What to Look for in School Cleaning Contractors
In the past, a school cleaner would have been somebody from the local community or possibly the PTA. These people would often be helping the school out as a favour, simply because they were community spirited. However, as time moves on hygiene requirements are becoming ever more stringent. A welcoming, clean environment has been recognised as a key factor in ensuring that pupils have the best possible chance of success.
As a result, many schools are now enlisting the services of school cleaning contractors, who can provide a professional and reliable service in order to maintain the best possible learning environment for pupils. But with so many options out there, it can be difficult to decide how to choose a school cleaning contractor. Here’s a quick, five minute guide to ensure that you get the best out of yours.
Factors Involved in Choosing a School Cleaner
When deciding on cleaning contractors at schools, it is important to take a number of factors into consideration in order to get the best possible service. These include:
- Security. School cleaning contractors should always have a clean CRB record. Although cleaners often operate at separate times from school hours, extracurricular activities are often held during the evenings and there might be times when they are required to work during the day.
- Reliability. It is important that your school cleaning contractor offers a consistently reliable service in order to maintain the required standard of cleanliness. Choose one who has a proven track record of working on large-scale jobs, rather than someone who is used to just doing domestic jobs. You can get an idea of their reliability by checking their current client list or asking for a reference.
- Willingness to operate outside school hours. In order to minimise lesson disruption, cleaning should be done in the mornings or late afternoons. If there are larger jobs, these should be carried out over the weekend so that children are not disturbed and any harmful cleaning chemicals are given as long as possible to be absorbed.
- The right cleaning products. A good school cleaning contractor should always have the right cleaning products to hand. Ideally, they should be able to source them at a rate that isn’t going to add too much to your costs while also taking the environment into consideration. Finally, they need to have a good understanding of the health and safety guidelines regarding the use of cleaning chemicals.
Making the Right Decision as to Your New School Cleaning Contractor
By taking all the above factors into account, you should be able to find a reputable cleaning contractor who will help you keep your school clean and make it a welcoming environment for students and teachers alike.
It is still prudent to go through all the available options and find a cleaning contractor who can tailor their services to suit the needs of your individual school. Often, especially for large schools, a bigger company like Servest can offer greater flexibility, as they have a wealth of experience and the resources to handle all of your needs.
