What you need to know when hiring a Janitorial Cleaning Company in Phoenix, AZ

by Mike Derryberry • February 11, 2019
Janitorial cleaning suppliesThe search for a company that performs janitorial services can be a challenging task. You want service that is reliable and professional employees with the proper training. Most importantly you want cleaning services with pricing that fits your budget.

If you are looking for a janitorial service provider to fit your needs here are some tips to help you in your search.

Lets’ first start with what types of commercial cleaning service providers are available and what services they provide.

Eco-friendly Janitorial Services

Eco-friendly janitor services have become more popular of late thanks to the growing awareness for ecologically safe methods of cleaning, waste management, and waste disposal.

With a specialized repertoire of biodegradable cleaning agents, they have come to populate the bulk of cleaning services in Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas.

Custodians

While this job description technically still falls under the designation of ‘Janitor,' Custodians are a notch higher than your conventional cleaner.

Responsible for the upkeep, cleaning, and maintenance of a building's heating and cooling systems as well as their centralized air-conditioning, they bring a whole other type of skillset to the janitorial sphere.

Many Custodians are also responsible for supervising cleanup crew and keeping the quality of their services beyond reproach.

'Old-fashioned' Janitorial Services

The go-to of many companies back in the day, ‘old-fashioned' janitors are so-called because much of its workforce were all-rounders who did not specialize in one area of cleaning but instead did a little bit of everything.

Although not as popular today as it was back then, one can still find a number of them in small-scale commercial cleaning Phoenix-based companies.

Next let’s move on to what questions you should ask your potential janitorial service provider.

Determine what your business requires

An essential aspect of securing office cleaning that fits your business is to figure out exactly what type of services you need.

From medical and healthcare facilities to industrial businesses and offices, each comes with different demands.

Do they have a proactive communications plan?

You should expect transparent and honest communication from your commercial cleaning service provider.

Ask them how they address issues when they arise.

What is their on-site response time for Client emergency concerns?

Is their customer service team available after hours?

Are their worker's background checked?

You have the right to know who is in your building and to be comfortable with personnel, especially after hours. Background checks are an essential part of developing trust.

Depending on your business everyone has a different level of required security, and it is essential to know what level of background checks the business is capable of conducting.

Are their employees fully trained?

Well trained employees are an essential part of a professional cleaning service. Too little training will result in poor service.

You should expect a commercial cleaning company to train their employees thoroughly. Also, ask if they have supervisors on hand to regularly inspect the cleaning that's performed and the ability solve issues as they arise.

Also make sure to check with the company to see how extensive their training procedures are.

Below is a list of some of the training that you should expect.
  • Proper cleaning procedures for your particular business
  • Be familiar with OSHA Regulations
  • HIPAA Training
  • Training on Blood borne pathogens to protect workers from exposure to protect against blood and other potentially infectious materials

Are they insured and bonded?

If a commercial cleaning company is not insured or underinsured, you are at risk and so is your business. The same holds for Workers Compensation. Without Workers Compensation you are responsible for all injuries and damages, not the service provider. Asking this question will save your business in the long run.

What cleaning services do they provide?

Find out in detail what services the janitorial service provider offer.

Beware of cleaning companies that provide cleaning to areas that they are not sufficiently trained as they ultimately become a risk to you and your business.

Seek out companies that are willing to acknowledge their limitations in specific cleaning procedures and how they address those situations. Do they say no we don’t do that and walk away or do they have verified resources to point you to when those situations arise?

How much does it cost?

Factors that determine pricing are based on many things. From the size of your building, type of facility, the services you require and how often they are expected to name a few, the cost will vary.

While you might want to hire the cheapest cleaning company that you can find, that approach won’t work in the long run. While they may offer low prices, you should consider what products they are using as well as how often they would be cleaning your business and how extensive their services are.

Do they use Subcontractors?

Accountability is everything when it comes to commercial cleaning. Utilizing subcontractors in effect represent the janitorial service provider, and they can reflect poorly on their reputation if the services they provide are less than adequate.

One of the biggest concern with companies that utilize subcontractors is the distinct lack of accountability between the sales company, contractor and the client.
As a client in this type of arrangement, you may have little trust in your cleaning needs being adequately met.

How long will it take to clean your business?

As with determining a cost to clean your business the time needed to clean any facility is dependent on many factors as no two buildings are identical and therefore will not take the same amount of time.

Factors in determining how long it will take to clean a business:
  • Square footage
  • Type of business of Industry
  • Number of days a company will be cleaned during a given week
  • Do you have unique requests or details?
  • How many people work in your facility? The more employees in a given business produce more trash and make more trips to the kitchen and restrooms. The higher the consumption of paper products, garbage, dirty floors, and carpets will require more time to maintain.
  • Size of the cleaning crew

Will you see the same cleaning crew each time?

Having a consistent crew is essential on many fronts. From a security aspect to communication and quality assurance, having people you know and trust will give you peace of mind.

Is the janitorial service provider committed to Green Cleaning?

Green cleaning products and solutions are gaining in popularity, and that’s because researchers are finding that harsh cleaning products aren’t any more effective at cleaning a space than natural products.

It is possible to get your office squeaky clean without all those harsh and unnatural chemicals, and by doing so, you can even keep everyone healthier in the process.

Questions to ask a janitorial cleaning service:
  • Ask them to provide the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all of the products they are using. By federal (read OSHA) standards all products used in a commercial application must be accompanied by an updated MSD Sheet (Material Safety Data Sheet).

    MSDS Sheets provide toxicity and flammability ratings for every product. A ‘green’ product should rank very low on all of these categories.
     
  • What are the Designed For the Environment (DFE) ratings for their products and tools?

    DFE ratings are based on what the minimum waste is for a product.DFE ratings are important because while a product in its final state may indeed be safe, the process of creating the product may be very damaging to the environment. Also, the packaging and marketing of the product may also have had a detrimental effect on the environment.
The newest standards for ‘green’ products require consideration of all of these factors, and as the consumer of the janitorial service for your building, you have the right to know and receive cleaning services that employ only the highest DFE standards.
 
We hope that these tips on what to expect from a janitorial cleaning service give you all of the information that you need to hire the right janitorial service provider for your business.

Should you have any additional questions, contact Compass Cleaning Solutions or call (877)221-1213. We would be happy to answer your questions.