What is Janitorial Services: Expert Insights

Updated: January 31, 2024
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what is janitorial services

Janitorial services involve all the day-to-day tasks that keep a business environment clean and healthy. While not all janitors work every day, the idea of janitorial services is that it’s regular. Some businesses have janitors come in every other day, or every three days, or twice a week, and that might be just fine.

However, you should know that the type of janitorial service that a school needs would differ from what a storage facility needs. This means that cleaning companies often offer janitorial services based on different business needs and facility types.

Now that we’ve figured out what janitorial services are, let’s talk about how they can make your business a better establishment and a delight to you and your employees.

 

Table of Contents

Why hire janitorial services for your business?

We like to call janitorial services as a method to finesse your corporate establishment. Every company is in the business of people first off. Whether as employees or as customers, a successful business has an appeal about it, not just in the product, but also in appearance. That’s why your business office has to look the part at all times. Here’s how professional janitorial services can help your business:

For cleanliness and hygiene

A business station that is not clean and hygienic can’t put up a good professional appearance. A scenic view is not the only thing to be coveted about a business space. You also need clean tables, chairs, floor, and, of course, a sparkling restroom. Without cleanliness and hygiene, your workers and customers won’t feel at home. Also considering that lack of proper hygiene can lead to spread of germs and infections within your firm. Safe to say that janitorial services help keep your business healthy.

Maintain a beautiful company culture

The truth is that many management staff don’t pay enough attention to the role of janitors within their organization. But if you’re going to maintain a great company culture, you need orderliness as the bedrock. Janitors help instill order in otherwise chaotic workspaces. We set the meeting room chairs and desks in order, while also ensuring the kitchen area is ready to use. All these minor details help create a conducive space for your daily business operations. And that’s how you nail employee retention and maintain a beautiful work culture.

Create a pleasant atmosphere for visitors and customers

Want to leave a lasting impression on your customers, clients, visitors, and investors? Then you need quality janitorial work within your premises. A well-arranged and clean workspace will give your business a professional appearance that would leave positive client impressions.

Health and safety compliance

The everyday janitorial tasks within a business premises are not only necessary for a professional appearance, but also essential for the health and safety of the building occupants. Then, there are occupational safety and health standards (by OSHA) that have to be met if your business operates in certain industries. 

Our janitors at Casas are trained with compliances at heart. We ensure that our cleaning staff secure all necessary certifications to work within their allotted facilities. Our healthcare janitors even get extra training to help them carry out their medical cleaning roles. 

Work without disruption (Hiding in plain sight)

No office staff should have to leave their desk work and expend their energy on cleaning and maintenance of the premises. Let the janitors handle all the hassle for you. Janitors can help your business stay ahead by following a cleaning schedule that doesn’t clash with your business hours. But yet, guarantees a clean environment that keeps your staff motivated to work and customers happy to spend.

Stay one step ahead

Every commercial building needs constant maintenance and proactiveness. Janitors function as some form of eyes and ears for business owners and facility managers. Our staff are trained to, with discretion, bring certain maintenance needs and health and safety concerns within the work premises, to the management’s notice. We’ve found, in our experience, that initiative and proactive communication saves businesses from unplanned maintenance expenses in the future.

what are janitorial services

What is included in janitorial services?

Cleaning tasks

The basic cleaning tasks within a facility are the primary duties of a janitor. This covers sweeping and vacuuming of floor and carpets, mopping tiles and hard floors, clearing and dusting desks, cleaning and sanitizing restrooms, and removing trash from within the premises. Most of these tasks are done daily. However, there are other cleaning tasks that janitors perform that are not as frequent, such as window cleaning.

Restocking supplies

Restroom and kitchen supplies are in constant use within office spaces. And they are bound to be used up every now and then. Janitors ensure that there are no awkward situations where someone wants to use the convenience but they can’t because toilet paper or hand washing soap has run out.

Minor maintenance

Certain minor maintenance work falls within the scope of a janitor’s responsibilities. For example, some of our janitorial service contracts include light horticultural work like watering plants and pruning, or changing faulty light bulbs and replacing other worn out materials within the office building.

Communicating needs

Like we highlighted earlier, part of the perks of hiring trained janitors is their attention to detail and proactiveness. Giving one-time feedback that helps business owners and facility managers stay ahead of costly building work is a bonus addition to janitorial services.

How professional janitorial services work

Janitorial services are usually delivered on a contract basis when you’re working with a commercial cleaning company such as Casas Bonitas. But the details of each janitorial service are often peculiar to the business in question. How can you tell if you’re getting your money’s worth, though? Here are the two factors to consider:

How often do you need janitorial services

The frequency and intensity of janitorial services within an office premises depends on the type of business/industry and on the size of the business. The size here implies both the office premises and the foot traffic within it. Theore people frequent your business establishment, the more you would need janitorial work.

Then, about the differences by industry, this is also a given. Hospitals, schools, restaurants, and shopping malls require frequent professional janitorial services due to the health implications and customer traffic involved. On the other hand, an hybrid workspace where employees only come in twice a week would need janitorial services on a select few days.

The point here is that how janitors would work at your company would be informed by the nature of your business and how many activities go on within your workspace.

Should you hire in-house janitors or commercial janitorial services?

Now, this might be tricky to answer considering that we are a commercial janitorial service company. But, truth be told, not all businesses need outsourced services for their daily cleaning and maintenance. Small businesses operating out of a small office should be able to get by with an in-house cleaning plan. 

However, with medium and large-scale companies, it becomes impossible to keep the business premises clean without designated hands. Outsourcing to commercial janitorial services brings in expertise and cost-effectiveness. You would spend less time on sorting and hiring the right janitors, no need to spend money on training and certifications for new hires, the janitorial service company handles all that for you.

janitorial services commercial cleaning difference

What is the difference between janitorial services and commercial cleaning?

Often, business owners confuse hiring a commercial cleaning company with setting up professional janitorial services within their organization. But these two setups are quite different and are for different purposes. Here’s a starter pack to differentiate janitorial service offerings from general commercial cleaning.

Coverage

Commercial cleaning covers cleaning operations for businesses and corporate entities often done on a specific project. The difference here is that commercial cleaning projects can cover any type of business cleaning need from specialized machine cleaning to exterior window cleaning, or mold removal. These tasks are out of scope for janitors and often require specialized cleaning experts. 

Frequency

Commercial cleaning work happens on a need basis while janitorial services are often on-call with a daily or weekly routine. Conversely, commercial cleaning work can happen every quarter or during specific seasons. Like window cleaning gets more demand during winter.

Methods

The tools employed by janitors are basic, everyday cleaning equipment and supplies like vacuum cleaners, mops, disinfectants, and hand brushes. Some commercial cleaning gigs require high-tech cleaning equipment like a pressure washer or strong cleaning agents to restore hard stains.

Timing

Certain commercial cleaning tasks can require that your business stay out of operation for a couple days. And that might be necessary for the health and safety of your workers and cleaners. However, professional janitorial services are scheduled to run without disrupting your business activities. That’s why most janitors perform their major tasks outside of working hours – very early before the office opens or after business hours.

How to choose the right janitorial service for your business

Now that we’ve cleared the air on what you can expect with quality janitorial services, let’s discuss how you can spot the best janitorial contract to serve your business.

Good reputation

Good ‘ol reviews remain the foundational litmus test for hiring service companies. An experienced janitorial service company should be able to get their previous clients to attest to their reliability and quality of work. Except you are looking at taking a chance on a new contractor, which is okay as well. In such cases, you can check for quality by requesting for certifications and previous work experience of the janitors to be assigned.

Works with a custom cleaning plan

We have established that janitorial services differ among businesses depending on industry and business size. This warrants a custom janitorial schedule for every business. Hence, flexibility is a quality to look out for when hiring a janitorial service company.

Open communication

Communication is vital to any successful business partnership. You need to ensure that your chosen janitorial company has clear communication lines to help you reach them as and when needed. Before that, you should also ensure you work with a service company that listens to your specific business cleaning needs. Also, the janitors assigned to your facility should be able to communicate with your managers (language barrier can make working together difficult) for ease of feedback.

Dependability

Keeping to time and showing up are the hallmarks of a janitor. You need to be assured that the janitors working within your business premises know the value of keeping to time and doing quality work. This is how they won’t disrupt your business flow and help your business become more productive. One way to ensure this is to have time clock-in if necessary.

Updated training

In the cleaning business, there is a lot of continuing education to do. Ensure that your janitorial service company is committed to keeping their staff up to date on OSHA standards and best practices for health and safety within a work space.

FAQs

What are janitorial service contracts?

Janitorial service contracts detail the duties and cleaning plan agreed between the janitorial service company and the client business. Usually the janitorial contract also details the obligations of the client in terms of payment and work conditions.

What are janitors called?

A janitor can sometimes be called a cleaner, porter, caretaker, or custodian. What determines the role of a janitor are the tasks that they carry out within the facility they cater to.

How often should janitorial services work?

Janitorial services are offered on a frequent schedule ranging from daily tasks to weekly tasks. The details of each janitorial service depends on the needs of the business in question.

Conclusion

Installing janitorial services within your business has to happen as an informed decision as a business owner. With this piece, we have thoroughly answered the “What are janitorial services?” question and other adjacent concerns that business owners have. One thing is clear from this discussion, and that is the need for every business to maintain a healthy and safe work environment. Janitors are there to help you maintain a high standard of cleanliness within your organization.

Are you a business in the Phoenix, AZ area, and you’re still missing out on quality janitorial services within your workspace? Work with Casas Bonitas today and let’s help make your business more effective and homely.

Get Top-Quality Commercial Janitorial Services in Phoenix, AZ Today!

Casas Bonitas is known across the Phoenix Valley for our commitment to job excellence, dedicated customer service and unmatched value. We carry these foundations through everything we do, so you can rest easy knowing your space is well taken care of. Whether you’re looking to hire a commercial janitorial service or just want to talk with a professional about how to tackle your search for the right company, Casas Bonitas can help. To learn more, give us a call, or request a callback today!