Tag Archive for: commercial cleaning

Morning Or Evening Office Cleaning – What’s Best?

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Your employees spend a lot of time at the office.  Clients come and go, there are meetings, food, lots of things going on that can create an unsanitary situation at work.

In order for people to feel comfortable at work you need to have a clean place.  But when is the best time to bring in the commercial cleaning staff?

The first thing you need to decide is if you need daily, weekly or just monthly cleaning.  It’s not so much a matter of budget, but it’s more about what’s needed to make your working space comfortable.  An unclean office can become a source of stress.  Nobody needs that.

Maybe in your office there are certain areas that need cleaning daily and other areas where once a month would be ok.

The other thing to consider is if people often end up working late, at the office.  If that’s the case, is it ok to have commercial janitorial staff come in at the end of the day?  Or, will it be too much of a disturbance for employees that have already put in a long, hard day.

Cleaning equipment can be quite noisy, so if the type of work people end up doing late in the evening or night requires concentration, then maybe it’s not good to disturb them?

The morning can be a good time to bring in the cleaning crews if people come in at a consistent time and things are generally a little slow in the mornings.  You don’t want cleaning crew getting in the way of clients or staff frantically scrambling to meet deadlines.

Another thing to consider is if people in your office often have client or other meetings at night time and the office needs to look clean first thing in the morning.

All things considered, it’s important to have a clean working environment.  Your circumstances would determine whether you should have a commercial cleaning crew come in in the morning or evening.

Evergreen maintenance has crews that can do the job at any time of day or night.  If you have a special event happening at your office and need us to come in extra, we can do that too.

Give us a call for a free quote.  All our services are 100 percent guaranteed.

Three Qualities of Top Commercial Cleaning Professionals

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Being a professional cleaner isn’t always what it seems. When you think of their work, especially when it comes to how the movies depict them, the job can come off as a lonely, boring or even repetitive. The truth is, the cleaning industry is a viable sector of the labour force in Canada and the Janitorial Services industry is expected to grow continually and widen potential customer bases.

The Worldwide Cleaning Industry association states that green cleaning is a current marketplace phenomenon and this need is being driven by customer demands for environmentally friendly products and services. Companies involved in this trend along with their workers are offered an abundance of work!

So sure, the job can have its challenges ups and downs, but doesn’t every job? Here are some of the top three qualities of cleaning professionals that you probably don’t associate with the janitorial industry.

Humility

Janitors and cleaning professionals are well-versed in what many people consider unskilled labour. But the truth is, highly trained professionals that follow specific cleaning protocols are some of the most humble people out there. Humility is a virtue — it’s being honest with oneself about ability, talents, gifts, struggles and weaknesses. It’s the ability to set one’s pride aside to work together as a cohesive team. It’s not basing your self-worth on others but a true connection with one’s self first and foremost.

Strong work ethic

The truth is, whether you’re running the company or the one scrubbing toilets, if you’re working in the cleaning industry you likely have a strong work ethic. It takes time to complete a series of tasks quickly and efficiently in order to move on to the next job that could be one of five contracts within a day. A strong work ethic is not only important in the short term day-to-day aspect of the work, but it leads to future recommendations, relationships, recognition and reputation within your team and within the company.

They are team players

Working as a cleaning professional isn’t about being the centre of attention but it doesn’t make their work isolating. In fact, many cleaning professionals operate in tightknit teams.

Showing that you can work well with all kinds of people is a highly important characteristic when it comes to being a cleaning professional. Plus, if you let your guard down a little, you might even make some lifetime friendships out of your colleagues! Friends can also help you avoid sweating the small stuff when you have to deal with the challenges of the job.

So there you have it — the world of janitorial work is much more than what one would think. It involves well trained, humble and highly professional teams of people to get the job done. Are you in need of professional cleaning services for your commercial or industrial property? Get in touch with us today to get the process started.

Happy holidays from Evergreen Building Maintenance!

 

The Importance of Upholstery Cleaning in the Modern Office

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Many modern offices have put away traditional ideas of desks and work stations as a creative solution to foster collaborative work between colleagues within a workplace community. Since many people now work off their mobile devices and laptops, modern companies want to create a more comfortable environment for their workers as an alternative to working-from-home or free-lance.

Because of this trend, modern offices can now include more couches, banquettes, chairs, rugs, window covers and lounge areas and sometimes even decorations that really need to be cleaned and sanitized regularly. That’s where we come in!

Upholstery cleaning is absolutely essential to remove dust, debris and keep allergens in check. With the modern office being such a dynamic environment with people visiting frequently, in order to keep the office clean and sanitized, it’s best to hire a professional cleaning service that can focus on delivering reliable upholstery cleaning services.

Here are some additional reasons for upholstery cleaning:

  • Dust particles can slowly break down upholstery fibers over time that can wear at your furniture. In some cases, food and debris can be harder to see on furniture like couches (think of someone eating food while lounging on the couch!) With a regular cleaning, it’s possible to extend the life of the fabric of your couch by reducing the build-up of dust and debris in advance.
  • Revitalize the look of your furniture – is your furniture getting a little old, or are you saving money by using pre-owned office furniture? Save on the cost of a new couch and hire a professional cleaning service to give your furniture the boost it needs.
  • Make a good impression to your clients and employees – make a good impression by keeping your office clean so your clients can focus on your good work.
  • Fabric is a breeding ground for allergens. Hiring a professional cleaning service will ensure that allergens do not make a home in your office furniture!

For more information on our services, check out testimonials given by some Canadian businesses that have used Evergreen Building Maintenance’s dedicated commercial cleaning services and fill out the form to request our services today!

 

 

Minimizing Allergens in the Workplace

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At Evergreen Building and Maintenance is concerned with the health of our clients and customers. The Spring and Summer season is the time for allergies that can be triggered by pollen and ragweed outdoors. Allergic rhinitis, the condition describing a variety of uncomfortable symptoms affecting the nose, is common among allergy sufferers, but allergens can also affect the lungs, throat, sinuses, ears and eyes.

A survey commissioned by Johnson & Johnson also suggested that as many as 10 million Canadians suffer from allergy symptoms and that 55 percent of Canadians claim that their allergies cut into their work productivity.

The immune system identifies and reacts to different allergens. When an allergen enters the body of someone who is predisposed to allergies, it triggers an immune reaction which results in the familiar symptoms allergy sufferers know all too well. Improving the upkeep of your office is crucial in reducing and maintaining indoor allergens and ensuring the wellbeing of everyone in the workplace environment.

The Evergreen Building Maintenance team can help you with…

  • Eliminating dust mites and other indoor allergens
  • Cleaning mold or mildew on concrete flooring or walls
  • Cleaning carpeting to prevent moisture seepage
  • Improving the air quality by assessing ventilation (we conduct air quality reports)
  • Window cleaning –to remove dust and debris build up

While a deep clean is integral to reducing allergens in the workplace, certain cleaning products actually emit chemicals such as VOCs that contain allergens that many people react to severely. With this in mind, we do not use VOCs to ensure that we’re doing our best to meet your health and safety needs.

According to The Lung Association, a study found that 72 percent of people in Canada with asthma had adverse reactions to chemicals found in fragrances (Canada Safety Council). Our products are specifically fragrance and scent free to avoid any kind of contact allergy situation.

At Evergreen, we make every effort to reduce airborne concentrations of allergens. With proper training in healthy and safety, we implement strong training programs to keep our employees up-to-date with the latest protocol.

Fill out our service request form today!

Summer Cleaning at Schools and Universities

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Summer cleaning is a great opportunity to do a thorough cleaning throughout the campus at schools, universities and colleges.  Students are away and the cleaning crew can get unhindered access to all areas.

At Evergreen Building Maintenance, we pride ourselves on providing cleaning services to a variety of sectors including health, commercial offices, airports, government offices, retail, financial, real estate and education.

At this time in the season, the school year has wrapped up for all levels of schooling – including universities. With primary and secondary students gone for the summer and fewer people on college campuses, this is the ideal time to call in a cleaning service for a deep clean of your educational facility.

Here are a few of the things we can do to ensure the summer months of cleaning go smoothly.

Prepare a written plan

School maintenance requires adequate planning and strategies. By executing a well-defined plan that consults with the floor-plan of the school, we will create a guide for our cleaning efforts to ensure that by the time the school bell rings in September, all areas that need attention have been covered.

We will make a detailed list of all areas such as:

  • Classrooms
  • Lounges and common areas (including furniture)
  • Cafeterias
  • Kitchens
  • Gyms and Showers
  • Lockers
  • Janitorial closets (to make sure everything is up to date)
  • Windows, walls, doors
  • Hardwood flooring and carpeted areas
  • Stairs and Hallways
  • HVAC
  • Washrooms
  • Lighting
  • Outdoor areas
  • Playgrounds

…and so on. We understand the needs of each school are different and take the time to make a customized plan.

We Keep Health Interests in Mind

Infection control is an issue in educational facilities considering that hundreds of people set foot into a school day in and day out from a school’s students to its administrators. It’s extremely important to make infection control a priority throughout the school year – and the summer months are no exception.

At Evergreen Building Maintenance, we will pay particular attention to cleaning:

  • Entrances
  • Doors (knobs, handles, push plates)
  • Railings
  • Light switches
  • Desk and counter surfaces
  • Elevator surfaces
  • Faucets and sinks
  • Telephones
  • Equipment

…and anything else you specifically request!

Finally, our goal is to protect the health of students and school workers. As part of our green initiative, we are dedicated to using products and materials that are non-toxic, VOC-free and environmentally safe. As we have said before, we are green in name – and it practice!

Contact us today and let’s get started.

 

 

 

The Importance of Tile and Grout Cleaning

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Grout is the cement that fills the gaps between your ceramic tiles. It is quite often found in kitchens, bathrooms and hallways of commercial properties. Grout is an important part of flooring as not only does it keep tiles in place, it also seals the flooring to avoid leakage. It is also notoriously difficulty to clean, yet having clean grout and tiles is crucial in maintaining a welcoming and healthy environment in all commercial spaces.

With that being said, here are some reasons why it is important to hire a professional commercial cleaning service to take care of your grout and tiles.

Grout is Porous and Very Difficult to Clean

Grout readily accumulates dirt, is easily stained, and can hold moisture. This means when grout gets dirty, it stays dirty no matter how many times you mop and clean your tiles. In fact, often enough, if the grout is not cleaned specifically, the residue that builds up will just redistribute itself all over your flooring.

Professional cleaning tools and solutions are used to break through these sticky and stubborn residues. If you use regular cleaning products on grout, you’ll just be adding to the cycle of residue build up and attract even more grime.

It Takes Time

Remember, grout fills all the individual cracks between each tile. Manually cleaning them would be a tedious and time consuming endeavor that could also be pretty hard on your back.

It is definitely worth investing into a service that uses industrial grade steamers and cleaners. For many businesses that take the cleanliness of their facilities seriously, that is the only way to go when it comes to professionally clean tiles and grout.

You’ll Pick Up Tips

When it comes to your grout and tile, aftercare is just as important as having a professional service come in to take care of cleaning in the first place. The commercial cleaning experts at Evergreen Building Maintenance can give you advice and let you in on the best measures to keep your floors looking pristine for your clientele between cleanings.

Professional tile and grout cleaning on a regular basis not only makes your business look great, it could save the need to retile the premises in the future. In the long run, it can prove to be a cost-effective measure that will keep your property looking its best at all times.

Have any questions? Visit our website to learn more about our services.

 

 

 

Meet the Operations Manager of our Okanagan Commercial Cleaning Division

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Ranjit Takhar began working at Evergreen Building Maintenance while studying at the University of British Columbia. While attending post secondary, he learned the basics of the business and helped out with complicated paperwork and proposals for maintenance contracts.

Little did he know that at the young age of 24, after completing his Management Degree at UBC Okanagan, he would be successfully running the day-to-day operations for the Okanagan Division of the company.

Recently, he was featured in the second edition of Kelowna’s Top Forty Under 40 program presented by BDO Accountants and Consultants, Kelowna’s Jaycees, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the Daily Courier newspaper.

The article in the Daily Courier highlights Ranjit’s passion for entrepreneurial work that overpowered his initial disinterest in taking over so much responsibility. His love for finding new and creative ways to promote the business has increased opportunities for Evergreen’s expansion.

As of 2016, Evergreen has contracts for 150 buildings utilizing 78 employees to complete building maintenance services throughout the B.C. and Alberta. Kelowna was where it all started, with Evergreen taking care of several commercial buildings, libraries, office towers, municipal buildings, retail stores, etc.

However, Takhar believes that the company can adapt to larger operations.

“…there’s opportunity to expand more into Vancouver and Alberta and even Saskatchewan to get more airport, university, retail chain stores, banks and arenas contracts” said Takhar.

Perhaps the success of Evergreen came from successfully executing the strong company philosophy to address performance related concerns within the same business day.

Evergreen is proud of being fully owned and operated. No services are franchised, and there is an emphasis on having regional managers and working supervisors who are always ready to attend to needs of the clients.

Takhar’s hard work in school has continually paid off and he enjoys having the opportunity to use his professionalism and efficiency towards putting forth good business practices towards the range of services offered at Evergreen Building Maintenance.

 

Retail Cleaning and Maintenance

Retail Cleaning Services

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Retail Cleaning Services You Can Count On

So you just opened a brand new retail store and you’ve stocked your shelves with brand new inventory. You’re excited and opening day is coming up fast, and you have so much to do before you open your store.

You decide to take a break in the back room and realize it is a complete mess. The previous occupants left garbage, the floors are stained, and you take a moment to look your store up and down and decide that it could really benefit from a deep clean. With everything you need to take care of to open a business – not to mention keep it running smoothly – the last thing you want to worry about is the cleaning and maintenance of the premises.

First impressions mean everything in the retail world, both to your new employees and for building and maintaining your flourishing customer base.

At Evergreen Building Maintenance, we know that having a pristinely clean store is one key component that will help encourage customers to come back to your business time and time again. But we also know that’s only the beginning.

If you find yourself in this situation or something similar, do not fret: we have on-call retail cleaning services 7 days a week for all your needs as a retail store owner. We have got you covered with professional commercial cleaning services backed by years of experience and know-how.

As business owners ourselves, we understand your needs and the importance to cater to clients with detail-oriented service. A positive customer experience is what we seek to provide – both with our company and with your own.

Our team features a wide range of skills, techniques and equipment that is uniquely tailored to retail cleaning projects. Some of our service features include:

  • Daily and weekly commercial cleaning services
  • Taking the time to work with the highest respect for health and safety
  • Floor stripping, waxing and burnishing programs
  • Seasonal sickness and pandemic prevention programs to keep you and your employees healthy
  • Hot and cold water power-washing services
  • Parking lot litter removal and sweeping – because the outside of your store counts just as much as the inside!
  • Snow removal, application of ice melter or salt
  • Ceiling, horizontal surface and vent dusting
  • High-rise window washing, including lift operation
  • 24/7-365-day service, including an emergency contact line

Furthermore, we always like to make sure our clients know that we are committed to green cleaning practices: we only use ECOLOGO and GREEN SEAL products. We are truly dedicated to making your store shine while being respectful of the environment – and your business.

For more information on what the Evergreen Building Maintenance team can do for you, check out our testimonials and request a quote today. If you’re looking for a reliable and dedicated team of commercial cleaning professionals, trust Evergreen Building Maintenance with your business.

How Technology Helps Us Serve You Better

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At Evergreen Building Maintenance, we believe in constantly evolving with the times. One of the ways that we have changed our cleaning practice over the years is through the use of technology. Technology has helped us refine our routine and ensure a consistency in cleaning standards, from office cleaning to retail cleaning to custodial services. With over 28 years in the business, we’ve had plenty of time to find the technological advances that are best suited to our company.

Technology for Growth

Technology has allowed us to become the premier cleaning service provider in Western Canada. From Calgary to Vancouver, we guarantee the same high standard of service. Our swift and critical adoption of technology is what has kept our cleaning standards high even as we grow bigger. By using technology, we are able to stay in constant contact with our clients, our local supervisors, and every employee at Evergreen Building Maintenance.

Work Order Management

We use technology to ensure that every client is served to the same high standard. You will notice the difference from the beginning to the end of your service request with Evergreen Building Maintenance.

How it works:

  • First, we’ll take your service request through an email or a phone call. You will love how efficient and instantaneous you’ll find this service ordering process. (We can collect detailed information about your request for our records, allowing us to ensure that we understand all the nuances of your maintenance needs.)
  • Next, we’ll make sure that we schedule staff, supplies and equipment. This will all be done through tracking technology, ensuring that we have an accurate idea of inventory and employee availability.
  • Now we’ll submit the key information about your service request to a local supervisor, complete with a mandatory quality control checklist. This will allow the local supervisor to take a hands-on approach to the service request and to truly understand what you requested.
  • After all the work has been completed and our local supervisor has submitted the quality control report, we’ll get in touch with you. By contacting you through phone or email, we will be able to ensure that we have satisfied your request and that you are completely happy with our level of service.

Time Tracking

Our employees use a Smartphone application that allows us (and our clients) to track how much time was spent at each job site and when. This allows for a more transparent billing process and a clear understanding of job site requirements and scheduling needs.

At Evergreen Cleaning, we seek out new technology to help us fine-tune our business model. Every year, we grow more efficient and interconnected. As we grow, our communication needs expand. We are committed to providing you with the highest standards in all our cleaning and janitorial services, and technology is just one of the ways that we work towards that goal.

The Evergreen Building Maintenance Advantage

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Life can be fickle, so it’s important to take advantage of the good things life has to offer. As for commercial cleaning and superior janitorial services, the advantage is with Evergreen Building Maintenance. EBM has the experience, expertise and resources for contracts of any duration and specification. This includes buildings of all shapes and sizes. Our portfolio includes everything from airports and educational institutions to hospitals and office spaces. So what makes Evergreen’s services the best?

EXPERIENCE

Evergreen has been one of Western Canada’s most trusted janitorial service providers for the last 28 years. EBM currently provides commercial cleaning to more than 120 different facilities and we expect the same high standards from our premier team at each location we maintain. On average, we service 2.5 million square feet per day.

CAPABILITY

Whatever the size or use of your building, we have trained staff who are capable of handling it. We bring the same unwavering commitment and value to a wide variety of diverse industries including: retail, financial, healthcare, real estate, commercial office and government.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Our cleaning specialists have a meticulous eye for detail, which is important when cleaning spaces that require a special set of commercial cleaning equipment and products. With Evergreen, you get a spotless clean today and every other day. Trust us; we do this for a living.

QUALITY CONTROL

Maintaining the highest standards of health, hygiene and professionalism is our most important consideration. We spend our time and resources to effectively train our staff ensuring that optimal standards of cleanliness, safety and quality are met at all times.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING

At Evergreen, we are dedicated to comprehensive and continuous training for all of our staff. In addition, all of our employees are WHMIS certified. We make it our business (because it is our business) to stay up-to-date on all the latest procedures and products to provide our clients with an unparalleled experience.

ADAPTABILITY

EBM’s managerial team will always try their best to accommodate your needs. We modify our cleaning schedule to suit the scope of work and can clean exactly when you need us to (E.g. daily, weekly, bi-weekly, etc.). Our service is bespoke to suit your unique requirements. 

The Evergreen Advantage isn’t just a set of words; it is a statement. It’s also a commitment and a promise to all of our clients that their cleaning requirements are being met and wherever possible, exceeded. The Evergreen Advantage is a guarantee of our consummate professionalism and quality service. Call us today to receive a free quote or read more about our services.