Changing commercial cleaning services is a real pain, yet it has to be done when the job isn’t being done properly. In order to choose a commercial cleaning company that will serve your long term needs, use a good selection criteria and to avoid these mistakes:
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Choosing a company with cleaning specifications that are too general.
Vacuum the carpet, empty the trash, clean the restrooms. Variations in cleaning processes lead to variations in quality and in the consistency of service. It sounds silly to say that specification should be specific, but it’s true. Good cleaning specifications should include language that explains how a task is to be executed, as well as a description of the end result. It really is best if the specifications include the cleaning products and the tools that will be used.
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Failing to find out who actually will be cleaning their facility along with how they were selected and trained.
Where do your workers come from?- How were they trained?
- How are they equipped?
- How are they tested for honesty and competence?
Where do your workers come from?The answers to these questions will help you quickly determine if janitorial candidates are using a staffing system that has a high chance of success. By simply asking details about how they staff their workers, you can avoid one of the most expensive mistakes facility managers make when choosing a janitorial service.
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Failing to ask about and understanding how the janitorial service handles quality control.
Good commercial cleaning companies will have a written quality control policy that details just how quality is managed. Decisions about how to manage quality issues should always be made in advance before problems even occur. This makes it easier for the cleaning personnel to do a good job because the consequences for poor performance are clearly spelled out.
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General Liability
Most people are unaware that general liability insurance can become almost useless if it doesn’t contain a single clause that few people pay attention to. The clause is called “Care and Custody”. If the contract does not include this clause, it means that any property that is currently being cleaned or worked on is not covered by the policy. So if a 
worker damages a carpet or breaks a window, it’s not covered.
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Signing a long term contract.
Many janitorial services will try to get facility managers to sign a contract for 1 or 2 years. This isn’t all that bad if the contract allows for early cancellation for any reason. Many contracts contain language that give the janitorial service the right to “cure”. This is a time period to correct any written complaints. If the written complaint is corrected within the time frame, the contract is still binding and has penalties for early termination. It’s much safer to go with a janitorial service that has a 30-day cancellation policy that allows a you to cancel an agreement for any reason so you can get rid of non-performing janitorial services. Who wants to have to put every complaint into writing and jump through a bunch of hoops just to get rid of a company that isn’t holding up their end of the bargain.
Follow these simple tips to help you make an informed decision when you need to find a new janitorial service.