Commercial Cleaning: 5 Ways To Save On Your Next Contract

So you're considering a commercial cleaning contract, that's great! There are plenty of companies (including ours) which can help keep your property consistently clean; But there's just one issue: price. This is understandable, as many building owners and managers have budgets to stay within, and the monthly expense of cleaning can quickly get out of hand. Here are five tips that detail ways you can work with cleaning providers to stay within your budget while also getting the service you want.

Before we begin, I can't preface this enough: Do not go with a company simply because they give you the lowest bid. This is known to be a recipe for disaster. While it's certainly possible to find a good deal, the saying still rings true: you get what you pay for.

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Tip #1: Employee Help

Cleaning contract pricing is almost always based off of the scope of work. This is essentially what your cleaning company is providing for the price that you're paying. The more work you ask them to do, the more you're going to be charged. Inversely, anything you take off the scope of work will subsequently decrease the amount of hours it takes to clean, and thus lower the price.

You can leverage this to work for you by having your employees perform simpler, easier tasks for you as opposed to your cleaning company. For example, if you own an office building, have every person take the trash out at their desks and replace the bag themselves, this way you don't have to add this to the scope of work on your cleaning contract.

Tip #2: Cleaning Intensity

When you have your cleaning company come by to perform work, you don't necessarily need them to do a thorough cleaning every single time. There are a few exceptions (educational and medical facilities, for example). You can cut down on the scope of work that I mentioned in the previous point by permitting your cleaning company to spot clean, that is, only clean where you can visibly see that something needs to be cleaned. This is typically on surfaces like floors or walls, and obviously isn't permissible everywhere.

Some companies already do this and build it into their contract, but it's good to check and make sure that this is being done if it is something that you are willing to permit within your building. For the most part, it's pretty standard. You should still have a frequency with which the building is thoroughly cleaned as well.

Tip #3: Cleaning Frequency

Depending on your facility type, you may not need cleaning all that often. If you own an office building, for example, you might only need cleaning once a week. If you're looking to save some money, see if you can possibly cut down your weekly frequency marginally, that way you can cut some hours of cleaning off of the bill and decrease the final price.

Of course, this is not always a good solution. If you're already getting cleaning done no more than once a week, it might not cost much less to have the frequency decreased, as companies often have minimum charges and will price the work out similarly because it takes up opportunities on their schedules. It is not recommended to decrease weekly frequency of cleaning in some industries.

Tip #4: Remember Holidays

Be sure to check with your cleaning provider about holidays. This is especially important if you're getting cleaning done on a daily basis, or similar. Because cleaning is usually structured around a monthly contract, janitorial providers can inadvertently charge for holidays where they were not required to come in and clean.

Be sure to ask your provider about this, and make sure they either factor holidays into their monthly billing process or credit it to your invoice.

Tip #5: Location

When hiring a janitorial provider, ask them if they're factoring transportation costs into their bid. If not - great. If they are, ask them how they're factoring it and where they are located.

It may not be the best move to go with a company that's farther away if they're charging you for transportation costs (for obvious reasons). Be sure to look out for this and find a company near you if that's the case.

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And there you have it! These are five ways you can decrease the monthly bill on your janitorial contract while still having a consistent clean. Of course, some of these may not apply to all industries, so it's important to exercise a little prudence in deciding what will work for you. It's also a good idea to reach out to a trusted expert for an opinion on how to get the most economical clean possible.

If you're located in Southeastern Pennsylvania and you're looking for cleaning services, give us a call! We'd be happy to help and tailor a cleaning package that suits your facility and stays within your budget.

(610) 719-7590 • mike@shearerpm.com