Monday morning commutes on the way to work are no longer the same. After a summer of enjoying the less congested streets and highways when school was out for summer, drivers across the country again brace themselves for the more hectic morning commutes. Clogged with young drivers who do not always have their eyes on the road, morning commuters begin this week adjusting to school being back in session. And if the streets seem lightly more crowded, imagine the feel of the crowded hallways of the schools themselves.
After a few quite weeks of preparing the hallways, auditoriums, gym floors, and classrooms, routine janitorial services find themselves again working around the real reasons for their jobs: the students and the teachers.
Green Cleaning Practices Grow in Popularity Across the Country
Obviously, school districts are not the only places who must provide routine janitorial services. And while some places employ cleaning service staff themselves, other companies decide to outsource their most routine janitorial services. From health clubs to churches, schools to car dealerships, and factories to retirement centers, it is difficult to emphasize the importance of trusted and thorough cleaning. And while people may be able to occasionally deal with a little extra clutter at their own homes, unclean work places and care centers can be a source of both stress and illness.
Although keeping a place clean and organized may seem like the only goal of most routine janitorial services, a growing number of customers demand safe cleaning chemicals. The days of using industrial strength chemicals that are hazardous to both the skin and lungs seem to be fading away. A growing number of products that are both safe and effective are not the choice of many janitorial providers and customers. In fact, specialized commercial cleaning services often demand the use of chemicals that can be proven safe and environmentally friendly.
Unfortunately, without moderation, chemical-based cleaning products contribute to indoor air pollution levels that are as much as 100 times higher than outdoor air pollution levels. These chemicals trapped in an office building that is closed up all weekend after a Friday afternoon cleaning, for example, can become quite potent and dangerous.
Even though the businesses, schools, and hospitals around the country are concerned about the safety cleaning products they use, homeowners are also concerned. Currently, of the 17,000 petrochemicals available for home use, only 30% of them have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment. So as a nation moves toward chemicals that are more safe for both home and office use, the demand for these products continue to grow.
Cleaning Companies Provide Important Services That Operate on a Restricted Schedule
In many cases, most cleaning agencies work second or third shifts because buildings are typically cleaned when no one is present. Loud vacuums, floor polishers, and other cleaning machines simply make too much noise to be successfully used during the normal work day. And while some janitorial staff members in a school, for example, are available as needed during the day, the majority of the significant cleaning goes on after hours.
Outsourced janitorial services provide trusted employees who have gone through the appropriate background checks and drug testing services. After hour access is important to the janitorial process, but it also requires the need for the utmost levels of trust and respect for expensive facilities and equipment.
A Clean Office Is a Healthy Office
It is an unfortunate fact that 71% of workers believe dirty office spaces have made them ill in the past. without proper and consistent cleaning procedures, employers put their workers at risk and, as a result, can lose productivity. Workers who are frequently sick from respiratory issues can be an indicator that the best cleaning practices are not in place. With proper and detailed policies and procedures, combined with scheduled air quality tests, however, companies can provide a clean and safe work environment.
The cleanliness of a facility also can determine customer attitudes as well. Certainly as important as employees, customers who are not happy with the cleanliness of a store, workout gym, or office will likely not return. For example, 88% of adults indicate they will not exercise in a gym or athletic facility if they find it to have cleanliness issues.