Hiring a school cleaning service goes beyond basic appearance; it directly impacts students, staff productivity, and overall facility standards. Before making a decision, it’s important to ask the right questions to ensure you’re choosing a professional cleaning provider that aligns with your school’s needs, schedule, and safety requirements. Keep reading to learn more about why making the right choice matters and the questions to ask the next commercial cleaner you are interviewing for your school.
Why Choosing the Right School Cleaning Partner Matters
Hiring the right professional commercial cleaning crew for your school is about more than dust-free surfaces and empty trash bins. Choosing the right janitorial services for your school also means:
- Cleaner learning environment
- Support reduced absences
- Compliance with cleaning standards
- Consistent facility upkeep
- Safety and security
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a School Cleaning Service
1. What Experience Do You Have with Schools and Educational Facilities?
First and foremost, you want to be sure that the commercial cleaning service provider you are considering has experience working in schools, academies, daycares and other educational facilities. A commercial cleaner can have years of experience and the best reviews online, but if they do not have experience cleaning public and private schools, they may not be able to provide the support you need. An experienced team will have familiarity with the proper procedures of cleaning classrooms, restroom, cafeterias, gyms and more. This expertise helps ensure that they can effectively maintain a clean environment for students and staff alike.
2. Can You Work Around Our School Schedule?
Schedule flexibility is essential for how schools operate, which is why having an accommodating cleaning crew is necessary. Having professional cleaners come in before or after school hours helps minimize disruptions to students, teachers and school administrators.
It’s also important to note that schools and daycares have different requirements for appropriate cleaning times. Daycares may have a shorter window due to early and late care being provided, while schools can usually schedule larger cleanings in the evenings or on weekends. Cleaning requirements may change throughout the year, especially during winter and summer breaks. A professional cleaning team should be able to adapt to these varying needs.
3. What Cleaning Procedures and Products Do You Use?
Another aspect that is fundamental for schools and education facilities to get clarity from school cleaning providers are the services they provide; not all cleaning companies may offer the services you need.
It’s also important to clarify the cleaning products used, whether they are EPA-approved disinfectants, and the procedures for infection control, especially during frequent outbreaks of illness, which are common in learning environments.
Related: How Clean Classrooms Can Improve Student Attendance
Additionally, specific schools, such as daycares, preschools, Montessori schools, or nature schools, often prioritize natural, green cleaning products in their settings. If this is a priority to your facility, be sure to discuss this with the commercial cleaners and consider whether this is something they are able to accommodate.
4. What Is Included in Your Scope of Services?
Ask questions about the scope of services provided by each school cleaning service provider you are interviewing. Inquire whether they provide daily, weekly, and periodic cleaning. You should expect them to perform tasks such as cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, dusting, emptying trash and recycling, sanitizing high-touch areas, sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. These are just a few of the basic cleaning practices you should anticipate for your school.
Additionally, confirm that they can handle occasional deep cleaning tasks, such as window cleaning, enhanced disinfecting, carpet cleaning, and floor stripping and waxing. Partnering with a company that can also manage these cleaning projects simplifies the process compared to searching for another company to handle them separately.
5. How Do You Handle High-Traffic and High-Touch Areas?
Private schools, daycares, and other facilities are very active environments. Younger children often have less awareness of proper hygiene and self-cleaning measures, which increases the need for thorough cleaning and disinfecting. This is especially important for high-traffic and high-touch areas such as restrooms, door handles, desks, and locker rooms. In these settings, daily and weekly cleaning practices are typically necessary.
Want more details on best practices? Get our School Cleaning Checklist
6. Are Your Staff Trained, Background-Checked, and Insured?
All organizations deserve a dedicated cleaning team that prioritizes making things look their best, but when it comes to schools, daycares, and other educational facilities, it goes beyond the importance of cleaning; it must factor in additional elements like safety and security.
The cleaning company you are considering should be able to explain its staff vetting and training processes clearly. They should also be able to provide details about safety and compliance standards and proof of liability coverage.
7. How Do You Ensure Consistent Quality?
If you are responsible for hiring a professional janitorial service for your school, you likely have a lot on your plate. It’s important to feel confident that you won’t have to constantly check and question the quality of the cleaning performed daily and weekly.
Which is why you must be sure to ask your potential commercial cleaning company how they ensure an ongoing, consistent clean quality. It’s not about questioning their reliability; it’s about getting clear insight into their ability to guarantee that cleaning will consistently meet established standards and knowing what to do if expectations are not being met.
At ROC Commercial Cleaning, we ensure that our clients do not have to deal with the ups and downs of quality cleaning. One way we ensure this is by assigning a designated account manager to every client we serve. Our account managers are proactive and regularly check in on you and your facility rather than waiting until you reach out when an issue occurs.
Find out how to Break Free from the Commercial Cleaning Roller Coaster
8. Do You Offer Customized Cleaning Plans?
Most commercial cleaners recognize that cleaning is not a one-size-fits-all situation. But it’s still necessary to verify that they can tailor your cleaning to meet the needs and size of your school. Schools and academies often require different cleaning measures at different times of the year, so you’ll want to find out about the options for changing the cleaning schedule as needed.
9. Can You Provide References and Reviews?
To ensure that your potential janitorial service provider has experience in cleaning schools and similar facilities, it’s essential to request references. This will allow you to gather feedback from other schools that have worked with the professional cleaning company. While asking for reviews is helpful, directly speaking with another organization like yours can help confirm that your specific needs will be met.
Related Read: How To Choose The Right Commercial Cleaning Company
What to Look for in a Reliable School Cleaning Provider
A strong partnership with a trusted janitorial provider ensures that your facility has a consistent clean and fosters a positive and safe environment for both students and staff.
Some non-negotiables that you should establish include:
- Proven experience in educational settings.
- Clearly defined processes and a commitment to accountability.
- Strong communication and prompt responsiveness.
- Flexible and scalable services to accommodate changing needs.
On the contrary, here are some red flags to watch out for:
- Companies with a lack of school-specific experience.
- Vague or unclear scope of services provided.
- Unable to provide clear details around their quality control process.
- Limited flexibility in scheduling or poor or minimal communication.
Find out more about How to Find the Best Private School Professional Cleaning Services
Making a Confident Decision for Your School
When it comes to making decisions for your school, asking the right questions matters more than you may realize. Doing so not only helps clarify what your school, daycare or education facility needs but also guides you toward better outcomes. Remember to focus on long-term value rather than just immediate costs; investing in a quality commercial cleaning company leads to better results and lasting satisfaction.
With our expertise and commitment to excellence, ROC Commercial Cleaning is here to support you in navigating these important decisions.
A Cleaning Partner That Understand Your School
When it comes to keeping your school clean, partnering with an experienced team makes a difference. At ROC Commercial Cleaning, we understand the specific demands that daycares, schools and other educational institutions require. With nearly 30 years of experience cleaning for schools and other businesses across the Minnesota Minneapolis – St. Paul Twin Cities area, we are committed to being the last cleaning service you have to hire.
Reach out and ask us these questions today.
ROC Commercial Cleaning is your trusted Twin Cities commercial cleaning company. We provide janitor services for office buildings, medical and veterinary clinics, industrial buildings, schools and more. We also provide floor stripping and waxing, construction cleanup, and office disinfection services. ROC Commercial Cleaning is an experienced and reputable Minnesota corporate cleaning service provider – no job is too big or too small!
Get off the cleaning rollercoaster. Contact ROC Commercial Cleaning at 612-581-2776 for your free, no-obligation estimate.
