Everyone’s awareness of cleanliness and sanitation has increased over the past few years. It’s on our mind while we drop kids off at school, run errands, and especially when we go to work as we try to protect ourselves, families, coworkers, and employees. The pandemic has made employers take a closer look at facility cleaning and sanitizing practices to ensure workplace safety and retain workers, and it’s made employees look at what they can clean in their workspaces. Cleaning and sanitizing are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different things. Let’s review what each of these are before we dive into why they’re important.
Cleaning
Cleaning means removing visible dirt, dust, and other debris from workplace and facility surfaces. Usually this is done with a wet cloth or wipe to wipe down surfaces, either with water alone or with soap. For example, cleaning off a break room counter with a wet rag.
Generally, cleaning surfaces doesn’t kill germs but could remove some of them. Cleaning also helps sanitizing be more effective.
Sanitizing
Sanitizing refers to lowering the amount of germs to a “safe level.” Your facility’s “safe level” depends on if you have specific workplace requirements or public health standards. Typically sanitizing practices vary between facilities because each one is different. As sanitizing examples, you could wipe down a desk using antibacterial wipes or use a chemical disinfectant to sanitize workplace floors.
How Germs Spread
Germs and viruses spread when someone touches something that is contaminated and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and carry viruses with them. A person can become infected by touching a surface where these droplets land before touching their eyes, mouth, or nose. In addition to cleaning and sanitizing, frequent hand washing prevents virus transmission from infected surfaces.
Your Workspace
In addition to your facility’s commercial cleaning, employees can help to clean and sanitize their workspaces. It’s important to regularly clean and sanitize telephones, computer equipment, and other frequently touched surfaces. Provide employees with cleaning products that are safe to use and will not damage office equipment.
Have Cleaning and Sanitizing Questions?
No matter how big (or small) your facility’s cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting needs are, Joncowest has you covered! Contact us today and we can discuss how to help you!
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
It’s important to find a commercial cleaning services that you can work well with as a team. One way to learn more about commercial cleaners is to ask each potential cleaner a series of questions–kind of like an interview. It helps you to learn more about them and allows them to ask you questions as well.
1. What type of commercial cleaning services do they provide?
An important question is the type of services offered and the specifications around your services. Ask specifically about the types of services and what types of equipment will be used. The details of the cleaning services need to be clear whether you have janitorial, day porter, cleanroom, data center cleaning, or facility maintenance services.
Several factors impact the pricing including square footage and types of services required. Make sure the pricing information is detailed and captures everything you need. Review how and when you will be billed (payment due dates, preferred payment methods, how you’ll be billed).
2. How Much Do Their Cleaning Services Cost?
The following question is evident if you are aware of the cleaning services you require and the services that possible cleaning providers supply. What are the costs of using their cleaning services? It is acceptable for you to put the bottom line first as a responsible business owner, but bear in mind that value does not always equate to the lowest price.
Most commercial contracts will require a professional cleaning agency to inspect the premises before providing an estimate. If your budget is tight, you might need to be flexible about the services you can truly afford. In either case, though, making a significant financial commitment to specialized cleaning and maintenance will be worthwhile.
3. Are you CIMS Certified?
When an office cleaning company gets a CIMS certification from ISSA, it’s like giving them a gold star. It shows their skills in cleaning and running their business. So, if you see a cleaning company with this certification, you can be confident that they do an excellent job and understand how to manage things effectively.
It’s a big deal in the cleaning world!
4. Does the Cleaning Company Have Proper Insurance?
Your commercial cleaning company must manage and inspire its employees after attracting qualified individuals and training them. What kind of staff a commercial cleaning service has and how they feel about their employees generally will determine how successful they are in the cleaning business.
What kind of employees a cleaning service has and how they feel about their employees generally will determine how successful they are in the cleaning company. Even excellent employees with extensive training require a sense of importance and even vitality to their organizations. They must be made accountable and given rewards for excellent work. And when workers aren’t doing their jobs well, they need to be managed to perform better or fired to save you money.
5. Do They Have Their Own Equipment and Supplies?
When all you need to give a professional cleaning service is a contract, they are worth the money. Whatever cleaning services your facility needs, a good cleaning service should be able to provide them. Your cleaning service must be flexible, even for unusual or challenging cleaning requirements.
In other words, if a cleaning service you’re considering hiring asks you where your mops are, keep looking! Professional cleaners that are dependable and trustworthy know how to complete the task using their own resources, tools, and labor.
6. How Available is their Scheduling?
You should check how flexible their scheduling is. Can they work when it’s convenient for you? Some cleaning companies can come weekly, daily, or every other week, so make sure their schedule matches your needs. It’s important to find a company that can clean when it works best for your office.
7. What have their Previous Customers said about them?
It’s a good idea to find out what other people who used their services have said. You can read reviews or ask for references from the cleaning company. This will help you know if their previous clients were happy with the cleaning they got. It’s like getting a recommendation from friends before trying a new restaurant – it can give you confidence in your choice.
Get Your Business the Best Commercial Cleaning Company
The questions you should ask a potential commercial cleaning business should be clear to you by this point in the text. You deserve to feel at ease knowing that your company is being taken care of appropriately. You should now feel confident spending money on cleaning services. After all, you want to be sure that your investment will pay off. Simply put, a clean, well-kept facility is more beneficial to the company. Never undervalue the importance of a clean, hospitable, and modern atmosphere.
In actuality, that is where we can assist you. We like being in a position to give businesses the best facility care and upkeep. For this reason, we urge you to hire our best commercial cleaning services.
Clients who want dependable cleaning services do a great job and are reasonably priced. They may also prefer services that use eco-friendly products and can work around their schedule.
Cleaning supplies such as sprays, soaps, and clothes are used to clean things. We also have vacuums, mops, and brushes to help us clean floors and other surfaces. These tools and products assist us in keeping your home clean and tidy.
You might hear the term cleanroom get tossed around, but what does it actually mean? Cleanrooms require that contaminants in the air are highly controlled in order to meet specific standards (more details on this in a moment). Without strict monitoring, contaminants can destroy cleanroom processes and equipment in specialized environments. Several industries require controlled environments, including food production, scientific research, pharmaceuticals, biotech, and manufacturers (aerospace, military, medical devices). We’ll take a closer look at types of cleanroom contamination before we dive into helpful best practices to ensure you keep contaminants out.
How Cleanrooms Get and Stay Clean
Cleanrooms work by using High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters to sift particles out of the air as it enters the room. HEPA filters are 99.97% effective at eliminating contaminants from the air, such as dust, pollen, bacteria, mold, and other airborne particles.
In addition to efficient filters, commercial cleaning services help cleanrooms meet standards. At Joncowest, the cleanroom cleaning program is called TrueClean. Here are the steps we follow:
Before starting, the janitorial staff suits up in sterile gowns before entering the cleanroom.
Next, any large or visible trash is swept into receptacles and disposed of properly.
Staff applies approved disinfectants to counters, walls, and floors and allowed to dry;
We use non-shedding cloths on walls and counters and a sterile mop for floors.
Staff disinfects ventilation system grates, but we don’t access internal components because some cleanroom ventilation systems are specially related to the function of the cleanroom
Outside air is filtered through a HEPA or ULPA system before it’s pumped into the cleanroom. Contaminated air within the cleanroom gets forced outside by registers in the room or it’s recirculated through the filters again.
Cleanroom Classifications
Cleanroom classifications refer to the cleanliness of the air, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) establishes these standards. ISO 14644-1:2015 specifies the classification of air cleanliness in terms of concentration of airborne particles in cleanrooms and clean zones. A cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is specified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size. As a reference, typical outside air in a city environment contains 35,000,000 particles per cubic meter that are 0.5 micron and larger in diameter. This level of clean air corresponds to an ISO 9 cleanroom–toward the lowest level of cleanroom standards.
The office environment has changed during the pandemic, and now some employers offer more flexibility in employee schedules. While this is great for employees, it could mean that facilities need to adjust their cleaning for hybrid workers to avoid extra germs and keep employees safe. We’ll cover some tips to help!
Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, and Sterilizing
While the terms cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Here’s a quick summary:
Cleaning removes visible dirt, dust and other debris from facility surfaces.
Sanitizing removes surface bacteria.
Disinfecting kills harmful surface bacteria and viruses.
Sterilizing kills all surface microorganisms.
It’s important to understand the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing so your facility’s needs get met. Disinfecting does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, so it’s best to clean and disinfect. Cleaning alone doesn’t necessarily disinfect or sanitize surfaces. In general, a combination of products and services can help you meet your facility’s needs.
With employees going back and forth between working at home and at the office, it’s essential to utilize professional cleaners, but there are also ways for your employees to help. Professional cleaners like Joncowest provide cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting because they have strict protocols and extensive task lists to ensure the facility is clean. Plus, professional cleaners have access to effective cleaning products and tools.
Education for Employees
In addition to using professional cleaners, you can educate your employees about cleaning and disinfecting individual areas and shared workspaces–especially if it’s more of an open workspace setup. Explaining how germs spread within the facility and providing products to mitigate germs is another layer to help reduce risk.
In addition to educating your employees, promoting good hygiene and providing supplies can also help between cleanings. For example, provide antibacterial wipes and set up hand sanitizing stations for employees and visitors. You can establish a set of “best practices” so employees are aware of what products are available for them to clean and disinfect their work area. You can also inform employees about what steps you’re taking to clean, sanitize and disinfect, such as hiring professional cleaners like Joncowest.
Facility’s Sick Policy
Review your facility’s sick policy and ensure employees are aware when they should stay home. Prior to the pandemic, many employees would continue to go into work even if they were sick. These days, more employees are encouraged to stay home if they’re experiencing symptoms to avoid spreading germs unnecessarily. With a hybrid office environment, employees who aren’t feeling well can take a sick day or work from home if they’re allowed per the facility’s sick policy.
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
Commercial cleaning contracts ensure the facility and the cleaning company are on the same page regarding services and pricing. It’s a business agreement that outlines all the details, so a clear understanding helps prevent potential hiccups later. We’ll cover what details to review in a commercial cleaning contract, including services, pricing, scope of work, supplies, and the fine print.
Why are contracts for commercial cleaning necessary?
A business contract guarantees that you and your clients agree to the services you will render, their timing, and how you will be compensated. When you have a formal document, it can also be simpler to settle any problems.
Use your contract and the scope of your services to negotiate any changes if a client wants to raise your level of service without increasing payment.
Whatever name you give the agreement—commercial cleaning contract, janitorial service contract, cleaning service agreement—whatever it is, it all boils down to the fact that both parties must agree to particular terms and put them in writing.
1. Types of Services
An important contract piece is the type of service and its specifications. The contract should detail what services the commercial cleaning company will provide and what equipment will be used. The details of the cleaning services need to be specified in your contract whether you have janitorial, day porter, cleanroom, data center cleaning, or facility maintenance services.
For example, if you’re signing a contract for day porter services, the contract should include the specific areas for maintenance and types of spot cleaning.
2. Scope of Work and Supplies
The commercial cleaning company does a walk-through of the facility during the bidding process and captures the following details to help create the estimate and contract.
Frequency of cleaning (once a week, three times a week, five times a week) and a schedule
Overall square feet of the facility
Types of floor surfaces and square footage of each (carpet, vinyl flooring, ceramic tile)
Types of rooms in the facility–general office, break room, restrooms, etc. Information should also note the number of toilets/stalls and fixtures in each restroom and the types of restroom supplies preferred.
Any special considerations include heavy traffic areas, elevators, special requests, etc.
Setup of furniture in the facility. For example, is it tight with a lot of furniture, offices, and partitions, or is it more wide open?
Details about the specific services for the facility and the frequency of each. This can be a task list. For example, some buildings may need dusting done more frequently than others.
Specifications regarding who is responsible for supplies–the commercial cleaner or the client (trash bags, restroom supplies, etc.)
3. Pricing
Several factors impact the pricing, including square footage and types of services required. Make sure the pricing information is detailed and captures everything you need. Review how and when you will be billed (payment due dates, preferred payment methods, how you’ll be billed).
4. The Fine Print
Review the length of the contract, how to renew it, and how to cancel the contract if needed. If there’s information about how to dispute an issue, review that information as well. These details can help you and the commercial cleaning business. For example, who should you contact if you have an issue?
Benefits of using a contract for cleaning services
Review the length of the contract, how to renew it, and how to cancel the contract if needed. If there’s information about how to dispute an issue, review that information as well. These details can help you and the commercial cleaning business. For example, who should you contact if you have an issue?
Contact Us
We’ll work with you to create a plan that suits your facility’s needs. We’ve provided superior commercial cleaning services for 50 years and are experts in the business. Contact us, and we’ll help!
Contract cleaning is great because experts do the cleaning job really well. Plus, it keeps things consistently clean by having a regular schedule making sure your place stays neat and hygienic.
If you require cleaning services for your business, simply inform them that you are interested in a cleaning contract. Inquire about the services they offer and advise meeting with them to iron out details such as frequency of cleaning and pricing. It’s an easy way to start a discussion!
The pandemic put a spotlight on cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing. It made us more aware of the cleanliness of our homes, and made employers take a closer look at facility sanitizing and disinfecting practices. We’ll compare these four terms more closely so you can be sure what type of services your facility needs.
Cleaning
Cleaning refers to removing visible dirt, dust, and other debris from facility surfaces. Typically a wet cloth or wipe is used to wipe down surfaces, either with water alone or with soap. For example, wiping down a dirty breakroom table with a wet rag.
Cleaning surfaces doesn’t necessarily kill germs but might remove some of them. Plus, cleaning helps other steps be more effective (sanitizing, disinfection, and sterilizing).
Sanitizing
You can sanitize by cleaning, disinfecting, or both. The true definition of sanitizing refers to lowering the number of germs to a safe level. The “safe level” for your facility depends on if you have specific workplace requirements or public health standards. As a result, sanitizing practices vary between facilities. For example, you could wipe down a desk using antibacterial wipes to sanitize it or use a chemical disinfectant to sanitize workplace floors.
Disinfecting
Disinfecting prevents the spread of infection and germs by using chemicals to kill them. Plus, disinfectants are the only products the EPA approves to kill viruses on hard surfaces. While sanitizers can be used on hard surfaces as well, they don’t always disinfect.
Disinfectants can vary, so you want to make sure you select the right type for your facility. Typically the label lists what type of bacteria and viruses the disinfectant kills or inactivates. For example, restaurants, gyms and medical facilities need to kill dangerous bacteria and viruses that can cause harm, such as salmonella, MRSA and COVID-19. The EPA and the CDC offer information about which products to use to kill certain germs.
Sterilizing
For some facilities, like surgical rooms and laboratories, sterilizing is necessary. Sterilizing destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial life–not only bacteria or viruses. Sterilizing is a specialized service that isn’t required in everyday homes.
Which Method to Use?
Let’s summarize what you’ve read:
Cleaning removes visible dirt, dust and other debris from facility surfaces.
Sanitizing removes surface bacteria.
Disinfecting kills harmful surface bacteria and viruses.
Sterilizing kills all surface microorganisms.
It’s important to understand the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing so your facility’s needs get met. Disinfecting does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, so it’s best to clean and disinfect. Cleaning alone doesn’t necessarily disinfect or sanitize surfaces. In general, a combination of products and services can help you meet your facility’s needs.
The term “green cleaning” gets tossed around a lot. You might be wondering what this term actually means. Green cleaning refers to an eco-friendly approach to the cleaning products and tools to have as little impact as possible on our environment.
You need to use products to properly clean and disinfect. However, some cleaning products contain chemicals that can damage air, water and human health. Cleaning efficiently and reducing waste also helps our planet.
Green Cleaning Benefits
Green cleaning can keep everything clean without taking a toll on the environment. Here are some green cleaning benefits:
Reduces exposure to toxic chemicals
Improves facility’s air quality and reduces energy usage
Reduces the environmental footprint of your facility
Reduces the risk of respiratory issues among staff
Improves workplace air quality
Helps cleaning employees and facility employees who have asthma, allergies or other sensitivities.
Some products can cause headaches, irritate respiratory systems and cause other health problems.
Some cleaning products can cause skin rashes
Decreases chemical runoff in the water (cleaning chemicals reach drains and pipes that lead to pollution of streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater
In addition to these benefits, committing to green cleaning has client advantages as well:
Demonstrates the company’s effort to improve its environmental impact
Preserves the quality of office furniture, equipment, and floors so they last longer, which saves money long term
Elevates client’s brand because they’re environmentally conscious
Demonstrates client’s commitment to employee health
Examples of Green Cleaning
Green cleaning looks different depending on the facility and the client. Here are some examples to consider:
Safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products (for example, ammonia-free glass cleaner)
Recycled paper products
Energy-efficient cleaning equipment
Microfiber cleaning and dusting cloths, mop heads
Quality equipment made to last (buckets, vacuums, scrubbers, etc.)
Recycling and waste disposal
Earth day occurs in April, but the entire month is about focusing on the planet, sustainability and how to make the world a better place. If you’re interested in hearing more about Joncowest’s green cleaning options, please contact us!
Cleanrooms require that contaminants in the air are highly controlled in order to meet specific standards. Without strict monitoring, contaminants can destroy cleanroom processes and equipment in specialized environments. Several industries require controlled environments, including food production, scientific research, pharmaceuticals, biotech, and manufacturers (aerospace, military, medical devices). We’ll take a closer look at types of cleanroom contamination before we dive into helpful best practices to ensure you keep contaminants out.
Types of Cleanroom Contamination
A majority of cleanroom contamination comes from people who work in the cleanrooms. As a result, many cleanroom employees It’s important to ensure that cleaning doesn’t add additional particles to the room. Cleanrooms typically have two categories of contaminants that are monitored during quality control and quality assurance: nonviable and viable. Viable contaminants have living organisms and nonviable contaminants are nonliving particles. Here are some examples of each type:
Nonviable: link, soil, skin flakes, hair, lint, etc.
Viable: bacteria, viruses, molds, and spore-forming organisms
Cleanroom Best Practices
You know that cleanroom contamination comes from the people working in the cleanroom, but cleaning the space can also introduce contaminants. In order to help keep cleanrooms free of contaminants, follow these cleanroom best practices:
Ensure anyone entering the cleanroom is trained properly and understands cleanroom procedures.
Limit entrances and exits to the room (gather supplies and personnel to limit them).
Touch as few work surfaces as possible.
Do not eat, drink, consume mints or chew gum within the cleanroom.
Keep personal items out of the cleanroom, such as phones, keys, wallets, etc.
Smoking must be done prior to 45 minutes before entering the cleanroom.
Avoid perfume, hairspray, lotion, nail polish and cosmetics that could bring extra contaminates into the room.
Move slowly within the cleanroom so you don’t stir up air. Microscopic materials get circulated by movement.
Don’t blow your nose or cough within the cleanroom. And if you’re not feeling well, then don’t enter the cleanroom.
Follow your company’s policies for entering and exiting cleanrooms as well as procedures for putting on and removing gowns.
Avoid excessive talking while in the cleanroom.
Don’t lean against walls, counters or carry items against your body.
Once you’re in a gown, avoid touching your face, mask, or glasses (if applicable). Use the back of your hand if you have to adjust your glasses.
Don’t touch floors with gloved hands.
Practice good hygiene. While this sounds like common sense, the cleaner you are, the fewer contaminants you’ll bring with you.
Cleanroom Classifications
Cleanroom classifications refer to the cleanliness of the air. A cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is specified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size. As a reference, typical outside air in a city environment contains 35,000,000 particles per cubic meter that are 0.5 micron and larger in diameter. This level of clean air corresponds to an ISO 9 cleanroom–toward the lowest level of cleanroom standards.
There are different ISO classes ranging from ISO 1 to ISO 9 with ISO 1 having the least amount of contamination of the smallest particle size and ISO 9 for typical room air. The ISO classes are detailed in the following table.
As an employer or building owner, indoor air quality standards according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration should be taken up urgently. The consequence can be anywhere from uncomfortable working conditions to having a whole building of sick workers as your HVAC system can rapidly recirculate poor quality air, which can affect practically all of the building’s occupants.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA requires employers to follow the OSHA Health Act of 1970 and General Duty Clause of the OSH Act. In particular, employers must provide their employees a safe working environment so that there are no hazards that could cause serious safety or health issues or even death. This includes OSHA Air Quality Standards, which detail particular guidelines to ensure good indoor air quality (IAQ) in the workplace.
What is OSHA standard air quality?
While OSHA states that there is no single test to check the indoor air quality, it clearly states that it is the responsibility of the employers/building owners to check the comfort and conduciveness of the workplace. The factors that affect indoor air quality include:
the right temperature
the humidity
airflow
inspection and testing of ventilation
the heating and air conditioning systems are working according to the requirements for building use
The building owners should also check for odors and leaks which can cause the growth of mold and mildew. Pest droppings are also a possible source of germs circulating in the air. These can lead to asthma, allergic reactions, skin irritation, and respiratory illness of the building’s occupants.
What is acceptable indoor air quality?
For acceptable indoor air quality, carbon dioxide levels can only be up to a maximum of 1000 parts per million (ppm). Should the level go beyond 1000 ppm, this is a possible indication of inadequate ventilation. The temperature should be between 68-75F° during the heating season and relative humidity of 60%. During the cooling season, the temperature should be between 73-79F and relative humidity of 50%.
As for employees’ exposure to chemicals, there are certain guidelines set at the federal, state, or local government units for such pollutants as formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, radon, chlorine, carcinogenic aerosols, volatile organic compounds, and other air or biological contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, and mold/mildew.
What are the 4 OSHA standards?
OSHA has 4 categories of occupational safety and health standards: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture. as each category has its own risks.
What is OSHA’s role in relation to indoor air pollution?
OSHA has certain guidelines for employers to ensure indoor air quality for its employees and building’s occupants. These include maintenance of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, routine cleaning of office spaces and common areas, and proper storage of cleaning and other chemicals in the workplace such as volatile organic compounds, and carcinogenic aerosols. There are also air pollutants such as asbestos and formaldehyde that can lead to long-term ill effects on one’s health.
What is the Sick Building Syndrome?
“Sick Building Syndrome” is a term to describe a situation wherein the workers and occupants of a building manifest health issues/acute diseases that can possibly be linked to or identified with the time spent in the building. These symptoms may be any of the following: headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, allergy-like symptoms, or eyes, nose, and skin irritation.
What are the main causes of Sick Building Syndrome?
The main causes of Sick Building Syndrome (SNS) are poor indoor air quality due to poor ventilation and ill-maintained HVAC systems; lack of fresh air; the presence of mold and mildew due to leaks, exposure to hazardous environmental chemicals such as formaldehyde (in furniture and flooring) or asbestos, environmental pollutants such as in ongoing construction. Outdoor sources such as chemical contaminants from motor vehicles and building exhaust systems are also contributing factors. HVAC systems can rapidly circulate the causes of SBS.
How do you test for Sick Building Syndrome?
There is no definite test for sick building syndrome, but this can be considered a possible outcome especially when there is an increased occurrence of symptoms or diseases among the workers and occupants of the building. These may include respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, skin, eyes, nose, and throat irritation, headache, fatigue, and dizziness.
Who defined Sick Building Syndrome symptoms?
It was the World Health Organization that coined the term “Sick Building Syndrome” in 1986 after their observation wherein up to 30% of newly constructed buildings in the West suffered from poor indoor air quality.
How do you tell if your office is making you sick?
You can tell if your office is making you sick if you experience acute symptoms such as headache, dizziness, respiratory ailments, skin, nose, or eye irritation, fatigue and seem to linger or get worse the longer you stay on the premises. It may disappear upon leaving the building, but some symptoms may manifest after so. When more of your co-employees are experiencing this, it is then most likely due to sick building syndrome.
If you believe that you have reason to believe it is sick building syndrome that you are experiencing, you can first talk to your employer about having the ventilation and the HVAC system checked. If this still fails, you can report anonymously to any of the OSHA offices nearest you.1
As an employer, this is something you do not want because it results in poor productivity, absenteeism, and low employee morale.
Also, while OSHA cannot shut down an office due to an employee’s complaint, it can recommend and the court can order you to shut down operations until you have complied with the guidelines of the OSHA’s Air Quality Standards.
Preventing Sick Building Syndrome Among Workers
Molds easily grow where there are water leaks.Credits: Wiki
1. For chemical contaminants from outdoor sources. This includes pollution from motor vehicle exhaust or building exhaust. Make sure your building’s intake vents are located in a place far from these exhausts.
2. For chemical contaminants from indoor sources. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) primarily come from chemicals such as pesticides, cleaning agents we use. However, they also from items such as adhesives, upholstery, carpeting, copy machines, manufactured wood products. Store your chemicals away from work areas; keep copy machines farther away from work areas too!
3. Electromagnetic radiation. Prevent the emission of electromagnetic radiation from electronic devices such as microwaves, computers, and TVs by properly grounding them.
4. Humidity and temperature check – maintain the temperature and humidity at the recommended levels. During the heating season, the temperature should be between 68-75F° and relative humidity of 60%, During the cooling season, the temperature should be between 73-79F and relative humidity of 50%.
5. Proper ventilation. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers has recently revised ventilation standards to a minimum outdoor airflow rate of 15 cfm/person to improve indoor air quality.
6. Biological contaminants – Have professional cleaners deep clean, disinfect, and sanitize all surfaces from desks to floors and walls. Commercial cleaners have high-grade disinfecting chemicals and the most efficient and sophisticated cleaning equipment. This enables performing sanitizing tasks in a fast and efficient manner. Proper garbage disposal also prevents pest infestation.
Joncowest: Your Partner in Keeping with OSHA Air Quality Standards
Joncowest is your partner in keeping the indoor air quality in check to greatly improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, and make your overall office operations efficient. Aside from greatly reducing viruses, fungi, and bacteria from the surface and those deep into office carpets, we likewise check for leaks to prevent the growth of molds.
Lastly, with the proper garbage disposal, pest infestation is greatly reduced. This can be another serious problem especially when you are in the food and beverage manufacturing business. Contact Joncowest for your commercial cleaning and sanitation needs. We help keep your indoor air quality and overall workplace health and safety in check for more productive and efficient business operations.
Key message: Even with in-house cleaning staff, restaurants are being closed down by health inspectors, and it is not due to COVID. This can make you lose hundreds of dollars a day in net profit. Know why your restaurant needs more than your in-house cleaning staff.
Even with the pandemic crisis gradually getting resolved and businesses are starting to open again, it has permanently brought awareness to the public about hygiene and sanitation of commercial places. With customers becoming more cautious about eating out, they must regain confidence in your restaurant business in doing so. This is how professional restaurant cleaning services – and not just your in-house cleaning staff – can help you win customers back.
This means that in spite of in-house staff taking care of restaurant cleaning, restaurants fail to meet the stringent standards of health inspectors.
How do professionals clean restaurants?
A professional cleaning company uses the latest commercial grade chemicals and equipment to make sure that the client passes inspection standards by local authorities while keeping the safety of both the diners and the restaurant employees in mind.
This includes floor to ceiling cleaning and sanitizing, and will likewise clean the exteriors to prevent infestation. Such a commercial company knows the pain points often neglected by in-house cleaning staff and prioritizes the most critical areas to keep your restaurant the cleaning service it deserves.
Professional cleaning companies are knowledgeable in terms of local laws governing health inspectors’ standards. Your in-house company cleaning staff members most likely are not. So if you want to pass sanitary inspection and avoid closure, hire the pros to do the job.
Commercial cleaning companies are always updated with the best commercial-grade equipment and cleaning chemicals. For example, the EPA has released a list of chemicals approved for COVID, called the listN.
Restaurant cleaning pros know the pain points in terms of the most critical places to deep clean, from food preparation surfaces, hoods, carpets and flooring, to bathrooms.
As for carpet cleaning, it takes more than just a vacuum to do the job. Professional carpet cleaning involves a vacuum that has a HEPA filtration capability, application of a special type of cleaner, then rinse and dry.
Restaurant cleaning professionals can clean hard-to-reach places such as ducts and exhausts, which are often left out by in-house cleaners. A dirty exhaust system is a fire hazard and can result in rejected insurance claims, aside from being a source of airborne illnesses.
Companies providing restaurant cleaning service are certified professionals and know how to deep clean your restaurant at industry standards to keep health inspectors happy and the customers safe.
Importance of Keeping Your Restaurant Clean
Pandemic or not, unsanitary restaurant conditions are very likely to pose a health risk. Food poisoning is not far behind in a dirty restaurant, or employees reporting sick. This can cause a costly legal battle.
A study revealed that 70% of the restaurant-dining public are deterred by failed inspections. Further, local health inspectors do carry out surprise visits and can easily slap a closure order. This closure report is made public.
In this day and age of social media and business platforms such as Yelp, it is quite easy to share a diner’s dissatisfaction when a restaurant has poor sanitary conditions and this creates a bad impression. Negative reviews, once posted, usually stay.
Any day of operation lost due to closure is worth hundreds of dollars down the (greasy) drain. In California, the average daily income of a restaurant is $1652.
What Areas in Your Restaurant Do You Want to Be Cleaned?
The Restaurant Kitchen
Commercial kitchen cleaning is very crucial to your restaurant business in order to prevent foodborne illness. It also prevents accidents when floors are clean,
Clean all surfaces including countertops, food preparation areas, doors, windows, and walls. Even ceilings should be cleaned about once a month to prevent grease buildup. Germs can live up to 7 days on a porous surface such as granite and tiles, and up to 72 hours for stainless steel.
Sanitizing freezer doors, handles, grill, hoods, and other food equipment including ice machines and freezers.
Cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen floor. This starts with mopping but should definitely not end there. Failure to sanitize kitchen floors leads to bacteria growth and food buildup. As a result, it can cause foodborne illness and cause vermin infestation.
Cleaning buckets – these buckets (which are color-coded red and green) are also part of the health inspection and inspectors do check what they contain. The green bucket is for the soap and water solution, while the red is for the sanitizing solution. These should be changed when visibly dirty, or every 4 hours.
Trash – this should be emptied when full and washed at least once a week.
Loading docks and dumpsters – kitchen cleaning should also include cleaning these areas regularly to prevent pest infestation, one of the most common reasons for health inspectors to order a temporary closure.
Dining Room
Clean and sanitize doorknobs – restaurant cleaning staff often neglect doorknobs, when in reality, it only takes two to four hours to spread the germs from the doorknobs/handles to everywhere else in the building.
Sanitize dining seats – Most in-house cleaners don’t even think of cleaning your restaurant chairs, let alone sanitizing them. One study as reported in ABC news is that 70% of restaurant chairs have 17 strains of bacteria on them. Don’t forget the high chairs!
Sanitize tables – Cleaning restaurant tables with rags is not enough. They should be sanitized as well, and cleaning and sanitizing restaurant tables are where in-house cleaners most likely fall short. But what follows is a big surprise.
Tables are cleaned, but the dirtiest things often neglected in restaurant cleaning are the tabletop items! Yes, the condiments and the menu card are laden with germs, with the menu being the dirtiest. Sugar has the least microorganisms among them with 2300 microorganisms, other condiments around 11000 microorganisms. But the dirtiest of all is the menu at 185,000 microorganisms – even dirtier than the toilet seat!
Serving utensils – salad tongs are also a culprit and need sanitizing, same with the serving utensils on a buffet table.
Floors/Carpets – The dining room floor whether carpeted or not, is also a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, dirt, debris, mold, and mildew. Furthermore, being a high-traffic area that is prone to spills, a carpeted dining area can easily be unsightly. Thus, this requires general cleaning and sanitizing about once every 3 months.
Bathrooms
Cleaning bathrooms can be checked by in-house cleaners several times a day, usually, every 15 minutes, to include emptying trash bins, flushing toilets, and cleaning the partitions, faucets, and sinks.
Toilet facts: the toilet seat has about 295 types of bacteria per square inch, the actual toilet bowl has about 3.2 Million bacteria per square inch. Even the flush handle is not spared – while considerably less, still has about 83 types of bacteria per square inch.
Faucetshave about 229,000 bacterial cells per square inch. Even soap dispensers are not spared and harbor millions of bacteria, since soap dispensers are almost always not cleaned.
FAQs in Restaurant Cleaning
How Much Does Restaurant Cleaning Cost?
On average, restaurant cleaning costs $0.18 – $0.29 per square foot or can start at $150 per hour. It may slightly vary as to the cleaning needs and the number of crew. For example, cleaning an exhaust system or range hood is an average of $150 per hour or more.
How much does it cost to clean a kitchen?
Commercial kitchen cleaning costs an average of 150 per hour or an average of $17-$27 per square foot. To save more, check with your cleaning service provider if a long-term kitchen cleaning program can be arranged.
What is included in commercial cleaning?
A complete commercial cleaning service program includes industry-standard floor-to-ceiling cleaning and sanitation. This includes all surfaces that are prone to be breeding grounds for germs, cleaning of equipment, ducts and vents, trash disposal, interiors, and exterior areas to prevent infestation.
Depending on your business, services provided shall be adjusted according to the recommended frequency. As an example, a restaurant cleaning service generally requires more than office cleaning because of the risk of food poisoning.
It does make you wonder that even with an in-house restaurant cleaning staff, how come restaurants still face a temporary closure order by local sanitary inspectors?
This is why it makes a difference to let a commercial cleaning company do the dirty job when it comes to deep cleaning your restaurant. After all, it is a small price to pay compared to losing so much more per day that your restaurant business is slapped with temporary closure orders.
Why You Need to Avail of a Professional Cleaning Service
Even with a seemingly clean restaurant, you still need to hire experts in deep cleaning services. Outsourcing it to professional cleaning service companies has several advantages:
You are hiring professionals who are always up to date with local laws’ sanitation standards and thus help ensure that you pass these inspections.
You need not invest in high-grade commercial cleaning equipment and chemicals – these cleaning service providers always maintain the best commercial equipment for efficient services.
It helps to have a third-party inspect your restaurant and thoroughly clean it – something that your in-house may miss or be unaware of.
Choosing a Restaurant Cleaning Service
There are daily routines that inhouse staff can do minor tasks in cleaning restaurant facilities such as dusting, mopping floors, cleaning walls. However, to make sure that you maintain a clean restaurant that is compliant with local laws, it is best to hire a company with expertise in providing restaurant cleaning services.
When choosing a restaurant cleaning service, search for online reviews, check how long such a commercial cleaning company has been operational, their clientele, certification, and compliance with OSHA standards.
Joncowest has been in the commercial cleaning business since 1975 providing services to restaurants, offices, and warehouses. Request a free quote through our contact form or give us a call today! That way, you can just focus on your business with peace of mind knowing your restaurant is compliant with safety standards.
A lot of foot traffic, movement, and exposure happens within offices. Whether these offices are within medical buildings, schools, or other businesses, all of them require extra attention. There’s no way around long term commercial cleaning.
Offices tend to be a space of congregation and foot traffic. This makes it a prime place for germs, dirt, and other pollutants. In turn this also makes it a hotbed for illness and the like. It seems to be an unavoidable truth. However, with commercial cleaning, this can actually be minimized.
What Does Long Term Commercial Cleaning Look Like?
Joncowest is a leader in long term commercial cleaning. They provide a tailor made schedule for each businesses particular needs. Instead of just getting commercial cleaning during busy months or cold and flu season, Jonco allows businesses and offices to create a customizable schedule that takes into consideration foot traffic, number of people, seasonal changes, etc.
Long term cleaning looks like a flexible schedule that works with the businesses’ needs. For instance, a medical office might need more frequent cleaning around holidays and less during the springtime. This moving schedule allows each space to really get what they need. In addition, long term contracts usually are a better deal than one off jobs here and there.
Moreover, with frequent check ins there is a lot of control and communication. This is a long term partnership that benefits both parties and keeps the safe itself up to code, clean, and safe. While starting can seem very intimidating, it something that is very easy and can be affordable.
With the rise of the second wave of COVID-19, many states and counties are implementing lockdown rules and stay at home orders. However, while this protects many, it doesn’t keep businesses safe. There are so many more regulations and things to keep in mind. This is where commercial janitorial services come in.
Furthermore, these kind of services help pick up any slack or just add an extra layer of security. The team is specially trained to tackle ay problem, space, or need.
To start off, these services provide the obvious, a clean space. You can work with companies like JoncoWest. This particular company is super flexible and can provide a great plan that works for you. Jonco provides restaurant with front house cleaning, back/ kitchen cleaning, and extra cleaning for special events. In the current situation, with new rules and regulations, companies like this go the extra mile to keep your business running safely.
Building on this, as lockdown continues to change regulations and guidelines, it can be hard to keep up. By hiring an outside company, these companies are making sure that they are always in the loop. Moreover, these companies have special training to clean restaurants and kitchen. It’s vital to work with individuals and companies that understand the unique cleaning needs of a restaurant.
