Many businesses think that outsourcing their commercial cleaning needs can be very costly but often overlook the benefits a professional cleaning company can offer. When you weigh up the pros and cons you can soon find that the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages. Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why businesses choose to outsource:
Increased Standards of Cleanliness
There is a misconception that cleaning is cheaper and more effective to do in-house such as employing someone in your team directly, but when it’s not their main job things often get missed or the attention to detail is lacking. It may look ok at first glance but on closer inspection, you can find that it just doesn’t quite hit the mark. Investing in a commercial cleaning company will save you money in the long term by delivering a much higher standard of service and better efficiency, leaving you and your team time to focus on what’s important. Outsourcing also reduces the need to factor in employee training, holiday and sickness budgets and any employee benefits you may offer.
The right chemicals and equipment provided
When working with a professional cleaning company like Sparkle Cleaning there’s no need to worry about supplying your own cleaning chemicals and equipment as this is provided within the service provision. Not only that, you can rest assured that the chemicals provided by your cleaning company will be higher quality and suitable for the job at hand – rather than the standard shop-bought cleaning products that you would typically use at home.
Subject matter experts
Another advantage of outsourcing is that when working with a professional cleaning company, you’re in good hands. They are professionals – subject matter experts and while you may think that anyone can do a cleaning job you might just be surprised at the training that goes into a professional service to ensure that standards are seamlessly delivered and maintained.
Outsourcing your cleaning service moves insurance liabilities to your cleaning provider
Have you ever thought about the cost implications if something goes wrong? If you employ directly and your team member uses the wrong chemical which results in a damaged work surface for example, you are liable to foot the bill. Outsourcing your cleaning services moves the liability and insurance costs from you to your commercial provider. That’s a weight off your mind, right?
Sparkle Cleaning actually works with a client that specifically moved their cleaning provision for this very reason. A large office building used to employ three in house cleaning staff, which ultimately cost them thousands of pounds in damages when one of the team used an incorrect cleaning product on some vinyl flooring. This resulted in large white smears all over the vinyl across all of the kitchens and bathrooms over four floors of the building. The chemical they had used damaged the surface and unfortunately couldn’t be saved so the floors had to be replaced.
The mistake ultimately came down to not enough training and a lack of understanding of the chemicals and equipment. While it was a genuine mistake, it was very costly and the client quickly learned their lesson and decided to outsource to a professional cleaning company. The existing team were TUPED over to Sparkle Cleaning and provided with comprehensive training. They were also given all of the proper COSHH and safety data sheets for the chemicals as well as simple checklists to work to. The team is now more efficient with their time and have ultimately saved the client a lot of money.
Regular auditing
If you currently manage the cleaning of your business in house, ask yourself how often do you audit and review standards? Do you know who is responsible for completing these audits and what kind of things to look for that can indicate how well your cleaners are performing? With a professional cleaning service, you should have regular audits and Sparkle Cleaning complete these a minimum of once per month as standard.
First impressions
Professional cleaning services from Sparkle Cleaning will allow you to wow your customers and clients each and every time they step foot in your premises with consistently high standards of cleanliness. We understand the importance of a clean work environment and the lasting impression this makes. After all, you can only make a first impression once and it takes as little as seven seconds to form a lasting opinion that can be hard to change if it’s not the impression you wanted to leave.
Professional services custom made for you
Sparkle Cleaning will work with you to understand your business and your needs to create a custom solution to suit you. It’s our priority to make your life easier; we’ll take care of the cleaning so you don’t have to worry about it and can focus on what you do best.
First impressions count right? That’s why it’s so important to make sure that everything from your company brand to your team members and the office toilets accurately represents who you are and what you stand for. Think Cartier, think Apple, think Virgin Atlantic and Disney! Did you know that the custodial cast members at Disney wear white to encourage them to take extra care in their work to keep their costumes clean? What a fantastic, yet simple idea.
Commercial cleaning plays such a vital role in the image of your business and it’s often overlooked. People don’t see the value in it, especially if it’s something they can do themselves in a small or medium sized office. But let’s think about this, does it really pay to get your team members to do your office cleaning internally? If they are spending time cleaning then what aren’t they doing and is this a valuable use of company time and money? Will they put in the same level of effort and attention to detail as a professional cleaning company?
With Sparkle Cleaning you not only get a dedicated and fully trained team for your office who provide a clean workspace and a happy and healthy environment for your staff; it’s our sole purpose to make sure your premises is the best representation of you to keep your customers and clients coming back time and time again.
When it comes to commercial cleaning, no two companies are the same. However, there are some similarities between the different types of companies and their needs. There are also some particular types of businesses that require specialist considerations when it comes to their cleaning requirements.
Architects are one of them. So, what are these cleaning considerations that you need to keep in mind
for architects?
There is a good chance that the majority of cleaners will be working in your premises whilst you are not there. This means that you are going to want to trust them and know that they will keep not only your premises safe, but everything in there too. One way to be sure that the cleaners that are working within
premises are of the best quality is to fully vet them. This is usually done via background checks and additionally also DBS checks too.
Whilst it is vital that cleaners wear clothes that ensure that they are comfortable and that they can move around with ease, it is also key that they look professional. The clothes that they wear should make the right impression and also keep them looking clean, even when they have been hard at work.
The information that is often found in an architect office can be confidential in nature. Particular if it involves planning permission and information about people and their homes. If a cleaner comes across this information during their work, then they need to ensure that they know how to approach this and ensure that the confidential information is protected and kept secure.
Many cleaners work in their clients premises outside of working hours, and in the most part this arrangement is ideal. Many architects will keep to their set hours, however, there are likely to be times when things have changed and that cleaning times also have to be amended. This means that one consideration for this type of business is keeping to a flexible schedule.
As you can see, there are a variety of things that need to be kept in mind when it comes to cleaning for an architect. The main one is always to deliver the very best cleaning possible, ensuring that the premises, no matter the business within them, always looks its best.
We at Sparkle Cleaning are so excited to be launching our first Sparkle Grant for Bristol. Sparkle Cleaning has been avid charity supporters since starting the company started in 2016 by supporting local clean-up events, donkeys of west Africa, Bristol Zoo and many individuals, previous to that Gareth Sanders, our founder, has regularly complete charity events since being ill back in 2008.
Gareth has run marathons, ultra-marathons, climbed mountains, cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End, cycled home from the Netherlands on a 50 euro steel framed Dutch bike and become a Guinness World Record Holder.
Its now time to support the new generation of fundraisers and adventures who are coming through which is why Sparkle Cleaning have made the commitment to give away a minimum of £1000 to local individuals who are looking to do the same.
All you need to do to apply is fill out our application form HERE with all the details and we shall get in touch.
Here is a few more details for what we are looking for
Your trip cannot be part of an organised trip, race or event.
This includes volunteering through an organisation. The trip must be organised by you and your teammates with no-one else taking part. This is an absolute.
We are looking for someone who wants to do something special, to create memories for themselves in years to come, inspire others to try that little bit harder and most importantly not be sure if you can make it
Trips must involve some form of physical exertion e.g. walking, cycling, climbing, swimming, running, camping.
We are not going to be providing people with a cozy bed at the end of a long day cycling or running but we may help you get a tent.
We are not looking for someone who is taking part in an organised trip or someone who is going to follow a guidebook for a leisurely stroll through the country. We want this to be 100% you and your personality go out get muddy and get comfortable being uncomfortable
We can’t afford to give everyone large grants, therefore, you are more likely to be successful if you are looking to do it on a shoestring and raise the most for charity.
Cleaning considerations for Solicitors
Whilst the majority of commercial cleans are treated in the same way, there are some of them that need to take a slightly different approach to others. One of the most commonplace business types that require some careful considerations and treatment are solicitors. But why is this? What are the main cleaning considerations for solicitors?
Solicitors will often have incredibly sensitive documents and files within their office, which need to be treated confidentially and with respect. A professional commercial cleaning company who specialize in solicitors are going to understand the need to treat any documents that they come across in the right manner and make sure that everything is kept confidential.
The nature of a solicitors is that they often work later hours or have to stay behind in order to finalize details on a case that they are working on. This may mean that scheduled cleaning times need to fit around these hours. Whilst there can be an agreement to undertake early morning or later evening cleaning, there may also need to be a degree of flexibility within the cleaning schedule to take into account the nature of the business.
Due to the information that is going to be found within a solicitors, one thing that is incredibly important is that any cleaner that will be entering the property is trustworthy and fully vetted. You will want to know that the cleaner that is going to be working within your office is DBS checked and that they are going to always act in a professional manner which will protect the best interests of the customer.
In the most part, any cleaning that is going to be undertaken will be out of office hours, however, if there despite this, any cleaners that come into your premises should look neat, tidy and professional. That way, if any clients do see them, you don’t have to worry about creating the wrong impression.
As you can see, there are a number of key considerations to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning for solicitors. If you are a solicitors firm and you are looking for a commercial cleaner, make sure that you choose one that is going to understand the nature of your business and the additional requirements this may involve.
Unless we work within the industry, we are all guilty of thinking that cleaning is just that, cleaning. The thing that you will soon learn if you speak to a Sparkle Cleaning expert, is that cleaning is so much more than that. Office Cleaning has a number of approaches and terms which you may hear when discussing your office cleaning needs, the most common are cleaning and sanitising. So, how are they different and which one could be right for your office space?
Office Cleaning is when visible dirt is removed from surfaces. This could be a variety of different dirt including soil, debris, organic substances and even micro-organisms. Whilst cleaning will remove the visibility of these things, it is important to remember that it will not remove all the contaminated matter, it will simply reduce their numbers and make sure that your office space looks and feels much cleaner.
If you organise cleaning of your office, then you will usually find that it is done using a combination of water and universal detergent. This is often enough to remove the visible dirt and you may even find that it helps with low risk surfaces such as windows and floors, which pose a much lower threat of transferring bacteria and only need a clean to keep them looking nice and fresh.
Cleaning of this nature is often the first step that Sparkle Cleaning will take when it comes to tackling your office environment. However, if there needs to be a much deeper clean then they will need to move onto sanitisation.
The next stage in the office cleaning process is sanitising. Sanitising is designed to reduce any harmful bacteria in an office space and get it to a safe level. In doing this, you are going to be decreasing the risk of any infections that could be spread.
Sanitisation will be able to remove a much higher amount of bacteria then cleaning would, this is due to the specific sanitising chemicals which will be used during the process. They have been designed to kill as much as 99.999% of the bacteria that can be found in an office environment, which is an incredibly high percentage. It is a good idea to organise a sanitising level of clean if you have a kitchen space within your office as this will help to reduce the transfer of any bacteria and keep your office staff as safe as possible.
Is there another option?
Whilst cleaning and sanitising should be enough for the average office space, there may be times that you require a much deeper clean. This is when you should organise disinfection. This is a cleaning process which will eliminate pathogens and disease-causing micro-organism.
It uses a variety of chemical disinfectants from low level right up to hospital grade which will ensure that more and more bacteria is removed and cleaned.
There are a variety of approaches to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning your office space. Make sure that you discuss which is going to be right for you and for your business by contacting us now.
When you run a business, one thing that you need to ensure that you focus on is keeping your customers happy. After all, without customers, you don’t really have a business. The thing about customers is that the ways that you can create a positive impression of your business really varies and some of the approaches you wouldn’t even necessarily think about. This includes how clean your business premises are.
So, how does poor cleaning affect customer experience? Let’s take a look at the impact that it could have.
The thing about customers is that they can make snap judgements on you as a business, simply by taking a look at your premises. Whilst it may not be the case, if you have a working space that is less than clean and tidy, then you are going to come across as sloppy, unprofessional and not quite the quality company that you hope to be seen as. This is never going to put you in good stead with your customers, especially if you are trying to wow a brand new client.
As an employer it is vital that you keep your staff happy. After all, happy staff are staff that are going to work their best for your business. One of the simplest ways to make sure that your staff are as happy as possible is to provide them with a clean and tidy working space. This not only will make sure that they enjoy working for you, but will also filter down by giving the customers that they deal with the very best experience possible.
If you own a company that sells items, usually online, then you are going to have a picking, packing and shipment process that you need to think about. If your working space is messy or dirty, then this can have an impact on this particular process or processes. It may not instantly be obvious that this is the case, but when things become harder to find, or you are lacking in a “clean” space to pack up items ready for shipment, then you will start to notice the impact.
No-one wants to spend time in a dirty workspace, even if it is just you on your own. By tasking a commercial cleaning company with cleaning your working space, you are giving yourself a treat and it is going to make sure that you feel better about being there and also better about your business too, then in turn you can pass all these good vibes onto your customers and help to improve their experience.
Arranging for regular cleaning of your business premises is a definite investment that you should think about making. Whether it is daily, weekly or however often you need it, commercial cleaning is something that every business can benefit from.
A variety of different business types need commercial cleaning. Whilst many of them will need the same core tasks to be carried out, some of the different business types require different approaches. This is definitely true for businesses such as accountants.
But what are they? What considerations need to be taken into account when it comes to cleaning for an accountancy business?
In the most part, any cleaning work that needs to be carried out will be done out of office hours. However, there is still a chance that clients may see the cleaner who is working on their premises. This means that any cleaning staff should look professional at all times. Of course, the uniform should be practical, but it still should ensure that the cleaning company is seen in the best light and that they will create the right impression.
Due to the nature of the work that accountants carry out, there is a good chance that some of the documentation that they will have within in their offices are confidential in nature. This means that any cleaning company is going to need to have an awareness of the importance of this confidentiality and ensure that any client information is kept private and protected.
Many cleaning companies ensure that their cleaners are fully vetted and DBS checked before they commence any cleaning contracts. This will check their background and ensure that they are going to not only treat your business with respect but also that they can be trusted within the premises too.
Accountants don’t always work set hours, particularly when it comes to tax return times, when they may be required to work longer hours or start earlier. It is important any cleaning tasks that need to be carried outfit around this schedule. After all, an accountant is not going to be able to concentrate on their work if they have someone around them cleaning. This could be combatted with early starts or late cleaning options, as well as flexibility when it comes to when the premises are cleaned.
Cleaning for accountancy may have some similarities to other cleaning contracts, however, there are things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to these types of client. This means, if you are accountancy looking to organise commercial cleaning, then you are going to need to make sure that you find one that is going to understand the key considerations and offer you the very best in cleaning services too.
Sparkle Cleaning set high standards. They are also raising the bar when it comes to employee engagement and staff wellbeing. The Bristol-based cleaning company was founded in 2016 by Gareth Sanders and they specialise in commercial property cleaning. Gareth is proud of his staff and his city and wanted to find a way to support both.
Gareth explains
“I expect high standards at work but I also know how it feels to work somewhere where your hard work doesn’t get valued. When I set up Sparkle Cleaning one of my values was to give support to the community. After consultation with some staff members we decided supporting Bristol Zoological Society and Bear Wood at Wild Place Project was the perfect solution. Our staff can visit the Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wild Place Project with their families throughout the year and we get to be part of the important conservation work they are doing”
Sparkle Cleaning are not only corporate members at Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wild Place Project but also Bear Wood Business Guardians http://www.wildplace.org.uk/bearwood
Lucy Tissington, Development Officer for Bristol Zoological Society met with Gareth and was blown away by his enthusiasm for the Bear Wood Business Guardian scheme:
“It’s so exciting to partner with Gareth and the team at Sparkle Cleaning. Sparkle Cleaning’s support is so important to help reach the Appeal’s target and ultimately protect native species here in the UK”
Gareth would like to encourage other Bristol businesses to think how they can support the city and community and what fits in with their company values and staff members.
“I’m not keen on that phrase ‘team-building’ but taking the staff to Wild Place Project felt like it did build the team. We had such a fabulous day together – we all feel like we are part of something important”
Offices may not seem like the type of place that can quickly get dirty and cluttered, but with lots of people working there and lots of activity, things can get unkept and quickly. This is why many people turn to the services of a professional commercial cleaning company.
The decision to hire one is usually relatively simple, you know when you need one, however, what you may not be quite so sure of is how often you should organise for your office to be cleaned. Essentially it will really depend on your workplace and your needs, however, to help you to plan, we have put together how often it is likely that your office will need to be cleaned.
The regularity that you organise an office clean will really depend on the size of your business, the nature of what you do and of course how many employees that you have. However, there are some certain tasks that really need to be done on a twice weekly, if not more frequent basis, if you want to make sure that your office space looks its best.
The first place to start is with the reception area, this is the first part of your business that people will see and there is also a good chance that visitors will be spending some time sat in this space, which means that it needs to look its best. Else, you may find that they form the wrong opinion about what you are like as a company.
Next, you need to think about the toilet. Much like the reception area, this is going to get used on a frequent basis, and a dirty look is never a good thing. Also, a toilet that isn’t cleaned enough is likely to start to smell and this can travel through the entire office in no time at all. Whilst we are thinking about nasty smells, the bins are another part of the office that should be emptied and cleaned out as often as possible.
Last of all, if you have decided to opt for modern office design, with lots of lovely glass partitions, then these are going to need to be wiped down at least every other day. Fingerprints and general dirt and dust are not only attracted to these surfaces, but they show up too, which will end up making the entire space look messy.
So, these are the types of thing that you should organise to be done at least on a twice-weekly basis, if not more often. What about those things that are less regular?
Hoovering the carpet is incredibly important, but for the majority of office spaces, this can be a weekly job, especially if it is teamed with hoovering any fabric chairs at the same time. You may also want to arrange for desks to have a good wipe down every week, as they can soon become dirty if they are left uncleaned for too long. Monthly jobs include cleaning the windows and making sure that any cobwebs are removed.
As you can see, there are a variety of tasks that you need to think about arranging for your office clean, the frequency that you arrange these really depends on just how dirty things get in between the cleans. However, if you choose a Sparkle Cleaning, then in no time at all, they can turn the dirtiest office into a space that everyone is happy to be in.
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