What comes to mind when you hear or read the word ‘janitor’? If you are like most of us, you imagine the janitor from your high school. You might even imagine what his daily janitorial cleaning was like. But does your imagination reflect reality? It has been our experience that organizations tend to underestimate the importance of daily janitorial cleaning.
By the strictest definition of terms, janitorial and commercial cleaning are distinct and separate. However, commercial cleaning companies often include daily janitorial cleaning on the list of services. We certainly do. Yet some organizations prefer to manage janitorial cleaning in-house while outsourcing commercial cleaning. It is all good as long as spaces are kept clean.
Janitorial Is Day-To-Day
As a general rule, janitorial cleaning is considered day-to-day cleaning. It involves routine tasks like mopping the floors, vacuuming, taking out the trash, and cleaning restrooms. Most janitorial tasks do not require a lot of expensive equipment or cleaning supplies.
As far as scheduling, tasks can be managed weekly, daily, or even several times per day. Consider the following examples:
- Restrooms – Restrooms usually need cleaning at least a couple of times daily. Spot cleanings are utilized during the workday followed by a deep clean overnight.
- Carpets – It is typical to vacuum carpets once daily. Vacuuming is managed whenever foot traffic is lightest.
- Floor Cleaning – Hard surface floors may be swept on a daily basis, but mopping or deep cleaning with the commercial cleaner is less frequent. Weekly mopping is not abnormal.
The one thing all these tasks have in common is routine. They are the most frequent tasks required to keep a place looking surface clean. Yet janitorial cleaning rarely goes deeper than that. When an organization needs deep cleaning, it is time to bring in commercial cleaners.
Commercial Cleaning Is More Intense
Where janitorial cleaning addresses light, routine tasks on a regular schedule, commercial cleaning is a bit more intense. It is more intense in terms of labor, tasks, and the strategies, tools, and cleaning solutions crews rely on.
Commercial cleaning is also done on a schedule. Weekly, monthly, and quarterly scheduling is fairly common. The types of tasks an organization would address through commercial cleaning include things like:
- Shampooing carpets.
- Deep cleaning hard surface floors.
- Power washing and steam cleaning.
- At-height window washing.
- Equipment cleaning.
Note that there are professional cleaning companies whose sole focus is more intense commercial cleaning. There are others, like All Pro Cleaning Systems, which combine both routine janitorial cleaning and deeper commercial cleaning.
Deep Cleaning Isn’t More Important
Getting back to janitorial cleaning, the key thing to remember is that it’s not less important than commercial cleaning. Another way to say it is that deep cleaning isn’t more important than routine cleaning. Both are equally important for their own reasons.
The importance of routine janitorial cleaning can be encapsulated in two words: health and appearance. From a health standpoint, clean environments tend to be healthier environments. Janitorial cleaning keeps germs in check. It prevents mold and bacteria growth. It contributes to cleaner, healthier air.
From an appearance standpoint, no one wants to be in a dirty space. Employees working in a dirty office may be less motivated. Their surroundings might encourage them to not be as productive. They might figure that there is no reason for them to care if their employer doesn’t care enough to keep the place clean. A clean appearance obviously matters to customers and vendors as well.
Whether you outsource cleaning or handle things in-house, never underestimate the importance of routine janitorial cleaning. It is just as important as deeper commercial cleaning.
