‘Commercial Space’ is property used to generate income or house professional services. The long list of spaces under the umbrella of ‘commercial space’ includes office buildings, schools, childcare centers, hotels, and medical facilities.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to every cleaning problem with a varied list, but commercial cleaning is a catch-all for many cleaning solutions.
If you’re asking yourself, “what is commercial cleaning?” read on to know more.
Commercial Cleaning in a Nutshell
Cleaning your commercial space isn’t the same as cleaning your residential space. A painter wouldn’t use the same paint product for the Sistine Chapel as they would on the walls of an apartment complex. Likewise, the tools for sanitizing a commercial area are unique for the job.
So, what is commercial cleaning? Commercial cleaning services improve and maintain the overall hygiene quality of public space. General workspaces share coffee makers, office phones, desks, and materials. If your work has access to the greater public, large numbers of people share commercial spaces who, of course, spread dirt and germs.
If you’ve ever lent out pens, knowing one will disappear forever and another will return as a chew toy, you’re already aware of how far something small can travel.
Consider the crumbs after lunch break or the coffee spilled at your desk that you only mostly mopped up. Dust, dirt, allergens, and small particles travel. As these tiny particles build, bacteria feed on them and grow. It’s no surprise then that an average work desk is 400 times dirtier than an average toilet seat.
Because workplaces, stores, and offices experience so much traffic and use, commercial cleaning has a bigger – often literally – job to do.
Commercial Cleaning vs. Domestic Cleaning
There are two types of cleaning services: domestic and commercial. Domestic cleaning is for domestic or living domains, while commercial cleaning is for service and business spaces. But what makes them different?
Surface Area
In commercial cleaning, the surface areas are often larger. Warehouses, gyms, and other buildings with ample floor space require more time and machines to cover that space efficiently.
Powerful Cleaning Materials and Devices
Tools and materials that would be too powerful, expensive, or potentially damaging to residential spaces come in handy for commercial cleaning. With proper training, using power tools and more substantial materials makes cleaning more efficient. Professionals teach cleaning services to use abrasive cleaning products effectively to get a deeper clean without damaging surfaces.
Professional tools can cover larger areas quicker. Large carpeted areas, such as hotel halls, require a stronger vacuum to cover the area and provide a more thorough clean effectively. Washing or polishing a gymnasium floor by hand would be daunting, but a machine saves both time and energy.
Standards
Standards for service spaces are higher because of legal regulations and customer expectations. When you’re cleaning your kitchen at home, you might stop when it looks clean. Commercial cleaning doesn’t stop there, providing more than a surface level clean. A commercial cleaning team dedicates itself to maintaining hygiene standards.
Benefits of Commercial Cleaning
Commercial cleaning improves the work environment and impresses clients. We know that mess equals stress, and that can impact productivity. A clean place will look and feel clean, which are benefits that both employees and customers notice.
A Clean Work Environment Is a Productive Work Environment
You want your environment to work with you, not against you, but if your work environment is a mess, it can be a distraction. Even worse, an unsanitary environment can cause illnesses to spread quickly between workers.
If an ill employee or client enters a commercial space with a virus, 40-60% of surfaces can become contaminated in 2-4 hours. The hands of an average office worker touch 10 million bacteria a day. Sanitizing surfaces can prevent the spread of viruses and the growth of harmful bacteria in overlooked areas.
Overall, commercial cleaning stops allergens, dust, and germs from collecting, which creates a healthier place. When employees work in a clean, healthy environment, it helps maintain their individual well-being. Plus, commercial cleaning is good for morale and encourages employees to feel proud of their workspace.
A Clean Space Impresses Customers
What your customers see determines their respect for your workplace and factors into whether customers will return for repeat business, recommend a service to someone else, and how much they’re willing to spend during their interactions.
Commercial cleaning prevents the environment from getting stagnant. If you’re aware of the “nose blind” concept, you’re aware that people can sometimes dismiss or forget scents if we’re familiar with them. The same is true for everyday dust and particles, but your customers often notice what you’ve missed.
The Right Tools for The Job
Domestic cleaning products can wear down materials over time. To prevent this, commercial cleaning utilizes tools and products combined with professional knowledge to avoid damaging surfaces.
For example, the technology we often use, like keyboards or phones, are often neglected because they require more delicate methods than a splash of soap and water. A professional commercial cleaner can offer the best products, including products a smaller company might not have room for or devices that aren’t in the budget.
Commercial Cleaning Methods
There are two broad categories for cleaning: dry and wet.
Wet cleaning methods and products use water and liquid chemicals. Steam cleaning forms part of this category.
Dry cleaning doesn’t use liquid products. An example would be encapsulation, where the professionals spread a compound over a surface area, such as a carpet. The compound absorbs unwanted particles, such as dust, before vacuuming the surface, removing the compound, and accomplishing a deeper clean.
Areas of Commercial Cleaning
Regular commercial cleaning focuses on areas with the most significant volume of traffic and high-touch surfaces.
High-touch surfaces include:
● Light-switches
● Appliances
● Door handles
● Faucet handles
● Countertops
● Devices (keyboards, phones, etc.)
Other Regular Services:
● Garbage disposal
● Dusting
● Vacuuming
A commercial deep clean is like a thorough spring cleaning. It’s more effort, but a deep clean scours hard to reach places and prevents problem areas, such as spots where mold forms.
The additional perks of a deep clean include:
● Dusting vents
● Cleaning drapes, blinds, and baseboards
● Polishing floors
Commercial Cleaning Equipment
To fulfill commercial cleaning needs, professionals need specific products that you can’t generally find in your standard home.
Manual Equipment
Cleaners use manual equipment when a hands-only approach is more efficient or necessary, such as cleaning areas a machine can’t reach or might damage.
Examples of Manual Equipment:
- Microfibre Cloth: A soft cloth that doesn’t scratch delicate materials, especially electronic devices, glass, or decorative items.
- Abrasives: Grit papers, primarily used on metal or wood, remove difficult blemishes for a deeper clean.
- Brushes: Made in various sizes and shapes; useful for mild scrubbing or light dust, grime, or dirt
Machine Equipment
Machine equipment requires a charge, electricity, or battery. Professionals enjoy the benefits of easier labor and increased speed.
Examples of Machine Equipment:
- Polishing machine: Restores the shine on floors.
- Floor Scrubber: Washes, scrubs, and dries. It can clean any-sized area, from small mats to large industrial floors.
- Vapor Steam Cleaner: High-temperature steam removes bacteria, melts grease stains, and kills germs. It sanitizes without relying on chemicals and eliminates allergens. It’s useful in spaces with low air quality or ventilation, especially for people with asthma or chemical sensitivities. It removes hidden mold and prevents it from recurring.
Final Thoughts
Maintaining a healthy workplace is a must for employees and customers alike. Thankfully, commercial cleaning creates a safe and sanitary place. With special equipment and in-depth sanitation procedures, professional commercial cleaners work magic for a more productive and hygienic workplace.