What is Commercial Cleaning?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought our focus to the indoor cleaning industry in a big way. While general cleaning is something we have all delved into, commercial cleaning is a whole other beast.

Most businesses have a specific health and regulation protocol to provide their customers and employees with a clean, hygienic environment to conduct business.

Commercial cleaning (or janitorial services) provides that specific kind of cleaning that is very different from residential.

So, what does a commercial cleaning company do?

What Is Commercial Cleaning?

Commercial buildings are enormous compared to typical residential buildings. They have a lot of space that many people use.

They require more sophisticated methods that require specialized training.

The right professional commercial cleaning business will be trained in this kind of cleaning.

The usual buildings that require a commercial cleaner are offices, buildings with medical facilities, schools, retail stores, warehouses, restaurants, and other class A buildings.

These companies will have special equipment and trained cleaners that are experts in cleaning and disinfecting large spaces.

What to expect from Commercial Cleaning Services

There are different types of commercial cleaning services that specialize in many different specialized cleaning.

Each of these cleaning services is responsible for cleaning different sorts of objects and parts of the building.

We will outline the diverse types of commercial cleaning (sometimes called industrial cleaning).

HVAC Duct Cleaning

HVAC duct cleaning services specialize in heating, ventilation, and air conditioner ducts.

This type is useful for improving air quality by removing dust particles, microbes, and allergens from being spread from dirty ducts.

This is essential for providing hypoallergenic and clean air for employees and customers of the building.

Window Cleaning and Door Panels

Large commercial buildings have large steel and glass exteriors that require thorough cleaning regularly.

Window panes and door panels accumulate dirt and dust from the pollution in the air.

Special window cleaning services have the equipment and training to maintain the interior/ exterior glass panes and door panels.

Carpet Cleaning

Carpets are great for commercial spaces as they act as noise barriers and provide a warm, inviting environment. Carpets are also great at absorbing dust and dirt quickly.

Carpet cleaning services offer deep carpet cleaning and maintenance.

Concrete Floor Cleaning

Most commercial buildings use concrete as their floor, and most companies do not own commercial-style floor polishers.

The level of cleaning required on such floors cannot be obtained by general cleaning equipment.

Upholstery Cleaning

This specialized cleaning service uses powerful vacuum cleaners designed for use in commercial spaces.

This could also include partitions that are used in many office workspaces.

What’s the Main Difference between Commercial and Residential Cleaning?

As mentioned, commercial vs residential cleaning service is not the same.

Some significant differences set each other apart. These differences include-

The Size Of The Area

The most significant difference that comes to mind is the area that needs to be cleaned.

From a glance, we can understand that a residential building is much smaller compared to a commercial building. 

A residential building will have about 2-5 rooms, while a commercial building will comprise over 20 rooms.

So, there is a big difference in the area that requires cleaning for residential and commercial cleaning.

Difference Between The Equipment Used

The tools that are used by a commercial cleaner are also different. Commercial cleaning equipment is heavy duty and meant for deep cleaning jobs.

Meanwhile, domestic cleaning requires minimal tools and equipment – most household cleaning supplies will be sufficient.

Even the cleaning solutions used by the two different services are different.

Methods For Cleaning

The methods are also different.

A residential cleaning service specializes in more home-related tasks such as sweeping and mopping the floor, wiping down furniture with a piece of cloth, and using a vacuum cleaner on carpets.

They might even use the occasional chemical cleaner.

But Commercial cleaning can vary from job to job.

Apart from domestic cleaning services, commercial cleaners are often hired to clean up messes from fires, floods, and the occasional out-of-control office party.

That’s not something that’s always on offer with a residential cleaning company.

Why You Should Hire Commercial Cleaners

Commercial cleaning is a much more complicated cleaning procedure than residential cleaning.

Not to mention that the area that requires cleaning is also huge. So, let us look at a few other reasons you should hire a professional commercial cleaner.

Specialized Equipment

To comply with the various health and safety guidelines, commercial cleaning companies will use specialized equipment and cleaning products for different cleaning methods such as deep cleaning and disinfecting.

Depending on the guidelines you have to comply with, the specialized tooling commercial cleaners use could be precisely what you need.

Most smaller companies don’t own such tools.

Saves Time

Commercial cleaning services often employ a large team of cleaning staff to complete their work.

This can save plenty of time especially after hours and ensure the cleaning job is not interfering with other work in those commercial spaces.

Residential cleaning services often have smaller teams who will take a long time to finish a large cleaning job. 

A commercial cleaning company can also perform external cleaning duties such as picking up litter and graffiti removal.

They Have Professional Experience

Commercial cleaning services have years of experience cleaning and maintaining office buildings and other retail spaces.

They have first-hand knowledge of the health and safety regulations required, making them an excellent fit for a commercial cleaning job.

They will Provide More Thorough Office Cleaning

Professional commercial cleaners understand that the space they are cleaning and disinfecting more than likely has high traffic flow.

They know what level of cleaning and disinfection is required for these high-use spaces to help you take care of your employees. 

Especially in this day and age of pandemics, thorough cleaning and adequate disinfection skills are necessary to maintain a healthy work and business environment.

Commercial Cleaning Checklist

When hiring a commercial cleaning company, both parties should be clear on what’s required through a contract. Of course, this is also dependent on how much you are planning on spending on cleaning.

If it’s a small job such as sanitizing and disinfecting smaller areas as a one-off job, a verbal agreement on what cleaning services you require can be sufficient.

Everyone loves working in a clean work environment.

The condition of your workspace or factory premises is a major factor in employee productivity.

Daily Cleaning Schedule

As a general rule, a daily cleaning process involving your office workspace should include these cleaning tasks but is not limited to:

• Dust and wipe all horizontal surfaces such as tables, desks, chairs, and all other types of furniture with a damp cloth
• Vacuum hard floors, carpets, mats
• Vacuum partition walls as required
• Mop and polish all hard floors
• Remove cobwebs
• Pick up and dispose of all garbage, including empty all bins and replace liners as necessary
• Ensure all areas that are cleaned are arranged neatly
• Spot clean painted walls and surfaces
• Remove fingerprints and marks from high touchpoints such as light switches and door frames
• Wipe all internal glass surfaces
• Clean automatic doors

Kitchen and Bathroom Commercial Cleaning Checklist

Having a correctly sanitized bathroom area or washing facilities is essential in keeping your employees safe.

These types of areas can greatly contribute to the spreading of germs and viruses such as COVID-19.

It is also important to sanitize kitchen areas where food is prepared and/ or consumed. 

Cleaning tasks should generally include:

• Dust the top of walls, partitions, frames, and mirrors
• Empty all trash cans, wipe down, and replace liners when necessary.
• Wipe down and disinfect your refrigerator.
• Wipe down all horizontal surfaces with a disinfectant.
• Clean and sanitize all sinks and benches
• Mop all floors with disinfectant
• All urinals and toilets to be disinfected inside and out and wiped dry
• Remove splash marks around sinks, urinals, and walls
• Wipe and sanitize hand dryers or hand towel dispensers
• Clean and polish mirrors
• Restock toilet rolls, hand towels, and hand soap

Sanitizing Services

In addition to general commercial cleaning, more thought needs to be given to disinfecting your office workspace. 

Specialized disinfection cleaning techniques such as that provided by Phyxter Home Services include disinfectant fogging.

This entails the use of electrostatic or pump sprayers to apply disinfectant to high touch and high traffic areas such as:

• Light Switches
• Handrails
• Door Handles
• Faucets
• Phones
• Stairwells and hallways

Final Thoughts

Commercial cleaning services are an absolute necessity for cleaning commercial buildings.

Now that you know everything about commercial cleaning, you will know exactly what you need and who to call when you have to clean your commercial property.

If your business is in the Central or North Okanagan region and needs a commercial cleaning company, look no further than Phyxter Home Services. 

Phyxter offers a commercial cleaning service that’s just right for your business. We are the region’s best commercial cleaning service provider. 

Day or night, our cleaning professionals can provide disinfection and sanitization services focused on high-touch areas, bathrooms, or your entire facility.

In addition, our disinfecting staff are available to provide surface sanitization outside of regular business hours.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or email. We will be more than happy to discuss our cleaning processes with you.