Four Things to Do for Fall 

In Texas, we enjoy summer a little longer than the rest of the country, but it’s not too early to start thinking about fall. Although, if you’re anything like us, you’ve probably been thinking about fall since the first day temperatures hit one hundred degrees! You can prepare your business or office for the shift in seasons by calling in a professional janitorial service to tackle these four fall tasks you should have on your to-do list:

Windows – Take advantage of the warm weather and clean those windows! If your windows or doors are dirty, they leave your customers with a negative impression. It is also important to clean your windows to let light in – especially during the fall and winter when exposure to sunlight is limited because there are fewer hours of daylight (and you’re in the office for most of them!).

Floor Care – Your cleaning professionals can prepare and protect your hard surface flooring by ensuring that they’re cleaned, polished, and waxed. Waxing protects your floors from wet and muddy weather. Use entry mats to protect your floors and carpeting. We also suggest placing an umbrella stand in your entry or lobby so clients may easily stow umbrellas (and prevent water from dripping on to your floors).

Duct Cleaning – Consider having your janitorial service company clean your ducts this fall (and again in the spring!) to clear out any dust or pollen that could affect allergies or aggravate respiratory conditions.

Gutters – Fall is a great time to have gutters cleaned to make sure they’re free from debris or leaves that could cause a clog when it rains. Ask your janitorial service company if they service gutters, or if they could recommend a gutter cleaning company to you.

Fall Also Means Back to School

Back to school also means it’s time to get those classrooms ready for kids! It’s time for homework, bustling hallways, and lots germs! We’ve all heard of back to school illnesses, like norovirus, strep throat, or the flu, running rampant through a school, and the resulting high numbers of students (and teachers) absent from class.

Back to school is also the perfect time to hire a professional janitorial services company to manage cleaning at your school, preschool, or daycare to not only tackle the fall tasks we’ve mentioned, but many schools districts and education centers are hiring professional janitorial services companies to clean their facilities because cleaning companies recognize cleaning schools is a serious responsibility, they clean efficiently and effectively, and they can cut overhead. Professional cleaning also protects kids’ health, minimizes sick days for both students and staff, and ensures that your school is presenting its very best to parents and visitors.

Janitorial service companies clean and disinfect classrooms and restrooms and pay particular attention to areas that may collect germs and bacteria, such as light switches, door knobs, and desks. Special rooms like computer labs, cafeterias, and gymnasiums (and gym mats!) are areas of high use and need cleaning and disinfection thoroughly and regularly. Regular cleaning helps to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria that cause illness such as the common cold, flu, or stomach illness. Professional cleaning companies also will make sure your floors are maintained throughout the year and can handle seasonal cleaning projects like window cleaning.

You can also protect students’ health by encouraging them to wash their hands. According to the Centers for Disease Control, regular hand washing is one of the best ways to reduce germs and prevent illnesses. Also, teach students to cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough, avoid touching their eyes or mouth and dispose of used tissue properly.

Commercial cleaning doesn’t mean just disinfecting surfaces and cleaning up messes, it also means investing in your property and equipment, too. In many cases, this investment can pay off in lots of use and fewer dollars going toward maintenance and replacement.

A perfect example of this is our work with the Harmony Schools District Administration office. We maintain all of their floors and believe that if all schools had clean floors that shine like Harmony’s more kids would want to go to class! Thanks, Harmony schools!

Benefits of a Floor Maintenance Program:

• Floors serviced in this manner and maintained properly with a consistent floor program will not need a full strip and finish for three years.

• The floors need to be buffed weekly, with a scrub and re-coat applied once a year. The wax will harden with the buffing and actually look better as the future scrub and re-coats are applied. But, the floors need to be maintained with the proper cleaners and clean microfiber flat mops to preserve their longevity.
• If using an auto scrubber machine, the scrubber pads must be changed out and always clean. This is to include the equipment being kept clean, or this process will just contaminant the surface of the floor and ware out the wax sealer.
  

From our experience, if the floors look this good, the cleaning performance will follow the standard.

Fall Is Here – Achoo!

While we’re talking about fall, let’s talk about fall allergies.

Fall brings more than leaves changing color - it brings pollen and other particles that make allergies flare up. Sneezing, sniffling, and coughing happens as a result of seasonal allergies. Sneezing, coughing, and people blowing their noses mean germs and bacteria flying all over your office.

While allergies aren’t contagious, no one wants to be exposed to other people’s germs. To minimize the spread of germs during allergy season, remind employees to cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze, wash hands frequently, and dispose of used tissues properly. You should also take steps to control germs by sanitizing high contact areas like door handles, countertops, and light switches.

While it is hard to control the pollen count, business owners can take steps to minimize allergy aggravation in the office. Changing HVAC filters and making sure ducts and vents are clean and free of dust helps allergy sufferers considerably. Employees can also make a difference by removing paper clutter. A thorough and routine cleaning and dusting schedule managed by a professional cleaning crew makes an even more significant impact in battling office allergens.

Several areas in the office collect allergens may be overlooked when employees are tidying up.

Electronic equipment like computer and cords attract dust and dirt particles. Baseboards and window blinds are also places that can collect dust and trigger allergies.

Carpets and upholstered furniture also harbor allergens. Pollen tracked in from the outside and ends up clinging to carpet fibers - not only does this pollen make carpets appear dirty and dingy - it also making noses run and eyes water. Professional janitorial services companies can remove this pollen and dirt to help minimize allergies and stop