Is Your School Cleaning Making the Grade?

School campuses suffer from many of the same issues that we find in other types of buildings and facilities. Their high traffic quickly dirties just cleaned spaces, damage and wear can add up fairly quickly, and their multifaceted nature requires individualized cleaning services. Don't be fooled though, schools present a host of other issues unique to the learning environment and if your cleaning company is not well versed on what a school really needs, service is going to be less effective at best, disruptive at worst. So what does this mean for you as Facility Manager? First, that you need to partner with a commercial cleaning service that has experience working with schools and understands what sets school cleaning apart from general office cleaning. If you school cleaning services aren’t intimately familiar with the service and security that a school setting demands, they won’t keep your students and staff safe or keep the campus running smoothly helping to provide the ideal learning environment. So, what are the top ten things that will make or break your school cleaning?

#1 - Knowledge of Cleaning for Health Is A Must Have

Wiping a surface until it looks presentable isn’t all there is to cleaning. In fact, you may be doing even more harm than good just moving disease causing germs around without eradicating them. Michigan school cleaning services that take their jobs seriously know that they need to carefully observe dwell times and touch points among other critical aspects of cleaning for health when dealing with your facility. Is your school cleaning company paying close attention tot hose areas students touch most frequently? It is also critical that there is a green school cleaning in place. Does your school cleaning company utilize green cleaning in their process?

#2 – Security Is Vital

There is no issue more important or more relevant today than security and your cleaning company must be focused on assuring the right people are chosen to work in your school setting. It should be a given that your school cleaning company isn’t taking any chances with their staffing. What does this look like? They must take the time to carefully and rigorously screen every person that works on your campus with at least the following: drug screening, stringent, comprehensive criminal background checks, reference and employment verification among other relevant screening. When it comes to your school’s cleaning staff, school janitorial services cannot be taking the easy way out with regard to hiring practices.

#3 – Commitment Can’t Be Lacking

A constant hiring and firing of cleaning companies is of help to no one. Your ever-changing cleaning staff will never have time to learn the ins and outs of your facility and it will send the wrong message to staff and parents. But of course you shouldn’t have to settle with a cleaning company with no commitment to you, this is why vetting a school cleaning company before you commit is so critical. The goal should always be to build a stable, lasting relationship with a single school cleaning service provider. No company is going to be perfect at first, but the best will take the time to learn the dos and don’ts of your school and set you up for a long, mutually beneficial relationship.

#4 –Safety & Safe Practices

You may know who you are letting in your school, but do you know what you’re letting in? Security isn’t the only way that you need to insure your student and staff’s safety. Not all cleaning products and procedures are appropriate for schools. To insure safety, safe chemicals need to be used and it should be absolutely required and checked that all regulations regarding chemical storage are followed to the letter.  If a janitorial company is taking shortcuts here, thy are likely taking shortcuts everywhere.

#5 – Attitude Is Latitude

Ever hear the phrase “attitude is latitude?” The idea being that a positive attitude and growth mindset give you position, direction and help you accomplish all you want. The biggest indicator of the quality of your cleaning company and the subsequent quality of your cleaning and service is their attitude towards their work. Companies that care about the work they do will have staff that are positive, enthusiastic, and excited to take on the challenges of your school. Attitude isn’t about rote perfection, it’s about caring that the work is done well and caring about your customers. If a company really cares, good work grows from that.

#6 - Flexibility & Responsiveness = Better Service & Better Value

Anyone that has attended school knows that they can be unpredictable places that change from year to year, day to day and even from hour to hour. The number of students, the mix of class types, after school activities, athletics, programs, events, and budgets mean that every day is going to look at least a little bit different. For this reason your school cleaning company needs to be able to respond and adapt to the constant flux and be flexible and responsive to your school’s specific and individual needs. In this era of shrinking school budgets, you cleaning company needs to be able to scale up and scale back their staff and services as you need.

#7 – Accountability Is Key

Things are always going to go wrong, that isn’t the issue, not knowing who you need to speak with to get things back on track is were the real issues begin. A solid school cleaning company will make sure that you know who to get in touch with and deal issues before they spiral out of control.

#8 – Communication Matters

In schools the “learning curve” is often referenced, and the same goes for your school cleaning service. Keeping open lines of communication between you and school janitorial services is the only way that you can keep your school in peak operating condition. The best Michigan cleaning companies are going to have provably effective systems in place to keep those lines open and running without hitches to deal with problems as they inevitably show up.

#9 – Compliance Is Critical

No matter what the area, chemical storage, screening practices, hiring regulations, insurance, or data safety, the rules exist for a reason and your cleaning company must be complaint on all of them. There is no place for a service provider that cuts corners inside something as important as your school.

#10 – Cleaning Industry Best Practices

It should go without saying but when it comes to school cleaning services, best practices are a must. Whether it be the use of effective, tested, modern equipment, proper background checks and security practices, safer green cleaning chemicals and practices, a school is not the place to be taking shortcuts. The school environment is the best place to implement all of the things we know make for safe and effective cleaning. Don’t settle for less from your commercial cleaning company.

Finding A School Cleaning Company That Hits the Top Ten

As we might expect of anything school related, it all comes down to you doing your homework on possible school cleaning services. Your best bet is always going to be looking for a company that offers a green cleaning program that fits your budget and specific needs. Among other important things is to check for is a comprehensive training program and clear commitment to the industry's best practices. Any competent school cleaning provider will always be happy to show you exactly how they train their staff. Similarly, any professional cleaning service will have an effective system in place to make sure you get the best possible results in your facility and makes it easy to address problems and resolve them as they pop up, not after they have spiraled out of control. You can use relevant industry accreditation programs like CIMS-GB. Such certifications can be a powerful tool for quickly narrowing down your list of companies to only the best. If you do your homework, your school cleaning service is sure to pass the test!

The Dirty Truth About Germs & School Cleaning

If you have children or have ever been around them, it is no surprise to you that they are very efficient spreaders of disease. Not to call anyone out but with dirty fingers, always in noses, mouths and eyes, and the ability to make objects sticky just by looking at them, kids are the ideal carrier and distributor or the flu and other common illnesses. So, when flus are making their yearly rounds, you can be sure children have a role in its spread and transmission. Ideally, we would want sick children to stay home for their sake and ours, but often children are most contagious before they even show symptoms of illness. So keeping sick kids home does only so much. And with an already tight curriculum and the increasing importance of attendance for success, attendance is more important than ever. So, what can your school cleaning company be doing to minimize and prevent illness in the classroom and to keep your students and your staff healthy?

Cleaning In Schools 101

Research on bacterial and viral spread in classroom settings is plentiful and the ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association) has an extensive list of recommendations when it comes to school cleaning. What does this research say and what should your school cleaning company be doing to keep your school a healthy learning environment even in the middle of flu season?

1. First and foremost, it was found that elementary school classrooms were often as, if not more dirty as their respective restrooms.
2. All too often surfaces are only cleaned to appear clean, passing visual inspection but still being laden with bacteria and other disease causing pathogens.
3. Door handles, railings and any other surfaces that are touched regularly offer an ideal breeding ground and transmission point for bacteria.
4. Of all classroom surfaces, gym mats are the most likely to be contagion spreaders because they are cleaned with dirty mops that only spread dirt and bacteria.

If There Were A Test On School Cleaning How Would YOUR Cleaning Company Do?

To understand effective school cleaning, you need to understand touch points. A touch point is any surface that is regularly touched throughout the day. For instance: stair railings, computer mice, and door handles. Research confirms what common sense tells us, that the surfaces touched the most often are the dirtiest and have the highest bacterial load. On top of that, these areas are the main perpetrators when it comes to spreading disease around the classroom. Think about it, Johnny has the beginning of a cold so he wipes his hand across his runny nose, then he touches the stair railing, uses the computer lab computer that many other children will use and opens the door to the cafeteria, all the while leaving behind germs that can then hop an easy ride with the next hands they come into contact with.

So, if your school cleaning service is ignoring these touch points then the germ loads build up and make their way across your school even more efficiently. If you school cleaning service isn’t taking the time to thoroughly clean those oft touched surfaces, your school may look clean but it isn’t clean where it counts most. Proper disinfection of all surfaces, especially hotspots, is the only way to make sure that your school is both visually clean and a safe, healthy environment for students, teachers, and other staff.

Quality Education Starts With a Clean School

It can be easy to convince yourself that because your surfaces appear clean that they are, but we know this isn’t the case. There are real and measurable effects of failing to clean for health from the overall health of your students to absenteeism and even overall school performance. Many studies show a strong correlation between clean surfaces like desktops, work tables and handles and a reduced rate of absenteeism for both students and staff. With the obvious link between absenteeism and test scores that can negatively impact your school’s performance, it is essential that you take steps to insure the health of your students, educators, and staff by partnering with a school cleaning company that knows what matters most.

Is Disease Spreading On Your Campus?

Does your current school cleaning company understand the science of cleaning for health? No matter what kind of institution you are, whether it be university all the way down to pre-school, a commercial cleaning service that understands how to protect you and your students health and uphold a clean and welcoming appearance. The most effective school cleaning companies understand the distinction between the terms cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing and know when it is appropriate to use each. Understanding the importance of hotspots and touch points and the science of disease transmission can distinguish the run-of-the-mill cleaning companies from your committed industry professionals.

Building A Healthy Learning Environment Is Key To Successful Education

Good learning begins with a good foundation and that begins with the right tools and a healthy, clean, safe school environment. Your school cleaning company should make these lofty but necessary goals more attainable rather than out of reach. Are you happy with your current school cleaning services or is time for a change?

Here at Stathakis, we work with schools of all kinds to build cleaning programs that meet the needs of each individual customer. We know how to deal with touch points and tailor our cleaning solutions to target areas that may be unique to your school and learning environment. Don’t settle for a company that doesn't take cleaning for health seriously. Can we help you? If you would like to learn how we help schools with effective maintenance all while staying on budget, please contact us at (800) 278-1884.

School Cleaning: Reducing the Impact of This Year’s Flu Season

School is back in session which means before long it will be that dreaded time of year again, flu season. If you’ve ever had children, you understand that schools are an incredibly effective and efficient breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria and viruses. Just a few sick kids in school and disease causing germs are spread around your campus faster than you can say low scoring test results. Children are effective carriers bringing to both school and home everything from the common cold to stomach viruses and more. When we say kids love “hands on” learning, we aren’t kidding. They put their hands anywhere and everywhere, from their noses and mouths to your facility getting more and more kids sick at record pace. Without careful cleaning, your school could get hit hard this flu and cold season.

Research Shows That Your School Cleaning May Not be as Good as You Think

The ISSA, or International Sanitary and Supply Association, has conducted several studies about the bacterial and viral load in the average elementary school classroom to put together better cleaning guidelines. With this information, professional school cleaning services can focus on cleaning areas that will have the highest impact on reducing the spread of classroom pathogens. So, what areas are the dirtiest and where should you commercial cleaning company be cleaning the most?

• The average elementary school classroom has a higher bacterial load than most restrooms, even those found on campus.
• Contaminated versus non-contaminated surfaces appeared to be the same on visual inspection indicating that they had been cleaned by not sanitized.
• Computer mice were found to possess a bacterial and viral load nearly four times higher than that of most toilets.
• Key touch points (including but not limited to hand railings, door knobs and other high traffic surfaces) where commonly neglected by school cleaning programs.
• Athletic equipment, especially athletic mats had the highest bacterial load of any single object in the school as a result of being cleaned with dirty mops, which just spread around filth.
• In general, most schools suffer from having a superficial level of cleanliness but a low or non-existent level of sanitation in core problematic areas.

Targeted Cleaning of Touch Points Reduces Bacterial Transmission 

The ISSA’s extensive research revealed something that intuition already told us, touch points were the most common way that disease was being transferred from person to person in a school. Simply put, many school cleaning services do not spend enough time or clean with enough frequency to keep these high traffic touch points from being ground zero for a host of different infections and illnesses. For instance, it was found that many school cleaning services were not regularly cleaning and sanitizing shared electronics such as computers despite extensive scientific evidence that indicates they are one of the most commonly contaminated areas in a school campus. 

To be an effective school cleaning service, you have to realize that having a surface or area look clean and be clean are two very different things. When we walk into a classroom, odds are it will appear to be clean, after all, what school district wants to be known for having visually dirty classrooms? But, proper cleaning goes beyond this superficial layer and requires knowledge of key touch points and frequent, proper sanitization habits to help prevent the spread of disease among students. 

Not only does proper cleaning help keep students healthy, it has a number of measurable benefits in different areas of the school. For example, a study based in Arizona State University demonstrated that when common touch points such as desktops were regularly and properly cleaned and sanitized, that classroom absenteeism decreased significantly. Why is this important, you may ask? Absenteeism and standardized testing scores are directly correlated. The more days a student is in class, the higher their scores tend to be showing how impactful proper cleaning can be on the performance of your school.

The Right Company for the Job

What can you do to find a commercial cleaning company capable of cleaning for health in your school? The first step would be to look for prospective school cleaning companies that have been awarded the CIMS or CIMS-GB certification. This stringent and rigorous accreditation is only awarded to companies that consistently demonstrate their ability to provide high quality service that meets the criteria laid out by the ISSA. Of course, sorting through different companies even with your list significantly shortened by this tip can be time consuming.

With a short list of ISSA CIMS certified school cleaning companies, you can at least rest assured that they are capable of effective school cleaning. Then you can search those companies for the best overall partner for your individual district or facility. Looking for help or a change in your school cleaning services? Is in-house school cleaning no longer working for you? Call Stathakis today at (800)278-1884 to find out how you can get school cleaning services that are effective meeting the health and wellness needs of your school as well as your budget.

As we close the books on another summer, we prepare for the start of the 2018/2019 school year. As a Facility Manager, it is likely your job to make sure your school is prepared. Hopefully, you have already found a solid school cleaning company and are all ready for your school’s first day. Or maybe you are still looking for the right school cleaning company to permanently care for your campus. Or maybe you have just brought on a new janitorial partner and you want to make sure things get off on the right foot. Stay informed on what can make or break your school cleaning this school year and head off little problems before they become big problems.

The Important Aspects of School Cleaning

If you are in search of a new Michigan school cleaning company, there are some things you must pay attention to. Which aspects of a school cleaning company are most important?

• Do they provide a detailed and clear pricing plan and bid that is easy to compare?
• Are they accredited with certifications like the CIMS-GB Certification?
• Do they offer a number of green school cleaning options as well as Smart Cleaning to protect your health and your wallet?
• Can they provide you both with effective service and value?
• Do they utilize industry innovations in equipment and processes?
• Can they work around your budget and your individual campus requirements? 
• Do they always make safety and security a priority?
• Do they have a proven history of effective service with school cleaning backed with references?
  
  
  

Don’t Let Inexperience Throw Your Facility Off Track

As the Facility Manager of a school or district, you know that experience matters whether you’re a commercial cleaner, teacher or administrator. An experienced commercial cleaning company has made their mistakes long before they come to clean yourschool. Just because a prospective janitorial company would like you to hire them doesn't mean that they are able to properly service your facility. Wanting your business and being prepared to do the work effectively are two very different things. Only a skilled and competent school cleaning service can deliver at the level you require. Education facilities have a number of unique challenges that means cleaning them and cleaning general office buildings are entirely different. Save yourself the headache of dealing with an inexperienced cleaning company and partner with someone with a proven track record.

Does Your School Cleaning Company Really Understand the Importance of Security?

When it comes to getting a school cleaned, there is one thing that stands above the rest, the safety of your students and educators. Any prospective Detroit school cleaning company must have a documented and verifiable system or systems in place that insure that their employees are adequately screened with proper criminal background checks and drug screening. The best school cleaning companies take it upon themselves to go beyond these minimum verifications to look at reference and work history to ensure that your custodial staff is a friendly and valuable addition to school. When looking at prospective school cleaning companies, look at the way they staff so as to choose someone that you can have a lasting partnership with.

Transparent Pricing Is A Good Starting Point

We all have budgets to meet and costs to manage. It is your job to use your school’s often tight budget to secure the maintenance and cleaning that your facility needs at the best possible price. For this to happen, you need to have a clear, easy to understand school cleaning quotes that you can easily and meaningfully compare. Transparent janitorial bids allow you to compare different types of school cleaning. And even better, clear bids and pricing provide a clear path of accountability for you and your commercial cleaning company down the road.

Get Green School Cleaning & Make It Mean Something

Most commercial cleaning programs claim to have a green cleaning program in place. But is it an effective, meaningful process designed not only to keep your facility healthier but to promote environmental stewardship, or is it simply a marketing ploy and bucket of buzzwords? All ‘green program’ claims should be backed by proven practices and results that can be demonstrated by observable and documented practices. An effective green cleaning program requires specific training in both techniques and equipment. Check to see if your prospective janitorial services company has a green cleaning program and that it is dedicated to green building services to protect your school’s health and the environment.

Price and Value Are Two Different Ideas

You get what you pay for as the age old adage goes, so when it comes to your school janitorial services, make sure not to hire the first person that comes along with a low bid. We know that school budgets aren’t always optimal so it can be enticing to take low bids, but companies that bid that low simply likely won’t be able to meet their commitments. Experienced Michigan commercial cleaning companies are in the best spot to give you the most accurate estimate for the price of their service. On top of that, the most experienced companies are in the best spot to do more work with less money drawing on years of working with people on a tight budget.

Let Industry Certifications do the Work For You: CIMS-GB

Not having a plan is a great way to make sure that you don’t succeed. No matter how skilled and well trained your school cleaning company is, without a plan and systems in place they are not going to succeed. To deliver the highest level of cleaning to your facility, your commercial cleaning company is going to need plans in everything from hiring and screening to training and inspections to make sure that your facility is getting cleaned properly. CIMS-GB Certification can be an excellent gauge of a school cleaning company’s readiness or plan. CIMS is a challenging industry backed certification that is an excellent indicator of your prospective companies commitment to the best practices for your school cleaning and for your partnership.

Get Caught Up & Make the Most of Summer School Cleaning

The time of the year is rolling around again when school administrators, teachers and students alike are crossing days off the calendar until school ends. While students and teachers will soon be breaking for the summer, the work is just beginning for your school custodians and janitorial service providers. The usual bustling halls of a school being empty until late August or early September is the perfect time for your janitorial and custodial services to perform necessary maintenance, and get your school back to tip to condition for the coming school year. What are some ways that you and your janitorial company can work together to get the most out of these less hectic months to get your campus ready for the first day of school and the rest of the coming school year?

Put Together a Plan With Your Janitorial Company

School cleaning over the summer should never be a fly by the seat of your pants kind of situation. Your janitorial services company should always have a clear, thorough, and well thought out plan in order to get the most out of the hiatus of summer. Not only will this benefit your school, it will allow you to keep your school cleaning company accountable for the work that needs to done and keeps everyone in the loop on what the school's priorities are. It can even help to make sure that lesser cleaned and focused on areas get the attention they need. After such a plan is written, you will find that it is easier to keep track of what needs to be done and when the first day of school rolls around, have a cleaner and better maintained school.

It Starts At the Bottom With Floor Cleaning

With the absence of people in the school's halls and classrooms during summer months, make sure that floor cleaning, detailing, waxing and refinishing are at the top of your priorities list. Often floor cleaning is disruptive to the school learning environment and weekends often simply aren’t long enough, so there is no better time then when there is no school. As you know, Michigan weather and the constant traffic of students in and out can be hard on our flooring. As the school year wears on, dirt, salt, grit and all other manner of sediment have worn their way into and onto the floors. Ongoing floor maintenance like carpet cleaning, floor stripping and scrubbing  is necessary to extend the life of your flooring against this onslaught of filth. Making note of areas or classrooms that seem to be the most worn down can give your commercial floor cleaner the information they need to squeeze a few more years out of your floors and carpets with some of latest advances in technology leaving them looking brand new.

Making Restrooms Look Presentable Again

Next in line for a deep cleaning are likely your school’s restrooms and locker rooms which are often hit equally as hard your flooring during the year. Heavy and prolonged use throughout school years leave these areas in needing extra attention. As such, summer provides and excellent window to provide some deep, much need cleaning and repairs to these critical locations. Make sure to ask your school cleaning company to tackle the grout and drains of your locker rooms, clean the stall doors, walls, ceilings, fix and clean vents and light fixtures, as well as make any necessary repairs to other fixtures in your restrooms.

The Janitorial Closet and What it Says About Your Cleaning Company

A good measure of your commercial school cleaning company is to take a look inside of you janitorial closet. If you don't see an immaculate closet, complete with labeled supplies and safety materials, clean mops, well maintained equipment and an overall organized system, then you custodian is probably giving your school less attention than requires. Summer is the best time to check your janitorial closet and present any issues you may have so that your school janitorial service provider can remedy them. To keep your school safe and clean, have them service and clean equipment, properly dispose of old or incorrectly marked product and to come up with a plan for the future to keep the janitorial closet in tip top condition.

Keeping Cleaning Equipment in Tip Top Shape

You CAN and SHOULD judge your school cleaning company by the quality and state of their equipment. When equipment hasn’t been properly cleaned and maintained or simply is of low quality, summer is the time to ask your cleaning company to step up their game. Make sure that your cleaning company does an inspection of their equipment to make sure everything functions, to share or create a maintenance schedule to keep you and them on track, and to replace equipment as needed. Further, if you school cleaning service does not employ the color coded rag system, a system shown to reduce cross contamination in your school, require that they do to keep your students safe.

Preventative Maintenance and How it Impacts Your Facility

Summer is one of the best times to address issues that couldn’t be addressed during the year because they were too disruptive. For the same reason, summer is also the perfect time to catch up and work ahead on maintenance to not only fix existing problems but prevent new ones from occurring during the busy school year. Preventative maintenance is the best way to minimize failures that would otherwise disrupt classes and learning during the school year. Make sure to ask your maintenance provider to inspect your school for potential issues and address them before they become severe problems. Great places to start are: HVAC, plumbing and electrical, as well as other electronic equipment. Repairing this equipment during the summer is the best way to make the school year less stressful.

Green Cleaning Solutions and Your Student’s Health

Green cleaning programs are the future of school cleaning. Not only are they getting significantly more wallet friendly, they help protect the health of your students, staff and parents. So, is your janitorial company using greener products to keep your school clean? If not, summer is the best time to take a look what green cleaning solutions can offer your school. Contact your janitorial cleaning company and ask about their green cleaning programs and how your school can get involved and benefit. Summer even offers the perfect time to complete the extra training for your janitorial and custodial staff!

A Deep Cleaning of Your Cleaning Procedures

What things should you be keeping track off when it comes to the cleaning system that is in place? For instance, is your janitorial service provider keeping your school a clean and healthy environment conducive to working and learning? Does your janitorial company regularly inspect the work of their teams to improve the quality of cleaning? Steps like these keep you commercial and janitorial cleaning companies accountable and consistent in their work as well as driving a streamlining and improving of the process as a whole. Even further, does your janitorial service provider use industry advances such as team cleaning? Is their equipment modernized and well maintained to best maximize results? Most janitorial services are good, and with communication between the school and provider, they can be made great.

Using the Summer to Catch Your Teams Up

Summers are the perfect time to train and work with a new cleaning staff and company. Low risk and low stress, it is the perfect time to fix problems and work out a plan before the hectic year begins anew. Whatever the coming year throws at you, be ready by having a well trained staff that is prepared to tackle any challenge.  

Taking Another Look at Your School Cleaning Company

Summer is one of, if not the best time to take a look at other Michigan school cleaning companies if you aren’t entirely happy with the job you current janitorial service is doing. After all, the work your janitorial service provider does is a reflection of the cleanliness and safety of your school. Having everything in order and looking presentable is a must. Is your janitorial servicer keeping everything the way you want it to look? Are they easy to communicate with and met all of your schools cleaning and repair needs? Do you feel the work they do is commensurate of the amount that you pay? If not, then it is time to consider different options when it comes to your commercial cleaner. A professional, effective, and certified Detroit school cleaning company is out they’re and your staff students and self a worth the search.

Picking a Janitorial Service That Fits Your Needs

Finding the perfect school janitorial and cleaning service isn’t a simple process, and as you’re aware, takes research, dedication and patience. The upside to all this work is that a solid partnership and relationship with the janitorial service that meets and exceeds your schools needs will make your life in far easier in the long run. So, what qualities constitute a commercial cleaning company that's good for your school?

• Extensive experience with educational facilities
• CIMS-GB Certification
• A documented Green Cleaning program
• Systems and processes in place to make managing school cleaning maintenance hassle-free
• Responsive communication to solve issues without delay

Get the maximum value out of your summer down time and work with or find a new janitorial cleaning company that you and your school will get the most out of.

Does your school cleaning company deserve a place on the honor roll or do they need remedial classes? If you have spent some time with a school cleaning service that isn’t delivering on their promises to you, you know just how frustrating it can be. Still, most schools are under constant pressure to reduce costs and it isn’t unusual for schools to be working with less than optimal budgets. How do you keep a school facility looking its best even with razor thin budgets? And how do you find a school cleaning service really capable of making the grade?

The idea of tight budgets AND great service might seem incompatible but technology and innovation in the janitorial industry has made it possible to do more with less, employ smart clean technology and stay inline with budgets. So what are the best school cleaning services doing differently? What really separates the masters from the disasters? And how can you find the best, most professional school cleaning services in a crowded janitorial marketplace?

In-House School Cleaning Isn’t the Answer to Your Budget Problems

Often, in an attempt to cut and control costs, customers will consider in-house cleaning services as an alternative to outsourcing their school cleaning. But trying to run what is essentially a business within a business creates a cycle of misspent resources, complaints and frustrations with none of the intended savings. Many of the schools we work with and talk to day in and day out tell us that they feel like reduced budgets have forced them to live with substandard cleaning. If cheap, outdated and ineffective cleaning products and equipment are the primary tools of your custodial staff, whether they are in-house or a contracted custodial service, your cleaning and maintenance will suffer. Not only that, inadequate cleaning puts your students and staff at risk for a greater number of colds, flus and other common illnesses that raise absenteeism and are shown to directly impact learning outcomes. Just because you have to live with budget cuts doesn’t mean you are doomed to suffer mediocre maintenance.

The Best School Cleaning Companies Know How to Cut Cost & Deliver  Effective Cleaning

School cleaning has rocketed into the 21^st century. Long gone are the days when a bucket and mop were nearly all it took. Behind the times school cleaning methods are often more likely to spread dirt, grime and disease-causing germs around your school rather than really, truly clean. More germs moved around your facility just means more contaminated surfaces, more absences and ultimately more cost and a less than optimal leaning environment. The best Detroit school cleaning services use a multitude of innovative, tech savvy products that do the job better, faster and cheaper. These school cleaning companies follow best practices and equip themselves with cleaning innovations like no-touch cleaning systems, HEPA filter backpack vacuums, color coded rags and spray-and-vac equipment. These effective and efficient cleaning systems use automatic chemical measuring and equipment similar to an indoor pressure washer with a powerful wet vacuum to get surfaces cleaner. Not only are these cleaning tools more effective, they are more efficient. Innovative, high tech cleaning equipment can help your school janitorial service clean around 50% more effectively in approximately half the time. THIS is how the best school cleaning companies can do more with less getting you the clean learning environment you need while helping you keep an eye on your bottom line.

Does Your School Cleaning Service Get an A+ In Cleaning For Health?

Does your school janitorial company get an A+ for cleaning for health or are they near the bottom of their class? School cleaning should be done with professionalism, science and health in mind. The science that underpins cleaning for health requires janitorial companies embrace change and implement the industry’s technological and systems advances in order to offer you, their customers, the most value and the most effective services. Similarly cleaning for health requires that a school cleaning service understand and build best practices around a knowledge of hotspots and touch points. Your school janitorial service must also understand that there are big differences between cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing. Cleaning gets rid of dirt on surfaces utilizing detergent and mechanical action to remove visible grime and gunk. Now in the process, cleaning may also eliminate some of the germs. Disinfecting, while not designed to clear an area of noticeable soil and dirt, uses safe chemical agents to kill germs. finally, sanitizing reduces the number of organisms down to a safer level but does nothing about virus and fungus so sanitizing does not eliminate the flu or other viruses commonly found on surfaces. Disinfection is best for touch points, those often touched surfaces, and those areas in your school that are most likely to harbor pathogens like desks, door handles, shared computer equipment and others. This is important in any public building but especially in a busy learning environment.

Score High With the Right Michigan School Cleaning Company

Is there a way to score high with solid, professional school janitorial services? Yes! CIMS certification offers a free and easy way to narrow your options down to down to those janitorial companies set up to deliver on their promises to you. CIMS is a certification process for the janitorial and cleaning industry. For school cleaning companies to achieve CIMS certification, they must demonstrate that they understand how to bid and estimate jobs, recruit, screen and train the best people, have a documented comprehensive training program, adhere to all regulatory requirements, have a firm commitment to safety, have a strong communication program between their teams and their customers, and demonstrate a desire for continuous improvement and responsive, customer-focused service. Using a janitorial service with CIMS certification that you will get stuck with a company that is at the bottom of the class.

Fall Is Almost Here, Are You & Your School Cleaning Service Ready?

Some schools start soon, some are already in session. This time of year can be a blur for many of us, there is simply so much to do and it all goes by so fast. Before we know it, it’s May/June again. Hopefully, you had the opportunity to use the summer to catch up on needed maintenance and deep cleaning around your facility. Maybe you even reexamined your school cleaning services, trying to determine how to get better, more effective service from your current school cleaning company or having a fallback plan to find a new janitorial services company. Summer is certainly a great time to attend to maintenance and shift cleaning into high gear, but if you and your school janitorial services didn’t get as much accomplished as you intended or you are still stuck with less than great service, there is still time to turn things around. No educational facility should have to suffer poor service that compromises the healthiness or cleanliness of their learning environment.

You Have Just a Few Weeks Left to Get Ready Or Change Your School Cleaning Services

Summer offers a good time for you and your building maintenance company to catch up on your school’s to do list and even make updates and repairs that may have been delayed during the school year. But if you are still in the weeds with regard to effective school maintenance and a responsive, professional janitorial service, you still have time. If you are settling with less than livable school janitorial services because you are worried about bringing on a new partner at this time you should know that sooner is better. Any minor disturbances in processes and establishing a rhythm are going to be far easier and shorter lived than living with ineffective, problematic school cleaning services.

Are You Getting The School Janitorial Services Your Campus Deserves?

If your school cleaning company isn’t delivering the effective, responsive, consistent service you, your staff and students deserve, now is the time to reexamine your school cleaning. Is your school janitorial services doing the work they promised? Are you getting an effective green school cleaning program? Is your janitorial services company communicating with you? Is your university cleaning going the direction it needs to be? Is your custodial service making the most of your school cleaning budget? Are you still searching for private school cleaning that fits your needs? Is your school cleaning service delivering responsive, consistent service? Are you handling your school cleaning in-house and not seeing the results you need? Maybe your needs have changed or maybe your current school cleaning company just isn’t making the grade. Either way, there is still time to turn things around and find a dedicated, responsive, professional school janitorial services that will provide the customized, effective service you and your students and staff deserve.

The Best School Cleaning Companies Can Help Maintain & Improve Your Learning Environment

Many school cleaning services also offer a myriad of other related services. Having these multi-tasking building maintenance companies on your side can keep small building issues from becoming larger, more expensive and time consuming ones. The right building maintenance and school cleaning company can help you with things like:

• Cleaning classrooms
• Deep cleaning and maintaining common areas like gyms, libraries and cafeterias
• Servicing equipment like lockers
• Keeping windows, walls & doors in good working order
• Attending to and deep cleaning corridors, stairs & vestibules
• Maintaining playgrounds, walkways & landscaping
• Periodic daily cleaning and scheduled deep cleaning of restrooms
• Plumbing, fixtures & drains
• Lighting, new bulbs, repairs & cleaning
• HVAC
• Painting
• Window cleaning
• Floor stripping and resealing
• Carpet cleaning

Don’t Know Where to Start? Try CIMS

CIMS certification can offer an effective short cut for Facility Managers looking for better, more effective school cleaning. CIMS or the Certified Industry Management Standard, is an industry certification that signifies that a janitorial company has already passed a rigorous vetting process that determined they have the systems and practices in place to deliver highly effective service. Companies that seek this certification are fully committed to offering their customers their best and an extra assurance of their commitment to the work. CIMS certification is like an ‘easy button’ for facility managers everywhere as all of the work you would have to do to qualify a school janitorial service that has already been done for you. All you have to do is pick a company or two from those already certified in your area and then compare work recommendations and prices to find the best value for your facility.

If you need to find the right school cleaning services for your school or educational facility, now is as good a time as any to rethink your school cleaning, address the individual needs of your building, and commit to getting school cleaning services that fit the needs of your facility.

The Upcoming School Year Looms, Are YOU Ready?

As we head into the dog days of summer, it’s hard to ignore that the upcoming school year is right around the corner. Maybe you already have your school cleaning plan in place or maybe you are still struggling to figure out a workable plan for the approaching school year. Having a clean and ready to learn campus is important to every school and sets the right tone for a productive, positive learning environment. If your school cleaning services is getting consistently low marks, it is as good a time as any to reevaluate what you need to effectively maintain your school. If you are grappling with an ineffective school cleaning service, know this, there is still time to switch gears and find school cleaning services that really make the grade.

What Makes For A+ School Cleaning Services?

If your school cleaning company isn’t at the top of their class, you really owe it to yourself and your staff and students to look at all of your options and look at school cleaning companies willing to put the work into making your school great. Cleaning schools requires a great deal from a janitorial company, it isn’t just about a mop and bucket. Are you are reevaluating your current school cleaning company? If you are in a position of either trying to get more from your current janitorial services or shop a newer, more capable commercial cleaning company, there are some areas you should focus on to get the best chance of finding a capable partner in your school cleaning. The best school cleaning companies:

• Maintain a consistent record of high levels of safety & security
• Offer transparent pricing making it simple to compare janitorial bids
• Exhibit a strong grasp of how to get you real value from your school cleaning budget
• Employ the systems and consistently deliver effective service
• Have green school cleaning options and Smart cleaning resources for your facility
• Provide customized school maintenance solutions,flexibility & responsiveness
• Demonstrate specific experience & a proven track record in school cleaning
• Complete professional certifications like the CIMS-GB Certification

Does Your School Cleaning Company Have A Graduate Degree Or Are They Still In Kindergarten?

When it comes to school cleaning, you cannot discount the importance of experience. Just like kids get smarter and more capable as they go into the next grade, janitorial companies become better, more efficient and more effective when they have solid experience with school cleaning. Sure, everyone has to learn somewhere but do you really want to be a training ground for a commercial cleaning company that doesn’t yet really understand what you need from a school cleaning company? Schools, campuses, colleges and other learning facilities simply have different requirements than an average business or office. As such, they need a professional janitorial services company that is experienced and understands how to effectively maintain a school. Trying to work with a cleaning company that doesn’t have this experience leads to headaches, frustration, confusion and ultimately impacts the overall functioning and reputation of your facility.

Why Security Must Be Paramount With Prospective School Cleaning Companies

Sure when it comes to school cleaning, everything is important, yet nothing matters so much in an environment with children and young people so much as safety. Any potential Detroit school cleaning company must go above and beyond when it comes to screening employees. That means reference and employment verification, multi panel drug screening, criminal background checks and more to assure that anyone entering and working on your campus is safe. Likewise, commercial cleaning companies that wish to work with schools should be cognizant of finding people who are not only safe, but a good fit in a school environment. Finding a janitor or custodian who fits in with your students and staff can make a huge difference and really help create a partnership that is beneficial everyone.

Don’t Settle For Fuzzy Math From Your School Janitorial Services

Budgets matter and in a school, meeting targets and budgets is important. This means that securing a good price AND a good value from your school cleaning company is critical. So when janitorial services companies dabble in cloudy pricing and fuzzy math, it makes it nearly impossible to get a straight answer on price or compare school cleaning prices in order to get the best value. For these reasons, transparent pricing from a prospective school cleaning company is critical to a successful school cleaning program. Whether you are looking for private school cleaning, university cleaning or any other learning environment, you cannot work with a company that either doesn’t know how to clearly price their services or just won't in order to extract as much money from you as possible. Transparent janitorial pricing not only affords you the opportunity to compare school cleaning quotes and set benchmarks for the work to be done, it gives you the chance to measure progress and define success. And while you want clear, understandable pricing, steer clear of quotes that seem priced  well below what you are getting from other school janitorial services. Overly low pricing, while tempting, is often a sign of illegal hiring, illegal subcontracting and/or cutting corners and future add ons and up selling.

Go to The Head of The Class With Industry Certifications Like CIMS-GB

It can be challenging as a Facility Manager in a school setting to get the information you need to make sound decisions about your school cleaning. Not to mention, the time it takes to qualify and dig into multiple commercial cleaning companies can simply take more time than you have. For these reasons, professional certifications like the ISSA’s CIMS certification can be a valuable tool and shortcut to make the process of finding just the right school cleaning company that much easier. Industry certifications like the CIMS-GB Certification, or Cleaning Industry Management Standard give commercial cleaning companies the chance to prove they are among the best their industry has to offer. These kinds of challenging professional certification processes offer a clear indication that a potential school cleaning service is committed to industry best practices and continual improvement. We always suggest that you start by looking at companies that are CIMS certified and then qualify from there to find your best value and best fit for your school facilities. And the good news is these high level school cleaning companies often cost no more than their less effective counterparts.

Your school cleaning services should keep your facility looking great, stay on track budget wise and be a true partner in managing your school’s maintenance. Outsourcing school cleaning to a qualified janitorial services company can benefit your bottom line by providing professional, innovative and responsive commercial school maintenance. Anything less is shorting you, your students and your staff of the clean, positive and productive learning environment they deserve.

Get Caught Up & Make the Most of Summer School Cleaning

It’s nearly that time again, teachers and administrators are frazzled, kids are unfocused and EVERYONE is counting the days until school is over and summer break begins. This well deserved break for teachers and students alike can be an especially busy time for your school custodian or school janitorial service. With halls empty and most staff gone until August or September, the summer months can provide an ideal time for your school janitorial company to get facility maintenance on track, attend to preventative maintenance and get your school in tip top condition. So how can you work with your janitorial company to make the most of these limited quieter months in order to get the most from your school cleaning, maintain your campus adequately and be ready to go on the first day of school?

1. Put It In Writing

School cleaning over the summer shouldn’t run along the lines of, “oh, let’s see what we can get to.” Rather, you and your janitorial services company should have a clear, written plan. In order to make the most of summer’s downtime, it is wise to formulate a plan, write it down and get agreement from your school janitorial services. Not only does a written plan keep everyone on the same page, it allows you to prioritize the workload and communicate your needs to you cleaning company better. It can even help you make note of areas you might not normally think of. And after your plan is written, it becomes far easier to divide and conquer by establishing who is doing what and when. Summer goes quick and without a good plan, this valuable time to assess and complete needed school maintenance is wasted.

2. Floor Cleaning Must Be a Priority Among School Cleaning Projects

Make floor projects a priority during the summer months. Don’t let floor cleaning, detailing, stripping and refinishing get swept into the next school year where it is likely to disrupt the critical learning environment. Summer is hands down, the best time to tackle floor cleaning and maintenance. Without the heavy traffic in and out of your facility, school cleaning companies can clean floors cleaned quickly, effectively and efficiently. Michigan weather is pretty tough on our hard flooring. By the end of the school year, sand, dirt, salt, grit, grime and worse have all left their mark on your flooring. Ongoing floor maintenance like carpet cleaning, floor stripping, scrubbing and more can extend the life of your flooring and help it look its best. Make a note of where you need the most help and inquire with your school cleaning company about the best methods for effectively cleaning floors and carpets as commercial floor cleaning has made huge technological strides in the past few years. Newer, better floor and carpet cleaning methods can get a few more years out of aging floor and carpet and get your school looking cleaner than ever.

3. Get the Funk Out & Deep Clean Restrooms

After your school’s floorings, your restrooms and locker rooms probably need a deep cleaning and serious defunking. As they see heavy use throughout the school year, restrooms and such get pretty beat up. During the school year it is often the case that the students get it dirtier faster than we can get it clean. So summer provides a good time to do the serious deep cleaning and needed repairs that can get your school restrooms back to the front of the line. This can mean asking your school cleaning company to detail grout and drains, completely clean stall doors and walls, clean vents and light fixtures and make any needed repairs to stall doors and other elements of your restrooms.

4. Would Your Janitorial Closet Get An A+?

Have you looked in your janitorial closet lately? If commercial school cleaning companies are operating at an A+ level, you should see a clean closet with properly labeled supplies and safety materials, clean mops, well maintained equipment and nothing out of place. The reality is that if your custodian is coming and going without keeping their work area, the janitorial closet clean, they are not giving you their best. Summer is a good time to check your janitorial closet and bring up any issues with your school janitorial services. Ask them to clean up their act, service or clean equipment, dispose of dated or improperly labeled products and create a plan to keep the area neat and ready to go during the school year.

5. Clean, Service, Repair & Replace School Cleaning Equipment

School cleaning companies are only as good as their equipment. If equipment is seriously dated, in bad shape, dirty or needing repair, summer is an ideal time to address it. Ask you cleaning company to evaluate their equipment, check that everything is operating properly, share a service/maintenance schedule with you and replace any outmoded or poorly functioning equipment. Additionally, if your school cleaning service isn’t using a color coded rag system to minimize cross-contamination in your school, request that they do so. The health and wellness of your learning environment is at stake.

6. Put Your Attention On Preventative Maintenance

Are there issues you were putting off because attending to them was simply too disruptive during the school year? Summer is a great time to get caught up without disrupting the learning environment. Likewise, summer’s slowdown offers an equally fitting time to conduct routine maintenance and preventive maintenance checks. What better time to do routine preventative maintenance to minimize the risk of failures when school is in session? So ask your facility maintenance services to help you to inspect your facility for issues that might need attention and assure items like HVAC, plumbing and electrical are all in good order. It is more opportune to maintain, replace or repair areas of your campus over summer then in the middle of the demanding school year.

7. Evaluate Your Current Green Cleaning Program & Update Initiatives

Most schools continue to add to their green cleaning programs year to year as newer and more cost effective green cleaning measures are developed. You are charged with the health and safety of students, staff and visitors so why not make your school cleaning products greener? Summer is a good time to reevaluate your current green cleaning program. Consult with your commercial cleaning company. What are they doing currently? Is there more that can be done to improve green cleaning directives and sustainability? Additionally, many green cleaning programs require some extra training on the part of the janitorial staff, so summer affords the downtime needed to do this without disrupting normal operations.

8. Evaluate Your Cleaning Procedures

What is working and what is not when it comes to your overall cleaning procedures? Is your school janitorial service doing all they can to create a healthy and clean learning environment or is there more they could do? Are they conducting regular janitorial inspections? This assures accountability and consistency from your school cleaning services. Is your janitorial company using work loading or team cleaning to help drive efficiencies and cost savings without sacrificing service? Are they using up to date equipment and other industry best practices that drive results? Is your campus getting cleaned often enough and are the right things being done? Are there areas that need more attention? If you have a good janitorial service, you can move them to great with just a few small adjustments to service. Most companies are happy to know how to serve you better.

9. Train & Perfect For the Coming School Year

Train now, work out kinks with any new people, new green cleaning plans or new practices. Summer offers a low risk and low stress time to make and correct mistakes before the fast paced school year begins. Whatever programs or staff you have added, you want everyone in place and ready to go on day one of the new school year.

10. Reevaluate Your Current Michigan School Cleaning Company

If you aren’t entirely satisfied with your current Michigan school cleaning company, summer is a good time to reconsider your options. From your classrooms to your halls to your restrooms, your school cleaning services is responsible for keeping your facility clean and in good order. Are they meeting your needs? Are they doing the things that make your life and managing your school easier? Are they getting you good value for your school cleaning budget? If your professional janitorial services are failing to offer the professional, innovative and responsive commercial school cleaning you, students and staff deserve, it might be time to move on. A professional, trusted, reputable and effective Detroit school cleaning company isn’t impossible to find and your peace of mind and the safety and health of your students and staff are worth it.

Finding A Janitorial Services Company That Makes the Grade

Just like you can't pass the test without coming to class and opening a book, you aren’t likely to find the right school cleaning service without a little effort on your part. The good news is the effort is worth it as building a solid partnership with the right cleaning company makes everything easier. What should you look for if you are considering a new commercial cleaning service for your school? 

• Extensive experience with educational facilities
• CIMS-GB Certification
• A documented Green Cleaning program
• Systems and processes in place to make managing school cleaning maintenance hassle-free
• Responsive communication to solve issues without delay

Make the most of the quiet summer months by working with your current school cleaning company or find the right janitorial service to partner with for a new school year that gets high marks every time!

Green Cleaning In Schools Is a Pressing Issue

Among educational facilities and schools, the calls for green cleaning have become more and more pressing. Administrators, teachers, staff and parents all want healthy schools that are clean, safe and in ready to learn condition. Green cleaning programs in schools have been changing the way janitorial companies clean, with great benefits for students, staff and the environment. Not only can green cleaning in schools diminish carbon emissions, green school cleaning can improve indoor air quality, boost test scores, and reduce the spread of disease causing germs meaning students and staffs stay healthy and miss fewer school days. Likewise, green cleaning brings other significant benefits including safeguarding the health of custodial staff, increasing the lifespan of facility assets and even saving money.

How Can Your Janitorial Services Help You With a Green Cleaning Program?

The right commercial cleaning company can help you assess what you are doing now and if it aligns with your green cleaning goals. This can mean identifying products, practices and equipment that could use a green cleaning overhaul. With cleaning products, the goal is to identify those that meet high standards for effectiveness, health and safety. If a cleaning product is great at cleaning but terrible for the environment, your green goals are not being met. But if your cleaning product is green but does not effectively get the job done, your school cleaning goals are not being met. With regard to green practices, this can encompass a number of things. For instance, in areas with trash receptacles that don’t typically see food or liquids, the cans can be emptied without replacing a liner each time. That saves on plastic refuse, a good step in making your cleaning greener. Likewise, using best practices like color coded cleaning towels can reduce the risk of cross contamination making your school cleaning more effective without more chemicals, just better practices. Furthermore, green cleaning equipment is a critical part of the green cleaning equation. Green cleaning equipment can be green in a number of ways. For example, a high quality lightweight HEPA filtered vacuum backpack increases the safety of the user with a lighter weight piece of equipment that is also much quieter thus reducing noise and noise related injuries. Additionally, the quieter performance is good for building occupants as well as the HEPA air filtration that reduces the amount of allergens and contaminants in the air, improving indoor air quality. Dated, ineffective and poorly maintained equipment are counter to your green cleaning goals. Newer, well maintained janitorial equipment has made huge strides over thee past years as commercial cleaning companies seek to do better at meeting their own green cleaning goals and those of their customers.

Is Your Commercial Cleaning Company Serious About Green Cleaning?

Green cleaning can’t be just a feel good but empty buzzword. True green cleaning requires a commitment from your cleaning company to innovation and best practices. If your commercial cleaning company isn’t committed to helping you achieve your green cleaning goals in a meaningful way, it might time to find the janitorial services company that will. Green cleaning requires green cleaning products, practices and equipment sure, but it takes more to implement and support a successful green cleaning program. Today’s green cleaning tools available to us can reduce chemical use, increase productivity and help decrease injuries, but they require solid training to assure front line cleaners understand and are committed to green cleaning practices. So where procedures are concerned, we have to examine how your cleaning company is actually cleaning your facility. Have your cleaning company’s employees been well trained on how to operate machinery? Do they understand important safety and usage requirements of their green cleaning products like dwell times (the amount of time a disinfectant or cleaners must be allowed to sit wet on a surface before being wiped down in order to effectively kill germs)? Your commercial cleaning company can invest in all of the green cleaning equipment and environmentally sound cleaning products they want, but if they are not training their people on how to use them correctly, you are not getting a truly effective green cleaning program for your school.

Ready to Get Serious About Green Cleaning In Your School?

Here at Stathakis, green cleaning has, and will continue to be, a hallmark of the services we offer our local businesses and facilities of Southeastern Michigan. Not only are we committed to following janitorial industry best practices with regard to our school cleaning services, we have been at the forefront of developing and setting the standard for professional, effective, affordable and customer focused building services. From state of the art equipment to green cleaning products to professional systems and process that assure reliability through accountability, we are committed to helping you achieve your green cleaning goals.