When you own or manage a business of any sort, you want to avoid thinking that your staff can or should manage the cleaning. This work is actually more dangerous than you may realise, as fumes from cleaning products can hurt a person's lungs, skin, and eyes if they don't take proper precautions, and it may also be more difficult than you realise to get an office or other facilities clean. When you are ready to hire professional cleaners, note a few questions you might ask them so you know the job will get done right, and know what's involved in their work.

Ask if they will assist you in knowing what needs to be done

Don't assume that you need to tell the office cleaners what needs to be done in your facility to get it clean; you may have certain specific tasks that you want to include, but you may not know all the details that are involved in a good cleaning for the space. Ask a potential company if they will have a representative come to your location and go through the area with you, and assist you with creating a task list or itinerary for cleaning. They may be more familiar with the details of what needs to be done and can ensure that nothing is overlooked as they perform this initial walk-through.

Ask if services are available year-round

Cleaning companies, like any other business, may want to shut down around certain holidays. However, you may actually need more cleaning around those holidays, if you have office parties or your production facility gets in more holiday orders. Always ask about their holiday schedule and if they're available year-round, or if there is any time when they're closed or short-staffed.

Ask how to lower your quote

When a cleaning company rep gives you a quote for services, don't hesitate to ask how it can be lowered, if it seems out of your price range. For example, you might provide your own cleaning supplies and equipment. You might also ask about adjusting the schedule; you don't want to neglect the cleanliness of an office, but you might go from having an office cleaned three times per week to just twice per week. There may also be certain cleaning tasks that don't need to be done at each visit, such as dusting high cabinets or cleaning the heating radiators. Don't hesitate to ask a cleaning rep about how to make adjustments so you save some money while not compromising too much on needed services.