All commercial cleaning companies are the same, right?
Well, not quite. Salesmen try to convince companies that they have the best commercial cleaning company on the market and go to great lengths to make them look like the best candidate.
Ultimately, it comes down to the people cleaning your building. Do they have an extensive commercial cleaning background? Are they familiar with what to do and who to contact when emergencies happen?
Most commercial cleaning companies hire employees with little or no background in cleaning and attempt to teach them the tricks of the trade in a couple of weeks. Hiring employees with little to no experience results in lower wages and more profit for the cleaning company. However, many areas will never be taught to the employee. Here are some common areas that most commercial cleaning companies miss when cleaning offices.
1. Bottom of the urinal
Men’s bathrooms normally have a reputation for smelling bad. Most commercial cleaning companies will clean the mirrors, countertops, polish chrome accents, wipe down the toilets, and disinfect the front of the urinals. When the smells persist, they resort to other measures, like urinal cakes or toilet deodorizes. If you can still smell urine after these items have been installed, chances are that the janitors are not cleaning the flat surface directly under the curve at the base of the toilet? Why aren’t they being cleaned? Because the janitors simply can’t see them. We toured a building recently with this issue and used a razor to scrape off about 1/8″ of dried, caked up urine from the bottom of the urinal. The smell from the bathroom greatly improved overnight. Even janitors with years of experience are proned to miss this area, but they should all be aware of it. And the good ones will clean it and maintain it.
2. Elevator Tracks
Most large office buildings have elevators and these elevators are generally used heavily. Contracts typically specify that the elevators are to be cleaned each night, but the tracks typically get skipped. Although very easy to clean, most janitors will skip cleaning these tracks because they don’t notice the amount of debris in them or they fear the loud buzzing sound the elevator makes when the doors are held open too long. Cleaning elevator tracks typically involves spraying degreaser directly onto the track, then wiping side to side until the stains are gone. Most commercial cleaners are either unaware, or unwilling, to clean this very simple area.
3. Inside Microwaves
Most office buildings have break rooms, which in turn have microwaves. Many times the outside of the microwave is simply wiped off, but the inside is skipped. Why? Many janitors feel that cleaning the interior of the microwave encourages workers not to cover their food, thereby causing more food buildup. Cleaning the inside of microwaves is very easy, if you know the trick of the trade. Fill up a coffee mug with water and heat it up for about 2 minutes. Remove the mug, then use a de-greaser/disinfect to wipe out the microwave. Heating up the water re-hydrates the food particles left in the microwave, which makes it easy to clean.
4. Tops of Bathroom Stalls
Bathrooms seem to be the source of most office cleaning complaints. Even if the bathrooms are being cleaned properly, many janitors forget to dust the tops of the bathroom stalls. If these areas are not maintained regularly, an accumulation of dust will occur, causing extra dust to circulate throughout the bathroom. Make sure to check the tops of the stalls in the bathroom for excessive dust.
Ask lots of questions of any company bidding your cleaning services. Tell them you want to know the background and other offices that the new janitor has cleaned. Check the references from the actual janitor, as well as the commercial cleaning company, before you decide on the right cleaning company to clean your office.
If you’re interested in visiting with Elite Clean Co about your commercial cleaning needs, give us a call at (913) 713-9579.
