One of the most important decisions you can make for your janitorial team is which type of rating to use on your inspection forms. It’s a simple choice, but it affects the quality of data you get from your inspections . . . and how long they take to complete.
We’ve explained a few of the popular options and given you their benefits, the size of form they’re suited for, potential drawbacks, and suggested percentages. Having one of these systems in place for your inspection forms allows you to obtain more accurate data on the cleanliness of your facilities.
(Download our ratings quickstart guide for an even simpler breakdown of the options.)
Pass & Fail Rating for Janitorial Inspections
This is the fastest rating system. It is simple and intuitive, making it easy to understand. It is ideal for forms with more than 15 items and forms that need to be filled out quickly. Because of its simplicity, Pass & Fail offers the least insight into cleaning quality and employee performance. Our suggested percentages are 100% for pass and 0% for fail.
1–3 Rating for Janitorial Inspections
This system is still fast and relatively intuitive, but it offers more insight into cleaning quality and team member performance than the Pass & Fail system. It is ideal for forms with between 10 and 20 items. The 1–3 Rating system is not as fast as Pass & Fail and does not offer as much detail as 1–5 Rating.
Suggested percentages:
- Exceptional: 100%
- Average: 85%
- Unsatisfactory: 70%
1–5 Rating for Janitorial Inspections
This system offers the most insight into cleaning quality and employee performance. Plus, minor problems won’t cause the overall score to drastically drop. This system is ideal for forms with between 5 and 25 items. As the most robust of the three, 1–5 Rating requires the most training and explanation.
Suggested percentages:
- Exceptional: 100%
- Above Average: 90%
- Average: 80%
- Below Average: 70%
- Unsatisfactory: 60%
APPA Custodial Service Levels
APPA, an educational facilities organization, developed a five-level system to help facilities teams evaluate their cleaning level, communicate with their organization, and determine appropriate staffing levels.
APPA levels are a more complicated, industry-specific rating method. Our explanation of APPA’s custodial service levels is a great place to start.
You’ve picked a rating. Now what?
The type of rating you use on your inspection forms is just one aspect of the cleaning process, but it is an essential part of the inspection process. Once you choose a rating system, make sure your team is on the same page so results are consistent—even if different people perform an inspection. Each inspector should be trained on the standards and should know what constitutes a 1, 2, or 3 rating. Photos of various ratings are a great way to do this.
The OrangeQC app offers these rating systems and more. And you can leave a note on each line item explaining how it should look, which ensures that everyone knows what’s going on.
Whatever rating you choose, we hope it helps your team do frequent, accurate inspections that equip you with the quality control data that will help your business thrive.
Want to simplify the janitorial ratings game? Request a free demo of our OrangeQC janitorial inspection checklist app and software.
