Commercial janitorial services play an essential role in the success of your business. Whether your commercial space or office needs waste removal, window washing, or bathroom cleaning, regular janitorial services can help keep your work environment productive and presentable.

Prioritizing workplace cleanliness can save businesses time and money by improving staff productivity and morale and reducing unplanned absences due to preventable, contagious illnesses. But maintaining an in-house cleaning crew can be expensive, which is why many business owners and facility managers turn to commercial janitorial service companies.

Fortunately, research has shown that outsourcing janitorial tasks can significantly increase the quality of cleaning services done in office buildings. Using trained commercial cleaners means that the work can be done faster, too.

How commercial janitorial services and commercial cleaning differ

Some businesses may combine or confuse what commercial janitorial and commercial cleaning services involve. Often, these two types of services should both be part of your commercial cleaning and maintenance routine. But it’s important to remember that they serve distinct purposes.

In a residential setting, janitorial services would cover many of the same cleaning tasks that housekeeping services cover. Businesses need janitorial services to take care of day-to-day messes so that their facilities stay in a presentable and manageable condition.

Commercial janitorial services can include:

Removing trash and recycling
Window cleaning
Dusting or wiping down workplace surfaces (desks, office equipment, furniture, light fixtures)
Carpet cleaning (steam-cleaning and vacuuming)
Mopping hard-surface floor (tile, hardwood, laminate, and vinyl)
Restroom cleaning and restocking (paper towels, sanitary products, toilet paper, seat covers, changing pads)
Wiping down break rooms, kitchens, and other common spaces

In contrast, commercial cleaning services consist of specialized cleaning that’s done less frequently. For example, to keep hard-surface floors clean, janitorial services would likely include mopping, while commercial cleaning might include steam-cleaning, polishing, and waxing instead.

How commercial janitorial services are priced

Like other types of cleaning service packages, pricing for commercial janitorial services can be estimated using square footage or on an hourly basis per professional cleaner. Area-based pricing can range between $0.15 to $0.25 per square foot, while hourly pay per janitorial cleaner averages $30 to $40 an hour.

But while these ranges can be helpful to get an idea of what your business could pay for similar services, pricing can vary significantly. Factors that can affect pricing include:

Your region and its relative cost of living
Whether your chosen janitorial company charges more for certain tasks (e.g., bathroom cleaning, window washing, sanitization)
How often does your business needs janitorial services and what your hours of operation are

How each cleaning company plans, schedules, and prices its services can differ, so it’s important to compare service packages holistically.

What to know when looking for commercial janitorial services

Finding the best janitorial services for your company can feel like a long process. Many companies will promise to meet your business’s needs without actually knowing what those needs are.

Enter those conversations ready with specific questions about your business, your industry, and your facilities. You’ll be better equipped to compare and select janitorial services that will work for your business long-term.

Once you’ve gathered a shortlist of reputable options, here are four things to ask commercial janitorial service companies before hiring one.

Ask what types of tasks their services include

Looking around your commercial space or offices, write down a list of regular cleaning tasks you would like done — now and in the future. Then, ask companies that you’re interested in to describe what kind of services they include.

If their service packages don’t include a service on your list — even if it’s not one you plan on incorporating right away — that’s a sign to look elsewhere.

Six months down the line, when you need disinfection or event clean-up services that they don’t offer, finding someone who does provide those services will cost you more time and money.

You should also check whether they recommend or offer office deep cleaning services. Well-trained cleaning professionals will know how valuable regular deep cleans are for future property maintenance, so this will tell you whether they’re thinking about your contract as a long-term relationship or a short-term transaction.

Ask about training for office cleaning services

You also need to ensure that companies provide trained cleaners who know how to work in office environments with professionalism and integrity. Often, professional cleaners complete compliance training to learn how to handle being around sensitive information.

Many industries need to take care to minimize the risk of information leaks to protect their brands’ reputations and comply with legal regulations. Information security is paramount when cleaners work in organizations like:

Banks
Government buildings
Publicly-traded corporations
Private companies with trade secrets
Medical offices
Universities and schools

Ask about industry-specific experience

Although janitorial services generally include common tasks like emptying the trash or cleaning floors, some businesses, especially based on industry, will require different services or cleaning products.

And while training is an important component, you’ll want to choose a janitorial company with actual experience with businesses in your field.

For example, when providing medical cleaning services, janitorial companies need to take care to prevent cross-contamination. That’s a serious concern for healthcare institutions, so they would want professional cleaners with the right combination of training and experience doing that work.

Ask about industrial janitorial services

If your business operates any industrial spaces, like power plants, manufacturing facilities, shipping centers, or construction sites, you need janitorial services professionals trained to work in industrial spaces.

Many of these facilities rarely close, which means cleaners will provide your janitorial services during working hours. You need to know everyone has the proper training or experience to stay safe while on-site.

And you can ask whether different janitorial services companies provide protective equipment for their employees as well as what kind of construction site clean-up services they offer, like moving debris, transporting dumpsters, or portable toilet management.

JK Janitorial can do all this and more.

If you need janitorial services that you can count on, turn to JK Janitorial. We’ve been working with businesses across the southern and midwestern United States since 1987. Our trained staff provides commercial janitorial services with professionalism, attention to detail, and consistency for customers in every industry.

And we do green cleaning by default, which means our services can help keep businesses clean and healthy for everyone. Contact us today to learn how we can plan and schedule commercial janitorial services that meet your business’s needs.