your search of janitorial service companies to a few qualified applicants and then select the company that meets your needs and budget best.  So, while you may begin your search online, it is also valuable to get referrals from trusted friends or colleagues.  Also, keep in mind that janitorial companies often specialize in cleaning certain environments – the cleaning services offered for commercial spaces differ from those required in industrial spaces, for example.  And while some companies are large enough to effectively clean any business, you want to make sure you hire a janitorial company that offers the unique services you require.

After you have done your online search and/or reviewed referrals, you can likely narrow your search to three to five qualified companies.  At this point, you want to contact these companies to gather more information.  Some important questions to ask include:

• Is the company insured and what kind of insurance do they offer? If equipment or structures are damaged during cleaning, how can you be sure the company will compensate you for your losses?  Likewise, if a cleaner is injured on the job, you want to be sure that the janitorial company has adequate liability insurance.
• What cleaning services are offered and do they meet your specific needs? You may start by asking companies for a list of available services if you aren’t exactly sure what you need.  But, if you already know what you are looking for make sure to ask if those services are offered.
• Does the janitorial service company have experience cleaning in your industry? Can they provide references from owners of similar businesses?
• And finally, what will the cleaning services cost? This will likely require added information from you including the size of the space, the areas require cleaning, and the schedule of services.  Remember a thorough review of your specific cleaning needs will result in the most reliable quotes.

Ultimately, when it comes to hiring a janitorial service, you always want to conduct careful and thorough research and interview several qualified companies to make sure you get the best cleaners for your needs.

If you are asking yourself whether it’s time to hire an office cleaning company, the time is probably now.  Some business owners opt to manage office cleaning in-house and while this approach may appear to save money on cleaning costs, many people quickly learn that hiring a professional firm is more effective and cost efficient in the long run.  Indeed, working with professional cleaners helps to ensure a well-organized office that meets the highest standards of health and safety which ultimately translates to better workflow, improved productivity, and even better attendance.  So, when should you hire an office cleaning company? Let’s take a closer look.

Health and Safety

First and foremost, it is critical to consider the health and safety of your staff and clients when considering whether or not to hire an office cleaning company.  Professional cleaners not only have the materials and equipment to get the job done right, they have the skills and experience to ensure your office environment is a healthy environment for everyone.  Consider the impact of a dusty office on individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma or other health concerns including allergies.  Regular office cleaning by qualified cleaners helps to keep workers healthy.  In many cases, this means fewer sick days which can be very costly for some businesses.

Putting your Best Foot Forward

We always learn not to judge a book by its cover, but in reality it’s something we all do – regularly.  When a potential client or new hire enters your office, what are they going to see?  How will that influence their opinion of your business?  First impressions matter in a competitive marketplace, and you want to put your best foot forward by having a clean, sanitary, and organized office.  As you can imagine, if your office is messy or dirty, visitors may think that you don’t care about your business, products, services, or even your clients.  Professional cleaning companies adhere to a strict cleaning schedule with equally strict guidelines so that you can always count on making an excellent first impression on anyone entering your office.

Office Efficiency

Finally, hiring an office cleaning company can make a huge impact on your office efficiency.  Not only are staff more productive in a clean and sanitary environment, but working with professional cleaners means your other staff don’t have to devote their time and energy into maintaining their workspaces.  Additionally, as mentioned already, a clean environment is a healthy environment and not only does this contribute to fewer missed days to sickness, but it generally promotes productivity among staff.

In the end, the question isn’t really about when you should hire an office cleaning company, but why you haven’t already.  Professional cleaners are experts in the cleaning business and the benefits of their skills and experience will have a noticeable impact on your company’s overall success.