The Basics of Commercial Cleaning

Cleanliness in any business is essential. It creates a positive impression on clients and customers and can lead to customer loyalty.

Commercial Cleaning

Commercial cleaners at Levdok Services usually have various cleaning tools and machines that are more powerful than residential ones. They also have the knowledge and experience to follow safety and health standards.

The first tier of commercial cleaning, often referred to as “cleaning,” involves the physical removal of visible dirt, dust, and debris from various surfaces. This step helps create a healthy environment and provides a smooth foundation for subsequent sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing processes to ensure a hygienic workplace. Cleaning also reduces the risk of infection from harmful germs by lowering the amount of bacteria present on a surface to safe levels as judged by public health standards.

During this phase, commercial cleaners use tools and techniques like vacuuming, brushing, sweeping, mowing, and dusting to keep surfaces clean. Using advanced equipment, these professionals efficiently eliminate impurities and stains from carpeting, upholstery, furniture, drapes, windows, and floors. Professionals are also trained in the proper use of environmentally friendly cleaning products that minimize the use of harsh chemicals and have a minimal impact on the environment.

The next tier of cleaning is known as sanitization, which aims to significantly lower the number of harmful germs on a surface by killing or inactivating them. This process is essential in high-risk areas where illness can spread rapidly or during outbreaks. Disinfectants are powerful EPA-approved chemical agents that can safely and effectively kill most pathogens, reducing the potential for disease and infection in your workplace.

Sanitation is an important part of any food service establishment. It’s recommended that these companies implement a comprehensive food sanitation plan that includes cleaning procedures, safety protocols, and training. This will help maintain high hygiene standards, prevent foodborne illnesses, and safeguard the well-being of your staff, customers, and the community.

Restrooms are another critical area of your business that requires consistent attention and thorough cleaning to prevent the spread of germs. Your janitorial crew can perform restroom sanitization with the help of cleaning tools and supplies, such as disinfectants, sprays, wipes, and hand sanitizers. These specialized cleaning solutions are formulated to kill a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, on hard or soft surfaces, as well as in the air. In addition, your janitorial team should regularly conduct inventory counts and assessments to track usage patterns and prevent unexpected supply shortages.

Hard Floor Care

In a commercial facility, hard floors are found throughout the building. They cover hallways, entryways, restrooms and customer-facing areas as well as employee workspaces and kitchen facilities. They are a significant investment, and proper cleaning helps ensure that they last for years to come. A professional commercial cleaner understands the unique cleaning and maintenance requirements of all flooring types, including concrete, wood, rubber or tile, to preserve their appearance, reduce wear and tear and extend their lifespan.

Regular cleaning of hard surfaces keeps dirt and grime from settling, which in turn extends their life span. It also protects the protective layer that keeps moisture from penetrating the surface and causing damage, which is why floor care is one of the most important tasks a cleaning company can perform.

Proper sweeping, mopping, and cleaning removes deep-rooted dirt and debris that can cause scratching or warping of the floor surface. In addition, it can significantly reduce the need for more extensive, and costly, floor repair services in the future.

A clean, pristine-looking floor creates a positive impression on customers, clients and employees, conveying a sense of professionalism and attention to detail. It also contributes to overall employee morale and productivity, as research has shown that workers who are in a pleasant work environment are more focused and efficient.

There are many different commercial hard floor cleaning methods, depending on the type of flooring in a given space and the desired results. For example, vacuums and mops can be used for dusting and daily sweeping, while power scrubbers or high-speed burnishers are recommended for more intensive care such as scrubbing, buffing or stripping and waxing.

Some hard-floor surfaces, such as terrazzo, are composed of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass or concrete embedded in a concrete or epoxy base. These require specialized care to keep them aesthetically pleasing, while other floors such as VCT (vinyl composite tile) or vinyl planks may need regular buffing and polishing to maintain their luster. Hard floors that are exposed to direct sunlight may need special attention and refinishing to prevent discoloration and fade.

Waste Removal and Recycling

Commercial cleaning involves larger spaces with more foot traffic, which require specialized equipment and methods to keep them clean. Commercial cleaners perform a variety of tasks, such as trash removal, restroom cleaning, window cleaning, and specialty cleaning services like floor care and hard floor cleaning. They also sanitize doorknobs, light switches, and shared equipment to reduce germs and bacteria. They often use high-pressure washers to remove grit, dirt, and grime from areas that are difficult to reach.

Waste removal and recycling are important parts of commercial cleaning because they help to reduce environmental damage. By recycling paper and plastics, you can reduce the need for raw materials that would otherwise be extracted from the earth and pollute the environment. You can also reduce greenhouse gasses that are released when these raw materials are buried in landfills. Fortunately, there are a number of different waste disposal options available for business owners. For example, if you own a restaurant, you can recycle metal cans and glass bottles, as well as corrugated cardboard. Moreover, you can compost your food wastes, which will create rich soil amendments and prevent them from ending up in landfills.

In addition, you must follow the local rules and regulations for trash disposal. For example, businesses must dispose of all waste through a private carter. You can find more information about waste collection rules and regulations by visiting the Department of Sanitation website. You can also reduce the amount of garbage your business produces by implementing a standardized green cleaning program that utilizes eco-friendly chemicals and reusable cloths.

Lastly, you should make sure your employees are familiar with the company’s green cleaning policies and procedures. You can do this by displaying posters in the break room and by distributing literature. You can also encourage employee participation by placing recycling bins around the workplace and creating a handling procedure for organic waste. If possible, you can even sign up for a gamification rewards program to boost employee engagement. You can also work with a local recycling vendor to see what benefits and opportunities they offer for businesses, such as composting or mulching programs.

Reporting Problem Areas

When a problem arises, commercial cleaning companies must be proactive in their approach. This includes creating inspections that help the team spot issues before customers do, and establishing clear communication channels for employees to report problems quickly. This also helps the company avoid issues with clients that are not satisfied with their service and ensures that every client is receiving top-quality work.

While it’s impossible to be everywhere at once, a good commercial cleaning business manager can learn a lot about the company’s performance by reading inspection reports. Taking advantage of reporting tools that capture images and rate the quality of work can reveal what types of issues are occurring on-site and give managers a clear picture of how the team is performing at each site.

As the business grows, it becomes more challenging to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction without the use of management software. Investing in commercial cleaning software provides the opportunity to standardize how each team member executes tasks, communicates issues, performs equipment maintenance, and reports low cleaning supply inventory. This makes it easy for new hires to get up to speed, and it helps each employee be a positive representative of the brand.

Using a tool like Swept also helps eliminate common cleaning industry mistakes. Whether it is poor communication, failure to follow proper safety protocols, or a lack of reporting, these errors can create a negative customer experience that affects the bottom line. Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) system with an in-platform survey feature allows businesses to streamline customer communication and improve their reputation, retention, and revenue.

It’s never pleasant to receive a call from a dissatisfied client. However, it is essential to listen carefully and determine if the client’s complaint is valid. A review of the issue should be conducted, including determining what caused it and how the issue can be resolved in the future. This can include training, retraining, or providing additional assistance to ensure that the client is happy with the cleaning process. This is a great way to prevent complaints from becoming escalating lawsuits and can save the company money in the long run.