Maintenance and Cleaning Services

Selecting the best building maintenance crew for your business

Unless you plan on having your office assistant take out the trash or your accountant do up the day’s dishes, it’s quite obvious your business needs building maintenance and cleaning services to keep operations running smoothly and employees happy. But how do you choose from the wide array of maintenance companies out there?

Whether you choose a professional building cleaning service that can also handle property maintenance or you opt for mom-and-pop office cleaning services that just deal with basic janitorial cleaning services, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind:

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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