The Janitors' Closet

Sunshine Cleaning

Picked up a video of "Sunshine Cleaning", long gone from the movie theaters.  It follows the adventures of a couple of gals who realize that there is "big money" to be had in crime scene clean-up; they jump into it with no conception of biohazards, personal protective gear, appropriate chemicals (disinfectants, stirpper, floor wax, etc.), OSHA, liability insurance, or even ventilation.  Hilarious.

Though it deals with a somewhat more intense level of issues than does janitorial (I'm in janitorial service in Phoenix AZ), it's a great introduction, to a new employee, of why he ought follow the rules.  Might be fun as well to introduce to the folks who figure they can become "cleaning professionals" with $25.00 and a used vacuum.

Great Alan Arkin role as well, demonstrating the perils of marketing slightly aging seafood out of the trunk of one's car.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.  We can also provide recycled restroom paper products, recycling bins and recycling programs.

Is "Best Service No Service"?

Spent Sunday evening browsing my favorite bookstore (I know, I need to get out more often...).

Picked up Price & Jaffe's "The Best Service is No Service".  Many good points; what most resonates, at least today, is that any time a client calls - for poor quality performance, late delivery, billing problems, lack of information (as provided by us) on what we do & how we do it - it is an indication of failure on our part.  Other than (hopefully) asking to add services, the client should never have to call.  So typical customer service "call centers" should mostly go away.

We' try to be pro-active on what we provide, and when we provide it, so the client always knows what's going on (we're in janitorial service in Phoenix AZ).

We also inspect aggressively, to find performance faults before the client notices, and then track quality reports to insure that faults are corrected and, often more importantly, stay corrected.  We base our monthly crew re-training on those reports, looking particularly for repeating faults and for patterns across various facilities.  We work to avoid "snowballing" problems; once something is fixed, it ought stay fixed.

"No Service" means the client should never have to worry about us - and never call except to invite us to the Christmas party.  PS - that's Elmer in the photo.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

 

A Quickie Social Security Number Check

From time to time, I hear folks in the janitorial industry (we do janitorial service in Phoenix AZ), or in similar "high-turnover" fields, bemoan the difficulties of verifying social security numbers, and the screening (and sometimes training) expense incurred while waiting for the anticipated "no-match" letter. 

Here is a site we use, early on, to instantaneously verify, for free, if the proffered number has in fact been issued, and in what year and state it was issued.  Should the number in question have never been issued, or was issued years before the applicant's date of birth, or in a state he claims to have never visited, we can point the job interview in a more appropriate direction...

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  We include carpet cleaning, windows, and commercial floor wax & burnish programs in our ongoing service package.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Preparing for Swine Flu in the Workplace

Caught an Associated Press article this morning documenting what I've suspected - that most American firms are unprepared to deal with the (likely) soon to arrive swine flu epidemic.  In a nationwide survey of 1000 firms, over two thirds said they could not maintain normal operations if half their workers were out for two weeks (I know I couldn't - we're a thinly staffed janitorial service in Phoenix AZ).

Consider:

•  Swine flu  ( H1N1 ), while apparently not much more deadly than the garden variety, seems much more infectious; further, it targets working age folks.

•  While many firms offer sick leave, almost half require a doctor's note before granting sick leave, thus encouraging employees to come to work while sick (and unable to get an immediate appointment with a doubtlessly swamped doctor's office).

•  Many firms do not cross-train employees to cover for the sick, so are under pressure to ask the sick employee to come to work to get essential jobs done.

•  Few firms actively encourage prevention measures such as - may I say - obsessive hand washing, sanitizing office touch points during the work day, etc.; few are aware that a person is infectious before symptoms appear.

•  A sick employee at work will infect others, compounding today's problem tomorrow.  You do not want the sick at work.

Our "Cleaning for Health" program actively addresses restroom and lunchroom disinfection, touch point sanitation, providing our clients disinfectant wipes for use during the day, etc.; we cannot do much to combat the minute-to-minute infection dangers in our client's workspace.  Develop NOW a plan to minimize infection, and to deal with the consequences when infection occurs.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Giving Back to the Community

I firmly believe that, if one intends to be in business, in the community, for the long haul, it's important to involve oneself in that community. 

Thus, my firm (CBN Building Maintenance - a janitorial service in Phoenix AZ) has not only been a member of the Phoenix area Better Business Bureau since 1975, but we've included a pre-commitment to binding BBB arbitration in our client contracts, for as long as the BBB has featured the program.  Further, I volunteer my time as an arbitrator for the Bureau.

Similarly, we've been active in the Metro Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, again since 1975, and participate in several of the Chamber's committees, including the Green Roundtable.

I volunteer my time, and what little expertise I might claim, on Phoenix's Environmental Quality Commission.

Finally, we work with our local neighborhood historic preservation association, the Roosevelt Action Association, on preservation, security and quality of life issues, and volunteer our 1914 vintage office for their neighborhood home tour.

Naturally, we also participate in various national trade associations (Building Service Contractors Association International, the American Indoor Air Quality Council, US Green Building Council, etc.) as well - but that's a whole other subject.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.  We also can provide recycled restroom paper products, recycling bins and recycling programs.

"Full Service" vs a "Nickel and Dime" Approach

Yesterday, I presented a quote to a small medical lab whose floors had really deteriorated, because their current janitorial service charges extra (a LOT extra) for refinishing (applying "floor wax") - and likes to refinish often, because they are not burnishing in between.

Vinyl tile requires regular maintenance - to retain appearance, and to help provide a safe, injury free workplace.  While glossy floors may look slippery, modern floor finishes meet or exceed Federal standards for traction, even when wet; they are generally more slip resistant than bare tile.

Frequent burnishing (ultra high-speed buffing) hardens the finish; harder finish wears longer, so needs less frequent refinishing.  Burnishing is quick and inexpensive; refinishing is not.  As a bonus, the floor looks a lot better - ongoing.

We offer our clients (we're a janitorial service in Phoenix AZ)"full-service" — burnishing, refinishing, carpet cleaning, windows, ceramic scrubbing — on a regular schedule, pro-rated into the monthly bill.  No extra charges, no surprises, and the place looks good ongoing.  Often doesn't cost more than a "let it deteriorate, then restore it" approach. 

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

LEED Certification - What's Next?

Caught an article in MyCleanLink, one of our industry e-mail journals, on U. S. Green Building Council's LEED certification; it asks:

    "...what’s next? Now that you have achieved certification, how are you going to maintain it? ....I have asked these questions to the USGBC and facility managers alike, and am often met with a dead stare. But in reality, certification doesn’t stop with a certificate or plaque.  What’s next?"

I responded with:

    "To go a step further: if a "green" building is not only environmentally friendly, but friendly to the health of its occupants, might you want to look at cleaning procedures?

   "Once the major initial off-gassing from building materials and furnishings (green or not) has occurred, the most significant ongoing impact the building environment will have on its occupants will involve Indoor Air Quality.  One can address air circulation issues (oxygen supply, carbon-dioxide removal) with proper A/C design.  You can only remove respirable particles (allergens, for instance) with appropriate cleaning - HEPA vacuum filters, vacuuming rather than dust mopping hard floors, wiping rather than feather dusting, microfiber technology, allowing better particle removal and sanitation by keeping a coat of finish ("floor wax") on normally porous tile floors, and so forth.

   "Obviously, appropriate entry mats and Green Seal chemicals need to be part of the program as well.

   "Part of our program - we provide janitorial service in Phoenix AZ - also involves monitoring IAQ periodically with a hand-held airborne particle counter, to verify (and quantify) what we're doing."

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.