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Budgeting for a cleaning Service

How to budget for a cleaning service and ensure you get the value you need

A lot has changed in the world of commercial cleaning services in the past 5 years. Even in the past 2 years, a lot of what was once considered incredibly comprehensive, as far as a programmatic cleaning regimen from a commercial cleaning service, is now considered commonplace. 

Costs fluctuate, but value does not. This article is meant to help you understand how to budget for, and plan a commercial cleaning program as a business in need of janitorial services.

We are a premier provider of commercial cleaning services in our local areas throughout Iowa and parts of Nebraska and Missouri. 

Below, we’d like to show you some important considerations for you to keep in mind while evaluating a commercial janitorial service. 

Understanding your needs from a cleaning or janitorial service

What type of building are you in? Does management or building owner (if other than you) handle some of the cleaning costs or routines? What type of business do you operate? What does the floorspace look like? How many employees are in the space, and what are their specific needs from a cleaning program? 

Are you unsure of some of these answers? We can provide you with a framework of understanding if you call us. Knowing what to expect is important when considering a commercial cleaning provider. 

Knowing what the going rates and typical contracts look like for hiring a dedicated cleaning service

Understand that square footage and line items on the cleaning list can dictate a lot of the price impact of a cleaning program, but it is not showing the whole picture. 

Base rates might be in the $2-4k range in a metropolitan area for 15-20,000 sq. ft. office buildings. While a small office of a couple thousand square feet and only a few employees could be $200-300 a month. The finishes, building quality and specific needs means that a range of between 5 cents and 50 cents a square foot is typical. 

And even with this range being so wide, there are a lot of factors that go into planning a comprehensive (or even a basic) cleaning program. Be wary of a commercial cleaning agency that quotes a blanket charge without asking appropriate questions. To maintain profitability, a company needs to either scrutinize the details of a space, or they need to be able to adequately pad the quote. If you are getting a 5 second answer, you can almost guarantee that there is a lot of profit in the quote. 

Profit isn’t a bad thing, after all, we are all in business to make money and find success. But, imagine if a commercial cleaning company is only willing to evaluate your business cleaning needs for a few moments over the phone – do you have confidence that their implementation of your cleaning program needs will be sufficient?

For the best cleaning service companies, profit is important, but so is customer satisfaction and long-term relationships. Tidy Ninjas prides itself on long-term, mutually beneficial commercial cleaning relationships. We do our best to retain and properly serve our clients by providing world class service and using premium products.  

Types of service offerings in the commercial cleaning world

Below we have listed some typical offered services in the commercial cleaning world. These items may or may not be applicable to your needs. 

Business Kitchen specific commercial cleaning services

  • Sweep and mop kitchen floors in business food area
  • Remove cobwebs from under cabinets and in corners and cabinets
  • Clean dust from the blinds
  • Clean and disinfect preparations surfaces and countertops
  • Cabinet wipe down
  • Clean and disinfect tables and chairs
  • Dust/light clean of wall hangings
  • Clean accumulated residue around door knobs and handles
  • Vacuuming of carpets
  • Emptying and re-lining waste receptacles
  • Basic cleaning of small appliances
  • Cleaning of inside of microwave
  • Outside cleaning of refrigerator (interior cleaning can be added at an additional charge usually)

General Commercial Cleaning services

  • Dust reasonably accessible window sills, blinds and wall hangings/decor
  • High/low dusting that can be reached with standard equipment
  • Remove visible cobwebs and those from frequently accessed areas
  • Vacuum or brush fabric covered furniture like couches and chairs as requested
  • Vacuum or dust mop carpets or hardwood or vinyl flooring including stairs
  • Clean telephones 
  • Clean areas on desks and tables that are cleared away to remove dust and debris (this does not generally account for moving items like files or day-to-day items that remain on top of surfaces)
  • Vacuum or dust desk chairs as needed
  • Clean glass surfaces throughout office space
  • Emptying and relining trash receptacles
  • Remove trash collection to outside services areas

Some items you may consider when evaluating commercial maid services

What types of services do you need, and what is the frequency of those services? Generally a discount can be applied to the overall costs structure with a longer or more frequently occurring contract. 

Consistency can also help to improve overall hours spent on cleaning, and reduce long-term costs by creating more consistent workloads. 

Reduction in hard costs like fuel and a larger cleaning crew can also cut expenses. If you need the office cleaned daily, there is a cost to the overall hard expenses like fuel and cleaning supplies that grows proportionally. If you want service twice a week, or only on the last day of the week, you may reduce total hard costs, but it may increase the amount of workers needed or the total hours spent on the property due to a larger workload. 

Professional cleaning service companies can help you navigate the spectrum of services and costs that are involved and may be able to help you find a way to select certain cleaning services while forgoing others to ensure you can meet a strict budget requirement if you have one. 

Some final tips to maximize your success in finding the right partner

  1. Don’t be afraid to shop around.
  2. Ask similar questions to ensure you are getting what you need, and can evaluate candidate companies on an equal footing.
  3. Check their credentials and their references to ensure you are working with a reputable company that does not open you up to liability or security concerns.
  4. Don’t be afraid to be transparent about your budget or hard limits on your cost structure.
  5. Get quotes in writing – follow up with a mutually signed contract that you agree with and be aware of any clauses that may give you cause for concern.
  6. Do your part to make sure the services can be completed (this may include getting keys cut, security allowances, educating employees on best practices, etc.).
  7. Check to ensure that the company is doing the work you need them to, and alert them early on if something is not satisfactory.
  8. Explain to staff that will be on premise to clean if you need them to be aware of any safety hazards, or if you need them to keep an eye on any infrastructure or assets to ensure that you can have smooth sailing during your contract.

Tidy Ninjas serves the Kansas City Area, Omaha area, and Quad Cities Iowa areas with commercial cleaning services, maid service, day porter services and for general commercial cleaning needs. We are a premier provider of services and invite you to reach out and see how we can help you achieve the results you want at an affordable price point.

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