When you are bidding on cleaning a building it's helpful to have an idea of what the averages are for cleaning rates per square foot. There are many factors that must be taken into consideration including supervision, education, and administration.

You've bought all your cleaning supplies and equipment, told everyone you know that you have started a cleaning business and now you are ready to start bidding on jobs and getting down to work. After meeting with potential clients you might be thinking that your next step is just getting down to work. But before you actually start work you need to know how much to charge for your cleaning services.

Are you looking for a way to clean that involves less elbow grease? Are you looking for a healthier way to clean? Have you considered switching to vapor steam cleaning? Vapor steam cleaning is a unique cleaning method that uses high temperature (240 to 280 degrees), water vapor, and pressure to clean, sanitize and deodorize in one easy operation.

Travertine is a type of stone that belongs to the limestone family. Travertine is formed by minerals that dissolve in groundwater, and then are deposited on the surface of the earth by rivers and springs. This article explains the steps needed to clean travertine floor tile as well as Do's and Don'ts

Putting together a bid packet to present to a prospective client shows that you are a professional in the cleaning business. Many small businesses seeking cleaning services do not know what to expect when receiving a bid, or their experience has been receiving a single page bid, which is not very impressive. When you present a nicely packaged proposal, you've just increased your chances of winning the bid, regardless of price.

A business plan is an important document that cleaning companies of all sizes should take the time to prepare before signing on that first account. By sitting down to write a business plan you take the time to look at your new business in an objective and critical manner. Once completed, a business plan will give you a path to follow.

Winning those first few sales is one of the toughest challenges you'll face when getting your new cleaning business off the ground. Some prospects may be uncomfortable working with a new business owner. They may be interested in your services, but feel you don't have the experience they're looking for.

Are you bidding on a new cleaning account? When bidding a cleaning account, labor is always the biggest expense. In order to determine your labor expense for a cleaning account you'll need to figure out how many hours it will take to get the job done.

It is well known that inadequate hand washing can lead to the spread of germs. However, as cleaning professionals it is sometimes overlooked how important this is in our industry. Even if your cleaning staff is wearing gloves, it is still important that they spend the extra time necessary to make sure chemicals and germs are thoroughly washed off their hands.

Winning the bid for a cleaning contract doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be the lowest bidder. The entire bidding and estimating process has an enormous impact on the success of your bid, and should be considered an overall effort, and not just an aim to beat the price of any competing business. The trick is to communicate well with the facility operator in order to create a set of standard expectations and definitions for the job itself. That way, the bid you make will cater precisely.

When bidding on cleaning a building, walking through the building with the prospective client is an important part of the process. This offers you not only a chance to do a detailed site inspection, but to ask questions and get to know your prospective client and start building a relationship with that person.

Whether you clean residential homes or office buildings, chances are you've had to clean solid surface countertops made of DuPont™ Corian®. Your customers have invested a lot of money in their countertops, so you want to make sure you're cleaning them according to the manufacturer's directions. Here are some tips for the care and cleaning of Corian countertops.

Your cleaning company can have a big impact on its clients by paying attention to small details that other cleaning services miss.

Production rates for any type of cleaning is not an exact science because there are so many variables that can affect our productivity. However this article offers general guidelines for floor care production rates.

To stay profitable in your cleaning business it's important to save money wherever you can. There are numerous ways you can cut costs by looking at everything from when your employes take breaks to getting rid of outdated supplies. Taking some time to look at where your costs are can save you money and make your business more proitable.

There are many ways you or your cleaning workers can become injured on the job. By taking a few precautions and spending time on safety training, you can save your cleaning company money by preventing accidents from happening. Here are a few tips for preventing injuries:

It's important for cleaning companies to establish guidelines for protecting their employees hands and feet. Without hand protection, workers can become exposed to germs, bacteria, and harsh chemicals. Without proper foot protection, workers are subject to injury. The following are tips for protecting the hands and feet of custodial employees.

Wood floors are everywhere, so if you're in the cleaning business, chances are you've had to care for one. Properly maintaining wood floors will not only extend the life of the floor, but will improve upon the daily appearance, which will make your customers happy. Following are some of the Do's and Don'ts of caring for wood floors.

Bamboo is quickly becoming a popular flooring. It's now being used in many new homes and office buildings. However, many people are under the misconception that bamboo is a tree, meaning it's a "wood" floor. But did you know that bamboo is not wood, it's actually a grass? This article gives tips for caring for bamboo floors.

Many commercial cleaning companies provide construction cleaning services for both commercial and residential locations. Most construction companies subcontract their construction cleaning to these companies because they don't have the equipment and supplies needed for this type of cleaning. Also, most construction workers don't have the attention to detail that cleaning companies have, so they're better off sub-contracting this part of the project.

If you're thinking about starting a cleaning business or have a cleaning business and would like to expand into a new niche, this list will be of interest to you. This is a short list of the types of businesses or individuals that hire cleaning companies.

When starting a new residential cleaning account you'll need to explain to your new customer why you charge more for the "first time" cleaning. A first time cleaning of a new residential cleaning account is more like a "spring-cleaning" and needs extra staff time to remove extra soil and build-up.

Do you clean buildings or homes that have hardwood floors? Keeping hardwood floors in prime condition can be a nightmare for your cleaning company. Knowing what to do and when to do it will help you to keep the hardwood floors in your buildings looking good.

Today's concerns about health and safety extends into the world of cleaning. If we want to keep ourselves and our employees safe and healthy, there are things we can do to improve our cleaning methods.

There's nothing that says your cleaning company is doing a great job more than when your building's restrooms are not only clean, but fresh-smelling. After all, when employees or visitors enter a restroom they "hope" to be confronted with a pleasant scent - pine, citrus or just a clean smell. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

So you've decided you're ready to take the plunge and start your own janitorial cleaning business. You can succeed and have a profitable cleaning business if you take the time to plan out your business strategy before signing that first client.

Even if you don't think of yourself as a marketing guru, advertising can help get your cleaning company noticed by potential customers. Finding the right niche for your cleaning company will help you to direct your advertising dollars to that area and be the most effective way of getting clients to call and requesting your cleaning services.

There are lots of reasons people start a cleaning business - you wanted to start your own business but didn't want to sit behind a desk, you enjoy cleaning or you wanted out of the typical 9 to 5 rat race. No matter what the reasons were that you started your cleaning business, you won't be able to stay in business long unless you are making a profit. With more and more people going into the cleaning field each year, how do you stay competitive, yet earn enough to make a living?

Concerned about the increasing costs of supplies? Prices can change quickly and the total costs of your cleaning supplies may not be accurate when placing bids. There are ways to keep your supply and material costs in check.

Have you ever watched a professional window washer do his or her job, and wonder how s/he does such a perfect job so quickly, and only with the simplest of tools? When it comes to window washing, there are some important tricks of the trade that you need to learn, before you can be confident in the fact that you wash windows like a pro. Believe it or not, when you know what you're doing, you may actually find that you enjoy window washing.

If you're a professional cleaner, you've likely used the following types of cleaners. Here are the most common types of cleaners you'll use and what you need to know about each.

Even though a brochure is a convenient marketing piece and might be a good way to first approach new clients, a complete marketing kit is a much better way to let your clients know who you are, what you do and what you have to offer.

It doesn't matter if the floors in a building are shiny, the glass surfaces sparkle, and the furniture gleams; if there are unpleasant, strong or foul odors, occupants will feel that your cleaning company is not doing its job. A building's occupants not only expect shiny floors and furniture wiped free of dust, they also want their buildings to smell "clean".

You're in business to make a profit. If you have employees or are getting ready to hire employese, how do you know how much to pay to be comparable to other employers? If you pay too little your employees will leave for higher paying jobs, yet paying too much will take a bite out of your profit margin.

You may have started your cleaning company part time and never felt you needed to have written documentation on how to do your job. With many different tasks pulling you in a thousand directions, writing down procedures has most likely never been a priority. But what happens if you get sick, injured or even if you just want to take some much needed time off from your cleaning business?

Using propane floor machines for hard floor maintenance is a big time-saver and reduces seemingly impossible floor maintenance chores into manageable tasks. But these machines can also be dangerous if not used and maintained correctly.

Do you have your own techniques when cleaning your clients home or office? Everyone seems to develop techniques and systems that works for them. But are they the most efficient ways to clean? Following are tips for cleaning more efficiently in your cleaning business.

There is really no wrong way for you to clean a home. But as with any business, time in your cleaning business is valuable. The more cleaning jobs you can fit into a day, the more potential profit you earn. If you can complete the basics faster, then you have more time to offer specialized services or to move on to cleaning the next home.

Are you thinking about starting your own cleaning business? Running your own business offers many rewards and gives you the freedom of being your own boss. You can also achieve great personal satisfaction from starting with a just few cleaning clients and building a successful and thriving business. However, not everyone is cut out for the time and money commitment that it takes to run a cleaning business. . .

An area that causes some cleaning contractors to scratch their heads, is the best way to clean marble floors. Asking janitorial supply houses or stores that sell marble flooring will almost always lead to different answers on the best way to clean and take care of marble floors. Suggestions on cleaning vary from using an all-purpose cleaner to plain water to vinegar. But these are not the ingredients that you need to care for the marble floors in your buildings.

Cleaning companies use a variety of cleaning chemicals to get the job done. It's important for every worker to protect themselves and work safely with all chemicals they use.

Did you know that one of the top cleaning complaints is dusting? It seems everyone has their own way of doing it, and we all use a variety of tools. With the concern over air quality and "green cleaning" these days, the old feather duster is no longer a useful tool for professionals in the cleaning industry.

Six Steps to a Clean and Healthy Restroom.

The following are sample scripts for you to use when making telephone cold calls.

It doesn't matter what a fantastic service your cleaning business provides if no one knows that you exist. If you are clever and motivated there are numerous ways to promote your business that don't have to cost a bundle. Here are just a few.

We all clean restrooms in our cleaning business, but how do we know if it's really clean?

When an entrepreneur takes the plunge and starts his or her own cleaning company, the first concern is how to get clients. Once up and running, the day-to-day tasks take over and the goal of owning a business - making a profit - is sometimes lost. But your cleaning business cannot survive and grow unless there is more money coming in than going out.

Last week we talked about the tools you need for dusting and how to dust desk areas. This week we'll talk about how to dust other areas of the office including venetian blinds, hallways, stairwells, entrys, and more.

One of the fastest ways to grow your cleaning business is to get referrals from your current customers. There may be times when a customer will pass your company's name along without any prompting from you. However, to really get your clients to work for you, it's important to encourage referrals.

Last week we talked about the steps needed to perform construction cleaning. This week we'll list some of the tools and supplies you should have with you to perform this type of cleaning efficiently:

Are you finding that the prices you charge your cleaning customers are not high enough to cover your costs and make a profit? It's never an easy decision, but it might be time to raise the price of your cleaning services. So how do you raise your prices and not lose customers?

Slips and falls are among the most common accidents that occur in both commercial buildings and residential homes. Every custodial worker needs to take the proper precautions when working in order to prevent slip and fall accidents. The following tips will help.

Mopping floors seems like one of those things everyone knows how to do, but few people actually know the right way to do it. If you're not using the right technique, you're causing a lot more work for yourself and are probably taking a chance with your own safety as well.

If you'd like to add a profitable stream of income to your cleaning business, then think about adding carpet cleaning services. Since this is a specialized service that requires an investment in education and equipment, you can charge more for this service than you can for general cleaning. But before jumping in feet first, make sure you follow these 8 steps to clean carpet like a pro. .

Where do you get sales leads for your cleaning business? When you first start your cleaning business your clients may be friends, relatives or clients you had while working for another cleaning service. But to grow your business you need to expand that circle. Where do you find potential clients for your cleaning services?

As you get ready to start your own cleaning business there are literally hundreds of things you have to do - from buying supplies to figuring out your accounting system to finding customers. Your first year in business is full of excitement, but can also bring about a steep learning curve.

When you're in the cleaning business, it's likely you and your employees will need to use ladders occasionally. Whether it's to wash windows or to dust a hard-to-reach ledge, training your employees to use ladders safely is very important if you don't want them to fall. The following are tips for using ladders safely.

Most commercial cleaning chemicals stored in janitor closets are safe, as long as they're being stored and used according to the manufacturer's directions. However some products used by cleaning companies can cause dangerous situations and adverse health affects.

These 10 tips are essential for cleaning company owners and sales people to master if you'd like to gain more customers.

Are you thinking of starting a cleaning business? By taking the right steps at the beginning you can start a cleaning business with very little up-front costs and yet clear a profit in your first year of operation! What are the advantages of starting a cleaning business as opposed to owning and operating another type of business?

One way to generate more income and more profit for your cleaning company is to offer additional services to your existing customers. Many cleaning companies have offered extra services such as hard floor care and carpet cleaning services. But have you thought about changing bulbs for your customers? It means one less thing your customer has to deal with and more profit for your cleaning company. . .

Minority small business grants exist for new business and existing small business that would like to take their businesses to a new level. And if you are a woman, minority race, disabled, or in some other position that makes you a minority you need to apply for the minority small business grants and get the grant money you deserve.

Although it's a dirty, messy job, construction clean-up services can be a profitable niche or add-on for your cleaning business.

Sometimes custodial workers are in such a hurry to get the job done that they're not cleaning properly, or they're working too hard to get things cleaned. That's because they're not letting the tools and chemicals they're using do most of the work. Below are 6 keys to cleaning more effectively, without wasting more time or energy in the process.

Sometimes we as cleaning business owners and managers think we know what our customers want so that's what we focus on. But what do tenants of office buildings really want from their cleaning service?

If you'd like to offer floor care services for resilient tile in your cleaning business, you need to know some of the terminology in order to understand how the chemicals work. It's also important to know the differences between floor strippers and floor finishes.

We're often asked by cleaning business owners how to clean tile and grout floors. It's a big challenge for a couple reasons. The tile itself is higher than the grout, so when you clean the surface, the cleaning solution naturally settles in the lower grout area. The cleaning solution suspends the soil while mopping, so if it settles in the grout line, the soil can get trapped there.

Before you open the doors of your cleaning business you not only need equipment and supplies, you need a name for your business. The name of your company will be the first thing prospective clients see - whether that is in the phone book, on your company car, in an ad, or on a website. The name symbolizes what your cleaning business represents.

If you own or work in a cleaning business, you no doubt do your fair share of lifting. This article has general guidelines for lifting properly.

Have you ever decided to just pick up the phone and "wing-it" when cold calling for your business? If so how did the call end up? Do you need some tips on how to make your cold calling more successful? This article has some practical tips on writing a script so you sound more natural when making a sales call.

Nothing says a building is clean more than floors that shine. This can be difficult if you have a building with stone floors. In order to get those floors not only clean, but shiny, you need to understand what procedures are necessary to make stone floors shine.

As your cleaning business grows, one of the first things you will need to do is hire employees. But before you put that ad in the paper or start interviewing prospective cleaning employees, you should have a written job description that specifies the duties of the position.

As a cleaning business owner, you need to keep yourself and your employees safe by using cleaning chemical safety guidelines recommended by OSHA.

Restroom cleanliness is one of the most common complaints cleaning companies receive. When cleaning restrooms, keep in mind that they should not only look clean, but that they should feel and smell clean. An important part in maintaining a high level of cleanliness is making sure the floor grout is clean.

Floors, especially hard surface floors, cover a large percentage of a building and are areas that your cleaning workers will spend a lot of time maintaining. Many of the cleaners you use to take care of floors contain products can have harmful health and environmental effects. Switching to "greener" cleaning chemicals can reduce these effects and also lead to cost savings for your cleaning company.

We'd all like to make more money in our cleaning business, but you can't always keep raising your prices to make it happen. But if you were able to work more productively and maximize every motion you make while cleaning, just think of the time you'll save. And every minute saved means more money in your pocket.

A housekeeping cart is used to carry equipment and supplies in a commercial cleaning setting. Some cleaning companies prefer using a "brute", which is a trash barrel on wheels, and which also contains a maid caddy or apron with pockets for cleaning supplies.

As a building service contractor, you may be expected to work miracles when it comes to floor care. A vinyl tile floor that is soiled, scuffed, and has years of wax build-up can be difficult to manage. And when the customer is on a tight budget, you need to be able to be able to minimize costs while increasing productivity so you can give the customer what they need and still make a profit. When asked to strip and wax a floor, it's your chance to start with a clean slate.

At some stage in your business you will be required to make sales calls for your cleaning services. Unfortunately, making effective sales calls is one area where many people fall short. Make your sales calls more effective by becoming aware of the following pitfalls.

The first step to clean carpets effectively is to understand what soil is and the problems that soil causes to carpet. Once you have an understanding of what makes carpets "dirty" it will help you to clean faster and more effectively.

One of the biggest challenges you'll face when calling on prospective customers is getting past the gatekeeper. This article shows you how to get past the gatekeeper.

Why does your cleaning business need a mission statement? A mission statement is an important tool that will capture the spirit of your business and clarifies the goals and objectives of your company. In just a sentence or two, a mission statement will let your customers know why they should hire your cleaning business to take care of their buildings.

There are many methods of carpet cleaning including hot water extraction, bonnet cleaning, dry foam, and absorbent powder/dry extraction cleaning. The most widely used method is hot water extraction cleaning. Why? Read on.

Window washing gives your customer's buildings that crystal clear image that can be seen inside and out. This article gives tips for washing windows like a pro.

As you get your cleaning company up and running, it's important to develop a brand image. Your brand shows your personality and values to your clients, vendors, distributors, potential clients, and professional organizations you belong to. A brand image is not just for the big corporations; a strong brand image potrays your company as credible and develops customer loyalty. .

House cleaning can be time consuming and frustrating if you approach it without a plan in place. If you create a house cleaning checklist and then follow it each week, you’ll find that being organized helps make the chores less of a burden.

Many residential cleaning companies assign two or three person teams for each home, and for good reason. While it's easy enough for one person to clean a home, work gets done much more quickly with teams, and before they know it, they're off to their next job. So what are the advantages of residential team cleaning?

As your cleaning business grows, you will find yourself in the position of hiring employes. But before you start the process of getting employees on board you have to figure out what to pay. How do you decide what to pay your cleaning staff?

Prevent workplace accidents with proper employee training. Because of the chemicals and equipment that are a part of a cleaning company's daily routine.

No matter how large or how small your cleaning business is, there is going to come a time when you answer the phone and find a customer on the other end who has a complaint. How you handle that complaint can have either a positive or negative impact on your business.

If you decide to offer window washing to your residential or commercial customers, then you need to know the proper procedures for cleaning windows, as well as the precautions you need to take so that you don't damage the windows you're cleaning. Nothing stings worse than the knowledge that you just ruined a window and now have to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to replace it!

If you're called upon to remove a spot from a customer's carpet, you'll need to know what the spot is in order to effectively remove it.

Have you noticed an odor coming from your upright vacuum cleaner? If your vacuum uses cloth bags and they are not being emptied after the vacuum is used, baceria or mold inside the bag make cause odors.

There is no way a cleaning company can effectively do its job without using chemicals. Your company may use just a few basic products or a multitude of cleaners for various situations. No matter how many or how few chemicals you use, it's important that you have the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each different product that your company uses.

Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide - also referred to as H2O2 - is one of the easiest ways to make sure that you provide a safer, cleaner space, with lower bacteria levels, but without the risk of the toxicity that is sometimes associated with cleaners. By cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, you not only protect the health of your employees and the other building users, but you also help to reduce the damage that is done to the environment.

Whenever a person is starting a cleaning business or looking to grow their business certain questions usually come up. How can I do it inexpensively? What are the most effective methods? Since most janitorial work is done after hours this leaves daytime hours to work on your sales and sales techniques. Here are some proven methods to help you grow your business.

You may have started your cleaning company part-time and thought that as the business grew you could quit your "day job" and put more time into the business. But as your cleaning business grows you may find you can no longer manage all the tasks you need to handle, no matter how much time you devote to it. Are you thinking of hiring employees so your cleaning business can grow?

Carpet is no doubt a common floor covering in most of the buildings that your company cleans. Carpet is inviting, sound-absorbing and helps with a building's overall health by capturing dust particles and keeping them out of the air. However, if not properly taken care of carpet can be almost impossible to keep clean and can give a negative impression of the cleaning staff.

The reason for dust mopping is to remove soil, sand, dust, and litter from floors, and to prepare them for wet mopping. Do not use dust mops for removing spills. Use the following tips for more effective dust mopping.

Whether you're providing cleaning services to residential homes or commercial facilities, the amount of profit you'll make is directly related to how quickly and efficiently you or your employees can clean. The less productive you are, the lower the profits.