With any service, ensuring that expectations are properly adjusted is essential. This is especially true for janitorial services in Los Angeles, where expectations run high, and needs can vary greatly from location to location.
Each space has trouble spots that need more attention, as well as its own baseline for “clean”. In order to ensure that a client and service are speaking the same language, it’s essential to communicate with the client about the expectations for each space, and then the contract must reflect those expectations. This way, cleaning can start on the right foot, and avoid the process of adapting a work schedule to match what the client wants.
Three essential terms: clean, disinfect, sanitize
While there are many words and terms that may take explication, three in particular have broad relevance for the needs of clients, and the work flow of cleaning teams. Let’s take a closer look.
Clean
Clean is the most basic and widespread term. Typically, what is meant by “cleaning” is the removal of foreign material from an area. It can be carried out through washing, scrubbing, or other such means. In a sense, “clean” is more grounded in visual, but it’s up to each relationship to determine what “clean” means to them.
Some janitorial companies even use their own terms internally, such as “hotel clean” and “hospital clean” to differentiate approaches, even for office buildings. Hotel clean addresses visual cleanliness, and hospital clean goes further to apply to what can’t be seen, by additional infection control measures. It should be noted that if an area needs to be disinfected or sanitized (see the next section), cleaning needs to be properly executed first, so that dirt and debris don’t compromise the job.
Disinfecting v. Sanitizing
What, then, is the difference between disinfecting and sanitizing The outcomes are similar here, but essentially the difference is one of approach. A sanitizer has a much shorter dwell time, the time the product or process needs to effectively kill the biota. Sanitizers are able to boast 30 second dwell times to reach the standard 99.9% effective rate. Disinfectants, on the other hand, need about 10 minutes of dwell time to remove 99.9% of microorganisms.
The unique needs of each different location inform what approach should be taken. For example, in food preparation, against what you might expect, disinfectants are typically too harsh to be used around food. To safely prevent contamination, sanitizers are recommended. Lastly, teams should be made aware, with site-specific instructions, what needs to be done. If the instructions are to disinfect an area, the team needs to be allowed the extra dwell time necessary to ensure that the disinfection was properly administered.
The language used by janitorial services in Los Angeles can present a hurdle to communicating effectively during the proposal, bidding, and contract process. That’s why clear explanations, and ongoing communication are key to manage expectations, and ensure a job is done right.
