Employee Profile: Karola, ServiceMaster Clean Residential’s New Operations Supervisor.

photoKarola was born in Guatemala, and immigrated to Edmonton almost 30 years ago. There, she started a small janitorial company with her father almost 25 years ago, cleaning office and apartment buildings. She also raised two daughters, who are now 19 and 21.

In 2011 she decided she wanted a change and moved to Vancouver, handing over the company to her father. In June 2013, she started with ServiceMaster Clean Residential, working part time. She quickly impressed her colleagues with her dedication and expertise, as well as her fondness for her new working environment:

I like it, and enjoy it… its fun. There are more opportunities, with different buildings and people to work with every day. I also learn much working with the company, with the new systems that we set up.

She is a great fountain of information for us about how to best meet the customers’ needs. In a recent discussion, for example, she shared with us her thoughts about some critical points that any janitor must achieve:

The entrance way is the most critical part of any clean: both the outside and the inside. That is because people see it every time they enter into and out of the building. It is one of the most difficult locations to clean: You need to do everything there; dusting, mopping, wiping and vacuuming.

For any building to do well, it’s really a question of responsibility. Janitors must be responsible for the building, but so to the residents. It’s not just the apartments that are their home, but the entire building as well.

Given her deep experience, positive attitude and strong work ethic, Karola was named an operations supervisor last month. She oversees all locations and performs quality assurance checks. She will also drive around our new janitorial services van, which we will profile in another healthy apartment buildings piece. The vehicle will deliver supplies, and ensure that janitors have everything else they need to finish their jobs.

Despite her new role, Karola is always focused on the customer’s needs:

The customer service oriented approach is essential; your attitude must be good. This means open and willing to answer any questions; be smile and nice to anyone you see.

This attitude is reflected in her home life, as she loves to cook, clean and host people. She always looks forward to visits with her family, either travelling to Edmonton or receiving them here. With such a positive, vibrant attitude, she is a fantastic addition to the ServiceMaster Clean team, and we hope that you think so too.

12 Stories High

What Windows Are Included In My Service?

12 Stories HighWe find there is often confusion regarding which windows are included in a window cleaning service. This can lead to frustration by tenants who do not know that some of their windows were not included in the scope.

To start, let’s clarify windows are considered commonly considered accessible and which are considered inaccessible.

Accessible Windows

Accessible windows are windows that the tenant or homeowner can safely reach without the use of any specialized equipment or ladders.

Inaccessible Windows

Inaccessible windows are windows that require the use of a ladder, pole, or rope access in order to reach – in whole or in part.

What do I mean by in whole or in part?  Windows that are ‘half on and half off’ a balcony, so that half of the windows is situated past the balcony railing and a tenant would have to reach unsafely way over and down to attempt to clean half of it are considered inaccessible.  This is because they cannot safely clean the entire window themselves.

Scope of Work

The scope of work submitted on a quote, once agreed to, defines which windows will then be cleaned.  It may be inaccessible windows only, all windows including accessible, or a mix of both.  Whatever will be done can be found in the description of the scope.  For example:

“One hand cleaning by squeegee of all non-balcony, non-patio inaccessible tenant windows including the ground floor windows.  Includes exterior surface of railing glass where present, top surface of skylights and glass canopies.”

What does this mean exactly?

It means that all tenant windows will be cleaned with the exception of those on balconies and patios that tenants can clean themselves.  Ground floor windows that are NOT on a patio will be included.  The glass skylights, canopies around the strata will be cleaned on the top surface only – this is where dust and dirt accumulates.  The undersides of canopies and skylights need to be cleaned only rarely.  The outside surface of balcony railing glass will be included as well.

When asked “we want all of our windows cleaned, every single one, can you do this?” the answer is course we can.  It is a larger scope of work which will take more time and therefore be a higher cost.  If the strata wants to spend money having windows cleaned that the owners can easily clean themselves, which is a decision for strata to make, not us.  We can do it.  But it will be much more expensive.  Here is why.

Consider this; on a high rise tower, an owner can step out onto their balcony and clean any windows on that balcony and their sliding glass patio doors in about 5-10 minutes.  For us to reach that same area without accessing their suite, a rope access worker has to set up his ropes near the balcony, access the balcony area, disconnect his harness attachments in order to walk around on the balcony and clean the windows, re-attach himself to the ropes, and exit the balcony area.  He has to do this carefully so as not to disturb any personal belongings, cannot leave footprints or anything on the balcony which will lead to a complaint, etc.  So for each accessible window we clean, the price has to go up.  To clean accessible windows on a balcony we can reach by ladder, WCB regulations state that the ladder must be safely tied off before accessing that area.  That is a slow process, also impacting the total cost.

So why then do we clean the accessible ground floor windows that are not on a patio?

Well, those windows usually have windows above them.  Unless it is a one story building, the architecture is usually such that the windows are in a row vertically.  If we clean the windows in that row above the first floor, the chances that we are going to drip dirty water onto that window are high.  So, rather than leave it and get complaints that we have dripped on that window and should come back to clean it up, we clean them while we’re there anyway. It increases the odds of customer satisfaction with the work overall.

Happy customers are paramount in any service industry, and the best way to ensure people are satisfied at the end of the service is to ensure clear communication in order to set expectations occurs.

Knowing what is included and what is not by those receiving the service is a key component to ensure things go smoothly and everyone is happy with the results.

What is Construction Residue?

How is a ‘Construction Clean’ different than a ‘Maintenance Clean’ in regards to your window cleaning service?


This article is being written in response to customer e-mails we receive like the one below.

“What do you mean, construction residue? I’m on the opposite side of the building, facing away from the construction (across the street from this strata), so it must be something else on my windows.”

The person in this example thinks we’re telling them that the construction site across the street is putting residue up into the air, which is then dirtying their windows more so than usual.

To correct this impression, let me state what we mean when we say we have found construction debris on the glazing.



During the construction of a strata building, a lot of materials can be required such as bricks, metal sheets, Stainless Steel Angle Iron, paints, metal chips, plastic sheet, etc. Though a lot of these materials might be consumed in the construction process, some of it tend to be discarded due to extra length, quality issues, broken parts, etc. This can be a major issue for builders and developers to get rid of the unused materials which can also be known as construction residue. So, as a lot of trash can be generated during the a construction process, it might often require dumpster rentals or other methods of removal. Besides all that debris, when the builder installs windows, in order to protect the surface of the glass from damage, in most cases, a blue plastic sheet is glued onto the outside surface. This reduces the number of scratches and construction material that ends up on the glass.

As the photo above demonstrates, by the time it is to be removed, the blue plastic doesn’t usually cover completely anymore. And, when it is peeled off and the windows cleaned, there is often more finishing work to be done in the building process; painting, caulking, sealing of concrete, etc.

At this point, the initial cleaning of the glass must be done before the developer turns the building over to the strata. This first clean is critical, as it must remove the glue that was used to adhere the blue plastic to the glass, as well as concrete spatter from glazing and frames, paint spatter, silicone, caulking, dirt and other gunk so that the strata will accept the building as it is turned over to them. This then releases the developer from its responsibilities.

Problem: this usually is done as the building is near completion, but usually not as the very final step. There are still trades working around the building finishing it up while this cleaning is going on. So even if the initial construction clean of the windows is done perfectly, more paint, silicone, caulking, glue, concrete and other such materials can get on the now unprotected glass in the weeks or even months before it is inspected and turned over.

But you would think that this would be noticed during the walk through inspection, right?

Not if several months have passed, and now the glass is covered in a layer of dirt. This hides the construction debris still on the glass.

Remember – this is a newly constructed building. There is dust being swept off balconies, landscapers putting down sod around the base, and all the other dust from drilling and sanding and finishing being washed down the sides of the building by the rain. The windows get dirty again fast. This dirt covers up whatever glue residue, calking, and silicone may remain on the windows.

If the building is accepted without a fresh window cleaning service being done just prior to the hand off, this will go unnoticed.

So, construction debris is materials left on the glass from the original construction of the building, that cannot be washed off with soap and water. This issue can remain hidden until the first regular maintenance window cleaning service is performed. Once the layer of regular old dirt is washed off, the stuff that remains behind is revealed.

You may wonder why this is an issue for the next window cleaners to remove. Here’s why:

Time. The quote for a maintenance clean was for labour time to clean all windows using soap and water or a tucker pole. The additional time it will take to remove construction materials is great; it may involve razoring, using chemicals, and going over each pane of glass several times to ensure this stuff is gone, rather than just once. It can increase the time needed to clean a single pane of glassfrom 45 seconds to up to ten minutes, or in bad cases, much more.

Tools. The specialized chemicals or equipment to address construction materials isn’t carried around by window cleaners when doing a maintenance clean. Using the chemicals required to do so (depending on what is actually on the glass) can require full rain gear and protective gear to ensure skin doesn’t get burned. (Muriatic acid to remove concrete spatter).

Access. In some instances, the reason why the construction material wasn’t properly cleaned off in the first place, is that the windows it is on are located in a difficult area to get to on the building.

There is one strata where we have discovered a lot of construction residue left on the top floor – an area where getting a person up to it using a lift is impossible due to the landscaping and building structure, and most glass needs to be cleaned by tucker pole. That means it was probably skipped during the initial clean, and the problem was left for the next person to come and clean the windows to try and deal with.

Understanding these issues is the first step in getting to a positive resolution between all parties. Otherwise, strata can be confused as to what is meant by construction residue and why this takes more time and is therefore more expensive to remove than regular environmental soiling removed during a regular maintenance clean. Tenants do not understand what is on the glass and why; all they see is a dirty ‘splotch’ that they expected would not be there after the window cleaning service. Hopefully this will help further understanding so that strata members know what is to be addressed, rather than just becoming frustrated when seeing that something remains on their glass. Extra time and attention may be needed and the cost for that, if caught in time, may be able to be charged back to the developer under warranty.

The ServiceMaster Capture & Removal System

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In an earlier posts we covered the advantages of going with an established company to provide janitorial services rather than hiring an self-employed worker. Today, however we would like to focus on one area: the implementation of cleaning standards and innovative techniques. For ServiceMaster, that means the Capture and Removal Cleaning System.®

What is this? Basically ServiceMaster has developed an entire approach to cleaning, which blends tested techniques and new technologies. That’s all nice to say, but what does it mean?

One way of looking at janitorial is simply based on the scope of work. For a hallway, this may include something like: the carpets are to be vacuum twice a week, edging to be wiped, and features to be cleaned. However that says little about the actual technique being applied. Presumably, if someone vacuums a carpet it should be clean, right? Well, not necessarily. The machine might not use a HEPA filter, or be rickety and just redistribute the dust. Wiping cloths may not be an appropriate type, or be used too long, resulting in the spread of dirt and/or other impurities. Really, there is an assumption that whomever is undertaking the cleaning is using the correct techniques, which might not occur with a self-employed cleaner. With a company like ServiceMaster, you get the guarantee of the best technique and tools being used to clean your building.

The Capture and Removal system uses four basic tools; patented microfiber cloth and dust wand, high filtration Backpack Vacuum, and our proprietary GreenFor cleaning products. The results are pretty impressive. Our vacuums for example, remove 99.9% of all particles smaller than one micron in size. The GreenFor cleaning line is designed to be very low environmental impact (no VOCs), but highly effective series of cleaning solutions. Combined they provide unrivalled cleaning quality, something not readily available to smaller competitors or our larger rivals.

The system was also designed to be efficient. That means our janitors must be trained to consistently apply these techniques and use the new tools to meet specific standards. When they do, cleaning takes less time, up to 25%. Now these are based on lab tests conducted by ServiceMaster head office and may be up for interpretation, but they indicate a constant effort to innovate and provide a higher level of service. Its something that we also do here, albeit at smaller scale, which shows up in our day to day work for you. Is that going to be the same for a self-employed cleaner?

The Service Gap !

Whether you are a property maHiResnager, strata council member or an owner, you want a clean building right? Of course you do.

However in many buildings there are often a few “extra tasks” that seem to have no one person directly responsible, and as a result they fall through the cracks. This service gap frequently occurs when there is no building manager for the location.

Basically property managers or strata members can hire trades and to undertake cleanings, repairs and other services. Yet there is nobody who can provide access for their staff, program entry systems, change light bulbs or undertake other routine work.

Sometimes residents try to step into the role, with mixed results. The day-to-day needs of their personal lives prevent them from fulfilling the required tasks, to the building’s detriment.

Cleaning services can fill this need, and many others. The can be tailored to a particular building’s requirements, such as:

1. Part Time Cleaning Services (service calls throughout the week)
2. Full Time Cleaning (on site every day, maybe even weekends)
3. Light Caretaking duties (that can program entry systems, allow access for trades, put elevator pads up etc, call out charges.)
4. Caretaker Services (they perform all of the light caretaking tasks + minor repairs.)

Every building is different, and will require a unique mix of services. Caretakers generally are more cost effective for buildings with more than 120 units.

Buildings under 120 units are often left with a gap in service level and should look to combine their cleaning needs and their light caretaking duties.

Combined with a cleaning service, this package can meet most of a building’s day-to-day needs. For smaller locations or ones with a more active strata, light caretaking duties may be more appropriate. This can involve an arrangement to provide a smaller set of services that a building needs. However they may also provide all services, but only for select days in the week.

Trade appointments are scheduled for days the caretaker is in house. For other unexpected issues or emergencies, the caretaker is on call, but a callout fee can be charged. All in all, this makes such services more affordable for smaller buildings that would otherwise be unable to have such services.

As always, it is best to talk to your service provider to identify the building’s unique need and design the best package possible.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Window Cleaning Methods

High Rise worker 1Spring cleaning of strata’s windows will be happening soon. It is that time of year when property managers gather quote requests for window cleaning at their properties. They take them to strata meetings and present them for consideration. Price is examined, and what the various companies are offering to do in terms of cleaning methods. That can sometimes lead to debate, confusion, or questioning of beliefs because there are many methods to clean windows, and no one method is best in all situations. Just as every building is different, every building may have window cleaning needs that are best addressed by a particular method of having the glazing cleaned. That doesn’t necessarily fit in with popularly held beliefs however. An example of a popularly held belief which should be challenged is: the hand cleaning squeegee method is the best method for cleaning the windows no matter what. False.

While it is true that hand cleaning by squeegee can in many or even most cases provide superior results, there are situations where trying to clean by squeegee can be disastrous. In those circumstances, another approach would be much more effective.

The following is a breakdown of each method of window cleaning, its’ advantages, disadvantages, and when each should be used.

The Methods
  • Squeegee (Hand cleaning)
  • Squeegee on a Pole (using a squeegee from a distance)
  • Tucker Pole water fed pole
  • Brush and Hose Rinse
  • Pressure Washing

Squeegee

Advantages: Scrubbing dirt and squeegeeing away very effective to remove all surface dirt. Workers can use soap or chemicals in their buckets as required. Easy to inspect and repeat the process as necessary to ensure glass is clean. Razors or pads easily used to support this cleaning method. Window frames can be wiped. Edges can be cleaned with chamois or cloths to remove soapy water left behind on edges. This can also ensure that any pest infestations are dealt with from the beginning. Termites, for example, may begin to breed if they find suitable conditions on the wooden windows. However, if you discover that the termites have begun to breed again even after completing the proper window cleaning, it might be time to contact a professional pest controller (https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/local/indiana/).

Disadvantages: This method can leave lines along top and sides that need to be wiped away, or ‘blips’ which are only seen easily in direct sunlight. Squeegee rubber that is damaged or worn out can become less effective. Requires skill to be employed effectively and quickly. Water in buckets used to clean requires frequent changing. Soapy water used to clean glass can dry out quickly in sunlight.

On a high rise or low rise building, cleaning windows by squeegee provides excellent results, especially provided the windows are large sections of glass and the cleaner can get right in front of them.

Let’s consider the first variable that affects this method’s use; how large the windows are.

Variable 1. Breaking up the panes of glass with window frames.

Facing a big sheet of glass undivided by framing, a window cleaner can use his tools with large, easy motions to scrub and squeegee the glass clean. However, with each window frame introduced that divides the window into smaller sections, the more skill is required to clean each piece of glass, the more time is taken to do so, and the more challenging it becomes to ensure no ‘blips’, drips, or dirt is left behind. It also increases the number of edges to check and ensure are cleaned or are wiped clean with a chamois or cloth if required.

The more the glass is divided into smaller sections, the less effective squeegee cleaning becomes, and another method of cleaning should be chosen. (More on which methods below). Insisting on cleaning many small windows sections by squeegee will slow down your workers, cost the strata more, and provide inferior results. In these cases, it is recommended to keep an open mind and consider one of the other methods.

Now the second variable: how close the cleaner can get to the glass.

Variable 2. Distance.

When right up next to a window, cleaning by squeegee provides excellent results when employed by a skilled window cleaner. (For the sake of this article, we’re assuming the window cleaner is skilled in all techniques. Lack of skill is in an issue no matter what method of cleaning is used.) A window cleaner can scrub and squeegee off the dirt, check the corners of the glass carefully to ensure no ‘blips’ are left behind, scrub off bird droppings with a razor or non-scratching pad, wipe up drips with a chamois or clean cloth, and even wipe the window ledge clean. It is fast, effective, and usually provides the best results.

However, if a window cleaner needs to stretch to reach a window, the odds of providing a good result diminish. The greater the distance, the greater the odds of leaving drips or marks behind. This is because the more a window cleaner has to leave his comfort zone in which he applies this method of cleaning, the harder it is to do so effectively. So, on high rise building that means overhangs that keep the ropes away from the glass, meaning the cleaner has to swing in and grab the glass with suction cups to clean. On low rises, that variable comes into play when someone has very difficult ladder positioning and has to stretch way out from the ladder to get to the glass. Which leads nicely to our second method: squeegee on a pole.

Squeegee On A Pole

In skilled hands, cleaning windows that are out of reach using a squeegee on a pole can provide good results. It is difficult for this method to provide great results, unless you’re dealing with a commercial window cleaning company. Therefore, it is best to contact them at the earliest. Distance increases the difficulty, and while the use of a pole helps address this, this method has many disadvantages.

Advantages: Getting those hard to reach windows addressed.

Disadvantages: Slow, equipment may fall off the pole, edges of the glass are difficult to clean without leaving drips or ‘blips’, including the top, bottom and sides, difficult to effectively identify and clean any stubborn residue, more difficult to use a razor or pad to remove stubborn residue, and much more difficult to clean edges with a cloth if required.

The greater the reach or longer the pole needed is, the more difficult it is to provide great results. Sometimes, when used sparingly on a job, cleaning hard to reach windows with a squeegee on a pole can be acceptable as there are only few windows that need to be cleaned that way. I wouldn’t recommend it for a large portion of the work.

Instead, perhaps the next method should be used:

Tucker Pole Water Fed Pole

A water fed pole is an extendable pole with a soft bristle brush on the end. Water runs through a hose inside the pole and out through the brush. Windows are cleaned using these poles by scrubbing the glass with the brush while the water is running, and rinsing the loosened dirt clean. Also, if the cleaners you choose clean your windows with distilled water, nothing beats that. Because distilled water contains no impurities, including minerals, it tends to attract the minerals found in dust and impurity molecules. However, understandably, hiring professional cleaners on a regular basis is not economical, so the next time you decide to clean your windows, search the web for distilled water buy near me, and you may find a plethora of retailers who you can buy the water from.

Advantages: Can work around challenging building architecture, landscaping, and other obstacles. Water used for cleaning is always clean water going onto the glass, frames are rinsed clean during the process, edges cleaned, no risk of ‘blips’.

Disadvantages: Can’t use soap on the glass. Very difficult to remove baked on bird droppings or stubborn residue. Difficult to evaluate if there are any issues until the water has dried. May leave drips if not rinsed 100% effectively. Water running downward can wet areas below on patios, balconies, etc.

The use of a water fed pole can be great to clean glass where a squeegee cannot effectively be used. Many may argue that a squeegee would do a better job. However, a squeegee cannot always provide good results, and in those areas where it is at a disadvantage, the results yielded by tucker pole cleaning can be far superior than if windows were attempted to be effectively cleaned by squeegee anyway. This method is faster than squeegee use, which also means cheaper for the strata. It is a good option which should be considered based on the building’s requirements.

Soapy Brush and Hose Rinse

Advantages: use of soap helps clean glass compared to tucker pole use, scrubbing action loosens dirt, hose rinse is gentle on window gaskets and seals, addresses issues of distance and windows divided by many frames, cleans frames as well. Cleans edges. More effective than tucker pole at removing stubborn residue due to soapy scrubbing action. Less skill required to be effective.

Disadvantages: workers must ‘juggle’ many tools, windows must be rinsed effectively to ensure no soapy residue left behind, range of hose rinsing not as great as tucker pole or pressure washer.

This method is one of the most often overlooked and underused for difficult to clean buildings. It is very effective, especially when used on windows that are dividing into many small sections by frames, hard to reach due to building structure like overhangs, and the building is very dirty. I highly encourage property managers to consider it over squeegee cleaning on difficult to clean buildings. It will provide excellent results and be much faster than a squeegee clean.

Pressure Washing

Personally, I have never used a pressure washer to clean windows. Our technicans at ServiceMaster do not use this method when cleaning glass on a strata either. I’m only including it in this article as I’ve seen others do it, most notably ground floor commercial businesses in my neighbourhood.

Advantages: Fast, cleans frames, no possibility of drips, can clean glass from a distance.

Disadvantages: Use of pressure – May cause water ingress behind the building envelope. May damage window seals.

Due to the listed disadvantages, we never use a pressure washer to clean windows. There is too much risk of doing damage to the seals or causing water ingress. I would advise against ever using this method of cleaning at a strata.

We All Want The Same Thing In The End

So as we’ve gone over, there are many ways to clean a window. They will all do the job, and should be considered – or rejected – depending on building structure, the type of windows on the building, and the desired cost range as well as results.

With that in mind, hopefully you will consider what your service providers suggest when offering a cleaning method that may not be what you expected. After all, insisting on the use of a squeegee in situations where this method is actually at a disadvantage will be very slow, and therefore very costly; and it may not yield great results anyway. Also, consider asking for pricing using different methods of cleaning on your stratas where this could be to your advantage. Don’t forget to look at the methods being quoted when you receive your spring window cleaning pricing from various service providers as well, to ensure you are comparing the same or similar methods.

On Line Reporting (Cloud Based Quality Assurance)

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Wouldn’t it be nice if you could login and see an inspections report for your building complete with photos and notes.

 

You can! Servicelink is a cloud based program that we use to provide this. Every two to four weeks a manager will visit a site and undertake an inspection using a mobile app on his ipad or iphone. The tasks that are assessed are the same as what are in the contract. The frequency of these inspections depend upon what is agreed to between the client and contractor.

The property manager (or another representative) is given a login and they can have a look at the reports whenever they would like. He or she can make comments, and even identify problem areas to the cleaners as they emerge. With the inspections handy and the ability to talk to the staff immediately, the Servicelink is a powerful tool for ensuring your building remains clean.

Have a look at www.servicelink.com, or contact us whenever you have questions.

Why would you hire an in house cleaner (employee of the strata)?

Businessman with Ice PackTo get straight to the point, usually a strata believe they can save money, or Bob needs a job in unit 304.  I am not convinced you will save money and or it is best situation for Bob to be cleaning in the building he lives in. (though I do agree Bob needs a Job)

Employees require a certain amount of administration to properly function i.e. who pays the WCB? Does he even have WCB? Does he have liability insurance? Who pays their other payroll deductions (CPP and EI)? What happens if Bob underperforms? How does building fire him? Deal with the severance? What if Bob is let go and he doesn’t like it? What will the strata do if he seeks compensation or damages, who pays the legal fees? How about if the decision goes against the building, who pays then? Or worse yet, In the event that Bob gets hurt does the building have a health and safety plan for WCB to review? What happens if he sues?
Did I scare you? Good.  What needs to happen is Bob needs to work for a professional cleaning company that will care for the administration.  This is what they do every day not to mention they will train him to be a high quality cleaner and provide him with the appropriate equipment and make sure he is using the right kind of cleaning products.

The same points above apply to any service being done by an employee of the strata or yet even a volunteer as well building managers and caretakers would fall under above as well.