Concierge Janitorial | Office Cleaning Central Texas

Need office cleaning in Pflugerville, TX? If you own a business in Pflugerville TX and need office cleaning done by a trusted and reliable office cleaning service, Concierge Janitorial is just what you are looking for. We are bonded and have a great list of references who are tremendous customers. If you want to add your name to the list of happy customers who have shiny offices and are happy with our cleaning service, give us a call (512-484-6355) today. We’ll get an estimate to you right away for office cleaning in your Pflugerville, TX office building!

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I also thought I’d share this great article about Cleaning Health Care Facilities:

A growing area that offers plenty of opportunity and potential profit for building service contractors is cleaning health care facilities. Besides hospitals, there are nursing homes, doctor’s offices, clinics, hospices, and dental offices that all need cleaning. With the aging baby boomer population, the number of medical facilities will continue to increase in the next few years. Most hospitals employ in-house cleaning crews, but there is a growing trend towards outsourcing cleaning services. Even if a hospital or medical facility has their own in-house cleaning crew, they will sometimes hire a cleaning service for offices, public areas or specialty cleaning (carpets, floors, windows). This presents an opportunity for janitorial cleaning companies who are willing to invest some time and effort into learning the ins and outs of cleaning medical facilities.

Begin by realizing that cleaning in the medical world is regulated and you must follow specific rules and guidelines. In many instances, you will need to document your cleaning procedures. There will be extra training required for your employees and you must provide close supervision to assure that everything is cleaned correctly. You may have to invest in more equipment, chemicals, and supplies to meet the requirements of a particular facility. In addition, laws in your state may require you, as an employer in the health care industry, to provide your employees with hazard communication training, hepatitis shots, and instructions in the proper disposal of biohazard materials.

There are many types of medical facilities, so take some time to study the market in your area before deciding to add this niche to your business. First decide which type of facility your company is best suited to clean. When you are just starting out, it’s better to begin with smaller clinics and doctor offices. Another choice when just starting out is to provide specialized services such as floor care, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and window cleaning. Smaller facilities and specialized cleaning gives you a chance to learn the ropes and build up a reputation in this area. This is also worthwhile, because owners of janitorial cleaning services say that it’s from word of mouth referrals that they gain new health care clients.

It is important to know there are different definitions of “clean” when considering the needs of medical facilities. When you traditionally think of cleaning, it implies removing all visible soil. However, when it comes to health care buildings, clean can also mean disinfecting, sterilizing, and decontaminating surfaces. If you are thinking of presenting a proposal to a medical facility, it is important to know the difference between these three terms. You are often dealing with more than just soil removal — you are removing soil that can be highly contaminated. It is important that your employees follow documented procedures and don’t take any shortcuts.

Sterilization or disinfection is common in most areas of a medical facility. Sterilization refers to cleaning with powerful chemicals that destroy all known microbial life. Disinfection is different in that it means killing specific types of pathogens and microorganisms. If you are involved with either procedure you will be using hospital grade disinfectants.

In addition, you must pay special attention to mops, cleaning cloths, and buckets. These items should be cleaned every day, and sometimes after each use. Most medical facilities are now using microfiber cleaning cloths and flat mops, as there is less chance of cross-contamination. It may also be a requirement to use a true HEPA filtered vacuum. A HEPA vacuum cleaner is necessary to protect indoor air quality and prevent microorganisms from becoming airborne.

When cleaning in a medical facility, workers must assume that every surface they clean can pose a potential risk to themselves, employees, patients, and visitors. Janitorial staff needs to be follow the regulations established by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) about exposure to blood borne pathogens.

It is essential that cleaning staff have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes gloves and eye protection. Wearing the right PPE helps to assure that your cleaning staff will not touch contaminated surfaces and protects them from splashes and spills.

One of the challenges of cleaning hospitals is that they are often open 24 hours a day, so there are unique situations you may have to work around. Large projects, such as cleaning hard floors or carpets, may involve blocking off areas until the project is completed. The same holds true for public rest rooms. Another challenge you might face in this setting is the noise caused by vacuum cleaners. You may need to buy “quiet” vacuum cleaners, which may cost more than conventional vacuum cleaners. In addition, many facilities are now requiring that you vacuum hard surface floors opposed to dust mopping because vacuuming reduces the amount of dust and other particulates that can become airborne.

There are constant changes and innovations in the equipment and supplies that are used or are required to be used in health care facilities. Some of the new products in the marketplace include:

· Vapor Cleaning — These are compact and low moisture steam cleaning machines. They can be used on various surfaces including hard floors, carpeting, fabric partitions and toilets. These machines can sanitize surfaces without the use of harsh chemicals.

· Electrostatic Sprayer — This is a new product that uses an air assisted electrostatic sprayer to apply disinfectants, deodorizes, cleaners, sealants, and various coatings. According to the manufacturer, it is much more efficient and effective than traditional sprayers.

· New disinfectants and hydrogen peroxide cleaners — New non-toxic cleaners are continually being introduced.

If you want to expand into cleaning health care facilities, you must be willing to spend time learning about the best ways to keep facilities clean while using the least toxic chemicals.

Breaking into cleaning health care facilities can be difficult. Many are hesitant to use outside contractors for their cleaning services. In addition, it can be tough to get in touch with the right person at a health care facility. You need to break the barrier and find the decision maker who realizes that hiring an outside cleaning staff can reduce their overall costs.

In the health care field there are constant changes and advances. This includes the supplies and equipment that are used in cleaning facilities. If you decide to venture into this area you must be willing to do your homework and keep up with technological changes and housekeeping practices. If you have a thoroughly trained staff and offer quality services at a fair price the field will be wide open.

It is almost a certainty that the medical industry will grow significantly. This can be a boom and a profit maker for janitorial cleaning services that have trained their staff to properly clean health care facilities. Specializing in cleaning health care facilities can help a cleaning service owner stay on top of current trends and equipment in the industry. Becoming known as a medical facility cleaning specialist can open many doors and lead to higher profits.

Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)

Article Source: http://www.cleaningarticles.com

For more cleaning tips and information on starting and running a successful cleaning business, visit Steve Hanson at www.TheJanitorialStore.com. And while you’re there, sign up for Trash Talk: Cleaning Tip of the Week. Read cleaning success stories at www.cleaning-success.com.

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Office cleaning in Leander, Texas, available with great service, references and bonded. If you need office cleaning in Leander, Texas, please contact us (512-484-6355) for the best service around!

I found this great article on how to ensure your office smells clean and fresh in Leander, Texas. Thought I’d pass it along:

How to Keep Commercial Buildings Smelling Clean And Fresh

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”. The cleaning program you use for your buildings not only has to include daily cleaning, but also removing odor causing soil and leaving behind a light and fresh scent.

Before wading through hundreds of air fresheners and deodorizes on your janitorial supplier’s shelves, make sure you’ve thoroughly cleaned the building. This is the first step as it will remove bacteria that can cause odors. There are a couple of key areas that bacteria can really take hold — kitchens and restrooms. Effectively cleaning countertops, sinks and appliances can go a long way towards destroying odor causing bacteria.

Restrooms can have many problems that lead to the growth of odors. By starting with a product that contains a hospital grade disinfectant you take the first step to curbing the growth of bacteria that can lead to unpleasant smells. Cleaning products themselves can contain fragrances that many people may find offensive. Stick with products that have no scent or have just a slight fragrance.

Something else to keep in mind is how you use your cleaning supplies. If you are using rags or cotton cloths for wiping this can make any existing odor problem worse. If you do not wash your cleaning cloths between uses they can spread odor causing germs from one area to another. Think of switching to color-coded microfiber cloths or disposable paper towels to prevent cross-contamination. And then be sure to clean the microfiber cloths daily.

Follow these steps before setting up an air freshening system in your building:

• Make sure that you and your staff use the correct cleaning products for the task at hand, and make sure that you are using the products according to manufacturer’s instructions. For example, are you properly cleaning the grout in kitchens and restrooms? Ground in soil and other contaminants can become a breeding ground for odor causing bacteria.
• Is there enough ventilation? Stale air can cause unpleasant and offensive odors. If the building and especially the kitchen and restroom areas are not adequately ventilated, you may have to prop open doors when cleaning.
• Is there a deep cleaning program in place for the building? The faster you clean spills and debris, the less chance odor causing bacteria has to grow and multiply.
• Are you using products and cleaning procedures that make the odor problem worse? Almost every cleaning product has its own fragrance. Make sure that your all-purpose cleaner, bowl cleaner, disinfectant and other products have one consistent scent. This is best accomplished by using one product line from a particular manufacturer.

Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned the building, work with the building’s owner to decide on the most effective air freshening system. Aerosol fresheners are commonly used, although many add fragrances that merely mask odors rather than remove them. Consider using a system that provides odor neutralization and emits a light mist over time. Look for products containing properties that latch onto and then remove odor molecules as opposed to just spraying a fragrance to cover up odors. When properly used, these products can even remove odors caused by smoke, mold and mildew.

Keeping a building fresh and “clean” smelling will go a long way towards giving the overall perception that the building is clean. Fighting odors begins with a comprehensive cleaning program and not taking any shortcuts. And including an effective air freshener or air neutralizing system at the end of your cleaning process will help to make sure the building’s owner won’t be calling and asking you, “what’s that smell?”

Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)

Article Source: http://www.cleaningarticles.com

For more cleaning tips and information on starting and running a successful cleaning business, visit Steve Hanson at www.TheJanitorialStore.com. And while you’re there, sign up for Trash Talk: Cleaning Tip of the Week. Read cleaning success stories at www.cleaning-success.com

I hope you found this information helpful. If you want more information about office cleaning in Leander, Texas, please give us call. You’ll be glad you did!

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Companies and businesses across the country are becoming more environmentally conscious and many are starting to adopt LEED standards and protocols. LEED stands for Leadership in Environmental Design. The US Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization, which is working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, launched the LEED rating system. The overall goal of the program is to make the places we live in and work at become healthier environments. There are two classifications for LEED; one for existing buildings – LEED-EB and one for new construction – LEED-NC.

As cleaning companies it’s no longer enough to just supply good cleaning services to your customers. Cleaning companies need to be aware of this growing trend towards becoming LEED certified. One important aspect of becoming LEED certified is integrating green cleaning into a building’s overall janitorial services and practices.

To achieve LEED recognition, a building needs to have a thorough evaluation, rating and certification program. The process uses a checklist which evaluates many items including: the building’s power use, its waste management program, the products used to clean the building, and even the storage of those cleaning products.

One portion of the LEED criteria looks at the steps a building takes to lessen the cleaning’s impact on the environment. This is an important area as it is estimated that six billion pounds of commercial cleaning products are used throughout buildings in the United States each year. In addition, commercial buildings use over 4 million pounds of hand towels and toilet tissue and 30 million trash bags each year.

Some cleaning products contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which contribute to indoor air pollution. Cleaning products can also leave residue that causes eye and skin irritation. This is irritating not only to janitorial workers, but also to the building’s occupants. Using safer, less toxic cleaning products can lead to a healthier building and higher worker productivity.

A building owner who wants to become LEED certified will look closely at their janitorial services. Integrating green cleaning practices into your business also means looking for environmentally preferable cleaning products. Labels on cleaning products can be confusing. One way to make sure you are buying environmentally sound products is to buy products that are “Green Seal” certified. Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that promotes products and services that cause less pollution and waste, conserves resources and habitats, and reduces global warming.

Becoming LEED certified shows that building owners are committed to becoming an environmental leader. In addition, some government agencies are providing financial incentives to buildings who take on this leadership role. Learning about LEED and its requirements will give your company an edge up on the competition. Put yourself in the driver’s seat by understanding your company’s role in maintaining healthy and environmentally sound buildings.

For more information on LEED go to: http://www.usgbc.org. To learn more about Green Seal go to: http://www.greenseal.org/index.html.

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Many building service contractors are aware that green cleaning is a hot topic these days due to health and safety concerns by building owners and managers. We see increasing amounts of recycling bins in the buildings we clean, which is a sign that people are becoming more environmentally conscious. Steps are also being taken to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous and toxic chemicals in many industries. As a janitorial contractor you can be a leader in your industry by exploring the many excellent environmentally preferable products available on the market today.

If the cleaning products you are using contain any of the following chemicals, you may be putting yourself, your employees, your customers, and the environment at risk.

Nonylphenoxpolyethoxyethanol, Nonylphenols and NPE/APE surfactants:
These provide detergency to remove soil from a variety of surfaces. Although effective, they are petroleum-based products that may contain traces of ethylene oxide, which is a suspected carcinogen. NPE’s have been shown to cause disruption to the endocrine system in aquatic species and are suspected of doing so in humans. The endocrine system is a series of glands, including the male and female reproductive glands, which secrete hormones. Endocrine disruption may be linked to birth defects. You may find the above chemicals in air fresheners, all-purpose cleaners, carpet spotters, disinfectant cleaners, floor strippers, and washroom fixture cleaners.

Glycol Butyl Ethers:
This product is very effective on water-soluble dirt as well as water-insoluble oils and greases. The drawbacks are that it is very irritating to the respiratory tract and eyes. It also reacts violently with strong mineral acids and is not biodegradable. You may find this product in air fresheners, carpet spotters, floor finish removers, food service cleaners, glass cleaners and heavy-duty cleaners.

Phosphates:
Phosphates are used in products to soften water, maintain alkalinity levels, suspend dirt and increase cleaning efficiency. It can become an environmental hazard if dumped into a closed body of water, which leads to the potential for excessive algae growth. Excessive algae growth can lead to the depletion of oxygen levels and can eventually kill aquatic life. This product may be found in all-purpose cleaners, carpet spotters, disinfectant cleaners and heavy-duty cleaners.

Xylene:
Is a petroleum based product which is non biodegradable, flammable, must be disposed of as hazardous waste and requires solvent clean up. It is commonly used to reduce or thin solvent coatings such as concrete coatings. High levels of inhalation can cause loss of consciousness and even death. Exposure over long periods of time has the potential to cause damage to bone marrow eyes and stomach.

Dibutyl Phthalate:
This product is a known endocrine disrupter. It has shown to cause a high frequency of birth defects in some aquatic species. It is also suspected of having the same potential in humans. You can normally find this chemical in resilient tile coatings.

These are a few examples of the hazardous chemicals that may be found in conventional cleaning products. If you are concerned about what’s in the cleaning products you are using, consult your Material Safety Data Sheets. They should list the ingredients and the potential health and flammability risks.

Rumor has it that there will be a mandate to use environmentally preferable products in all federal buildings as early as this year. Whether it happens this year or not, the fact of the matter is that it will happen. There are many proven environmentally preferable products on the market today. One place you can find them and find answers to any questions you may have is at www.TheJanitorialStore.com .

You can also use environmentally preferable products as sales tools, as more and more people are becoming increasingly concerned about our environment and the environment they work in. Be a leader in your industry by taking steps to implement safer cleaning products and provide a healthier atmosphere for yourself, your employees, your customers, and the environment.

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