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The Definitive Guide to Creating a Janitorial Inspection Checklist

Want to improve your cleaning quality? Need to know how things are really going on-site — over time, without bias? Janitorial inspections are the key. First: What are janitorial quality control inspections, and why do them? At their most basic, a janitorial or facility inspection is an evaluation of the cleanliness of a space and the quality of the cleaning. A good quality control inspection: Focuses on all of the areas the cleaning or maintenance Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

What Kind of Rating is Right For Your Inspection Forms?

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. Read more…

By Gina Meeks, ago

What Are APPA Custodial Service Levels?

APPA’s Custodial Service Levels can be tricky to really understand. You may have heard them referred to by many different names: “levels of cleanliness,” “levels of clean,” “custodial staffing levels,” “custodial staffing standards,” “APPA maintenance matrix,” or “appearance levels,” just to name a few. The levels are a rating system designed to help educational facilities evaluate the cleaning quality at their facilities, as well as the appropriate staffing needed to maintain the clean. The APPA Read more…

By Gina Meeks, ago

Getting Beyond “Pretty Good” to Know How You’re Actually Performing

Jeff Gilkey is an industry veteran. He’s the Manager of Custodial & Safety Services at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he started nearly 14 years ago; before that, he was a housekeeping manager in the healthcare field. During that time, he’s seen a lot of change. “For years, I just did everything on paper,” Gilkey says. He recalls charting out complicated, color-coded cleaning schedules for the hospital on poster boards. When he arrived at Franciscan Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

It’s Here! The New OrangeQC iOS App Release is Ready to Get to Work

It’s been months in the making, and we’re so excited to share it with you! The latest version of the OrangeQC mobile janitorial inspection app for iOS devices makes managing quality control even simpler. The new version (3.7.0, if you’re counting) was designed based on your feedback. It takes the things our clients love about OrangeQC (fast, easy inspections with great data) and makes them even better. A few things the new version lets you Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

How CVG Embraces Technology to Keep Its Airport Amazingly Clean

Airport housekeeping and janitorial teams face a huge challenge: keeping enormous facilities clean despite round-the-clock traffic. We talked to one of our OrangeQC clients about how they use the latest technology to rise to the occasion. Photo by Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa Around the world, airport facility teams are dealing with unprecedented traffic. Total passengers were up 6.6% last year, according to Airports Council International (ACI). Airport facilities and housekeeping teams are facing unprecedented demands Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

What George W. Bush Had to Say to the Cleaning Industry

What would a former President of the United States have to say to the cleaning and janitorial industry? That’s what we wondered when we found out that President George W. Bush was going to be at ISSA Show North America 2018. He and ISSA Director John Barrett hosted an informal “fireside chat” that covered a wide range of issues. It was fascinating to hear from these two on how leaders can improve. President Bush’s main Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago
Matt Gornick, founder of OrangeQC, talks with Judy Gillies, president of The Surge Group

Last Chance to Catch OrangeQC at ISSA 2018 – Booth 3553!

ISSA Show North America 2018 is wrapping up in Dallas today, and so far, we’ve had a blast meeting new people, saying ‘hi’ to our clients, and showing off our janitorial inspection software and app. If you’re at the show, please stop by! So far, it’s been a great show. It’s always amazing to meet so many people who are passionate about what they do. Did we meet already? Make sure to check out our Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

Why You Need to Know Who Your Best People Are

We work with all sorts of cleaning, janitorial, and maintenance teams here at OrangeQC. They range from small, family-run businesses where the boss makes the coffee to huge BSCs that employ hundreds of people to clean entire airports. There’s one crucial thing that every business we work with has to do: manage its employees well. That’s true whether your team has two people . . . or two thousand. It’s not the mop that matters; Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago

What to Do When Things Fall Apart at Your Cleaning Business

Every janitorial team faces challenges — and the occasional crisis. It’s not a question of if, but when. Today, we’re looking at how to deal with three common problems that can send a cleaning business into full-out panic mode. The problem: A big client is unhappy and threatens to leave. That’s where Thats Clean found themselves back in 2012. You might have read owner Tony Witana’s story before: he thought everything was going smoothly, but Read more…

By Rachel Matuch, ago