A couple decades ago, my brother, who is a teacher in Europe, was offered a six-month teaching position in Russia. He gladly accepted the position, but soon he realized that living in Russia in the late 1990s had its problems, and one of the most significant issues was eating.

Most Building Service Contractors (BSCs)are aware that as a result of new technologies and more effective filtration systems, today’s commercial vacuum cleaners are much healthier for both the operator and building users than ever before.

A frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry told me he had a bit of a shock the first time he encountered a unisex restroom.

From a legal compliance standpoint, interviewing and screening applicants is a time of high risk for your company. Many seemingly benign questions, either on the employment application or in the interview, can lead a candidate (or court of law) to conclude that you are doing just that—discriminating against a protected class.

If you have been in the Contract Cleaning business for more than 10 years, you have probably witnessed a big shift in the way your clients’ office space is laid out.

While a majority of BSCs clean their clients’ facilities after normal business hours—typically at night—many are now switching to day cleaning for a number of reasons. Outside of the environmental benefits due to reduced energy consumption and other factors, there are several additional positive effects for your clients, building tenants, and your staff when you move your cleaning operations to the daytime.

While there have been numerous articles in this publication and others discussing green cleaning strategies, the reality is that many BSCs are still hesitant to go green in their operations. When asked why, many say they simply do not get enough demand from their customers. Additionally, some BSCs actually believe green cleaning solutions are made of stuff like grass and wheat germ, and feel these products do not perform as well as traditional ones.