| People and businesses are moving from homes, | | | | will not have to stop and pick up large objects.· |
| apartments, and offices on a daily basis. As people | | | | Use a microfiber flat mop for cleaning ceilings, walls, |
| and businesses move, they either need their old | | | | baseboards, and doors.· Proper vacuuming is an |
| location cleaned or want to make sure their new | | | | important step in move in/out cleaning. Using a |
| location is clean before moving in. Your cleaning | | | | backpack vacuum with the proper attachments can |
| company can fill this niche by providing what is | | | | speed up the tasks at hand and make work easier |
| known as move-in/move-out cleaning. It can be an | | | | on the cleaning staff. Remember to vacuum from |
| added service that your cleaning business provides, a | | | | high to low, including light fixtures, window tracks, |
| way to give employees new skills, and a great way | | | | blinds, and along the baseboards. It is also much |
| for your company to make more profit!Move in/out | | | | easier to vacuum out cabinets and drawers than |
| cleaning can be cleaning a building after an old tenant | | | | wiping them.Some of these items will need to be |
| moves out or before a new tenant moves in. The | | | | wiped down after vacuuming; light fixtures, insides of |
| type of clients looking for move in/out cleaning | | | | cabinets and drawers, ceiling vents, heat registers, |
| includes residential and commercial property owners | | | | and blinds.· Windows and patio doors should be |
| and managers. Commercial move in/out cleaning can | | | | washed with an applicator and squeegee. Use |
| vary from small, quick jobs of just a few thousand | | | | scrapers or #0000 steel wool to remove stickers and |
| square feet to large office buildings of 15,000 square | | | | bugs. Be sure the window is wet when using these |
| feet and up.A good place to start when looking for | | | | tools or you could scratch the glass. Frames and |
| move in/out cleaning accounts is to contact property | | | | tracks should be vacuumed and then wiped |
| management companies. If you happen to be located | | | | down.· After picking up trash and vacuuming, |
| in a college town there will probably be no shortage | | | | start cleaning the stuck-on grime and dirt. Chemicals |
| of work. If you have been cleaning commercial | | | | to have on hand include: bowl cleaner, fume-free |
| buildings, your clients will no doubt ask you to provide | | | | oven cleaner, window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, |
| move in/out cleaning services when they move into | | | | degreaser, neutral floor cleaner, stainless steel polish, |
| a new office or building.When first starting out with | | | | and furniture polish. Save money by using |
| move in/out cleaning it may be necessary to meet | | | | concentrated chemicals rather than RTU |
| with the property manager on-site to give an | | | | (ready-to-use) chemicals.Spray spots and make sure |
| estimate on the time it will take to clean the | | | | you give dwell time so the chemicals have time to |
| apartment, office, or building. Once you establish a | | | | work. It is important that you have enough air |
| relationship with the property manager you may be | | | | movement so employees do not breathe in fumes. |
| able to skip doing an estimate and just bill for your | | | | Make sure that your employees have the correct |
| time. They will most likely need floor cleaning services | | | | personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, etc.) |
| too (carpet, tile, wood). These are specialized cleaning | | | | when working with chemicals.· Deep cleaning. If |
| services, which you will charge separately for. | | | | you need to loosen build-up, use the correct cleaning |
| Offering these specialized services will also add more | | | | tools - paper towels, terry cloth rags, microfiber |
| profitability to your cleaning company since you will | | | | cloths, pads, brushes and scrapers. Use caution when |
| charge more for these services.The prices charged | | | | using these tools - you don't want to damage |
| will vary depending on the type of facility you are | | | | surfaces.. Use paper towels, terry cloth rags, or |
| cleaning, but you should be able to bill $20 - $25 for | | | | microfiber cloths for most cleaning tasks. Use a green |
| your services. Apartment buildings tend to be less | | | | microfiber cloth for dusting; blue for windows, glass |
| profitable than commercial buildings because many | | | | and polished surfaces; red for cleaning restrooms and |
| apartment managers have a budget to adhere to, so | | | | yellow for countertops, sinks and walls.. Use hand |
| they like their cleaning contractors to bill a flat fee | | | | brushes for scrubbing showers, sinks, stoves, and |
| because it's easier to stick to their budget. Cleaning | | | | refrigerators. Use grout brushes for cleaning up grout |
| contractors need to be cautious about bidding this | | | | on countertops and ceramic tile floors. Toothbrushes |
| way. Some apartments take much longer to clean | | | | can be used for detail cleaning around faucets and |
| than others so you don't want to lose money | | | | around the rims in toilet bowls.. Use white pads for |
| because you underestimated your time.No matter if | | | | surfaces such as glass, chrome, stainless steel and |
| you are cleaning a residential apartment, home or a | | | | plastic. This is because white pads are not as |
| commercial building there are several steps you | | | | abrasive as green pads.. Green pads are good for |
| should take to guarantee your success and your | | | | greasy areas including cabinets, toilets and scrubbing |
| customer's satisfaction with your move in/out | | | | shower stalls. Be careful when using green pads |
| cleaning services.· Use teams of 2 to 4 people | | | | however, as they can scratch surfaces.. Use a 2" |
| for apartment cleaning, depending on the size of the | | | | utility scraper for build-up and adhesives in kitchens |
| apartment. Larger teams may be needed for | | | | and bathrooms.· Save time by spraying the |
| commercial locations.Team members should be | | | | inside of the refrigerator and showers/tubs with a |
| specialists in the tasks they are performing. For | | | | pump-up sprayer rather than using a spray bottle. |
| example, in a two person team, one person will be | | | | When cleaning kitchens, be sure to pull out the stove |
| assigned to dusting, windows, and vacuuming. One | | | | and refrigerator. Clean the walls, sides of appliances, |
| person will be assigned to bathrooms, kitchens, hard | | | | sides of cabinets, floor, and vacuum the coils. Also |
| floor vacuuming, and mopping.The team leader is | | | | clean the oven hood and filters.· Clean floors last. |
| responsible for making sure that all equipment and | | | | Use the backpack vacuum to give the floors a final |
| supplies are brought to the job site and gathered | | | | vacuuming, and then mop all hard surface |
| when the job is complete. Put all tools and chemicals | | | | flooring.Offering move in/out services is one way to |
| into a plastic tote.· Before you begin check with | | | | start your cleaning business. It also provides a way |
| the client to make sure the job site has working | | | | for an established cleaning company to provide added |
| utilities. You cannot clean without running water and | | | | services to their existing clients while putting extra |
| you need electricity to run a vacuum. If it is the | | | | dollars onto the bottom line.Steve Hanson is |
| middle of the summer, you should make sure the | | | | co-founding member of The Janitorial Store (TM), an |
| building's air-conditioning is working properly. Cleaning | | | | online community for owners and managers of |
| chemicals and drying times can be affected by heat | | | | cleaning companies who want to build a more |
| and humidity.· Begin cleaning by removing all | | | | profitable and successful cleaning business. Sign up for |
| trash. Pick up all trash that is too large to vacuum. | | | | Trash Talk: Tip of the Week at and receive a Free |
| You will be able to vacuum more efficiently as you | | | | Gift! |