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ServiceMaster Trifecta Cleaning & Restoration

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3 Things to Know About Our Cleaning Services for Healthcare Facilities

Commercial Cleaning

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3 Things to Know About Our Cleaning Services for Healthcare Facilities

It shouldn’t be a surprise that when it comes to cleaning healthcare facilities require an increased level of detail, certification, and special services to maintain them to the highest standards. Not only does a thorough cleaning help protect patients and staff from infection, but regular cleaning and sanitizing also helps improve the perception of your healthcare office while supporting patient retention.

At ServiceMaster Trifecta, we don’t just want you to be safe and healthy, we also want you to run a successful business. Our professional cleaning services allow us to help with both.

How ServiceMaster is prepared to help with healthcare cleaning

Now more than ever, we appreciate the value of our healthcare industry. As much care as you take with your patients, we take with your cleaning needs. No facility is the same, even within the same industry, and you need a cleaning service you can rely on to go above and beyond.

Full-service Healthcare Cleaning

Any great commercial cleaning service will be able to provide you with a few key things when it comes to cleaning your facility. Not only will they be highly trained to take on any mess, but they will also use only the best and safest products and equipment, work around your schedule and unique needs, and help you increase your patient satisfaction.

At ServiceMaster Trifecta, we do all of this and more. Our procedures are determined by every industry we serve and each client’s particular needs. For the healthcare industry, not only do we take the utmost care with health and safety, but we are also determined to help you increase patient satisfaction. With our Patient-Centered Cleaning Program, we can help you retain more patients, improve performance metrics, and maximize reimbursement dollars. 

Healthcare Certified and Experienced 

At ServiceMaster Trifecta, we provide only the best service and the best clean. With our high standards and decades of combined experience, you never have to worry. No facility is too large or too complicated when we’re cleaning over 4,000,000 square feet of building spaces for janitorial clients every week. Our services are developed in recognition of best practices and procedures for the industry as published by OSHA, CDC, AORN, HIPAA, and EPA.

Proven Cleaning Solutions for Healthcare Facilities

With our highly trained experts and proprietary processes, our customized cleaning program helps ensure infection control in patient care areas such as patient exam rooms, waiting rooms, labs, diagnostic areas, nurses’ stations, and more. 

To keep your employees, patients, and visitors safe, we provide thorough disinfection using powerful electrostatic technology that quickly and easily disinfects large areas 4x faster than other spray methods. All of our procedures reflect the most current CDC guidelines. Plus, the time saved using this process will not only keep you safe but also save you money.

Your facility is unique and requires a unique cleaning regime to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all patients and employees. At ServiceMaster Trifecta, we are dedicated to figuring out a plan that works best for you. We will tailor your professional cleaning to fit your needs and your schedule. Plus, with our Patient-Centered Cleaning Program, we’ll help you increase your patient satisfaction, too. 

In an industry where “clean” means so much more than mopping a few floors, you can trust ServiceMaster Trifecta to get the job done right. 

Get an estimate today. 

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Commercial Cleaning vs Sanitizing – Do I need both?

Keeping your business clean and free of pathogens is an important step for keeping your employees, customers, and other visitors safe and healthy. But did you know that commercial cleaning and sanitizing are two different processes? 

One of the biggest differences is that cleaning removes dust and dirt from surfaces, but doesn’t necessarily kill germs, while sanitizing is a process specifically for the removal of germs. But to fully understand whether or not you need both for your business, let’s take a deep dive into the specifics.

What Is Cleaning?

Cleaning is the process of using water and soaps, detergents, solvents, or enzymes to remove dirt and other organic matter from surfaces. There are a variety of materials used in cleaning, but microfiber cloths are a great option to both be environmentally friendly and for trapping dirt and germs.

Like we mentioned earlier, cleaning doesn’t necessarily kill germs. It can remove them and greatly reduce the number of germs and pathogens on surfaces, but cleaning alone does not guarantee a safe surface. This is why cleaning is generally the first step in the process, followed by disinfecting and sanitizing.

High-touch surfaces, like door handles, phones, light switches, etc., should be cleaned regularly to avoid the spread of germs around your facility. 

Restrooms should be cleaned at least once daily and high-touch areas can be cleaned even more frequently, especially during flu season or when other viruses like COVID-19 are more likely to be present. 

It is smart to vacuum carpets daily and have them professionally cleaned several times a year as well to remove dirt, dust, and allergens.

On the blog: Why Trust ServiceMaster for Janitorial Services

What Is Sanitizing?

Sanitization is a process that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels by removing germs or killing them entirely. Sanitizing is the second step in the cleaning process and should be completed on surfaces that are already clean.

Sanitization usually uses chlorine- or ammonia-based cleaners. These sanitizers are applied to a surface and left to sit one minutes or more to ensure the killing of any bacteria. 

Sanitizers are specifically designed to kill 99.999% of specific bacteria within a designated time frame, usually between 1 and 10 minutes (specified on the bottle). The time required for the sanitizer to sit is determined by the type of pathogen, as different types react differently. This is a quick and easy way to ensure a safer environment for everyone in your facility.

Sanitization is a supplemental process for your cleaning routine. High-touch areas, like those mentioned earlier, should be sanitized as well as cleaned regularly to help prevent the spread of germs. 

Cleaning and sanitization of your facility, including lower-touch areas, is a great option between full disinfections.

Keep in mind that there is also a difference between sanitizing and disinfecting, even though we usually associate them together. 

Sanitization is less thorough, but it kills bacteria quickly and is safer for sensitive areas, like your skin. Sanitizers, however, do not remove fungal growth or viruses. 

Disinfection is a process used for a wider range of pathogens and is still an important step when you are worried about the spread of dangerous illnesses, like COVID-19 and other viruses.

Do You Need Both?

Commercial sanitizing and disinfecting are both extra services that can be added to your general janitorial service. It’s a judgment call on your part for how often you need disinfection services, but sanitization is an important step in helping keep your employees and visitors safe from illness. 

It is worth mentioning again that commercial cleaning is not guaranteed to kill germs from the surfaces in your office. Particularly during times of the year with a higher chance of spreading illness around your business, like with COVID-19 or during flu season, it’s important to sanitize as well as clean common areas, like elevators and break rooms.

The cleaning schedule, type of cleaning, and cleaning priorities for your business are going to depend on a variety of factors, including your industry, work environment, customer base, and company size. 

For example, small offices with only a handful of employees may be able to take care of quick cleanings and sanitizations themselves, while much larger companies require a more detailed list of steps. In this instance, purchasing cleaning equipment and training employees to clean may not be the best use of your resources. Instead, exploring professional janitorial services may be a better option for you.

On the blog: 3 Things to Know About Our Cleaning Services for Healthcare Facilities

Your business is unique and requires a unique cleaning regime to maintain a safe and healthy work environment. At ServiceMaster Trifecta, we are dedicated to figuring out a plan that works best for you and your business. We will tailor your commercial cleaning to fit your needs and your schedule.

Our cleaning professionals are highly-trained to use specialized equipment and techniques to ensure a clean and sanitized work environment. When you don’t have the time or the know-how to effectively clean your facility, you can trust ServiceMaster to get the job done right. Get an estimate today.

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Return to Work Checklist: Get your Building Prepared to Open Again

For businesses that may have been mostly or fully remote, there are a few things that need to be checked before opening the office back up. If your building has been closed for a while, then you may be subject to a few potential hazards that you might not think about, especially if you’re not there looking at it every day. ServiceMaster is here to help. We put together this checklist for a few things to check out before having people back in the office.

Check for mold

Mold is a huge issue for buildings that have been closed off for a while. Even if you have not had a water leak, the moisture in the air is enough to cause significant mold growth especially during humid summer months. If your HVAC was turned down or off to minimize energy consumption during the building’s closure, there is a good probability that mold developed during that period.

While not all mold is dangerous, there are some kinds, like black mold, that are particularly dangerous because they can lead to respiratory problems for the employees or visitors in your facility. We can refer you to a certified industrial hygienist third party to test your air and develop a cleaning protocol, if needed, for mold remediation services.

Check pipes

During the winter months, your building is at a much higher risk for pipes bursting. Before you head back into the office, make sure your pipes are all in great shape and there are no leaks or standing water anywhere. Take a close look at all exposed piping for cracks and damage. Look for any dripping water and turn on faucets to check for leaks along the pipes. Don’t forget to uncover any pipes you wrapped to keep warm during the cold weather to check them out, too.

Check your HVAC

It’s always a good idea to have your HVAC inspected every year, but if your building has been vacant for a while, then now’s the perfect time. You should check the entire HVAC system, including changing your air filters and checking the cleanliness and functionality of all vents and ducts. Aside from making sure everything is in working order, you want to clear any blockages, like debris and accumulated dust. Ductwork can be tricky, so if you’re not sure about doing it yourself, you should invest in a professional cleaning.

Check for any other winter damage

Your pipes and HVAC are going to be your main areas of focus, but if you’re in an area that gets pretty serious winter weather, then there should be a few more things to check out. If applicable, check your gutters, roof, windows, foundation, and yard for any damage. You want your gutters to be clear of debris, including snow and, and water shouldn’t pool excessively on the ground, either. Check your roof for damage, like missing shingles or leaks, and pooling water. Clear debris away from any vents. Look your windows over for any cracks in the panes, broken seals, and torn screens. Shovel snow away from your building and make sure water can’t seep in through any foundation cracks. Like we mentioned earlier, mold could be a huge issue for your facility and any of these problems could lead to water damage and mold growth.

Clean and disinfect all surface areas

Make sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces before allowing people back in the building to rid the area of any dirt, dust, bacteria, etc. If you had mold growth anywhere in your facility you don’t want mold spores to transfer to building occupants and cause health issues. You may also want to consider regular professional cleaning services to prevent mold growth in the future and to keep your employees safe and healthy from viruses and other pathogens when they’re back in the building.

It’s important that your building is at it’s best when your employees return to full- or part-time in-person work. Water damage and mold growth are not only hazardous to your facility’s structure, but also to the health of your employees. If you experience any water damage or mold growth or find yourself in need of a professional cleaning, give ServiceMaster a call. Our top priority is the health and safety of your employees. We want to help get you back to business as usual as quickly as possible.

One of the best ways to prepare for disaster is with an Emergency Response Plan. Having a plan in place not only makes you a top priority for our team at ServiceMaster but gives us all the information we need to minimize damage and business downtime. 

Start your complimentary emergency response plan today and call ServiceMaster if you are in need of water damage restoration or mold remediation.

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5 Tips to Prevent Flu and Illness in the Workplace

Winter brings with it more hazards for our workplaces, including a higher risk of getting sick. This cold and flu season, ServiceMaster is here to help you stop illness in its tracks before it spreads through your office. Here are five things you can implement in your facility to keep everyone happy and healthy this winter.

Start or increase professional cleaning and disinfecting

No matter the time of year, it’s important to make sure your facility is safe for employees, customers, and visitors. Professional janitorial services and full disinfecting of your office can help prevent the spread of illness in the workplace. Today’s electrostatic technology easily disinfects large areas faster than other methods and helps you stay protected longer.

High-contact areas, like elevators, doorknobs, and more, need to be frequently cleaned to help curb illness this cold and flu season. Full office cleanings are particularly important after cases of infectious diseases.

Learn the difference between cleaning and sanitizing on this blog post.

Promote good self-hygiene and hand-washing

Provide reminders to practice hygiene and hand-washing in common areas as well as in restrooms and other high-use areas of your facility. Here are some good hygiene tips you can promote in your office with educational signs, emails, etc.:

  • Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
  • Wash or sanitize your hands frequently—particularly before and after using common areas
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • Encourage employees to get a flu shot

Have disinfecting materials available

Your workplace should always be fully stocked with materials used for hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting. This can include soap, hand sanitizer, cleaning spray, disposable wipes, tissues, no-touch trash cans, etc. Encourage use of these materials, including for frequent cleaning of your employees’ workstations.

Consider less in-person contact

Having more remote employees has worked well for a lot of businesses in the last few months. If you’re one of them, it could be a good idea to encourage more working from home. Particularly at times when the risk of spreading the flu or other flu-like illnesses is higher. Telephonic and video conference meetings are still great ways to hold important meetings while not in the same room. For anyone that needs to be in the office, there should be less contact between people. Discourage handshakes and encourage social distancing. 

Encourage employees to stay home if sick

Employees who are experiencing flu-like symptoms—sore throat, cough, and particularly a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher should not come to work. Employees are also less likely to bring illness into the office if you have systems in place that make it easier for them to call in sick during flu season or work from home, if possible.

If an employee is not sick but has a family member who is, they should monitor for symptoms and take extra precautions when in the workplace. For instances like this, it might also be a good idea to create leave policies that allow employees to stay home to care for sick family members or children, especially in the event of school closings.

Our team at ServiceMaster is ready 24/7/365 to answer your call. We’re dedicated to keeping you, your employees, customers, and visitors safe from bacteria and other pathogens in your facility. As experts in creating clean, safe, and healthy environments, we’re here to help reduce the risk of illness from your everyday germs to emerging pathogens. Let us help you.

Get an estimate today.

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We know that as a business owner or manager you wear many hats — it’s what you signed up for. Most of your employees, on the other hand, didn’t sign up for quite as many hats. Their focus is on efficiently and effectively doing the job they were hired to do. The fact of the matter is: it’s harder for them to do their job well if they are also helping to clean your office. Yet, this is the cleaning reality for many businesses.

You have your company’s best interest at heart. That’s why you might believe that cutting your janitorial service is one way to save your business money. What you may not realize, though, is that asking your employees to clean can instead end up costing your business money in the long run. Asking employees to pick up after themselves at the end of the day is one thing, but it’s another thing entirely if they’re the ones taking out the trash and scrubbing down the bathrooms.

At ServiceMaster, we know that professional janitorial services are the only way to go when it comes to office cleaning. If you’re not convinced just yet, here are the three top reasons why your employees should not be cleaning your office.

Employee Cleaning Responsibilities Can Negatively Impact Morale

You may not see the effects right away, but asking employees to take out the trash and clean the office is not good for your company culture and often leads to frustration. This is especially true if your employees are not being monetarily compensated to clean. Employees want to work in an office where they feel valued and respected. Being in a healthy environment means higher employee satisfaction and increased productivity. A happy workplace is better for everyone, including you.

Quality Can Suffer When Employees Are Responsible For Office Cleaning

Home cleaning is different than office cleaning. At home, you’re probably focusing more often on tidying, as opposed to thorough deep cleaning. Cleaning at home means making your house more enjoyable to be in while cleaning at the office is focused primarily on sanitizing. These different motivations for cleaning the office versus cleaning at home could lead to lesser quality in the office, which isn’t safe for your employees or your customers. 

Additionally, “clean” means something different to everyone. You may end up getting different qualities of work from different employees based on their perception of “clean.” 

Not to mention, the products used to clean an office are generally different than what you use to clean your home. Not everyone is familiar with the proper methods of using industrial-grade cleaners. That could lead to not only spotty work but also harm to your employees should an accident occur.

You Lose Value When You Rely on Employees to Clean The Office

If you’re having your employees clean the office because it will save you time and money, then it’s time to reconsider. Chances are you aren’t actually saving money and, in fact, you could be wasting your employees’ time. Time spent cleaning the office takes time out of your employees’ workweek, giving them less time to do the job they were hired to do. Like we touched on earlier, when employees feel that their professional skills are valued, they are happier at work and more productive. 

Professional cleaners are just that: professional. They know how to get in, get clean, and get out as quickly and thoroughly as possible. You can’t say the same as for your employees. 

Breaking it down, you’re probably spending more money having your employees clean the office than you would by hiring an outside commercial cleaning service. The average hourly costs for your employees is generally greater than that of a janitorial service. Plus, as mentioned above, it takes special training to use commercial cleaning techniques and if you’re planning on training your employees, that costs even more time and money. 

It is also possible that your employees are not covered by your insurance, since cleaning is outside their regular scope of work. If something happens and damage to equipment or a person occurs, you could find yourself paying for an expensive worker’s compensation lawsuit. 

It’s time to reconsider having your employees clean your office. Hiring outside help will give you a better clean every time, which is better for everyone! Using a professional cleaning company like ServiceMaster Clean ensures your facility is cleaned efficiently and consistently using our advanced products and techniques that have been perfected over more than 60 years. At ServiceMaster, we’re here to make sure you are safe and healthy at work. Get an estimate today to see how you can save.