Is Your Cleaning Service Getting Those Additional Details?
October 12th, 2008Is your janitorial company or cleaning staff doing an okay job or a great job! Most properly trained and motivated cleaning personnel do an adequate job at cleaning the basics, but what really separates the “adequate” cleaners from the “extraordinary” cleaners has more to do with the individual’s personal standards rather than the training provided or the standards of the company.
Below is a check list of the areas that are often overlooked, even by some of the best janitors or custodial staff members. If your service is getting at these hidden and often overlooked surfaces, then you are receiving exceptionally good service, and we hope you appreciate it. One way a business can show their appreciation and motivate an already good janitor to be even more conscientious is to tip them, especially at Christmas time.
Check for buildup in the following areas to determine if you are getting “exceptional” service. Check first to make sure that the following cleaning is actually a part of the cleaning service contract. Don’t blame the cleaning personnel if it isn’t! Most of the following detail tasks should be the standard requirements in most cleaning contracts.
Kitchen:
Microwaves: splatters at the top of the microwave.
Smaller appliances and coffee makers.
Back wash ledges and walls behind sinks.
Baseboards & vinyl floor ledges.
Adequate cleaning of the inside of the kitchen trash can.
Crusty buildup around sinks, drains and faucets.
Water dispenser trays.
Bathrooms:
Crusty buildup around faucets, drains & counter sinks.
Pipes and fixtures under open sinks.
Entire toilet seat, under and behind the toilet seat, and the surrounding wall. Rings and streaks on the inside of the toilet.
The urinals and under the urinal blocks.
Thin metal ledges and baseboards around vinyl or tile bathroom walls.
Stall ledges, even the high ones.
Light fixtures (the exposed parts).
General:
Ceiling vents.
Light fixtures (exposed parts).
Behind doors in corners and door frame ledges.
Debris under desks.
Dust under objects on desks and behind monitors.
Carpet edges.
Chair legs and dust buildup on chair parts.
Dust buildup on Venetian blinds over a month old.
Window sills and upper corners.
Phone handsets and receivers.
Smudges on and around light switches.
Under and behind copy machines that move easily.
Phones.
Shop bathrooms cleaned well.
If you have a janitor that not only does a good general cleaning but also has an eye for detail, let them know that you appreciate the extra attention they give you. The cleaning business is often a thankless one, so showing a little gratitude will go a long way to encouraging your janitor to keep up the exceptional work.