If you’re thinking about hiring a janitorial vendor you may wonder what supplies are included. Until recently you might have been making time consuming trip to the store to stock up on cleaning supplies. If you hire a cleaning service, does this mean your days of grabbing a cheap hot dog and gas while at Costco to pickup paper towels are coming to an end? Well, there’s good and not-so-bad news. First, the good: most office cleaning contracts include all of the cleaning supplies, tools, and chemicals. Now the not-so-bad: the paper products such as toilet paper and paper towels are still your responsibility.
The Supplies Included with your Office Cleaning Service
The list of included supplies is lengthy. We’ll detail some of the more commonly known items:
- Cleaning tools such as squeegees, sponges, and scrubbing brushes.
- Additional tools such as dusters, mops, brooms, janitorial carts, caddies, and rolling trash bins.
- Cloth supplies such as microfiber rags and mop heads.
- Cleaning chemicals such as glass cleaner, disinfectant, all-purpose cleaner, and floor cleaner.
- Cleaning machines such as vacuum cleaners, scrubbing machines, pressure-washers, etc.
Not so bad, right? As you can see, all of the tools and materials utilized to perform the janitorial service are all taken care of. It’s also the cleaning vendor’s responsibility to maintain the care and stock of these items.
Pro tip: if you have allergies or other concerns about the types of chemicals being used in the office cleaning, we recommend talking with your service rep. There’s a wide variety of chemicals that can be utilized, including green cleaning products that are easier on both you and the environment. There’s also more aggressive cleaning products for facilities that really take a beating such as warehouse and machine shops. For medical facilities there are hospital-grade disinfectants. As cleaning needs will vary, the list of available options is extensive.
Now, let’s deep-dive into what you’re still on the hook for…
The Supplies that ARE NOT Included with Office Cleaning Service
There are crucial items that a facility will use daily. Ideally you’ll want to find a headache-free way to obtain them. These items include:
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
- Hand Soap
- The dispensers for the toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap
- Trash Can liners
These are often referred to as the paper supplies. There are numerous ways to get them that don’t involve jockeying for a parking spot at Walmart.
Various Ways to get Paper Supplies
Amazon
For the savvy E-commerce shopper, Amazon’s Prime delivery is undeniably quick. And they offer great pricing to boot! A convenient choice? Not so fast. There are drawbacks to consider:
- They won’t install any dispensers. And they’re unable to repair any broken ones.
- They cannot determine when the supply of paper is getting low or has completely run out.
- Amazon isn’t familiar with the unique needs of your facility and cannot give recommendations for products that might improve efficiency.
Big Box Stores.
Really? We’re going to skip this one. Who has the time?(!) However, if you’re passionate about shopping do yourself a favor and order ahead online. Also, choose a store that offers curbside pickup.
Paper Supply Companies.
Many Businesses choose to partner up with a Paper Supply company to meet their paper needs. The benefits are many:
- Paper supply companies can get you great rates as they buy/sell in wholesale.
- You’ll receive a dedicated customer service representative who can assist in a variety of needs.
- Dispensers are usually free when you purchase the associated brand of soap or paper.
- Your Customer Service rep will keep an eye on your supple levels and will proactively order more to ensure you never run out.
- They’re responsible for getting the dispensers installed and repaired when needed.
- The dispensers often come with better warranties.
- Your Customer Service Rep can assess your facility and consult you on your best options when it comes to things like toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap use. There are many variables to consider, including how many people use your facility. The volume of use can vary greatly between facilities. Different products may or may not be better suited to meet your needs.
- If you have safety needs they can be a great resource. They’ll often sell things like floor mats, safety cones, or hand-sanitizer dispensers.
Lastly, a lesser-known benefit is that your Paper Supply Company and your Janitorial Company can sometimes work together and coordinate when issues arise. The cleaning staff is generally the first to note any issues with dispensers or products. In some case they can work in tandem to ensure that your office isn’t affected and doesn’t skip a beat.
As a facility partner, a Paper Supply company can consult you on the best solution to meet your office supply needs. There are benefits to using local companies as well. In the Cities of Boise and Salt Lake City where Business Cleaning Solutions performs commercial janitorial Services, we always recommend Strive Workplace Solutions to our customers that are looking to purchasing paper supplies. Strive has a top-notch service team, knowledge staff and their industry expertise is simply unmatched.
Do you have additional questions on what the typical commercial cleaning company will include in their office cleaning contract? Our Service consultants are happy to help.