Author: wpdev

Office File & Data Security – Why Your Cleaning Company Matters

When you are engaging a cleaning company for your business, office file and data security should be considered. You want to make sure that all of your documents and all of your business equipment is kept safe. To do this you want to make sure that you are working with a cleaning company that has clear processes for managing security, including file and data security.

Below are just some of the things you should consider when reviewing your current cleaner or signing up a new one.

Do Their Staff ALL have Police & Security Checks

If you are giving people access to your office after hours you want to know that they can be trusted. When you choose a cleaning company you want to make sure you choose a company that requires their cleaners to have security checks and police checks. You want to make sure that cleaners accessing your office don’t have criminal records or issues that may compromise the security of your business and your information.

 Clear Security Protocols whilst cleaning

During a cleaning shift, the cleaners of your office may need to regularly come in and out of the office. During a shift you want to make sure that any cleaning staff have in case protocols to ensure your business is safe and secure. You do not want them doing things like propping open doors or windows – leaving it possible for others to enter your premises outside work hours when they are not supposed to. If you need to give your cleaning company swipe cards, make sure that you know who has access to these cards and your office. If you are working with a company that has a change of cleaning staff make sure that you are updated in a timely manner.

 IDs and Uniforms

If people are accessing your premises after hours, but you have your own staff staying back late, you want them to be comfortable about others they might not know accessing the premises. For this reason you want to make sure that any cleaning staff accessing your office have ID cards at a minimum. It would be better if they actually had a cleaning uniform as well.

 Make sure your own staff follow security protocols

Whilst there are some factors to consider when looking at your chosen cleaning company, it’s still important to remember that your staff do have some responsibilities though to ensure the security of your office files and equipment. They need to make sure that any vital tools or information is stored securely – that it’s not left on a desk at the end of the day. This is important to remove temptation but also to ensure that something important is not accidentally damaged or disposed of.

We take our clients’ security seriously and we have in place detailed protocols to protect our clients. Get in touch today to learn about our quality commercial cleaning services and data security protocols!

Childcare Cleaning & Kindergarten Cleaning – First Impressions Count

We are childcare cleaning and kindergarten cleaning specialists.  We work with a lot of Kindergartens Childcare and Early Learning Centres. We understand their needs and how cleaning is important to them. Why?  Because, first impressions count and you don’t get a second chance to impress parents.

Here are the reasons why first impressions count and why you need to invest in engaging a quality cleaning company.

Parents are sticklers for attention to detail

When a parent is considering taking their child to a childcare centre, the first thing they will take extra notice of is the cleaning. If your centre’s cleaning is sub-standard, then it’s possible parents will start to wonder which other areas of centre lack attention to detail. They will wonder if you pay proper attention to their children? Of course this is obviously not true, but you need to make sure every impression that a potential parent has is a positive one.

They wonder whether you will look after their kids health

If parents of young children notice dirty areas of your childcare facility, they are going to wonder whether you are actually looking after their children. They’ll wonder whether or not you truly care about their children’s health. If they notice dirty common areas, they may wonder whether the kitchen is clean or whether the bathrooms are clean. They will be most concerned about what you are doing to prevent the spread of illness.  You don’t want potential clients of your facility ever having these thoughts.

People may wonder where else you are cutting corners

An unclean childcare or kindergarten facility may suggest your cleaning company is cutting corners. But, the thing is, parents of potential students won’t differentiate between your facility and your cleaning company. Furthermore, if they see that your cleaner is cutting corners, they are going to wonder where else you are cutting corners. Do you cut corners in educating or looking after their child? (Of course we know you don’t, but do you really want to leave any doubt in their minds?)

We hope you can see from the points mentioned above why attention to detail is vital.

You need to pay attention to how thorough your cleaning company is, as nothing beats a first impression.

Parents of future students will notice and if they see any deficiencies in your cleaning process and your facility will suffer. Get in touch with us today to ensure you don’t face the risk of losing enrolments.  We will help you make a positive and lasting first impression on parents. We offer exceptional cleaning services over Melbourne that can be specifically tailored to your early learning/ childcare centre’s needs.

Why Investing In Quality Cleaning Is Good For Your Business

Not all cleaning companies are created equally. The cheapest is not necessarily the best. In fact, more often than not, hiring the cheapest cleaners can be a costly choice in the long run.

Cleaning your business is an investment. First impressions count – you want your clients to see a consistently clean workspace.  You also want to provide an environment that is hygienic because healthy staff mean reduced liabilities as a result of sick days.

In this article, I want to share with you some important factors about why you need to see your cleaning contractor as an investment.  Sometimes spending a little more to get the right cleaner will deliver you long term value.

A better cleaner has the right insurance policies

A quality cleaning company will have the right insurance policies – to protect your premises, staff and customers, as well as their employees.  They’ll have insurance to: cover damage to property or lost/stolen property, to protect their employees and your staff or clients that may be injured as a result of their cleaning activities. Obviously, you hope nothing goes wrong, and often it won’t but you want to make sure you have that safety net in case something does go wrong.

Appropriately paid staff equals no cut corners

The cheapest cleaning company is likely to have the lowest salaries. If their staff aren’t paid well, where’s the incentive for staff to put in a proper effort when cleaning your office? Obviously, it doesn’t exist. Cleaners will want to clean your office as quickly as possible as they will need to do more jobs to earn an adequate salary. Conversely, if you invest in quality cleaning, you can be assured that staff are paid fairly and they will be more likely to do a proper cleaning job.

Superior quality cleaning products

​A quality cleaning company will have better quality cleaning products. They’ll invest in environmentally friendly products, they’ll invest in products that are safer for humans – i.e. non-poisonous. They’ll also offer a better clean that means that your office will be cleaner. And this leads on to our next point.

Healthier Staff

​As much as you’d like to have sick staff stay at home, sometimes, they do come into the office and spread germs. Only high quality cleaning products will kill germs and ensure that you have healthier staff.

Office cleaning is an important investment for your company and your most valuable resources – your staff and clients. Cleaning your office is vital, and quality cleaning is worth the extra few dollars that you will pay for it. If you would like to chat with us about how our cleaning is an investment for your business, please get in touch today.  We offer cleaning services across greater Melbourne and outer suburbs.

The Top 7 Factors For Choosing the Right Commercial Cleaning Company

The cleaning industry is a highly competitive industry. As a consumer, you have many choices when it comes to deciding who will clean your premises. With so many choices it can be hard to decide what factors are important in your selection process.

If you consider each factor mentioned below, you will find it easier to make your choice.  We’re not going to lie, we believe that our each of these factors describe why we are the right cleaning company for your business!

  1. The cleaning company’s location and its proximity to you

    The right cleaning company will have a location nearby but also, and somewhat more importantly, their team of cleaners that work on your premises should live close by. You know there’s less chance of them running late or worse still not making a cleaning appointment.  Also, there’s more chance of them being available if there’s an emergency.

  2. The cost and how much value they offer

    ​The cheapest is not always the best. You need to factor in: the quality of clean, how much the company pays their cleaners and also what insurances they might have. You don’t want the frustration of a cleaner that does a shoddy job or one that cuts corners.

  3. Compulsory staff security checks

    ​Does the company that you are considering hiring have cleaners that have all passed security checks? When you have people wandering through your offices of an evening, you want to make sure they are not people likely to steal all of your proprietary information or valuable products and services.

  4. References and testimonials

    ​Does your cleaning company have testimonials and references from current clients that they are happy to share with you? It is always important to check with other customers of theirs to understand what sort of cleaning job they do. You want to be satisfied that you are getting a cleaner that will clean effectively and safely.

  5. Insurances

    Does the cleaning compnay have appropriate insurances? While you would hope that nothing ever goes wrong, you do want to be protected just in case something does. For this reason, you need to make sure that you are dealing with a company that has appropriate insurance cover for the work that they are doing.

  6. Are they environmentally friendly and safe

    Not all chemical cleaning products are created equality. For the sake of the environment and for the safety of your staff you want to make sure that the cleaning products used are environmentally friendly and safe.

  7. Do they have the right equipment

    ​Does the equipment being used seem like it is up to the task? You want to make sure that you are dealing with a cleaning company that uses quality equipment. Cheap equipment can damage your premises – through scratching or by not properly cleaning surfaces adequately.

There you have it; 7 factors that you should consider before deciding on a cleaning company for your business. If you’d like us to give you a quote on our quality cleaning services and how we can help you provide a clean, safe, healthy, and inviting workplace please get in touch today.

How Secure Is Your Childcare Centre?

You open up your childcare centre of kindergarten every day. You have cash, valuables and other sensitive materials lying around, detailing private information about all the families that use your centre. Obviously, everyone wants to know that your centre is secure.

But your families also want to make sure that the centre is clean and that their little ones will be safe from germs and harsh chemicals. So you need to make sure that you engage a cleaning company that utilises strict security protocols to protect your facility whilst also having the safest and most effective eco-friendly cleaning products — the good news is that you can have the best of both worlds.

If you want to check whether your cleaning company is up to scratch here are a number of things that you might need to consider. Find the time to ask your current cleaning company how they facilitate each of the following.

Background Checks

If the cleaning company that you currently use is not implementing background checks then you really want a new cleaning company. If the cleaning company you use has employees that may not pass a Background check, it’s time to get a new cleaning company. It’s not the highest paid profession, but if someone is prepared to submit to a background check, there is a greater probability that they will respect your security protocols and your property.

Protocol Training

What training process does your current cleaning company have for on-boarding new staff? How much training do they give new staff about the security of your facility? Check how well they follow your facility guidelines.

Cleaner Identification

The cleaning industry can be one where you have a high turnover of staff. For this reason it is important that your cleaning company has a protocol for managing cleaner identification — at the very least you should be introduced to cleaners or have a photo sent to you and should only work onsite when they are wearing their uniform and in possession of identification badges.

Handling of Facility Access

As mentioned above, the cleaning industry is one with high turnover. For this reason, you should have a clear understanding of how your cleaning company manages access to your premises. Are you absolutely confident that the cleaning company is ensuring all keys are returned when someone leaves? Do they let you know when a staff member leaves so you can change security passcodes if required?

After the safety of the children in your care, the safety and security of your premises is vital. Every day you have cleaning contractors entering your premises and you want to make sure that the company you contract has a proven protocol for managing the security issues identified above. If you are not confident that they do, and you would like a second opinion, please get in touch today.  GT Cleaning offers commercial childcare cleaning services across Melbourne and outer suburbs.

Childcare & Kindergarten Safety – Cleaners Need to Think of the Children Too

As a childcare provider, you want to provide a safe and healthy environment for the children that are under your care – we understand you want to do this, both because you not only care about the children you are looking after, but also because the parents who are entrusting their kids to you, expect this from you.

Using a cleaning company that also cares and provides the right cleaning products is paramount to protecting the health and safety of the children under your care – you don’t leave toxic products lying around and risk the safety of the children, yet these products are still so often used to clean items and surfaces around pre-school centres. We understand this and how important it is to use solutions that eco-friendly and are scientifically proven to clean your surfaces without exposing children or your staff to harmful chemicals.

Let’s look at some of the areas that need specialist cleaning in your centre.

Nappy Change Areas
Nappy change time can be messy, so it is obvious that these areas need to be bacteria free. They also need to be cleaned in a way that means that there is no harsh chemicals that could react with sensitive skin or be inhaled by the children in your care.

Bathrooms and Toilets
Similar to nappy change areas, little toddlers are not necessarily always the cleanest – especially if they are toilet training. We make sure that eco-friendly cleaning products are used to adequately clean this tricky area, most importantly in the hidden hard to reach places.

Benches and Tables
Children are pretty messy when it comes to eating. Things do not always stay on their plates, and they are often picking things up off the table, and as you sometimes know the floor. Not only do you want to make sure that these areas are properly cleaned and disinfected so that there’s no chance of illness, but you also want to make sure no traces of harsh chemicals after the cleaning has been done.

Toys & Play Areas
Younger children and toddlers like to put things in their mouths, so it is important that play areas are cleaned too for similar reasons to above. You need to make sure that no harsh chemical residue is left to harm children. Steam cleaning can be an ideal choice for cleaning suitable toys.

Running a childcare facility or early learning centre is a special gift, and it comes with great responsibility. We are living in a time when allergies are more prevalent. For these reasons, as a childcare provider, it is especially important that you engage a cleaning company that understands your cleaning needs and the expectations of parents.

If you are after a quote or a second opinion on cleaning services, please get in touch today.