What is the Difference Between Commercial and Residential Cleaning?

Professional cleaning is an umbrella term that can mean anything from mopping, dusting, and tidying to scrubbing and washing. When you hire a cleaning company, you want to make sure that you receive the right services. 

However, there are two options to consider when it comes to professional cleaning: Commercial and Residential cleaning. 

As you can guess, if you’re looking to clean an apartment, townhouse, or detached home, you most likely need residential cleaning.  It focuses on the sanitizing and tidying of a domestic household. 

But you might be wondering “what does commercial cleaning mean”?  Commercial cleaning refers to the cleaning of commercial or industrial spaces, which often require specialized equipment and processes due to the different materials involved and the volume of high-traffic spaces.

What Does Residential Cleaning Mean?

Residential cleaning is your go-to choice when you’re looking for regular or semi-regular deep cleaning for your home. This typically doesn’t involve any special equipment or industrial chemicals as most homes don’t require these added measures. 

Residential cleaning can save you time and effort when you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of cleaning on top of everything else on your to-do list. It is also going to be more detailed and thorough than a commercial cleaning because your home is a smaller space that requires a closer look day-to-day.

What Does Commercial Cleaning Mean?

The meaning of commercial cleaning varies depending on the type of establishment being cleaned. It typically refers to the cleaning of a business, such as a store or an office cleaning, and may include a variety of specialized cleaning techniques, equipment, and cleaning products or chemicals. 

Commercial cleaning typically covers the cleaning of carpet or tile floors, walls (internal and partition), office furniture, lighting, and windows, as well as specific cleaning for dining and kitchen areas and bathroom facilities. 

Some elements of commercial or office cleaning will likely be done more or less often, depending on how high-traffic an area is. For instance, emptying trash bins and cleaning toilets typically needs to be done every week, while washing the carpets can be done at 4 or 6-month intervals. 

Some companies choose to perform their cleaning in-house with permanent employees, while others may hire companies by contract to take care of the cleaning for them. This has many advantages including a lower cost, more flexible timing, and less risk to the company.

 

Commercial and Residential Cleaning

 

What’s the Difference Between Commercial and Residential Cleaning?

While some people might think that commercial cleaning is a good way to get a “better” cleaning for their home, the fact is that commercial cleaning is only better for commercial spaces. The specialized equipment and cleaning products are only necessary for certain industrial or office spaces, and won’t make for a cleaner home. 

There are many differences between the two types of cleaning that make each suitable for their targeted spaces. For instance, commercial cleaning may involve handling hazardous materials, which a residential cleaner would not have experience with.

What Equipment Do Commercial Cleaners Use?

Depending on the type of business premises, a commercial cleaner may use industrial carpet cleaning machines, high-powered vacuums, water-fed poles for cleaning high windows, and floor polishers. 

Contracting a commercial cleaner gives you access to their equipment without having to purchase it yourself. A good commercial cleaning company will also be insured to use their own equipment, giving you an advantage in attempting to clean in-house.

 

Citi Cleaning services

 

What Types of Businesses Need Commercial Cleaning?

Commercial cleaning is appropriate for any type of business requiring janitorial services. This includes regular cleaning as well as maintenance related to the building, such as removing litter and discarding trash from bins, and replacing liner bags. 

  • Apartment Buildings
  • Offices
  • Malls 
  • Schools
  • Government Buildings
  • Event Centers
  • Medical Facilities
  • Showrooms
  • Restaurants
  • Data Centers
  • Stores
  • Factories

 

How to Find Commercial Cleaners

While some cleaning companies may offer both residential and commercial cleaning, many people find it best to go with a company dedicated to commercial cleaning. These may have greater resources and staff to meet the demand of businesses in need of specialized cleaning services.

Start by considering the type of cleaning you need and what your priorities are as a business. While a luxury corporate office building may want shining floors and sparkling windows, a medical clinic may focus solely on the consistent disinfecting of surfaces. 

See which cleaning businesses in your area offer what you’re looking for, and compare costs. Many commercial cleaners will charge a base rate by the square foot, with add-ons for special requests.

Cleaning company in Orlando, FL

 

Looking for a Commercial Cleaner You Can Trust?

With years of perfecting methods and cleaning with specialized high-end products and equipment, the Citi Cleaning team has the expertise needed to transform your commercial space into a tidy and pristine environment for your business. 

Citi Cleaning specializes in a wide range of janitorial services and office cleanings, such as pressure washing, floor waxing, and carpet cleaning for businesses of all sizes. We work with your schedule to provide the highest quality of disinfection and decontamination services to ensure the safety of your employees and customers.

For more information, if you’re still pondering “what does commercial cleaning mean”, or to receive a quote, please visit our website.

How To Know You’ve Hired The Wrong Commercial Cleaning Service For Your Business

You’ve finally done it. You went out on a limb and hired a commercial cleaning service to care for your building. 

You’re ready for your business to be cleaned and cared for regularly, freeing you and your staff up to actually take care of running the business. 

Let’s face it, though, this is a big step. It can be a little unnerving to trust someone else with the care and upkeep of something that is so important to you. 

Not only that, but there are numerous cleaning companies out there and you just want to know that you’ve made the right choice. 

You need peace of mind when you hire someone to take care of your building. You need confidence that when you go home at night, the commercial cleaning company that you hired is going to work its magic. 

The good news is, it’s possible to discover if you’ve hired the wrong commercial cleaning service. Here are 10 clues that the company you hired to clean your building has to go:

Person in Pink Pants and White Shoes Holding Vacuum Cleaner
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

Signs You’ve Hired the Wrong Commercial Cleaning Service

1. They’re a new company

If you’ve hired a commercial cleaning company that hasn’t been around for long, they might not be what you’re looking for. It’s not that you shouldn’t give a new business a chance, but you’ll want to be overly cautious when using a company that doesn’t have the experience or reputation to guarantee they’ll get the job done right. 

New companies haven’t always put their team through proper training. Over time, most companies build a well-trained, highly skilled cleaning team, but in the beginning, there are always going to be some kinks to work out. 

If you’re willing to take the risk on a startup company, feel free! We recommend keeping a close eye on things for a while to make sure they’re doing an adequate job and proper procedures are taking place.

Another thing to be aware of is the possibility that the company has merely changed its name in order to run from bad reviews. Occasionally a business will undergo some rebranding if they’ve experienced a lot of negative publicity. 

Steer clear of these companies, as it’s usually just a name change you’re dealing with. The poor business results will often stay the same. 

2. They don’t have any Google reviews

Google reviews can let you know the positives and negatives of most companies that you’re considering hiring. The reviews are written by current or former clients who are willing to share their experience and whether or not they believe the company is worth working with. 

A lot of bad Google reviews is an obvious sign that you’re not going to want to hire a company. However, many people don’t think twice about hiring a business with NO Google reviews. 

3 star rating.
Image by mcmurryjulie from Pixabay

If a commercial cleaning company is lacking Google reviews, it might be a good idea to hire someone else. 

Without Google reviews, you’re going to have trouble learning what you need to know about the business. If you can’t hear from someone who has been there and experienced the cleaning company, you’re probably better off hiring a different company. 

Just like before, the business could be experiencing a rebranding due to bad reviews. If the cleaning company doesn’t have any reviews, there’s a chance, once again, that they’re running from bad reviews. 

3. They don’t have a professional website

Another red flag you might find is that the company doesn’t have a professional website. Almost every serious business these days is going to put the time, money, and effort into a high-quality website. They know that their clients are going to find them online so they go out of their way to craft a relevant website that is going to bring them leads and conversions. A great website is a sign of professionalism. 

If the company doesn’t have a website, be on the lookout for professional staff photos. Potential clients want to see the people that they’ll be hiring. They want to know they’re professional, qualified and trained. If your cleaning company’s website doesn’t have professional photos of their leadership and team, you might want to look elsewhere.

4. They don’t have commercial business insurance 

Any commercial cleaning company that you hire must be insured and bonded. This is an absolute must for both you and them. 

If you haven’t already, check to make sure that the company is legally insured and bonded. If they’re not, then you’ve definitely hired the wrong company and you need to remedy that right away. 

Man in Orange Button Up Shirt Holding Gray and White Polka Dot Handbag
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

5. No proof of background checks for their employees

Ask your cleaning company for proof that they require background checks on all of their employees. This is absolutely essential for the safety and security of your business. 

When you hire a commercial cleaning company, you’re hiring a group of strangers to come into your business and go from room to room. You’re giving them access to rooms with expensive equipment and private information. 

It is imperative that the people cleaning your building are honest, trustworthy, and safe. 

If your cleaning company can’t prove that they’ve completed background checks on everyone who will be working at your building, then they’re not the cleaning company for you. 

6. They’re working without supervision

Is there a supervisor that checks on the team working in your building? Is there someone around to make sure everything is going smoothly and accurately? And someone to ensure that everyone is doing their job? 

If the answer is no, you might want to find another company. Any commercial cleaning business that you hire must provide appropriate supervision to ensure quality and safety. 

7. They don’t have any reputable clients

Take a look at who else has hired this cleaning company. Is there anyone you’ve heard of? Any big businesses that trust this company? 

If the cleaning company you’re using has some long-term, big-name clients, that’s a good sign that the company is golden. However, if there are no big-name clients and there aren’t many long-term clients, there’s probably a reason for that. 

Adult displeased businesswoman with papers in light modern office
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

8. They want to lock you into a long-term contract

Repeat after me: You should never have to lock into a long-term contract to get started. It’s not that a long-term contract is bad, it’s just that it’s not something you should be signing when you’re just starting to use a company. 

Any worthwhile commercial cleaning company is going to give you some time to use and get to know them before they require any long commitment. 

Long-term commitments can lock you in for 3-4 years. This is fine if you know the company and believe in their work, but it’s not fine when you’re just getting started. 

Any company that tries to lock you in at the beginning isn’t worth it. 

9. They have a high client turnover rate 

Is the commercial cleaning company you’re using dropping clients right and left? Do they have a high client turnover rate? 

Good companies will develop a long-term clientele who stick with them for 3-10 years. 

If you can’t find a number of clients who have stuck with this cleaning company for a decent amount of time, there is probably a reason for that. If there aren’t any customers who have found long-term value in this company then it’s probably the wrong company for you. 

10. Their cleaning products are cheap 

You will want to make sure that your cleaning company uses high-quality products, not cheap ones. This is easy to find out. 

Simply ask the cleaning company what products they use. Ask them if they’re using commercial grade products and equipment. 

If you find that your cleaning company is skimping on their products, that’s a good sign that they’re probably going to skimp on caring for your business, too. Don’t stick with a company that isn’t going to use the best products on cleaning your business. 

In Conclusion

Finding the right commercial cleaning service to clean your business doesn’t have to be hard. By paying attention to these 10 areas, you can determine whether you’re on the right track, or whether it’s time to find a different cleaning company.

 

How Much Does Commercial Cleaning Cost?

If you manage an office, entire building, retail store, medical facility, warehouse, school, or other large space, then you’re probably wondering what is the usual cost for an office commercial cleaning services.

A clean and organized workplace is proven to increase the morale and productivity of employees. And in return, this productivity can increase the success rate of your company.

So with that said, let’s take a look at the average cost of commercial cleaning and how to companies charge today.

The Average Cost of Commercial Cleaning

The number one factor that commercial cleaning cost depends on is space.

Usually, rates are calculated based of square footage, so it’s important to keep this in mind.

In addition to the size of the space, it also depends on:

  • Frequency (how many times per week)
  • Type of cleaning (light or deep cleaning)
  • Cleaning supplies (are you providing it or they will provide it?)

Let’s look a little closer at the money.

The national average cost for the cleaning of a standard commercial space is between $30 to $50 per hour per staff.

Now, let us understand the cost included of this charge per hour:

  1. Travel time to the facility (gas and car mileage)
  2. Company liability insurance
  3. Company workers comp insurance
  4. Cleaning chemicals
  5. Benefits that they offer their staff (to which you don’t need to pay for)
  6. Employee tax
  7. The actual labor
  8. Then on the higher range, they provide the cleaning supplies

Keep in mind, this is the hourly rate for “contractors” (1099) or for what commercial cleaning companies will charge you.

Also the higher hourly rate ($40-50 per hour) are for major cities like New York, Bay Area CA, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, and others to where the living expenses are much more. In addition, if the cleaning require heavy lifting or construction cleaning.

The $30-$40 per hour applies to other states like Florida, Alabama, NC, SC, etc.

Knowing the national average is a great starting point, but it doesn’t cover the commercial cleaning cost of every situation or every space.

So, Let’s get down the details.

Commercial Cleaning Service Pricing Options

There are three main options when it comes to choosing your commercial cleaning service:

  • Commercial Cleaning Flat Rates
  • Commercial Cleaning Hourly Rates
  • Commercial Cleaning Rates Per Square Foot
    • One-Time Commercial Cleaning Rates Chart

Make sure you know the facts about these three types of commercial cleaning services before you decide which type to use.

Flat Rate Commercial Cleaning Pricing

There are companies that charge a flat rate to clean a commercial space. This is a great option if you know exactly what your budget is, or if you only need the commercial cleaning service for a one-time event or on an as-needed basis.

The flat rate is calculated after the company does a site visit, walkthrough, analysis of how many staff will be needed, and evaluation of how much time the job will take.

Here is a good guide for you to think about:

 

Square Feet Commercial Cleaning Per Visit
0-1000 sq. ft $118
1000-2000 sq. ft $150
3000-4000 sq. ft $200
5000-6000 sq. ft $225
7000-8000 sq. ft $400
9000-10000 sq. ft $463

 

Again, this rate includes the factors I mentioned above and depends if it is light or deep cleaning.

If it is deep cleaning, expect to pay a bit more especially if you are one of this property managers who only does once or twice a week cleaning.

A man wearing a personal protective equipment.

Hourly Rate Commercial Cleaning Pricing

Another method of charging for commercial cleaning service is hourly rates.

A commercial cleaning supervisor or manager will first need to visit the facility and analyze how many hours that they think it will take to clean your space per your standards.

On the hourly rate pricing, this can vary based on:

  • Time of day cleaning (3rd shift and weekends will be more per hour)
  • Will there be a lot of people when they are cleaning or will the place be empty

Cleaning rates of $25-$50 per worker per hour represent an average range.

 Most common light cleaning hourly rate charge is $35/hour.

This includes cleaning bathrooms, windows, floors, etc.

Per Square Foot Commercial Cleaning Pricing

The last method that is typically used to calculate the cost of commercial cleaning services is rate per square foot.

Naturally, the bigger the space to be cleaned, the lower the cost per square foot the company may quote you.

On average, the cost will be $0.11 per square foot.

According to PriceItHere, average commercial cleaning rates range from $0.07-$0.15 per square foot in 2019-2020. This price for sq./ft applies to office and janitorial commercial cleaning services.

So before you ask for a commercial cleaning quote, you need to really determine the size of your facility.

Grey haired man happily cleaning in the bathroom.

Other Factors to Consider in Commercial Cleaning

 There are two important factors that affect the cost of commercial cleaning services:

  • the number of windows
  • and the number of bathrooms.

In an office building, windows and bathrooms take longer to clean and disinfect than hallways, offices, or waiting rooms.

When asking for a quote, be as specific as possible on what you want cleaned such as:

  • # Desks
  • # Windows
  • # of Blinds
  • How often they should mop the floor

When it’s time to choose your commercial cleaning service, you should make sure that you go with a company who is extremely meticulous in cleaning. Understand their cleaning process, what chemicals they use and others.

Bathrooms are especially important in a world where infection runs rampant and can be picked up in many spaces, especially shared bathrooms, where many people are touching the same items (door knob, stall handle, flusher, taps, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers) and leaving their germs where they go.

person in rubber gloves cleaning tiles

Choose Citi Cleaning Services

At Citi Cleaning Services, we are proud to be your partner in keeping your workplaces clean and your customers happy.

We provide commercial cleaning disinfection and decontamination services using EPA-registered disinfectants.

All our staff go through very thorough background check and training to make sure they adhere to the standards of the company. We currently with the federal government and take pride of our work.

We also provide a FREE supervisor who inspects the facility from time to time to validate the work is being done correctly based on our expectation.

We provide janitorial and floor car services, pressure washing, and post-construction cleaning.

We are committed to customer service and we will never lock you into a contract you can’t get out of: hire us on an as-needed or a month-to-month basis, whatever you need!

Remember, a clean space increase productivity, helps employees and customers feel safe, and encourages cooperation. Contact Citi Cleaning Services for your free quote today!

Top 10 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Commercial Office Cleaning Company

When it comes to keeping the office clean, a lot of businesses have an important decision to make: should they add a cleaning crew to the company payroll, or hire a commercial cleaning company to handle those duties?

While there are pros and cons to both approaches, there are greater reasons that indicate outsourcing this work is the best option.

A commercial cleaning company understands every aspect of what it takes to not only keep your office sparkling clean. It also understands the extent to which a very clean office makes a favorable impression on clients. They’re also willing to work with you on the hours you need from them, what their tasks should cover, and what kind of qualifications you want their workers to have.

So if you don’t currently have anyone to handle these necessary cleaning tasks ranging from emptying the wastebaskets to vacuuming the floors to washing the windows, here are 10 tips to help you hire a reliable commercial cleaning company.

Top 10 Tips for Finding the Right Company

1. Do a thorough background check

When it comes time to find a commercial cleaning company for your office, it’s important to ask the right questions. Because you can ensure you get the best service available – and at the right price. Find out how many days they work and the hours they’re available. Especially if you want the work done after your office closes for the day and your employees have gone home.

Also, compare the cleaning company’s rates with others providing the same services. Ask about their hiring procedures, if they train their employees or if they hire experienced team members, and if they can handle multiple tasks or projects.

2. Ask for references from companies they’ve worked for

When selecting a commercial cleaning company, you should do a little research on their reputation. Check out their customer satisfaction reviews and the company’s overall standing within the local business community.
Find out who they’ve worked for in the past and how they’ve been rated by others. Were other companies satisfied with their performance? Would they recommend them? These are great questions to ask.

3. Ask if they have liability insurance

All prospective commercial cleaning companies should be able to provide proof of insurance and demonstrate that they’re fully licensed. You should ask to see their general and workers compensation certificates. Also, look for a company that hires regular employees rather than cash workers; they’re the ones that carry insurance against liability and injury if an accident should happen in your office while they’re on the job – this protects both you and the cleaner. And absolutely do NOT forget to verify their business license.

4. Make sure they only hire professionals

It’s important to ask how they hire their employees, and to inquire about the company’s hiring procedures and vetting process. You want to be sure that the crew they’re sending over to clean your office behaves professionally and knows how to do the job properly. You may also want to inquire about their dress code to ensure they show up presentable and professional – many will have a uniform and ID badge, which is good info to know up front.

5. Ask if they have an established cleaning process

You want to know if this is a well-established commercial cleaning company, with a history of serving businesses, a proven track record, and the ability to demonstrate they’ve achieved results for other clients. If a company has an established process, then they’re more likely to also have an established reputation to back their work.

6. Do they have a cleaning checklist for their staff

If there’s an established process, this will most likely include a checklist for their staff. Find out if there’s a standard task-list that each worker has to follow to ensure they clean every corner of your office. What kind of cleaning supplies do they use? Do they know how to identify and deal with trouble spots, such as discovering mold and mildew? What products do they use for the job? Do they use natural cleaning products? Do they have a list of areas to cover, including entryway, halls and stairs; kitchen including refrigerator; windows; desks and all wastebaskets? These are important questions to ask.

7. Choose a local company

If possible, strongly consider selecting a commercial cleaning company with a local office – and even better, local headquarters. This helps to ensure they can get a crew to you quickly if needed. It’s also helpful in the event you need to communicate with them in person – face to face relationships help enormously. You may also want to consider a company with local management as well; if the company is part of a franchise, their management might be located in another state and difficult to reach.

8. Ask if they have an MSDS list

Material Data Safety Sheets are an important part of the safety process for commercial cleaning companies. Any business that handles chemicals, even if they’re not considered dangerous, must keep an MSDS for each substance. This information is crucial for determining the chemical’s reactivity with other compounds – whether it’s flammable, and what possible health hazards could result from exposure to it. The sheets are printed in English, although the company could provide translations if the staff is bilingual. All workers in the company need to have access to those MSDS files, which describe the appropriate safe handling and transportation procedures.

9. Does the company offer you flexibility?

A professional cleaning crew will work around your schedule. If you need your office to be available for a night meeting, a cleaning crew can reschedule when they come by, including later in the evening once everyone is gone. Professional cleaning crews are available to work around schedules convenient for their client. That kind of flexibility saves you time and money as well.

10. Can they help keep your employees healthy?

A professional commercial cleaning company can do more than just vacuum the rug and empty the wastebaskets; they can also play a critical role in keeping your workers healthy. Professional crews understand the concept of hygiene. They can pay special attention to disinfecting common areas where workers congregate – and where germs build up. If one employee has a cold, then your cleaning crew can fight those germs and eliminate them. Once a cleaning staff arrives, bacteria and pathogens don’t stand a chance of spreading an office illness from one person to the rest of the staff.

Skilled cleaners do it all: furniture, desks, computers, carpet, and even the windows, and they use specialized cleaning products while wearing protective clothing. Your employees will be much healthier as a result of this attention to detail.

Conclusion

If you run a busy company, you shouldn’t worry about issues like cleaning your desks and common areas. Once the office closes for the day, let a professional cleaning crew arrive after hours to do the dirty work, so to speak.
Uncleanly offices can leave negative impressions, so this is definitely a task you want to leave to the professionals.

Virus Outbreaks Become A Workplace Concern

An increasing number of businesses, universities and other types of organizations are beginning to ask workers would they would do if exposed to a deadly virus. The threat has become a reality as the Ebola death toll rises and authorities warn the virus could infect 10,000 people per week by the end of the year globally.

“A pandemic touches all parts of a business, potentially,” says Randy Nornes, executive vice president at consulting firm Aon Risk Solutions. “This is an extremely complex topic. When a pandemic comes up, one thing a lot of companies find is a lot of connectivity is missing inside the organization.”

According to an article on Yahoo Finance, worry over Ebola in the United States vastly exceeds its actual presence here; there are only a handful of cases among a population of 320 million. Statistically, that’s almost too minuscule to measure. Yet experts warn the virus could spread rapidly under the right conditions, and missteps by state and federal officials have already shown how the virus can evade aggressive efforts to contain it.

In general, employers are legally obligated to safeguard the privacy of employees’ medical information. But they’re also obligated to inform the government about possible Ebola cases, because they represent a public health risk. Some workers at risk of Ebola willingly disclose the information, but others want privacy, to avoid the stigma associated with the virus. Figuring out what a company must or should disclose is a case-by-case matter fraught with legal implications if it reveals too much, or too little.

Some universities are concerned that students will globetrot during Thanksgiving and end-of-year breaks, potentially bumping into people infected with the virus and bringing it back to campus. Most schools have procedures for dealing with infectious diseases, such as meningitis, but the fear factor regarding Ebola could prompt new measures—including overreaction.

As scary as Ebola seems, it has precedent. Many organizations developed plans for dealing with a pandemic during the H1N1 scare in 2009 or the SARS outbreak in 2002. In those instances, the biggest problem at most companies turned out to be mass abseentism among workers who got sick rather than the rapid spread of infection.