Detroit Michigan Janitorial & Cleaning Services Blog

When Hiring Commercial Cleaning Services - Size Matters

Written by Chris Stathakis | Thu, Sep 20, 2012 @ 11:45 AM
Like any industry, commercial cleaning services come in all sizes. Understanding the differences in the various sized cleaning companies available to you is important. You’ll want to contract with the commercial building cleaning service that is sized to meet your needs.

The range of commercial cleaning services goes from “mom and pop” to “big old dinosaurs” and everything in between. Let’s examine your choices in commercial office cleaning from small, medium, to large:

Mom and Pop Commercial cleaning services:

This term encompasses the smaller operations. That is, any commercial building cleaning company with less than 50 employees. These businesses are a good fit for smaller buildings that need only the basic cleaning tasks performed. However, their small size brings several limitations. For instance, they may not always be available in an emergency, or even able to handle such problems when they arise. Also, the smaller companies tend to overlook many regulatory changes that frequently come up in the commercial cleaning services industry.

Furthermore, many of the smaller cleaning companies are just fly-by-night operations out to make quick cash. So if you do need only basic commercial office cleaning, make sure you go with company that has been in business for many years.

Mid-sized, Locally based Cleaning Services:

These companies can be looked upon as a jack of all trades. Along with commercial office cleaning, they usually offer other services that go beyond the basics. In addition, they have several other benefits:
  • Use modern, sophisticated cleaning equipment
  • Plenty of employees
  • Offer commercial cleaning services for facilities large and small.
  • Often include maintenance and emergency response with their services
Because there companies are local, they have earned a good reputation in the community that they service. They tend to provide more attentive service because it’s in their best interest to keep the companies reputation in good standing. In this way you get the attention of a smaller cleaning company, with the resources of a large national commercial cleaning service.

Large National and Regional Commercial Cleaning Services:

This includes the major companies that you may have heard of (ABM, Eurest, Harvard, Varsity, etc). They are often referred to as “big old dinosaurs” because they are the giants of the industry. Due to their massive size they can handle the biggest accounts. The obvious disadvantage to these huge companies is the bureaucracy and red-tape that is a result of their large-scale operation. Furthermore, they tend to prioritize their larger accounts which bring them well over $1,000,000 year. If your company isn’t on that level, they may put your needs on the back burner, a practice that can result in many problems for you.

The main point is: size matters when choosing commercial cleaning services for your building. There isn’t much room for error when you hire a commercial office cleaning service.  Engaging with the wrong company can leave your building looking a mess and cost you time and money in the long run. Make sure the size of your building complements the size of your commercial cleaning services.