What Is The Difference Between Commercial Cleaners And Janitorial Services Providers?

Some people use the term janitorial services interchangeably with commercial cleaning, however they are not direct synonyms for each other. Whilst some commercial cleaning service businesses offer janitorial services as well (and vice versa), they are not one and the same. So what are the differences between commercial cleaning services and janitorial services? Here is a short lowdown of what you can expect for each different type of service.

Commercial Cleaning

Commercial cleaning services take responsibility for cleaning commercial spaces. Cleaning these spaces is very different to cleaning residential spaces, because there are a lot of different challenges involved. For example, commercial businesses are required to meet a lot of different legislation to ensure that their workplaces meet health and safety standards. Cleaning businesses are often required to understand this legislation so that they can meet the standards which are required of them. Cleaners at commercial premises are also more likely to come across hazardous substances that require special treatment than cleaners who work with residential premises are. In order to clean up commercial waste, they require a whole different skill set to the skills which may be required when cleaning a residential property. The tools and cleaning products that they use are also likely to be much stronger.

Janitorial Services

Janitorial services teams do take on some cleaning responsibilities, but they also take care of a wide range of other tasks as well. Janitors may also take care of other areas of the building or facilities maintenance. This can include reactive and proactive repairs to ensure that the building stays in safe condition. The list of tasks which are performed by a janitorial services team will often depend on the type of business that they are contracted in by, and the type of property that they are operating in. Tasks which janitors may be requested to do include; simple repairs, cleaning, heating maintenance, facilities management and building maintenance. As with commercial cleaners, their services may be required inside or out.

Choosing the right one

In order to choose the right service, you need to spend a while considering your needs. If you rent a premise, or the premises that you own is only very small, you may not need a full janitorial services contract, however you should still need cleaning services. When you are choosing, you should also look at the roles that your current employees play, as they may already perform a large number of the roles that janitors do.