Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire office cleaning or building maintenance services to keep your office neat

Office cleaning companies are designed to keep your office spaces clean and tidy so that customers and clients feel right at home. These services often hire professionals who are bonded and carefully trained so that any business materials in your office remain safe. Most small businesses need this type of cleaning service, at minimum.

I recommend: Blue Chip Building Maintenance specializes in janitorial cleaning services for offices and businesses; they offer an array of services as well as a free quote to new customers. Coral Cay Cleaning, which offers building cleaning service for individual offices and companies, boasts a staff of highly trained, bonded cleaning professionals, all of whom have undergone a background check. The company's website offers a handy checklist that can help you understand what needs to be cleaned to keep your office looking its best. If your office recycles or is considering doing so, the City of San José website has a useful list of tips for working with janitorial office cleaning services to maintain or implement such a program, which can keep your office clean and has the added benefit of helping the environment.

Find industrial cleaning services for your warehouses and other industrial spaces

If you have an industrial, warehouse or workshop space with specialized equipment you need to hire cleaning services that can clean this equipment safely and well, without causing costly damage. You also need an industrial janitorial service that has the equipment and skills to handle grease stains and other tough jobs usually present in industrial settings.

I recommend: Clean City Best has experience in industrial cleaning for factories, medical buildings and other industrial areas. Their website offers a handy checklist that allows you to understand some of the services that might be included in an industrial cleaning option. Mole•Master offers a variety of industrial cleaning services, including silo cleaning, waste removal and other commercial services. The company website offers a number of useful case histories, which can help you see how their industrial cleaning services benefit businesses.

Look for retail janitorial cleaning services offering maintenance services to protect your property

Since cleaning alone will not ensure that your space stays in the best possible shape, work with maintenance companies that will regularly inspect and make minor repairs to your major building systems. Such services can help prevent some building break-downs and can, therefore, save you money. Maintenance services are a good option for all small and medium-sized businesses that own their own business property.

I recommend: SPC Services offers maintenance and janitorial services; their website has a sample service plan and schedule that can help you understand what they, and similar service providers, can offer your business. Unicco also offers maintenance services, and their website includes an informative video that lets you learn more about maintenance services.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When hiring janitorial companies, it's often a good idea to hire one or more companies on a one-time basis for a thorough cleaning. This costs a little more than regular maintenance, but lets you evaluate the service without a long-term contract.

Guide to Maintenance and Cleaning Services

Selecting the best building maintenance crew for your business

By Mary Beth Doyle

1. Understand how employees for the cleaning services are hired and trained;
2. Make sure the maintenance companies you are considering comply with OSHA standards and follow environmentally friendly practices;
3. Verify what you expect in return for your cleaning fee and negotiate what you will pay for the service.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a property maintenance company you can trust

Remember, the property maintenance crew you hire will have access to important aspects of your business, from documents to machinery--even employees. Therefore, you may want to choose a commercial cleaning company that has been prescreened and is insured and bonded in case of any property damage that may occur while on the job.

I recommend: CleaningProposal.com takes the guesswork out of finding a quality maintenance services company by prescreening the various janitorial cleaning services featured on their site. You just answer a few basic questions to determine your needs, and the site will send you a quote. Large, full-service maintenance companies, such as ServiceMaster Clean, are another good bet.

Search for 'green' industrial cleaning services

Following environmentally friendly practices in your business is no longer a 'nice' thing to do--it's a necessity. This holds true in your maintenance services as well.

I recommend: Do a search for green maintenance companies in your area on the National Green Pages. Or just mention to your current or potential commercial cleaning company that you would like to switch to environmentally friendly products. Find environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and equipment at Clean All Company.

Explore the range of services offered by cleaning companies

Before getting a quote from janitorial companies, determine your needs. Take into consideration the size of your company and how often you need housekeeping services. Also determine if you need a maintenance service that is available on call.

I recommend: USI Building Services, Inc. provides a wide range of services, including general cleaning, pest control, parking lot maintenance, and more. Delta Building Services Corp. can staff a doorperson and concierge as well as provide janitorial and maintenance services.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to get plenty of quotes and ask for prices on service packages. Even if you don't think you need or want a particular service, you may consider it if the price is right.
• •  Prices will depend on the cost of living in your area, but a midsize to large office should expect to pay about 5 to 10 cents per square foot for nightly janitorial service. Basic cleaning service once or twice a week for a small office can be as low as $100 a month.

1. Tally property maintenance costs to keep your building in good shape.
2. Determine your expected costs for working with janitorial companies and commercial cleaning professionals.
3. Cut costs without slashing quality by understanding the factors that affect your maintenance and cleaning costs.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Calculate the price of your property maintenance

Property maintenance costs are often more expensive than simple cleaning costs because professionals need to be trained in repairs and often need specialized tools. The frequency of maintenance services, the type of work needed and the amount of work needed will impact your maintenance costs. Per-hour costs for building maintenance generally range from $25 to figures in the hundreds of dollars.

I recommend: The Natural Resources Defense Council offers tips on keeping your maintenance costs low. Whitestone Research offers a guide to understanding the costs of maintenance companies, including how to project and predict building maintenance prices.

Add up how much you need to budget for cleaning companies

General office cleaning can start as low as $25 an hour while specialized industrial cleaning can cost hundreds of dollars an hour. The size of your space, the items to be cleaned, the amount of work power needed for the job, the length of time needed for the job, your region and specialized skills needed for the job can all affect your cleaning costs. The best way to determine actual costs in your area is through quotes from professional companies.

I recommend: The National Community of Professional Cleaners has a handy forum for both professional cleaners and their clients that includes discussions about costs and fees. The Cleaning Service Directory has a useful list things to ask before hiring a cleaning service. The list includes factors that affect cost, as well as hidden price issues like insurance.

Learn to keep the costs of your building cleaning service low

Understanding your maintenance and cleaning costs and determining where you can reduce costs can leave you with more money to invest in your business. Knowing that cleaners charge for supplies, for example, can help you understand that providing your own equipment and supplies can reduce your costs. Another way to reduce costs of maintenance and cleaning is to reduce the number of unneeded tasks performed by your cleaning and maintenance staff.

I recommend: Florida's Department of Management Services has a handy price list of janitorial supplies. RICS publishes the BCIS Building Maintenance Price Book, which details current costs of building maintenance and ways to reduce costs.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can often reduce costs on your company's janitorial cleaning services and building maintenance services by ordering occasional service rather than scheduled service. While you do get a discount with scheduled service, you need to pay whether you need a service or not. In general, the smaller your business the more realistic this plan is.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Request for proposal (RFP)

A request for proposal (RFP) is a formal document that businesses use to solicit bids for products and services, such as maintenance and cleaning services. An RFP outlines the company's needs and special desires in a given situation.

I recommend: Learn more about RFPs at TechTarget. Find more information and guidelines about how to write an RFP at Instructional Designs.

Green cleaning

Green cleaning is a type of cleaning that is safer for the environment. Green cleaning companies use no harmful chemicals and choose to use recycled bags. Green cleaning also focuses on keeping pollutants out of your building.

I recommend: Discover more information about green cleaning at ABM. Healthy Clean Buildings has information about green cleaning products.

Makeready

Makeready is a term used mostly with hotel and rental property companies. A makeready is a cleaning service in which someone prepares the area for the next residents or company.

I recommend: Blue Whale has a description of makeready.

High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA)

High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) is a type of filter used in air systems and vacuums. A HEPA filter is designed to attract and absorb microscopic particles in the air, as well as in carpet or other fabrics.

I recommend: Home-air-purifier-guide.com provides detailed information about HEPA filters. Synergy Wholesale Distributing also supplies information about how HEPA filters work.

Hypoallergenic

Hypoallergenic is a description used to explain products and procedures that do not produce or release allergens into the air. Hypoallergenic cleaning services ensure no employees or clients will be effected by the products used.

I recommend: Allergy Consumer Review and BellaSugar both have information about hypoallergenic products and how they work.

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) insures that all its members use proper green cleaning techniques and products. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) certifies companies and employees in cleaning and maintenance services.

I recommend: Learn more at the U.S. Green Building Council website. Learn more about the GBCI by visiting the Green Building Certification Institute.