Quoted a small medical facility this morning; the current janitor is storing his equipment on-site, and I got a look at it.
Decent back-pack vacuum and bucket & wringer, fairly new and clean. Opened the vacuum - filthy paper bag, and no further filtration. It's a bit penny wise/pound foolish to spend several hundred on a decent vacuum, and not the few dollars more for a HEPA filter.
Further, I had already pointed out to the office manager the layer of grime on the lowest couple of inches of baseboard; on seeing the string mop, it was pretty easy to conclude that the grime had come from dirty mop water over the months. (It's a lot easier to avoid slop on baseboards and furniture, with a half-inch thick microfiber mop than with a string mop.) I also noticed discolored ceramic grout, often a result of dirty mop water not fully mopped up. Both problems are easily solved by trading in the string mop for a microfiber flat mop.
Also noticed a feather duster, some non-commercial cleaning products, and the lack of an MSDS book - all easily and inexpensively remedied.
Proper equipment and chemicals, chosen with a view to indoor air quality, health, the environment (and OSHA) might have added 15% to total equipment cost. Cleaning more thoroughly (HEPA filtration, microfiber mops, microfiber wipes replacing feather dusters, using top grade commercial chemicals, etc.) would have left less dust and grime behind each visit, lowering nightly labor costs - I'd guess, saving that 15% back within the first several weeks. Cleaning more thoroughly would also have left a better looking and healthier facility for the client, and left me with nothing to talk about as I presented my quote (I provide janitorial service in Phoenix AZ).
Penny wise and pound foolish is quite desirable - in the competition.
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.
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