Keeping your facility clean and well maintained is already challenging — add budget cuts and belt tightening into the mix, and many Facility Managers begin searching for new ways to stretch every dollar.
Maybe you’ve considered hiring your own in-house cleaner or even building a small internal team. In today’s economic climate, everyone is looking for creative ways to save money — but will handling your building maintenance and cleaning internally really save you anything? What are the hidden costs of DIY cleaning? And could outsourcing to a professional cleaning company actually reduce your expenses?
Sometimes the Straightest Line Really Is the Shortest Path
Facility Managers are great problem solvers and multi-taskers, but many DIY projects cost more in time, effort, and mistakes than simply letting a professional handle it from the start.
An in-house cleaning operation is essentially a business within your business. Do you really have time to launch, manage, and oversee a second business without pulling resources away from your core responsibilities?
Even if you manage to do it well, the hidden costs pile up quickly. Managing employees — recruiting, hiring, training, background checks, disciplinary action, payroll, overtime, benefits, and performance oversight — consumes time and money. These responsibilities drain resources better devoted to your core mission.
“I’ll Just Add Cleaning to Someone’s Job…” — Why It Never Works
Many Facility Managers attempt to assign cleaning duties to existing staff — and most fail.
Why? Because:
- The work goes unfinished or is done poorly.
- Employee morale suffers — no one wants unexpected janitorial duties.
- Turnover increases as workloads grow and resentment builds.
Can you imagine your warehouse employee being thrilled to clean the restroom her co-workers use every day? Responsibility creep, unkempt spaces, and burnout quickly follow.
Why Professional Commercial Cleaners Matter
Cleaning is not “just Windex and a toilet brush.” Effective, safe, compliant janitorial work requires:
- Proper training and onboarding
- Chemical safety knowledge and storage protocols
- Understanding of cross-contamination risks
- Correct use of equipment and PPE
- Best practices for touch points and high-risk areas
Shortcuts in cleaning *do not save money*. They create bigger, more expensive problems — including safety risks, illness spread, poor facility image, and larger maintenance issues down the road.
The Hidden Costs of In-House Cleaning
Running an internal janitorial department brings both direct and indirect expenses:
- Hourly wages, payroll taxes, and benefits
- Insurance and liability coverage
- Recruiting, onboarding, and training
- Turnover, termination, and unemployment costs
- Supervision time and administrative oversight
- Purchasing and maintaining cleaning equipment
- Buying supplies *without* the cost savings of bulk commercial pricing
A professional janitorial company buys in volume — you don’t. Their pricing power, resources, and experience typically reduce your long-term expenses.
Shift Management & Liability to a Facility Services Professional
Outsourcing shifts responsibility to a trained, insured, fully staffed cleaning company that specializes in maintenance operations.
The best commercial cleaning companies:
- Stay current on industry standards and regulations
- Understand risks associated with maintenance tasks
- Carry general liability and umbrella policies to protect you
- Provide trained, vetted, and supervised staff
Their expertise protects your building and minimizes your exposure to third-party claims.
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Facility Maintenance
Many Facility Managers initially consider in-house cleaning to reduce costs — but outsourcing often delivers far greater savings, including:
- No procurement, inventory, or equipment costs
- No training, HR, or supervision burdens
- Professional-level cleaning quality and consistency
- Modern tools, technology, and disinfecting methods
- Better budget predictability
With the right Michigan commercial cleaning partner, you gain efficiency, reduce risk, lower long-term expenses, and elevate your facility’s image — all while freeing yourself to focus on what you do best.
Outsourcing isn’t just a cost-cutting measure — it’s a strategic advantage.
