Most  businesses  , do not require or want  to pay their own employees to clean their offices.  It is a must however,  that they maintain cleanliness in their office environment  for many reasons.

Studies show that a clean office  environment  helps employees be more productive and effective in their jobs. It also gives a good image about the business to clients and customers.  Having a clean office environment  also  promotes a healthy work environment with less of their employees getting sick. Since there are so many benefits, businesses usually want office cleaning to be done on a regular basis.

This is where we, the commercial cleaning business comes in.  There is so much to gain for a business to hire a commercial cleaning company . Listed below are a few things businesses consider before hiring a good commercial cleaning company:

1.) Company -  A company with a good reputation that is well established with years of experience but that is still cost effective is many times the choice of businesses to hire. However, even fairly new cleaning companies have a great shot at getting accounts as long as they project a good professional image, and have proven techniques that are cost effective- but not to “cheap”.  One way a cleaning company can become cost effective at what they do is by using the Team Cleaning method of cleaning. Having good customer feedback is a great way to establish yourself as a great cleaning company.

2.) Pricing - Most businesses are willing to spend more for top service that can be trusted. It is important  that a cleaning service has worked its pricing to be not to high but not too low. Usually a business will see a cleaning company offering services dirt cheap and it can be a turn off, because they equate quality and cost together. A good cleaning company will have systems and be able to do quality work at a reasonable  price. A cleaning company that uses Team Cleaning is usually  more cost-effective than a company that uses traditional methods. Of course, what a cleaning company charges has many variables such as what is being cleaned, how is it being cleaned and how often. For example, to clean a medical clinic is much more detailed and involved than cleaning a bank–therefore the price for cleaning the medical clinic would be much higher than cleaning a bank.

3.) Service Packages – Cleaning companies that offer different service packages, are in high demand.  Often time if a business can hire just one cleaning business to take care of all their needs like:  general cleaning, supplies, window washing,  floors, and  carpets it is  simpler, more cost effective and just makes more sense.

4.) Web Presence– Now days many businesses search for cleaning companies and research them through the internet.  It would be a mistake for a cleaning business not to have a website.

As a cleaning company, it is always important to know what our clients are looking  for in a cleaning business.  It is important to focus on becoming a great cleaning company with a good reputation and positive customer feedback. It is important that pricing be cost-effective and on target and that we have great service packages to offer and a web presence.

Implement  these four things businesses are looking for your cleaning company will thrive.

By: Avelina Silva

I came across this great article on Team Cleaning, written by: Rob Young, Loyd Ryan, Judy Jones Hendrix College. It is great proof once again on how Team Cleaning really works and is definitely the way to go!

The article basically stated that because of the economy Hendrix College was needing to look at ways to trim its budget and reduce their cleaning costs. To quote what they came up with,— “ Judy Jones, Housekeeping Supervisor, had been toying with the idea of implementing a team-cleaning concept. She felt that by getting away from the longstanding tradition of assigning housekeepers to individual buildings, she could clean the same amount of square-footage with fewer employees. Prior to coming to Hendrix ,Ms. Jones had operated her own cleaning service, and she had successfully utilized the team-cleaning concept in her business. She knew it would work. The only question was whether it would work on the much-larger institutional scale.”

After carefully implementing her Team Cleaning suggestions the following quote from the article shows the results.

“Benefits”

“Inspections have shown that the quality of work has improved dramatically. The new system has resulted in a more efficient operation, with Housekeeping staff sharing the workload more equitably. The department is better equipped to staff sick leave and vacations, and project work (floor care and detailing) are more easily accomplished.

Team cleaning is more cost effective. The Housekeeping staff was ultimately reduced from 30 to 25, representing a savings of more than $146,500 annually. The routine cleanable per employee floorspace area was increased from 15,941 square feet prior to program implementation to 21,097 square feet under the team cleaning concept. This compares with 10,646 square feet average for Level 1 cleaning under APPA benchmarking guidelines.

In addition to reduced operating costs, the change has resulted in a 30 percent reduction in Housekeeping complaints in buildings where the program is being used, and members of the cleaning teams have expressed widespread satisfaction. Team spirit has been contagious. Housekeepers who are not assigned to teams call the team leaders and volunteer their assistance when they have “down” time.

One housekeeper reported that although she initially was against the change, she now “loves” working on the team because she has help for more stringent duties, and “the time flies by now.”

As you can see the results were amazing—reduced operating costs, reduction in complaints, higher quality work, higher employee morale, to name a few. Our company, Terras Cleaning,  has been using the Team Cleaning method for years with similar amazing results!  Team Cleaning definitely is the most cost effective and superior way to clean!

By: Avelina Silva

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Being a cleaning company, of course we realize the importance of a clean building. A clean building for our customers will mean, higher employee productivity because of better working conditions and of course a more appealing  appearance to customers and clients.  Green Cleaning takes it a step further, not just  products that claim to be “green”, but it is a whole system. It is a system that promotes healthy surroundings for workers, and of course being more gentle to the environment.

Green Cleaning has many benefits as it is cost effective, it increases the life span of a businesses carpets, floors, fixtures and furnature, improves indoor air quality, lowers the injury rates in employees, and increases employee morale, being able to market your company as being “green” you are sure to attract customers.

Switching to Green Cleaning is easier than ever now. A few years ago many “green products” didn’t work to well and were more expensive, but now much research has been done and green products are now as good as or better than conventional cleaning products.

Another way to start switching your company to Green Cleaning is by using the Team Cleaning system in your company. Team Cleaning is a simpler way to clean. In Team Cleaning you use less equipment, less product, and because of the efficiency of Team Cleaning less energy. As a team completes each floor of a building , the lights are turned out.

Green Cleaning and Team Cleaning can be great additions to your cleaning business!

Happy cleaning!

By, Avelina Silva

 To find out more about how to add Team Cleaning to your business see my $1.00 Guide under the offer tab in my website http://www.terrascleaning.com

Even small janitorial companies should look at the possibility of implementing either a “team” or “zone” approach into their cleaning practices.  Incorporating one of these systems into your maintenance program can result in more efficiency in your cleaning business, thus saving you more money and added profits.

  Before you decide on a cleaning system to use take a careful look at the building you are cleaning and make note of the building’s needs.  It may be time-consuming, but a thorough evaluation of the building now can make the time your staff spends cleaning more efficient.  Once you identify a building’s specific needs you can decide if zone cleaning or team cleaning provides the most benefit.

 What are the differences between zone cleaning and team cleaning?  Zone cleaning means one employee performs all tasks for a specific floor or section of a building.  This system gives the worker a sense of “ownership” as they are responsible for a specific area.  The individual gets to know all the ins and outs of the specific area that he or she is assigned to.

  Because the individual performs all the cleaning tasks for their building or area, there is less of a chance of boredom, which can be a problem with other forms of cleaning. In addition, security is less of a concern as fewer individuals will have keys to a particular building or area.

  Team cleaning is almost the exact opposite of zone cleaning. Team cleaning groups related tasks. A team of specialists go through the area systematically.  Rather than cleaning a specific area, each individual on your cleaning staff performs a specific task.  Team cleaning tasks are generally broken down into the following areas:

 1. Light Duty Specialist: Dusting, emptying trash, spot cleaning.  

2.      Vacuum Specialist:  Vacuuming carpets as well as hard floors.

3.      Restroom Specialist: Cleaning, sanitizing and restocking supplies in restrooms.

4.      Utility Specialist: Cleaning lobby areas, spot cleaning glass, mopping and scrubbing hard floors, and hauling trash to dumpsters from central collection points.    

 You may want to customize a specialist’s duties to fit a particular building.  One of the advantages of team cleaning has to do with training.  You do not have to train an employee in all areas of cleaning.  It may even be difficult to find employees that are adept enough to become an expert in all areas of cleaning.  By focusing on certain types of work, the team members will become more skilled and efficient in their particular tasks, meaning greater overall efficiency and an overall cleaner building.  

1. Team cleaning also means less equipment.  With zone cleaning, each cleaning employee needs a vacuum, brute, and restroom cleaning supplies.  When using a team cleaning approach you only need one “whole set of equipment” for an entire building as each individual will only use one piece of equipment for each task. There are benefits to each cleaning system, and the cleaning system you use in your buildings will depend on several factors.  This includes the size of the building, the number of employees cleaning in the building, the number of buildings you clean, and your client’s individual needs.  Implementing the right cleaning system will help keep your costs down and your profits up.Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com
   

   Our Comments:We thought it was very important to post this article on our site. This article was very well written and imformative as we have found many articles to be on the The Janitorial Store website.

At Terras Cleaning we have implemented the Team Cleaning method for many years with great success. We have found many of the same benefits using Team Cleaning as discussed in this article. Team Cleaning helps us to provide high standards of cleanliness for our customers. We highly recommend Team Cleaning over any other method of  cleaning for Professional cleaners. We will be covering much more about the benefits of Team Cleaning in future articles.