What Services Are Offered When You Hire A Janitorial Team?

Do you know what you're getting when you hire your cleaning and maintenance team? Let’s look at what's offered when you hire a janitorial service.

Clean Dream Team

So, you’re looking into hiring a cleaning service! Many people conflate or confuse the many different kinds of cleaning services. There are services that offer regular domestic cleaning, some services that provide sanitizing and disinfecting, some that offer garden cleanup and refuse removal, and others that offer many of the above in one go! A comprehensive service that offers many different cleaning and maintenance options is a janitorial service. Janitorial services are what you might opt for if you run a school, hospital, or community center or even have a holiday home that needs cleaning and maintenance while you are not there to do it yourself. Let’s take a look at what a janitorial service would cover so that you can get a clear idea of whether or not it's the service for you! While we cover the general extent of a janitorial service’s offering, it is wise to do your research thoroughly and ask questions if you need to before committing to any contract or trial period.

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All Cleaning

A janitorial service will handle all the cleaning that needs to be done, with the possible exception of laundry and commercial sanitization. Commercial sanitization is usually a service completely separate from any other cleaning service, as is laundry unless you have a housekeeper who tends to such things. A janitorial service will be responsible for indoor cleaning: the usual wiping down and sanitizing (with sanitizing spray or wash) surfaces, floors and walls, interior windows, dusting, mirrors, and all appliances. Polishing would be included in this facet of the service as well. They take care of outside cleaning too; gutters, walls, windows, driveways, etc. Sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping fall under general cleaning as, without these, the house or venue would not be completely spotless! Things like dishes may or may not be included in their offering; that sort of task usually falls more to a housekeeper. Sometimes janitorial teams have one staff member attending to that kind of task; other times, you may need to hire someone separately. Refuse removal is included in a standard janitorial offering.

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Light Maintenance

What sets a janitorial team apart from other cleaning teams is that they usually undertake light maintenance. Ensuring that light bulbs are all working, cleaning out gutters when they’re blocked with leaves and debris, unclogging a toilet or drain, handling a leaf blower, rake, or shoveling snow. The janitorial staff is also responsible for ensuring that the heating and cooling are working. If the repair of either of these goes beyond the level of their expertise, they are responsible for either letting the property owner or manager know or calling a repair person themselves. Janitors would tend to the lawns and gardens, including trees and hedges. If an overhanging branch is too low, if the grass needs cutting, if the hedge needs to be trimmed, this would be on their to-do list for the day. Seasonal maintenance, such as ensuring there are no leaks or fixing ones that exist, replacing a missing roof tile here or there, ensuring there is wood if fireplaces heat the venue or home, would also fall under their purview. Restocking things like toilet paper and hand soap in public restrooms might also be part of the maintenance they are required to carry out. Working knowledge of some power tools is essential for some staff, depending on their position, as there are times when these may be needed to carry out maintenance.

Following Instructions, Rules, and Precautions

Anyone on a janitorial staff must be comfortable following instructions from the head of the group and working as a team to get things done. The tasks will be split up among the staff, and everyone must finish their work for the job as a whole to be considered complete. All janitorial staff need to stick to the tasks set out for them and have a strong work ethic, ticking things off their list one by one as each job is completed. If a team does not finish the list provided by you, the client, it's not likely that you’ll hire that service again. Janitorial teams are required by their employers to follow all the rules on or in whichever property they are maintaining. This includes ensuring that windows are closed and locked, turning off lights and plugs, and locking doors when they have completed their daily work. Teams like this are usually very thorough as they know that their employment depends on doing the job well. Janitorial staff is also well trained in following safety precautions, particularly when operating power tools or carrying out any work at heights.

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Wrap Up

There is a lot to consider when hiring a team of people to help you out at your home or business. Some elements may take some getting used to, but when you find the right team, and you just click, you’ll know that it was all worth it in the long run. Best of luck!

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes