Contracting a Commercial Cleaning Company or Hiring In-House: Which Is More Cost-Effective?

Running a business is a lot of work. You have meetings to attend, decisions to make and employees to oversee. You fill your time to its maximum potential, and sometimes, you wish there were more hours in the day. There’s always more to do tomorrow and more you wished to accomplish today. You have your hands full, but there’s something else you need to consider: keeping your place of business clean.

You probably don’t have the time to put on a pair of gloves and start scrubbing the floors. You need to spend your time focused on running a business. The question is, should you use a cleaning company or hire a janitor? There are pros and cons to both options, and what works for one business may be different than the next. This guide will help you learn more about hiring a cleaning company vs. an individual to clean your office or facility so you can make the best choice for your business.

Quality of Clean

When it comes to cleaning your business, it’s not about checking off boxes and hoping for the best. You want your business to be spotless, especially if you’re going to be paying money for the service. Consider the quality of the end result for whichever cleaning option you choose.

Hiring In-House

You may feel more comfortable hiring an employee or team of employees to clean your business from within. Here are the benefits of doing so:

• Control: You get to choose how and when your business space is cleaned. You set the schedule to determine who is cleaning your office and when they’re cleaning it. You can even tell them exactly what you want them to accomplish throughout the week. If you want full control over your building’s cleaning, then hiring in-house may be for you.
• Convenience: When you hire employees committed to keeping your business clean, you’ll experience greater convenience. These employees can be around during regular business hours to clean spills and messes that occur at any time. Waiting until a cleaning crew arrives is not always a viable option.
• Customization: Do your floors need unique care? Are you or some of your employees allergic to certain cleaning agents? When you hire an in-house cleaning staff, you get to customize the equipment and chemicals they use to meet your unique needs and preferences.
• Security: The security of your business is one of your top priorities. When you hire in-house, you can know who is in your business at all times, even during overnight cleaning sessions. Have peace of mind knowing who is cleaning your business.

Hiring a Cleaning Company

Hiring a cleaning company provides different benefits related to the quality of the clean. Here are some aspects to consider:

• Specialized equipment and products: A professional cleaning service has various high-quality gear and cleaning products. Instead of stocking your business with cleaning supplies, let the cleaning company bring its own equipment for the job.
• Expert techniques and processes: Great gear is useless without the skill to use it. Professional cleaning companies can clean more in less time and do a better job because they’ve honed their craft and know all the best cleaning procedures.
• Fully trained employees: It costs time and money to train an in-house cleaning crew. You can save that time and money by hiring a professional cleaning company. They’ve done all the training in advance so they can complete the job right away. And since they’re trained, your business building will experience a high-quality clean from the first day. You get all the benefits of a trained cleaning crew without doing any of the training.
• Level of experience: Professional cleaning companies have years and even decades of experience. They’ll be ready for the most unusual cleaning situations and leave you satisfied with the result. You can trust their expertise because they’ve seen it all, from the smallest accidents to the biggest messes.

Cost

How does the cost compare regarding hiring a cleaning company vs. janitors? Consider several factors to have an accurate idea of the differences in cost.

Hiring In-House

Here are some cost factors to consider when hiring in-house:

• Liability insurance: When you hire new employees to clean your business, you’ll have to pay liability insurance. In-house cleaning can increase certain risks for your employees. Without liability insurance, you leave yourself vulnerable to costly legal fees and court battles. You can avoid this liability by hiring a professional cleaning company.
• Workers’ compensation insurance: Accidents can happen on any day at any business. This is the reality when conducting business with hired employees. For that reason, you need to pay for workers’ compensation insurance for every employee you hire. This includes your new janitors and cleaning team. Factor this cost into the equation when figuring out how much it will cost to hire your own cleaning crew.
• Paid benefits: Full-time janitors deserve full-time benefits. Many of these hold monetary value. Paid benefits can include vacation time, health insurance, dental insurance, eye care and paid sick days. Beyond your employees’ hourly wages or yearly salary, you’ll need to pay more in the form of benefits for your full-time, in-house cleaning crew.
• Costs of equipment and supplies: You’ll need more than people to clean your business. You’ll need chemicals, cleaning supplies, products and cleaning equipment to get the job done. These can be costly, especially if you’re looking for a high-quality clean. You’ll also have to keep these items in stock and pay for equipment repairs if anything breaks. This can all become a hefty expense.

Hiring a Cleaning Company

It’s easy to assume that hiring in-house will be more affordable than outsourcing your cleaning needs. While it’s true that you can cut corners to decrease expenses, it’s a difficult task to lower costs and still get a high-quality clean. Hiring a cleaning company might seem more expensive at first glance, but the following benefits can make the expense a good value:

• Choose a service package that fits your budget: Professional cleaning companies offer various service packages to choose from. You can select a service that fits your budget, however large or small it may be. You’ll know that the services you receive will be high-quality for the amount you’re paying. And you can know exactly what services the company will provide based on the description of the package. Experience the benefits of a professional cleaning service at a price that fits your budget.
• Scale service up or down as needed: Every business owner knows that there are seasons of high profits and low profits. As these times of year fluctuate, you may need to scale your cleaning services up or down to accommodate the changes in activity and budget. With a professional cleaning company, you have the freedom to make these changes as you see fit. Talk to the company’s representative and describe your situation and your desires. They’ll work with you to provide services that fit your needs as they change throughout the year.

Additional Services

Life likes to throw curveballs your way. As you’ve spent time running your business, you understand this all too well. When choosing whether to outsource office cleaning or hire an internal team, you need to consider additional services. When unexpected needs arise, can your in-house team handle it? Will a professional cleaning company have the flexibility to accommodate these curveballs?

Hiring In-House

When new needs arise, hiring in-house gives you some freedom to find a way to accomplish them. Here are some factors to consider if you decide to use your own cleaning crew:

• Hire and train additional people: You may need to hire more people to complete certain tasks, raising your costs. If your cleaning crew cannot handle the volume of cleaning needed, you’ll need to bring on more team members. You may also need to hire different people for additional tasks. Maintenance and repairs around your business may fall outside the skill set of your cleaning crew. You could end up having two internal teams: a cleaning crew and a maintenance crew, which can become a costly solution.
• Difficult and strenuous tasks: In some situations, your in-house cleaning team may lack the skills needed to clean certain messes. Tasks like power washing the building, cleaning your carpets, and deep cleaning tough messes can be too difficult for an inexperienced or undersized cleaning team, not to mention the need for additional equipment. You could end up hiring a professional cleaning team anyway in such situations.

Hiring a Cleaning Company

Professional cleaning companies can respond to additional needs in ways that your internal crew may be unable to. Here are some benefits of hiring a cleaning company that’s ready for every situation:

• Maintenance services: Instead of hiring one internal team for cleaning and another for maintenance, choose one professional cleaning company to handle both. Some cleaning companies provide maintenance services for your business, making them your comprehensive solution. They can provide the handyman services you need.
• Wide range of services and abilities: Professional cleaning crews are ready for many tasks beyond standard cleaning services. If the outside of your building is dirty, they can pressure wash it. Do your walls need a facelift? Cleaning companies can provide painting services. Some companies even offer graffiti removal services if someone vandalizes your building. You also need to keep your parking lot clean, so see if a professional cleaning company will maintain your parking lot as well.
• Green cleaning: If you’re committed to preserving the environment, then make sure your business is staying green. Fulfill this commitment by hiring a professional cleaning company that offers green cleaning services. They may have access to the best environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Get a high-quality clean without any environmental guilt.

Peace of Mind

When comparing in-house vs. outsourced cleaning services, you need to remember the value of having peace of mind. Many people in business may say peace of mind is priceless. Make sure you’re making a decision that will reduce stress in your life.

Hiring In-House

Consider the following factors regarding peace of mind when employing your own cleaning team:

• More flexibility: When you hire in-house, you have control over your cleaning team. You know who is in your building, and you choose how your team cleans the building, so you know what’s going on at all times. Some business owners may find this level of control and flexibility worth the added hassle of hiring in-house.
• More risk: When you hire your own cleaning team, you open yourself up to risks. Besides the risk of injured employees and needing to pay medical and legal fees, you risk a lack of efficiency. If a member or several members of the cleaning crew get sick, you could face gaps in your schedule. Then none of the work gets done.

Hiring a Cleaning Company

You can experience greater peace of mind when hiring a professional cleaning company. Here are some reasons why:

• Trained cleaning crew: Handling your own cleaning team can be stressful. Hiring and training your crew takes time and resources, and managing their schedules, time off, sick leave and daily tasks can be a full-time job in itself. Professional cleaning companies handle all these stressors themselves, so you don’t have to. Plus, you can easily scale your services if needed.
• Free up time: When you hand off hiring, training and managing a cleaning crew to a professional company, you free up your time for other tasks. You’re running a business, and you have a lot of work to do as it is. Spend your time doing what you do best and outsource your cleaning to a professional cleaning company.
• Get reliable service: A stressful day can get worse when members of your internal cleaning crew start calling off. Professional cleaning companies have people on standby to fill in empty spots if someone can’t come in. They’ll clean your business when they promise to, guaranteed.
• Experience a high-quality clean: When you hire employees to clean your building, you expect them to do a good job. It can be discouraging and frustrating if you’re unsatisfied with their performance. When you hire a professional cleaning company, you’re entering a partnership with people who will do a great job every time. You’ll get a high-quality clean without the stress of janitors underperforming, which is especially important during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Give a great first impression: First impressions matter in every industry. Your customers and clients will see if your building is clean, and this will shape their initial opinions of you and your business as a whole. Trust your cleaning to a professional cleaning company to ensure you give a great first impression every time someone enters your building, facility or office space.

Create a Clean and Healthy Workplace With Shine Facility Services

There’s only so much time in the day. With all the duties you already have, you may not have the time to add the responsibility of hiring and managing a cleaning crew for your business. When you hire Shine Facility Services, you’re investing in more than a clean building. You’re investing in peace of mind, more free time, first impressions and even the health of your employees and customers.

We commit to creating a healthy workplace for you and everyone who enters your building. Two former five-star hotel executives own and run our business, representing a commitment to high-quality service with stellar results. When you need a professional, comprehensive cleaning solution, Shine Facility Services is the company for you. Contact us today to take the next step toward a clean, healthy workspace.