When it comes to hiring a cleaning service or janitorial company, there is a pretty big range in what is out there. There are the little guys, the big guys and everyone in between. There are high-priced cleaning companies, low-balling start-ups, and a variety of choices between the two extremes. Facility managers have many factors to consider when evaluating prospective cleaning companies. And yet all too often, they are not aware of one of the most critical components of safeguarding the health of employees and customers: cleaning for health.
Does Your Janitorial Services Company Really Get It?
Cleaning for health isn’t just some industry buzzword; it’s a real directive with real outcomes for both janitorial companies and the facilities they maintain. Cleaning for health focuses on best practices that effectively clean in a way that minimizes the spread of disease-causing germs and utilizes products and practices to safeguard the health of everyone involved including janitorial employees, you and your staff, and your customers. What kind of practices fall under cleaning for health?
- Color-coding cleaning rags to avoid cross-contamination. Color-coding can help ensure a towel used to clean a toilet isn’t used again to wipe down a door handle.
- Proper labeling of cleaning products with specific use instructions to ensure cleaning staff knows precisely how each product is used.
- Training cleaning personnel on using contact times and dwell times to ensure disinfectant efficacy.
- Utilizing well-understood best practices like “touch point” cleaning for maximum impact where it is needed most.
- Regular equipment maintenance to ensure optimal operation and effectiveness.
Seeing Is Not Always Believing
Cleaning for health is one of those nearly invisible components of a successful janitorial service provider. Unless you see a cleaning company employee use the rag just used on a toilet to wipe down your phone, how would you know? As a facilities manager, do you want to (or even have the time to) educate yourself on every cleaning product’s dwell time or usage instructions? Didn’t you hire a professional janitorial service in part so you didn’t have to manage the day-to-day cleaning?
Finding a Janitorial Company That Makes Cleaning for Health a Priority
So if you cannot see whether your janitorial company is cleaning for health, how do you determine if they are? And if you are looking for a new janitorial service provider, what can you do to ensure you hire a cleaning company that makes cleaning for health a priority? You have a couple of options.
First, any reputable janitorial company not only understands the concept of cleaning for health and its importance, they actually have a plan. Cleaning for health will come up in their sales information, it will be part of employee training, and it will show up in their management and responsiveness measures. If your cleaning company can’t tell you precisely what they are doing to ensure cleaning for health, they likely aren’t doing it. So ask to see their plan. If they don’t have one, keep looking. The right cleaning service can clearly explain their plan, their training, and how they make cleaning for health a priority.
A Shortcut to the Shortlist of Great Cleaning Companies
One way you, as a Facility Manager, can save time and cut through the clutter of cleaning services making promises is to use professional certification to create a shortlist. Professional organizations like the ISSA offer voluntary certifications like the CIMS (Cleaning Industry Management Standard). Far from being an honorary title, these certifications are tough to get and tough to keep. Any cleaning company with current ISSA CIMS certification has worked hard to implement and adhere to the highest standards within the industry. These companies are vetted in a number of areas to ensure they follow best practices in both their operations and services. While no cleaning company is perfect, the companies that strive for certification are serious about what they do and intent on delivering the best to their customers.
Better Cleaning Doesn’t Have to Mean More Expensive
You might be thinking, “fancy professional certifications… well that’s sure going to cost me,” but the reality is, better doesn’t always cost more. In fact, many of the best janitorial service providers are so efficient in the way they do business, they will cost less than far inferior cleaning services. A janitorial company that hires and manages great people usually has significantly lower turnover, which means fewer onboarding costs and more consistent service. Established, professional cleaning companies also have vendor relationships and buy cleaning supplies and paper products in bulk, often passing savings to their customers. The best-run cleaning companies will also know how to adjust services to fit your budget while ensuring cleaning for health remains a priority.
Cleaning for Health Matters
Cleaning for health can make the difference when it comes to employee satisfaction, employee absenteeism, and even happy tenants and a fully occupied building. Cleaning for health—meaning a clean that truly minimizes the spread of disease-causing germs—doesn’t have to cost more than subpar cleaning that puts your health at risk. As a facility manager, you just have to ask the right questions and use available resources, like industry certification, to find janitorial service providers who are as serious about their business as you are about yours.
