What janitorial services include
Janitorial services are the recurring cleaning that runs on a fixed schedule, usually nightly or before opening, as distinct from one-time deep cleans or post construction cleaning. A written janitorial scope of work lists each task by area and by frequency. A typical scope covers:
- Entrances and glass. Entry mats, door glass, push plates and storefront glass at hand height.
- Sales floors, offices and common areas. Dusting, spot cleaning, vacuuming carpet and dust mopping or damp mopping hard floors.
- Restrooms. Cleaning fixtures, floors and partitions, and restocking soap, paper and liners.
- Break rooms. Counters, sinks, appliance exteriors and tables.
- Trash and recycling. Emptying receptacles, replacing liners and taking waste to the designated container.
- High-touch surfaces. Door handles, counters, stair rails, elevator buttons and restroom fixtures.
Periodic floor care, such as scrubbing, refinishing and carpet extraction, is often priced and scheduled separately from nightly service.
The scope should separate cleaning from disinfecting. The CDC explains that cleaning with soap or detergent removes most harmful germs from surfaces, sanitizing reduces the germs that remain, and disinfecting kills germs that remain after cleaning. Surfaces should be cleaned before they are sanitized or disinfected, because dirt can make it harder for the chemical to work, and the surface should stay wet for the full contact time on the product label. For community buildings such as offices and businesses, the CDC recommends cleaning high-touch surfaces regularly and adding disinfection where people have obviously been ill.
Safety and regulatory requirements for janitorial work
Several federal workplace rules apply. State plans and local health codes can add to them, and the authority having jurisdiction for each location decides what applies.
- Clean and dry floors. OSHA’s walking-working surfaces rule, 29 CFR 1910.22, requires workplaces to be kept clean, orderly and sanitary, and floors to be kept clean and, to the extent feasible, dry. Surfaces must be free of hazards such as leaks, spills, snow and ice. When a hazard cannot be corrected immediately, it must be guarded so employees do not use the surface until it is fixed.
- Sanitation and waste. OSHA’s sanitation rule, 29 CFR 1910.141, requires places of employment to be kept clean to the extent the nature of the work allows, waste to be removed as often as necessary to keep the workplace sanitary, and washing facilities to be maintained in a sanitary condition.
- Cleaning chemicals. Under OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, employers must keep a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each hazardous cleaning product, keep the SDSs readily accessible to workers, label every container, and train workers before they use the product, in a language they understand. The joint OSHA and NIOSH guidance warns that mixing products containing bleach and ammonia can cause severe lung damage or death, and that the word “green” on a label does not by itself mean a product is safe.
- Blood and body fluids. OSHA has stated that it does not generally consider janitorial staff in non-health care facilities to have occupational exposure under the Bloodborne Pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030. The employer still decides which tasks involve exposure. Where cleanup of blood is reasonably anticipated, the employer is responsible for providing the protections of that standard.
Preventive maintenance schedule for janitorial services
Planned janitorial work keeps floors, restrooms and waste areas from reaching the point where a location needs an emergency cleanup or a slip hazard goes unnoticed. Periodic floor care also extends the life of carpet and resilient flooring, and a dated record of each task supports audits and claims.
| Task | Recommended frequency | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Empty food waste receptacles in break rooms and eating areas | At least once each working day, unless unused | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.141(g)(3) |
| Empty other trash and recycling, replace liners | Each visit | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.141 (as often as necessary to keep the workplace sanitary); Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Clean and restock restrooms | Each visit | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Clean high-touch surfaces | Each visit | CDC guidance (clean regularly); Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Check floors and walkways for spills, leaks and other hazards | Each visit, and as necessary | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.22(d)(1) (inspect regularly and as necessary) |
| Vacuum carpet and mop hard floors | Each visit | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Machine scrub hard floors and extract carpet | Quarterly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
| Strip and refinish resilient floors | Once or twice a year | Facility First program default, adjusted per site; flooring manufacturer instructions |
| Check the on-site chemical list against the SDS file | Quarterly, and whenever a new product is introduced | Facility First program default, adjusted per site; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 requires an SDS for each hazardous product |
| Quality inspection of the location against the scope | Monthly | Facility First program default, adjusted per site |
The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit.
How often janitorial service is scheduled
Apart from narrow items such as the daily emptying of food waste receptacles in eating areas, no code sets a cleaning frequency for a store or office. The OSHA rules above set an outcome, and the CDC notes that busier areas may need more frequent cleaning. The frequencies in the schedule above are adjusted by location for traffic, opening hours and floor area. High-traffic sites often add a day porter during trading hours.
Signs that a location’s scope or frequency needs to change:
- Restroom supplies running out between visits
- Repeat complaints from staff, customers or tenants
- Visible wear or soil build-up in traffic lanes and at entrances
- Odors from drains, trash areas or restrooms
- Spills or wet floors found at opening
- Pest activity near waste or break areas
Records to keep
A janitorial program should leave a record that stands up in an audit or a slip-and-fall claim. For each location, keep:
- The current scope of work, with tasks and frequencies by area
- An SDS for every chemical the provider keeps on site, and a list of those chemicals
- Hazard communication training records for the provider’s staff
- Visit logs showing the date and time each visit started and ended
- Quality inspection results and the corrective action taken for each failed item
- Reports of spills, wet-floor incidents and any blood or body-fluid cleanup
- A key, card and alarm-code log showing who has after-hours access
How Facility First runs janitorial services across a portfolio
Facility First does not clean locations itself. It manages janitorial services through vetted local providers that hold the licenses and insurance the work requires in each market.
- Scope. One janitorial scope of work is written for the portfolio, with adjustments for each location’s size, floor types and traffic.
- Provider onboarding. Each provider’s insurance, chemical list and SDSs, staff training and site access arrangements are checked before the first visit. ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), a management certification for cleaning organizations, is a useful but not legally required indicator when comparing janitorial companies.
- Recurring visits. Each visit is checked in and out and recorded against the location, with photos of agreed areas at close-out.
- Requests. Extra work, such as cleanup after a leak, is submitted through the platform or by phone, triaged and dispatched to the provider in the location’s market.
- Verification. Quality inspections are recorded by location, and failed items are reopened until corrected.
- Invoice. Work is invoiced in one format. Client approval limits decide what extra work proceeds automatically and what is quoted first.
Requests and visit records run on PostControl, so each location’s cleaning history sits in one place. Night crews work in closed buildings, so access control matters. Where a door or alarm is left unsecured, McCray can post an officer until the location is secured. See Security by McCray.
What affects the cost of janitorial services
- Cleanable square footage and layout
- Floor types and the amount of periodic floor care in the scope
- Number of restrooms and fixtures
- Visit frequency and time of day
- Traffic levels and opening hours
- Whether supplies such as paper, soap and liners are included
- Disinfection tasks required by the client or by local rules
- Access arrangements, such as keys, alarm codes or building escort rules
- Local labor market conditions
Janitorial services for retail stores, restaurants and offices
Retail stores. Cleaning is usually scheduled after close or before opening so it does not interrupt trading. Storefront glass, fitting rooms, cash wraps and display fixtures need care to avoid damage to merchandise. Shopping centers may set their own hours for contractor access. See retail cleaning services.
Restaurants. Food-contact surfaces and kitchen sanitation fall under the local health department’s food code. The scope should state which surfaces restaurant staff clean and which the provider cleans, so nothing is missed.
Offices. Work is scheduled around tenant hours and secure areas. Desks, shared kitchens and meeting rooms carry the highest touch counts. See office cleaning services.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in commercial janitorial services?
Recurring cleaning of entrances, floors, restrooms, break rooms and trash, plus high-touch surfaces, on a set schedule. Periodic floor care and deep cleaning are usually scheduled separately.
How often should janitorial service be scheduled?
No code sets a single frequency. The schedule is set by location based on traffic, opening hours and floor area, so that floors stay clean and dry and waste is removed as often as needed.
Do janitorial workers need bloodborne pathogens training?
OSHA does not generally treat janitorial staff in non-health care facilities as having occupational exposure. If cleanup of blood is reasonably anticipated, the employer must provide the protections of the Bloodborne Pathogens standard.
What chemical safety records should a janitorial provider keep on site?
A Safety Data Sheet for each hazardous product, labeled containers and records that staff were trained before using the products.
Can one janitorial scope cover every location?
Yes. A common scope is applied across the portfolio, with frequencies and tasks adjusted for each location’s size and traffic.
Sources
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.22, Walking-Working Surfaces, General Requirements
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.141, Sanitation
- OSHA and NIOSH InfoSheet: Potential Health Problems Caused by Cleaning Chemicals (OSHA 3512-02, 2012)
- OSHA: Coverage of Janitorial Workers Under Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (interpretation, April 17, 1992)
- CDC: When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility
- ISSA: The Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS)