It’s challenging enough to oversee your whole workforce in achieving day-to-day and big-picture goals. When facilities start to fall behind on trash removal, the cleaning of kitchens break rooms, floors, and bathrooms, it quickly becomes a distraction. Lack of consistent cleaning in these areas could be threatening people’s health, workplace morale, and your professional reputation.
You can’t expect workers to do too much of the upkeep, because it detracts from time spent on their primary focus. Let’s face it, in-house professional cleaning services simply aren’t a viable option for most businesses, because the solutions usually aren’t efficient or cost-effective for business owners or property managers.
Now you’re thinking about hiring a commercial cleaning or janitorial service in an effort to provide your workforce the clean environment they deserve. Putting their health, safety, productivity, and professionalism above all else to ensure an enjoyable workplace. But first, you’re wondering what janitorial services entail. How do they differ from commercial cleaning? What is the scope of their available services? Are the benefits worth it, and are they the right choice for your business? Each question is as important as the next to ensure your business thrives and your employees have the best working environment possible.
You’ve found the perfect source. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how janitorial services compare to commercial cleaning services. Understanding what goes into the everyday cleaning tasks involved, the resulting benefits, and which industries it benefits most. Stay until the end for answers to common janitorial services questions.
Janitorial Services Explained
Day by day, it’s only natural for a workplace to collect clutter, dust, and garbage. Dirt and debris accumulate on the floors, creating more hazards for potential trips, slips, and falls. You also expect to see smudges on glass, traces of food in the kitchen or breakroom, and illness-causing germs. Especially in restrooms and all the more frequently touched workplace surfaces.
Businesses typically bring in janitorial services to perform routine daily or weekly tasks keeping the above day-to-day messes under control. Janitorial services’ exact responsibilities may vary depending on the type of professional setting (medical facilities, warehouses, offices, banks, retail, schools, places of worship, entertainment venues, gyms, etc.) and each space’s individual needs.
Janitorial and Commercial Cleaning Services: What’s the Difference?
What is commercial cleaning, and wouldn’t it be the same thing as janitorial cleaning? While janitorial services and commercial cleaners can do many of the same jobs, they are two different types of cleaning services.
Whereas janitorial services handle more of the everyday cleaning tasks and upkeep, commercial cleaners take care of more in-depth jobs a couple of times per year.
For example, janitorial services may vacuum carpets, and sweep or mop hard floors. However commercial cleaners conduct deep carpet cleaning to remove stains and set-in residue. They maintain hard floors by cleaning tile and grout, scrubbing, resurfacing, staining and sealing as well as buffing, stripping and waxing, or repairing damage.
In short, janitorial services are usually for straightforward, frequent cleaning and maintenance, whereas commercial cleaners normally do the more heavy-duty, one-off jobs.
Janitorial Cleaning Services Scope and Responsibilities
With the right company, you can discuss and customize the scope, frequency, methods, and costs for specific janitorial tasks. But here’s a basic overview of the types of professional services and standard everyday cleaning duties for janitorial services:
- Dusting flat surfaces and vents
- Vacuuming/mopping floors, especially entryways
- Cleaning and sanitizing bathrooms
- Restocking supplies like tissue, handsoap, sanitizer, and paper towels
- Wiping appliances
- Disinfecting high-touch surfaces like door handles
- Gathering and removing trash
- Window cleaning (interior)
- Changing light bulbs
Some janitorial services are versatile enough to manage deep cleanings, reaching high surfaces and windows, and moving furniture out of the way to get hard-to-reach spots. But usually, these more involved tasks are for commercial cleaners.
The Benefits of Janitorial Services
Here are some of the advantages you can expect from enlisting the help of janitorial services at your business:
Versatility and Convenience
The perfect janitorial services provider will be happy to customize specific tasks and their frequencies to your facility’s needs. If you need something extra done one week, just ask and they can probably accommodate it. Additionally, the best janitorial services will offer 24/7 availability to work around your schedule, no matter what.
Efficiency
Janitorial services providers are well versed in hiring and expertly training competent and dedicated staff, bringing in a wide range of janitorial experience. Therefore, the right janitorial services will work efficiently so you’re always getting the most for your money. This makes your business operations more efficient, too.
Consistency
The janitorial and cleaning industry tends to see high rates of employee turnover. But when you pick the right company to work with, they’ll exhibit high worker retention, routinely sending the same employees out. The trusted employees will build familiarity with your commercial space and expectations, and as a result, you’ll notice superior consistency in the quality of cleaning.
Improved Health and Safety Standards
Business owners and facility managers must protect the health and safety of their workforce. With regular janitorial cleaning services, the workplace will be free from allergens, contaminants, illness-causing germs, trip hazards from clutter, and slip and fall risks from dust or spills.
Increased Productivity, Morale, and Professionalism
By working in a cleaner space, your workers will likely get sick less often, which means fewer sick days and more time spent feeling energetic and focused. Additionally, when janitorial services pitch in to keep workspaces more organized, there are fewer misplaced items and higher productivity.
With a clean, organized, welcoming setting resulting in a happier demeanor among your workforce, your business will exude professionalism to any business associates, customers, or other visitors.
List of Industries that Can Benefit from Janitorial Services
Here are some of the many types of cleaning services a janitorial service can deliver in various industries. For the best fit, look for a janitorial services company with ample experience and a strong reputation in your industry.
Office, Business Center, and Call Center Janitorial Cleaning
Every office, business center, and call center is different. Luckily, janitorial cleaning services can account for square footage, providing light maintenance, floor, kitchen/break room, and restroom cleaning.
Conference Center, Convention Center, and Event Space Janitorial Services
Convention centers, conference centers, stadiums, and event spaces draw in tons of people at once, which means more mess, and more chances to spread germs without proper cleaning. Find a janitorial service equipped to clean, disinfect, and sanitize all the right surfaces in large-scale jobs.
Retail Store, Car Dealership, and Showroom Janitorial Services
There are many different types of retail stores and showrooms, from car dealerships to grocery and department stores. Each kind of retail space has industry-specific cleaning requirements, and many require specialized janitorial knowledge and attention.
Hotel, Casino, Restaurant, and Bar Janitorial Cleaning
Facilities in the hospitality industry include hotels, casinos, restaurants, and bars. Casinos contain numerous frequent touchpoints that need disinfecting. Beyond basic housekeeping, hotels need janitorial cleaning for areas like pools, gyms, and lobbies. Cleaning restaurants and bars require a janitorial service experienced in the demands of facilities coming into contact with food and drink.
Gym and Fitness Center Janitorial Cleaning
Gyms and fitness centers are home to many common areas like locker rooms and showers and high-touch surfaces like workout equipment. Creating prime breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria. But janitorial services can sanitize and disinfect all the key points to protect the health and safety of your workers and the public.
Bank Janitorial Cleaning Services
To build trust with customers, banks should present a particularly clean and attractive appearance. Plus, there are a variety of spaces like teller stations, waiting areas, offices, and ATM kiosks that all need individual consideration from janitorial services.
Warehouse and Industrial Space Janitorial Services
Warehouses and industrial facilities present challenges like high surfaces, specialized cleaning criteria, potentially dangerous manufacturing equipment and machinery, and round-the-clock operating hours. Experienced janitorial services can skillfully manage all these industrial cleaning needs.
Hospital and Medical Office Janitorial Cleaning
Hospitals and medical offices are obviously subject to very stringent cleaning, health, and safety standards. So for these spaces, it’s extra important to hire janitorial services with the necessary experience and qualifications.
School Janitorial Cleaning Services
Schools and education centers have a unique responsibility to provide clean, healthy, and safe learning environments for its students, faculty, and staff. This is no simple task with so many high-traffic areas like entryways, gyms, cafeterias, and auditoriums. But a well-rounded janitorial service provider can handle everything from daily school upkeep to seasonal deep cleanings with no problem.
Place of Worship Janitorial Services
Places of worship often have high-traffic settings, high ceilings, plentiful windows, upholstered furniture, and sometimes uncommon surfaces like wooden seating. Janitorial services can accommodate the scheduling and cleaning needs of places of worship, including window cleaning, high surface dusting, upholstery cleaning, and polishing.
Construction Site Janitorial Cleaning
Construction sites have a plethora of safety hazards which may not be immediately clear to someone who’s not familiar with them. So it’s important to hire janitorial cleaners with proper experience, bonding, insurance, and certifications to safely clean construction sites.
What to Look for in a Reliable Janitorial Service Provider
Here, we’ll summarize the boxes a reliable janitorial service provider should check off before you decide to hire them:
High Standard of Safety and Health
Look up the janitorial company’s customer reviews online, and perhaps try to speak directly to past customers. They’ll be able to tell you from experience about the quality of work, health, and safety standards.
Flexibility
Flexibility is especially helpful if your cleaning and janitorial needs fluctuate or you have unusual business hours. Prioritize janitorial companies with 24/7 scheduling availability and maybe consider a company not requiring long-term janitorial service contracts. Either way, you should be able to personalize what you want done and how often.
Effective Communication
When reading reviews and considering recommendations, look out for signs of effective communication. If there’s ever an emergency, pricing question/error, or discrepancy in the quality of work, you’ll be glad you hired a janitorial service with responsive customer service.
Professional, Consistent Staff
Before hiring a janitorial service, look into their staff turnover rates, and their vetting and training processes. Ideally, you want low turnover and high standards for the sake of professionalism, consistency, quality of work, and trust.
Insured, Bonded, and Certified
There are some regulations and occupational hazards involved in janitorial work. You should require any company you hire to be compliant and have insurance to cover potential injuries, health hazards, and property damage.
FAQs About Janitorial Services
What is the difference between cleaners and janitors?
Cleaners and janitors can perform many of the same everyday cleaning duties. Commercial cleaners tend to provide more specialized services such as occasional floor care, while janitors conduct more everyday cleaning tasks like surface floor cleaning, window cleaning, and some basic maintenance.
What is the meaning of janitorial staff?
A janitorial staff is typically responsible for routine cleaning and maintenance of a facility.
What is a janitorial cleaning service in housekeeping?
Whereas housekeepers usually specialize in traditional cleaning for hotel rooms, rental properties, and homes, janitorial services work more in commercial spaces.
Why is janitorial service important?
Janitorial services deliver cleaning versatility, efficiency, and convenience, upholding health and safety standards while improving professionalism, employee productivity, and morale.
What’s your number one focus in looking for a janitorial service provider?
Do you need janitorial services with wide-ranging experience, highly specialized expertise, or unmatched flexibility and responsiveness? Do you prefer to be free of long-term janitorial service contracts or have unusual scheduling needs?
If this sounds like you, contact Dallas Janitorial Services for a free, personalized quote. With a wealth of cleaning and janitorial expertise in a variety of industries, DJS is proud to have a diligent staff, attentive customer service, and customized services, all backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
