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VOC Gasses can cause cancer and other illnesses

Is Your Commercial Cleaning Company Poisoning The Air With VOC Gasses?

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Are you aware if VOC gasses are a problem in your office?

Here’s the scenario:

You hire a commercial cleaning company to keep your office building clean. The floors are shiny, the door handles have been sanitized, toilets are cleaned, dust on desks and equipment has been removed, cubicle walls are cleaned and the garbage is thrown out regularly.

That’s a pretty solid cleaning routine in an office environment. It would be fair for you to believe you have provided a clean and healthy environment for staff and clients… right?

Not quite…

In a first-of-its-kind study, Environmental Defence tested the impact of cleaning products on indoor air quality. In all 14 studied households, levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) went up during cleaning.

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are gases that are emitted into the air from products or processes. Some are harmful by themselves, including some that cause cancer. In addition, they can react with other gases and form other air pollutants after they are in the air.

Watch Out For Products Containing Prohibited Ingredients

Prohibited ingredients in cleaning products include:

  • Toxic Air Contaminants
  • Great Waters Pollutants of Concern
  • Hazardous Air Pollutants
  • Global Warming Compounds
  • Ozone Depleting Compounds
  • Alkylphenol ethoxylates
  • Dibutyl phthalates
  • Heavy Metals (including arsenic, lead, cadmium, cobalt, copper, chromium, mercury, nickel and zinc)
  • Carcinogens as listed by: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), National Toxicology Program, USA EPA, Occupational Health and Safety Administration
  • Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxins as listed in Proposition 65

Health Effects Of VOC’s In Products Commonly Used By Commercial Cleaning Companies

As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. Scientifically proven health effects of exposure to VOC’s include:

  • Eye, nose and throat irritation
  • Headaches, loss of coordination and nausea
  • Damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
  • Some organics can cause cancer in animals, some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.

Key Signs Or Symptoms Associated With Exposure To VOC Gasses:

  • conjunctival irritation
  • nose and throat discomfort
  • headache
  • allergic skin reaction
  • dyspnea
  • declines in serum cholinesterase levels
  • nausea
  • emesis
  • epistaxis
  • fatigue
  • dizziness

Common Sources of VOCs In An Office / Home Environment:

  • paints, paint strippers and other solvents
  • wood preservatives
  • aerosol sprays
  • cleansers and disinfectants
  • moth repellents and air fresheners
  • stored fuels and automotive products
  • hobby supplies
  • dry-cleaned clothing
  • pesticides
  • building materials and furnishings
  • office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper
  • graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers and photographic solutions.

Indoor air quality has always been a key component of effective green cleaning. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC gasses) are a major control point from cleaning and sanitation products.

Studies are now showing that VOCs from cleaning products are also a large contributor to outdoor air pollution.

Make sure your commercial cleaning uses Green Cleaning products and processes.

Evergreen Building Maintenance Is Committed To Green Cleaning.

Call Evergreen Building Maintenance for a free quote for daily or weekly office cleaning services: 1-888-559-6870 or 250-999-2796

Kelowna Commercial Cleaning Services – Evergreen Building Maintenance uses “Green” cleaning solutions and equipment so you can breathe easy!

Commercial janitorial companies White Rock, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, BC

Advantages Of Working With A Commercial Janitorial Company With A Large Menu Of Services

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A commercial janitorial company can only offer services based on the resources it has access to.  Resources can mean the number of employees available at any given time, their training level, specialized equipment, security clearance and more.

Most commercial cleaning companies only offer basic services for their clients.  If you have additional requirements you will have to send out an RFP, make phone calls, get quotes from several places, compare quotes and hopefully select the right company for the job.

As a facility manager you have a lot of responsibilities.  Any time you put into sourcing services means taking away time from something else.  Why not consider hiring one company that you know has a large variety of clients and all the in-house expertise you would ever need?

You already know that they provide a high standard of service and their prices are reasonable.  Anytime you need a non-basic service you can simply add that task to their weekly, monthly or daily duties.

Think of all the time and trouble you will save.  A large commercial cleaning services company with a variety of clients will have specialized, trained employees for anything you want to have done.  They will also have the right equipment to for the job.  If your task involves security clearance, they will have that also…already in place, without delay!

Having a working relationship with someone you trust goes a long way toward saving money, preventing accidents and most of all, your peace of mind.  You know the work will get done, on time, on budget and to a high standard.

Commercial Janitorial Company Services You Don’t Need Every Day Can Include:

  • Professional window cleaning
  • Floor stripping and waxing
  • Steam cleaning of carpets
  • Steam extraction upholstery cleaning
  • Stain removal
  • Snow removal
  • Ice removal
  • Parking lot litter removal and sweeping
  • Extra staff for emergency situations
  • Polishing stainless steel and metal surfaces
  • Cold and hot pressure washing
  • HVAC repair
  • Light construction jobs
  • Handyman services
  • Preventive maintenance

Evergreen Building Maintenance has over 30 years’ commercial janitorial services experience working with all kinds of businesses, both large and small.  Our clients include individual offices as well as entire office towers.  We serve individual retail shops as well as large shopping centres with hundreds of stores.  From the point of view of security clearance, our cleaning teams work in police stations, banks and government offices that require strict security certifications.

If you have an emergency situation, as our client, we will make sure you have enough cleaning staff available to handle any unforeseen circumstances.  On the other hand, if you have a special event coming up, we can easily provide extra staff for any time of day or night.

You can count on us to have the specific expertise you need, in-house.  You won’t have to spend your valuable time running around getting quotes.

Call now for a commercial cleaning quote from a company that offers a high standard of basic cleaning PLUS any other janitorial services you might need: 1-855-824-8450 or 250-869-5165.

Kelowna Janitorial Services – We Offer A Large Menu Of Services For Your Convenience!

Kelowna Commercial Cleaning Services – Specializing In Daily And Weekly Cleaning Services

 

Commercial office cleaning company contracts 18 story office tower

How to See Through The Hype And Hire A Reliable Commercial Office Cleaning Company

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How Not To Hire The Wrong Commercial Office Cleaning Company

You want to hire the best commercial cleaning service, but how do you separate fact from fiction in the selection process?

We know it doesn’t cost much for a startup office cleaning company to get into the business and say they offer commercial office cleaning services.  Because of this, hundreds of new cleaning companies claim to offer “professional” commercial janitorial services.  That’s nice for them, but you need a reliable commercial office cleaning company that can deliver a high standard of cleaning consistently and reliably.

A fly-by-night operation can cause big problems for you in terms of safety, security and cost management.  They are often willing to provide a low bid and even work hard to fulfill your requirements.  But you don’t get experience and expertise overnight.  It takes time to learn how to do the job right.

The problem is, these same people are willing to stretch the truth and even fabricate “facts” in order to get the contract…potentially creating big problems for you and your company.

Cutting Through The Hype Of A Commercial Office Cleaning Company In The Bidding Process

So, what do you look for, so you can tell the difference between a legitimate, professional commercial office cleaning company and one that is going to cause problems for you?  Here are some simple questions to ask yourself:

  1. Does the prospective commercial office cleaning company have references from companies similar to yours from the past and currently active? If a company is used to smaller contracts, they will not know what to do in your company.  If they are used to larger contracts, they may not give enough importance to your company to provide a good service.
  2. Does their quote provide enough details to show they understand the expenses they are going to encounter in providing commercial cleaning services for your facility?
  3. Did they clearly show how they came up with the price? If they didn’t, are they going to surprise you with additional costs after they get started and realize they didn’t consider everything in their quote?
  4. Does the potential commercial cleaning services screen their employees on a regular basis for drugs and security issues? Are their security clearance papers up-to-date?
  5. Take time to meet the person who is actually going to oversee work in your facility and interview him / her.
  6. Does the commercial janitorial services company have at least five million dollar umbrella insurance to cover any excessive claims?
  7. Do they have documents they use for training that they can show you? If they are a small commercial office cleaning company, they won’t have the policies, procedures and training systems in place to be able to provide competent cleaning personnel on an ongoing basis.  Plus, the level of cleaning you get will not be consistent and is cause many headaches for you in terms of complaints from your staff or customers.
  8. Does a human being answer the phone when you call their office? Having a human being answer the phone can be an indicator that the company will take the time to address your needs quickly and efficiently instead of resorting to bureaucracy when you want to get something done.
  9. Are their safety training systems documented?

Asking these questions will help you get insight into whether or not you are dealing with an established, professional commercial office cleaning company.

Evergreen Building Maintenance has been in the commercial cleaning business for over 30 years.  They have seen many fly-by-night operators come and go…and in many cases, they have been brought in to clean up the mess created by unprofessional operators.

Call now for a quote for professional, commercial office cleaning company services: 1-855-824-8450 or 250-869-5165.

professional office cleaning company vancouver bc

Professional Office Cleaning Company Improves Profits

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A professional office cleaning company can help your staff be healthy, happy and successful.

No one likes working in a dirty, smelly environment. If your office environment is not clean people will feel stressed and success will be a struggle. You could lose good employees to your competition.

If a client sees that your office is dirty, it is an instant turn-off. It’s not the look of a professional, quality company. If you want to present a professional appearance you need a sparkling clean office.

A dirty office is also a source of sickness. Bacteria grows in unclean environments. It is common to see illnesses spreading in unclean offices.

People feel more relaxed in a clean office environment. When an office looks dirty, subconsciously, it causes stress levels to go up. Minor events become irritating and relationships suffer. Poor relationships is a major cause of low productivity for businesses.

Get A Professional Office Cleaning Company To Come In Often

Cleaning is the kind of thing people don’t care about until they notice uncleanliness. Then it becomes a big issue.

An office needs to be cleaned every day or nearly every day. Carpets need to be vacuumed, garbage needs to be taken out, surfaces need to be dusted and disinfected, washrooms need to be cleaned and sanitized, etc.

No matter how dedicated your staff, they are not likely to pitch in and clean the office.

A professional cleaning company can make sure your employees and clients are not turned off by dirt, soil and smell.

“Green” office cleaning companies use environmentally ‘safe’ cleaning techniques and products. Toxic chemical based products can trigger allergic reactions. More gentle, “green” products create a germ-free, safe environment for people with sensitive health issues.

Benefits Of A Professional Office Cleaning Company

  1. Employees require less sick leave because bacteria that causes illnesses is eliminated regularly.
  2. There is less employee absenteeism when the office is sparkling clean all the time.
  3. Visitors will have a positive feeling about your office when it is clean and fresh smelling.
  4. A clean, professional look is strong branding for your business.
  5. Professional janitorial services like surface cleaning, sanitation and disinfecting strategies go a long way toward providing a healthy working environment.
  6. Employee morale improves when the building is nice and clean.
  7. Infection Control through environmental janitorial services like surface cleaning, sanitation, and disinfecting strategies.

Evergreen Building Maintenance Professional Office Cleaning Services

  • Carpet care
  • Hard Surface Floor Care
  • Window Cleaning
  • Construction Clean-up
  • Day Porter Services
  • Computer Room Cleaning
  • Lighting Maintenance
  • Emergency Services
  • General Maintenance
  • Green Cleaning
  • Pressure Washing
  • Recycling Services
  • Washroom Sanitation
  • Painting Services

Evergreen Building Maintenance will give you a clear quote that you can understand. Through 30+ years of commercial cleaning experience, we have learned how to provide a consistent, high standard of professional office cleaning for any kind of company.

You can count on an accurate, competitive quote and dedicated teams to deliver a higher standard of cleanliness in your facility.

Call now for a quote for professional office cleaning company services: 1-855-824-8450 or 250-869-5165.

commercial janitorial services vancouver bc

How To Have More Control Over Costs In Commercial Janitorial Services

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Commercial janitorial companies White Rock, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, BC

Commercial Janitorial Companies With Low Employee Turnover Provide Higher Value

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Commercial Cleaning Company - The College Of The Rockies

Commercial Cleaning Company Gets An A-Ok At Prestigious College Of The Rockies!

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Evergreen Building Maintenance Inc. was awarded the commercial cleaning company contract this summer for the College Of The Rockies in Cranbrook BC.

“It was a tough bidding process against some of the top commercial cleaning companies in BC” says Ranjit Takhar President of Evergreen Building Maintenance.

The contract for cleaning College Of The Rockies is considered quite prestigious since it is the main college serving 6 or 7 cities in the Kootenays and is also one of the primary attractions of Cranbrook, BC.

Approximately 2,500 busy full time busy students use 200,000 sq. ft. of high traffic space including classrooms, indoor and outdoor recreational areas, parking lots, food courts and medical training facilities.  This is quite a challenge considering the College requires a wide variety of expertise from its commercial cleaning company 365 days a year.

Takhar says “This contract proves we are ready to take on larger federal / educational institutions that require full-time day porters and consistent high volume service.”

The RFP from the College was clear that it only wanted to deal with companies that could guarantee that “the work shall be performed by fully trained persons, competent in the particular operation assigned to them.”

Not An Easy Job For Any Commercial Cleaning Company

This is a busy college campus.  They don’t have time for small companies that can’t provide “fully trained” staff for all aspects of the commercial cleaning duties.

Right from the start it was clear that the College Of The Rockies wanted competent who can clean according to “specifications” using the “best techniques of the trade”.

Meeting the “specifications” would require a mature commercial cleaning company that can consistently supply:

  • All labour needed to do the job, at all times. If someone gets sick, they must be able to provide a replacement worker instantly, including another supervisor, if needed.
  • All cleaning supplies, chemicals and materials like sealers, waxes, plastic garbage bags, liners, tampons, sanitary napkins and disposal bags must be of good quality.
  • The commercial cleaning company must have all necessary equipment like polishers, commercial grade vacuums, auto scrubbers, buffers, carpet extractors, etc. and they have to be less than five years old.
  • All materials and chemicals must meet Canada Standards of Safety.

Using the “best techniques of the trade” means each and every person on the job must be thoroughly trained and have experience.  The College would not tolerate amateur “mistakes” commonly made by newbies.  A thorough cleaning and sanitizing of high priority areas would be required every day including:

  • Healthcare facilities such as dental labs, nursing labs and first aid classrooms.
  • Cafeteria and chef’s training classrooms and kitchens.
  • Daycare areas.
  • Aboriginal Gathering Place

“Extras” Are Included In The Contract

In addition to all scheduled cleaning, the commercial cleaning company is expected to

  • wash walls, ceilings, doors and window frames
  • floor stripping and refinishing
  • window cleaning inside and outside the building
  • clean the atrium and glass walls
  • clean light fixtures, lens and interior of fixtures
  • clean dust from ceiling

All tasks must be performed without breaching security measures and in accordance with fire and emergency regulations.

Since the College Of The Rockies is a public institution they also wanted to make sure the commercial cleaning company treats its workers properly.  The contract would only be awarded to a company that could prove that it pays its workers properly and on time.  All workers must be covered by Workers Compensation.

Comprehensive general liability insurance would be required by the company and all employees must have a Commercial Fidelity Bond in order to protect the College, its agents and “servants”.

When you look at all the requirements and scope of service, only an established company would be able to handle the job…new companies and small companies need not apply.

Fortunately, Evergreen Building Maintenance was able to provide proof that they could meet and exceed all the requirements of the College Of The Rockies at a great price!

Congratulations to all the local people that will be working to keep the College Of The Rockies looking beautiful!

If you have a local business, whether it’s small or large, Evergreen Building Maintenance has the in-house resources to keep your premises clean all year long.

Call now for a commercial cleaning company quote 1-855-824-8450 or 250-869-5165.

We’ll do a walkthrough of your building and build a custom strategy to get the best clean every day you come to work!

commercial janitorial company price quotes

How To Help Your Building Janitorial Company Give You Pricing In A Format So You Can Compare Quotes

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Have you ever had a stack of building janitorial company pricing quotes for one facility that look like they are each for completely different buildings?

How do you compare commercial cleaning companies if the wording and descriptions in their quotes don’t seem to have anything in common?

This is a real problem for facility managers when trying to get the best value for their dollar.

Do you go for the lowest price not understanding that it may not cover even the essential cleaning services you need?

Maybe you pick a premium-priced quote thinking you will get a more professional cleaning company… and later you find out that the company doesn’t even have experienced cleaning staff?

This is a common problem when the management doesn’t take care of its employees so there is a lot of employee turnover.  They can’t keep good employees, so their costs go up because they have to compensate for the mistakes of beginners.

Commercial Janitorial Company Pricing Factors

  • Labor costs
  • Insurance
  • Taxes
  • Employee benefits package
  • Direct costs like cleaning supplies, toilet paper
  • Equipment costs
  • Training costs for employees
  • Management fee
  • Profit

Janitorial Quotes – Factors You Need To Consider 

One of the best things you can do to make the job of comparing quotes easier is to be clear in your own mind what kind of services you are looking for.  Here are some idea starters:

  • What type of building is it?
  • What kind of business you operate?
  • What are your building’s traffic and use patterns?
  • Where is your facility located?
  • What are the labor costs in your area?
  • What scope of cleaning do you need?
  • Do you have any special requirements?
  • Do you need landscaping services?
  • Do you need parking lot maintenance?
  • Do you need general building maintenance from time to time?
  • Do you need a cleaning service that can be available during the day time?
  • Do you have special projects or interim needs?
  • What frequency of cleaning do you want?

Provide Your Janitorial Service With Solid Information So They Can Give You A Solid Quote 

  • Tell them the total square footage of your building
  • Break the square footage of each flooring type (carpet, hardwood, cement, marble, etc.)
  • How many people typically use your building during the day?
  • How many people use the building in the evenings?
  • Are people using the building on weekends?
  • Are there regular “special events” that need to be built into the quote?
  • How many washrooms are there?
  • How big are the washrooms?
  • What did your previous cleaning service miss or failed to do?

This type of information will help commercial janitorial services estimate how much cleaning supplies they will need.  They can establish budgets for trashcan liners, toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap.  If you have different flooring types, they can budget for time, materials and employees with specific expertise.

Remember to prioritize your “wants” and “must-have’s”.  Some companies may be able to give you a price break on services of more value to you.  In other cases it might be too expensive to include some services on a regular basis, but becomes affordable on less frequent basis.  For example, you may get your hardwood floors waxed every quarter instead of once a month.

Call now for a free, confidential commercial cleaning and building maintenance quote from a commercial janitorial company that provides transparent pricing:   1-888-559-6870 or 250-999-2796

Kelowna Janitorial Services – We’ll Give You An Easy To Understand Pricing Format So You Can Easily Compare Quotes!

Shopping mall and parking lot - Janitorial services cleaning company

How To Know If Your Janitorial Cleaning Services Company Can Deliver A Quality Service

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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.