What is the difference between a janitor and a commercial cleaner?

  by admin | 3 minutes, 33 seconds read

More Extensive Services

To be fair, it’s hard to blame people for using the terms “commercial cleaner” and “janitor” interchangeably. Both professions are related to cleaning and use similar equipment. Both are also outsourced to a commercial cleaning business or a janitorial company, respectively (though some workplaces hire janitors directly).

commercial cleaners in Melbourne render more services than commercjanitorial services, which are primarily focused on cleaning commercial properties. Some commercial cleaning tasks include replacing and washing linens, sterilising medical equipment, and conducting deep cleaning services. The vast array of services means more cleaning equipment being fielded, from janitorial carts to steam cleaners.

Commercial cleaning companies cater to a specific niche: businesses that can’t allocate resources for complete commercial office cleaning. Some may maintain in-house day maintenance cleaning staff that can be equipped with the bare minimum cleaning supplies and equipment, but investing in more advanced ones like steam cleaners isn’t always financially sound.

Most business owners would prefer to spend their money on growing their business. Hiring a third-party commercial cleaning company would be much less expensive. Additionally, HR wouldn’t have to worry about providing benefits and wages as opposed to direct-hire janitors.

Specialised Cleaning

Every type of commercial space has its own way of upholding cleanliness. A medical facility’s regular cleaning tasks aren’t necessarily the same as those of other commercial spaces.

For example, infections are far more potent in medical centres than in other settings due to the stuff their staff regularly handles. Anything from blood-soaked instruments to trash cans full of hazardous medical waste can be a major source of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs, also called healthcare-associated infections).

While a medical centre’s staff is vulnerable to HAIs, its patients are as much of a cause for concern. A study in 2022 by researchers at Monash University estimated that over 170,000 cases of HAIs are recorded annually, with roughly 7,600 being fatal. Among the most prone include newborns, children with serious illnesses, and elderly patients.

Professional cleaning services understand that cleanliness is sometimes a matter of life and death. In addition to mopping floors and wiping surfaces, they also know how to disinfect the premises to limit the spread of infection. Safety – not just of the medical staff but also of the patients – is paramount in their work.

janitor and a commercial cleaner

It may sound like a no-brainer, but rookie mistakes happen during office building cleaning. One example involves using the same cleaning cloth for multiple work surfaces, which is a great way to spread bacteria and viruses all over the place. Professional office cleaners have to take this into account and plan their regular cleaning duties accordingly.

Carpet and Window Cleaning

Of the services that distinguish commercial cleaners from janitors, the two that stand out the most are carpet and window cleaning. Let’s start with the former.

Although a task janitors can be trained in, deep carpet cleaning isn’t usually high on their list of daily cleaning activities. For starters, the job involves steam cleaning, which requires the proper equipment and training on its use. Because of its gaseous nature, steam can cause more severe burns than hot water if the user isn’t careful.

Most janitorial cleaning services are limited to hoovering or vacuuming the carpet surface, but this method can only remove surface dirt and particles. Steam cleaning, which professional commercial office cleaning services often offer, is still necessary to dislodge deep-seated ones and destroy bacteria and viruses lingering with them.

Regarding window cleaning, janitors are more than capable of using a window cleaner and a clean cloth or squeegee. However, given the dangers of working at heights, above-ground window cleaning is way beyond their pay grade. Some commercial cleaning services have the equipment to perform this, though there are dedicated window cleaning professionals.

Conclusion

A commercial cleaning service renders far more services and fields more equipment than a typical janitorial service provider. It’s ideal for businesses looking to keep facility maintenance costs to a minimum or those without the resources to maintain an in-house team. Its team of expert cleaners gets its hands dirty so your janitorial staff doesn’t have to.

As a side note, if you can refer to our professional cleaners as “commercial cleaners” or just “cleaners” moving forward, that’d be great.