| THE 7 SIMPLE QUESTION TEST |
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CLEANING SERVICE CONS AND RIP-OFFS
Con and Rip-Off #1
Companies claiming they cleaned your carpet with the hot water extraction method, sometimes referred to as “steam cleaning” which
involves the use of a water extraction unit mounted in a van or a portable hot water extraction unit. This is the preferred and
recommended method from major carpet mills such as Shaw Industries and carpet fiber producers such as DuPont when having it
down once a year. Bonnet and encapsulation cleaning is a low moisture maintenance and interim maintenance cleaning. It is an
ideal recommended cleaning method for interim carpet maintenance. There is a big difference in prices for these services. Bonnet
and encapsulation is almost half the price of hot water extraction. It has been known in the cleaning industry that many companies
will tell the customer they did a carpet clean. But really did a encapsulation or bonnet cleaning and charged the customer the price of
Hot water extraction.
Con and Rip-Off #2
Unscrupulous companies charging for complete restorative stripping and refinishing services to hard floor areas and not really
performing the service correctly. It is a largely guarded secret in the cleaning industry that if the floor to be cleaned is in fairly good
condition it can be “scrubbed” and waxed rather than “stripped” and waxed.
What is the difference between “stripping” and “scrubbing”?
Plenty!! half the time and cost. First of all stripping a floor is a very labor intensive task with usually very expensive floor equipment
and chemicals being used. All of the floor finish is completely removed from the floor with these machines and chemicals, rinsed and
then speed dried. Then one coat of sealer is laid, and a minimum of 3 to 4 coats of floor finish is laid in layers on the floor. It usually
takes about 30 minutes for dry time between each coat. As you can tell this is no quick job. On the other hand a scrub and wax is
much different. There is usually only one piece of equipment needed and it is very quick. The floor is simply scrubbed with a neutral
floor cleaning solution, such as the solution used for regular daily mopping, then it is allowed to dry and the floor finish is applied.
Usually about 1 to 2 coats of finish are necessary because the scrubbing and cleaning only removes the top layer of soil and dirty
floor finish. The only labor intensive item involved in a scrub and wax is waiting on the floor finish to dry!
However, in certain circumstances a scrub and wax can be recommended. These circumstances could be a quick fix for a facility that
is expecting guests and does not have time for a complete strip and wax. The important thing to remember here is that you should
know what you are paying for and what you are getting. If a contractor is honest they will tell you if you can get by with a scrub and
wax. This is very important considering a strip and wax is normally 2 times the price of a scrub and wax.
CLEANING SERVICE CONS AND RIP-OFFS
Con and Rip-Off #1
Companies claiming they cleaned your carpet with the hot water extraction method, sometimes referred to as “steam cleaning” which
involves the use of a water extraction unit mounted in a van or a portable hot water extraction unit. This is the preferred and
recommended method from major carpet mills such as Shaw Industries and carpet fiber producers such as DuPont when having it
down once a year. Bonnet and encapsulation cleaning is a low moisture maintenance and interim maintenance cleaning. It is an
ideal recommended cleaning method for interim carpet maintenance. There is a big difference in prices for these services. Bonnet
and encapsulation is almost half the price of hot water extraction. It has been known in the cleaning industry that many companies
will tell the customer they did a carpet clean. But really did a encapsulation or bonnet cleaning and charged the customer the price of
Hot water extraction.
Con and Rip-Off #2
Unscrupulous companies charging for complete restorative stripping and refinishing services to hard floor areas and not really
performing the service correctly. It is a largely guarded secret in the cleaning industry that if the floor to be cleaned is in fairly good
condition it can be “scrubbed” and waxed rather than “stripped” and waxed.
What is the difference between “stripping” and “scrubbing”?
Plenty!! half the time and cost. First of all stripping a floor is a very labor intensive task with usually very expensive floor equipment
and chemicals being used. All of the floor finish is completely removed from the floor with these machines and chemicals, rinsed and
then speed dried. Then one coat of sealer is laid, and a minimum of 3 to 4 coats of floor finish is laid in layers on the floor. It usually
takes about 30 minutes for dry time between each coat. As you can tell this is no quick job. On the other hand a scrub and wax is
much different. There is usually only one piece of equipment needed and it is very quick. The floor is simply scrubbed with a neutral
floor cleaning solution, such as the solution used for regular daily mopping, then it is allowed to dry and the floor finish is applied.
Usually about 1 to 2 coats of finish are necessary because the scrubbing and cleaning only removes the top layer of soil and dirty
floor finish. The only labor intensive item involved in a scrub and wax is waiting on the floor finish to dry!
However, in certain circumstances a scrub and wax can be recommended. These circumstances could be a quick fix for a facility that
is expecting guests and does not have time for a complete strip and wax. The important thing to remember here is that you should
know what you are paying for and what you are getting. If a contractor is honest they will tell you if you can get by with a scrub and
wax. This is very important considering a strip and wax is normally 2 times the price of a scrub and wax.
7 SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN INTERVIEWING A PROSPECTIVE JANITORIAL SERVICE PROVIDER BEFORE
FOR IT.
1. Does your company have employees?
3. Does your company have liability insurance, bonded and carry workers compensation and can you provide us
with a certificate of all insurance?
4. What type of training is provided to your cleaning personnel? Can your company demonstrate a training manual
used in training the front line cleaners?
5. What type of safety training is provided to your cleaning personnel? Can your company show us your safety
manual used in safety procedures for the front line cleaners?
6. Can your company provide 3 to 4 references of other companies in our area of same size or larger whom you
held as a customer for as least four to five years
7. Does your company conduct MSDS and right to know training?
Once you ask these types of questions sit back and wait for an answer. Notice if the person seems nervous or has trouble
answering your requests. If they answer “no” to any of these questions, you will know they do not qualify as a business you want
taking care of your cleaning needs. Once you are satisfied that you are working with an honest, competent professional, invite
them into your office and ask for a specific quotation in writing. A written quotation gives you the assurance that you know exactly
what the job will cost you with no surprises.
FOR IT.
1. Does your company have employees?
- Reason: If the company does not have any employees and they get ill or have an accident, and we all know eventually
everyone does get sick occasionally. If this was to happen, and it will happen, you will be left with out a cleaner on the spot
with out notice. If they were to have a car accident or break a leg and where to be out long term, it could be weeks till you
get another company to take over.
- Reason: You want some one that has an established business for at least 5 years, who have been through most of the trial
and error period. You definitely do not want your building becoming an experiment field for some one to practice cleaning
and using chemicals. It’s good to see new companies open and succeed. But unfortunately one of the bad things in the
cleaning industry is there is no license requirements and it is a low cost start up business. So you have many people trying
to start a janitorial company that are not qualified or even close to being capable of managing a business. In the cleaning
industry over 90% fail within the first 5 years, then in the second 5 years 90% of that 10% fail.
3. Does your company have liability insurance, bonded and carry workers compensation and can you provide us
with a certificate of all insurance?
- Reason: Most business owners would agree that liability insurance is one of the basic costs of doing business. As
responsible business owners, they have budgeted for the appropriate coverage as a precautionary measure in the event of
a loss— especially a catastrophic loss. However, there are a few optimistic souls who think of business insurance as an
option. Workers compensation for employees who are injured on the job have an absolute right to medical care for any
injury, and in many cases monetary payments to compensate for resulting temporary or permanent disabilities. The last
thing you want is a cleaning company who has employees that are not covered under workers compensation to get hurt in
your building. If a law suit was to come about from an injury, attorneys are well known for going after the one with the
deepest pockets. If a person does not care about their company and employees by having accurate insurance, they
definitely are not going to care about their customers either.
4. What type of training is provided to your cleaning personnel? Can your company demonstrate a training manual
used in training the front line cleaners?
- Reason: Training employees is very important in getting a quality job done in a safe manner. Quality is produced by
employees who have been well trained. At RJ Cleaning Service Inc our employees go through a two week vigorous training
process, our custodian training manual is seventy pages long. We want to make sure our cleaners are not just cleaners,
but professional custodians who take pride in taking care of our client’s buildings and deliver quality that produces value to
our customers. So it is important that you not only ask them about their training, but have them show proof of their training
program.
5. What type of safety training is provided to your cleaning personnel? Can your company show us your safety
manual used in safety procedures for the front line cleaners?
- Reason: The importance of safety in the work place can't be over exemplified. Adaptation of safety measures not only
ensures safety of the life of the janitorial workers but also to the client’s personnel and their family dependents. A safety
training program gives the employees the knowledge they need to complete their jobs while remaining safe at all times. The
knowledge an employee gains from a safety training program is the key to a safe workplace. Also insurance claims are
liable to rejections if safety requirements are not being complied with. At RJ Cleaning Service we take safety seriously. Our
safety program manual is 86 pages long and is written specifically for the cleaning industrial’s front line cleaners. So it is
important that you not only ask them about their safety training, but have them show proof of their training program.
6. Can your company provide 3 to 4 references of other companies in our area of same size or larger whom you
held as a customer for as least four to five years
- Reason: References is a very important issue, you will hear from others in your area how well they have maintained there
facilities. References of long term customer also shows they been in business for a time, and to hold customers long term
shows there is customer satisfaction. But you will need to call the references; all it takes is a phone call.
7. Does your company conduct MSDS and right to know training?
- I personally recommend doing business with a company that keeps constant training and education on the chemicals being
used. The management team and cleaning technicians should be highly trained, be able to answer most of your questions
and last but not least the cleaning agents used in your facility should be biodegradable, not have a health risk associated
with it, contain no harsh odor and the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) must be in a folder in the janitors closet and
readily available.
Once you ask these types of questions sit back and wait for an answer. Notice if the person seems nervous or has trouble
answering your requests. If they answer “no” to any of these questions, you will know they do not qualify as a business you want
taking care of your cleaning needs. Once you are satisfied that you are working with an honest, competent professional, invite
them into your office and ask for a specific quotation in writing. A written quotation gives you the assurance that you know exactly
what the job will cost you with no surprises.
SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE AWARE OF IN THE CLEANING INDUSTRY
Federal labor law enforcement officials are cracking down on the practice of deliberately misclassifying cleaning workers as
independent contractors.
Many janitorial companies today are subcontracting out there facility cleaning and maintenance operations. They are also
"deliberately misclassifying their janitorial workers as "independent contractors" — a practice known in our industry as "illegal
subcontracting.
Information about how it is done; and how facility managers and business owners can protect themselves and their organizations.
A manager or business owner hires a cleaning contractor to perform maintenance work who presents all relevant insurance forms
and certifications for their business. He then sub-contracts that work out to companies without proper credentials, who perform the
work for a lot less than the original contract usually about 60% of the total gross. This is becoming rampant across the industry and
is very well known to be used by National cleaning companies. When national cleaning company’s are awarded a contract, the
company will have their secretary and sales people contact the local cleaners in the area of the awarded contract. They will ask if
they would like to be a sub-contractor for the account, under the condition they say there an employee and not a sub-contractor. It is
usually offered at 60% of the worth of the contract.
The companies who are ably and willing to except these are most likely in the beginning stage of their business and have no
employees and no pay role cost, Carry no insurance or workman comp and not to mention no experience so there running cost is
very low. They except the account hoping it will help them get into the business at a very low no risk. But is a very extreme high risk
for the customer.
But what happens when that sub-contractor’s or his employee hurts him self on the job, and is not covered by workers compensation
insurance? Or maybe an uncertified employee commits a violent crime within the building. In many states, the liability flows uphill until
attorneys find a company with deep enough pockets to pay, or at least settle. As a facility manager, this could be a hard one
explaining to your boss.
This is becoming more and more prevalent within the small and large local cleaning services, and is also well known in the cleaning
industry. And well known within the Franchise Company’s who classify them not as employees but as franchisees, which is in itself
sub-contracting with a fee of 20% after paying 3 months the value of the account, or they clean the account for free for 3 months.
Federal labor law enforcement officials are cracking down on the practice of deliberately misclassifying cleaning workers as
independent contractors.
Many janitorial companies today are subcontracting out there facility cleaning and maintenance operations. They are also
"deliberately misclassifying their janitorial workers as "independent contractors" — a practice known in our industry as "illegal
subcontracting.
Information about how it is done; and how facility managers and business owners can protect themselves and their organizations.
A manager or business owner hires a cleaning contractor to perform maintenance work who presents all relevant insurance forms
and certifications for their business. He then sub-contracts that work out to companies without proper credentials, who perform the
work for a lot less than the original contract usually about 60% of the total gross. This is becoming rampant across the industry and
is very well known to be used by National cleaning companies. When national cleaning company’s are awarded a contract, the
company will have their secretary and sales people contact the local cleaners in the area of the awarded contract. They will ask if
they would like to be a sub-contractor for the account, under the condition they say there an employee and not a sub-contractor. It is
usually offered at 60% of the worth of the contract.
The companies who are ably and willing to except these are most likely in the beginning stage of their business and have no
employees and no pay role cost, Carry no insurance or workman comp and not to mention no experience so there running cost is
very low. They except the account hoping it will help them get into the business at a very low no risk. But is a very extreme high risk
for the customer.
But what happens when that sub-contractor’s or his employee hurts him self on the job, and is not covered by workers compensation
insurance? Or maybe an uncertified employee commits a violent crime within the building. In many states, the liability flows uphill until
attorneys find a company with deep enough pockets to pay, or at least settle. As a facility manager, this could be a hard one
explaining to your boss.
This is becoming more and more prevalent within the small and large local cleaning services, and is also well known in the cleaning
industry. And well known within the Franchise Company’s who classify them not as employees but as franchisees, which is in itself
sub-contracting with a fee of 20% after paying 3 months the value of the account, or they clean the account for free for 3 months.
The one source for all your Janitorial needs
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Serving Central Massachusetts
R
J
Cleaning
Service Inc
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