Most commercial facilities outsource regular carpet cleaning to carpet cleaning companies for the simple fact that they are not experts in it. Carpet cleaning is highly specialized and requires equipment that is not only eco-friendly, but can get the job done in a timely and effective manner.

Keep in mind that the costs associated with different types of carpets and methods of cleaning will vary. For instance, carpet cleaning techniques, such as shampooing, steam cleaning and vacuuming, can all produce varying results for different types of carpets. Therefore, it is very important for your business manager to get a proper quote for carpet cleaning services.

Regular carpet cleaning can help contribute to a safe, healthy, and great looking office.

For our valued customers, or those who have used our janitorial services in the past, we would appreciate you leaving an online review on our Places page. Just click on the image below and click the “write a review” button at the top of our Places page, underneath the address. We value your feedback as a current or past client!

PX was built on a foundation of inter-trade between small businesses in Portland, Oregon. Each week, executive members have lunch to discuss the latest happenings in their business, current events in business, and trade qualified leads with each other.

Myles O’Donnell & Co. have been extremely fortunate to be so involved as a member. At the core of our values is loyalty to our customers and partners, and we have been able to accomplish this with PX. Our involvement in Portland Executives Association has provided much growth to member businesses as well as our business due to the loyalty each member has with the organization.

Learn more about our involvement with Portland Executives Association by visiting the PX website.

For those of our clients and friends in the Portland, Oregon region who are on Facebook, we invite you to “like” our page so that you can be the first to get our updates and share your thoughts with us. Click to “like” us on Facebook.

Recommendations

• Store toxic chemicals and cleaning supplies in separate areas
• Establish daily, weekly and monthly cleaning procedures. For example, bathrooms, kitchen counters, dishes, work surfaces, phones and keyboards should be cleaned on a daily basis. Determine how often other parts of the office should be cleaned and establish a roster of individuals responsible for clean-up.
• Standards of cleanliness should be put into place for each office and/or work cubicle. Staff performance objectives should include a requirement to maintain a clean workspace.
• Implement a paper recycling program to cut down on paper clutter and buildup
• Identify cleanliness and safety expectations for all staff — for example — spills, particularly liquids spilled on the floor, need to be wiped up immediately.

One of the aspects of this fact sheet that we feel is very important to give attention to is the establishment of a daily, weekly or monthly cleaning procedure. Rather than doing one-time cleaning, it’s more effective to do regular cleaning to ensure the workplace avoids uncleanliness.

To read the entire fact sheet, visit the website: http://www.nonprofitrisk.org/tools/workplace-safety/nonprofit/c5/housekeeping.htm

Leading up to the holiday season, most businesses feel crunched for time as it tends to be the busy time of the year for them; so what often gets overlooked is the fact that the office needs to be spotless before guests attend the company’s holiday party.

This may seem like such a minor detail, but having an unclean and unorganized office environment can look unprofessional to those who are guests to the workplace. Most people don’t notice if an office environment is clean, but they certainly notice when there is dust, dirt and grime. Be on the safe side and maintain the office at a high level of cleanliness.

Rather than scrambling to clean the office on your own, there are many janitorial resources in the local Portland-metro area to outsource janitorial services to. Janitorial companies can come in on off-hours and clean the entire office at a low cost, whether it is one-time or on a regular schedule.

For anyone hosting a holiday party for employees this season, it is a great idea to do a thorough cleaning job before and after the party to keep the air breathable, the floors dirt-free and the windows shining for the guests.

1. Will it save me money?
2. Will it save me time?
3. Why should I hire someone else to do this instead of doing it in-house?

By answering these questions, business owners can willfully hire a company to perform a specific aspect of their business.

For a small business, in-house cleaning may make sense; but as the company grows, how long should it perform tasks that are not core to their business model? For instance, a website development company is great at programming new websites; therefore, it does not make sense to be waxing the tile floors after the work-day is over, nor does it make sense to hire a full-time person to do this.

This is where outsourcing to a janitorial company makes absolute sense for a business.

Will it save me money?
Rather than thinking about whether or not it will save you money, look at where your time is best spent. If you can charge $60/hour programming a website and can hire a janitorial for less than $60/hour then it absolutely makes sense to hire someone else to do it for you. Think about where your time is most valuable. If the amount spent on a janitorial company eclipses your revenue, then that is a sign you should be doing it in-house with your own resources rather than hiring out.

Will it save me time?
If you have eight hours in the day to develop a website for a client, but need to set aside an hour to clean the floors, then yes, it will save you time to hire a janitorial service company to perform the cleaning tasks for you.

Why should I hire someone else to do this instead of doing it in-house?
Business owners like control of their business, so it is completely understandable to retain janitorial tasks in-house rather than outsourcing to a janitorial company. However, ask this of yourself: is performing janitorial tasks core to the business? If the answer is “no” let go of those tasks and have a janitorial cleaning company take care of those specific tasks.

Business owners are in fact turning over various aspects of their business to trusted vendors in their local community. The reason they outsource these functions is because it is not core to their business and they would rather focus on revenue-generating activities.

It’s important, especially during the holidays to show appreciation toward employees for all that they do, to celebrate a year of success as a company and to set goals for the new year.

We, at Myles O’Donnell & Company wish everyone a very happy holiday season!

When a customer is attempting to find a great janitorial company – in Portland, Oregon, for example – they look for a few specific attributes, which we will explain:

Reputation
More often than not, a new customer is referred in by a friend, acquaintance or business associate rather than coming in off the street. A company brand, or reputation, is vital to growing a business, especially if in the the service industry, like a janitorial company. Products are simple to get in possession, so often times someone can try before they buy, but the service industry is much different. This is why pleasing current clients can go along way to upholding a reputation. A reputation takes a long time to build, and it alone can bring in new business.

Price
Especially in the last few years, consumers are extremely price-sensitive to new purchases. People tend to shop multiple service vendors rather than go with the first one they meet. Doing market research on other janitorial service companies to compare prices is something that should be done 2-3 times per year as the cleaning service market changes with demand and competition (supply). On the operations side, it is also important to control costs of employee wages, janitorial equipment and cleaning supplies so that a competitive price can be offered in the marketplace.

Value
Another important aspect of a great janitorial service company is value. Do current customers value the service? In general, relative to the price, is the service valuable to the marketplace? Again, these questions can be answered in regular market research, but it’s important to identify areas to improve value. It’s as simple as offering a specific type of cleaning that competitors do not offer, or maybe it’s a special online billing program to offer clients; regardless of what the value is, make sure the value can be easily identified by the company and the customers.

Living up to the Promise
Every business contract is a promise. It is a promise to provide a specific type of janitorial service and do it to the best ability of the company. If that promise is upheld clients will undoubtedly be satisfied and continue to do business with the company.

A great janitorial company has specific traits, just like any other business, that can bring a great deal of success. Myles O’Donnell & Company has been one of the companies in the Portland-metropolitan region that has focused on pleasing clients by adding value, offering a competitive price and living up to the promise it has made to its customers. That, in turn, gives Myles O’Donnell & Company the reputation it has today, after doing business since 1949.

Eco-friendly janitorial service practices simply means that a  company uses products and janitorial methods that are safe on the environment. Rather than using chemicals and other cleaning products that could potentially harm the environment, environmentally-cognizant janitorial companies, such as Myles O’Donnell & Co., only buy products that are safe on the environment and use practices that does not harm the working environment.

This also stretches far beyond regular janitorial practices. Eco-friendly cleaning also means that janitorial companies purchase products and equipment from suppliers that also implement their own sustainability practices within their business.

Especially in the Portland, Oregon region, customers are paying much more attention to those that are using eco-friendly practices. It is quickly becoming a cultural aspect of doing business.