Selecting the Right Cleaning Service Company

Outsourcing your building’s maintenance to a janitorial company should make your job easier not more difficult. If you find yourself going back to the drawing board time and time again, to select another cleaning service, you may start to feel like all cleaning companies are the same with lackluster performance and inconsistent service. If you are searching for the right cleaning service, consider the following:

• Ask how many hours they plan to work per week. Multiply those hours times 4.33 per weeks in a month and divide that number into their monthly price.  That will give you their facility management hourly billable rate.  In California the minimum hourly wage is $10.00.  So if the number is anywhere close to $12.00 per hour, the chances are they are doing something illegal that will put your organization at risk.
  Don’t settle for fuzzy math or confusing pricing. If you cannot compare apples to apples with a clear, precise, unambiguous cleaning bid or janitorial quote, move on.
• Consider size. You likely don’t need a behemoth national janitorial company, but a larger local operation that has a number of benefits for your facility maintenance; from state of the art equipment, to agility, to cost savings on bulk goods like paper products.
• Determine if they have a quality assurance program that included regular janitorial inspections.
• Ask for a copy of all insurance certifications to assure that you are adequately protected.
• Ask about their green cleaning program and commitment to sustainability and health.
• Request that they provide you with documentation from the company conducting employee background checks for every employee working in your facility.

Don’t make your job unnecessarily hard by neglecting to do your homework upfront. A little extra work at the front end can save you a ton of hassle, headaches and money down the line.