Janitorial Cleaning Services: Who Supplies the Cleaning Products?

Posted on June 24, 2018

When you hire a janitorial cleaning service, you might expect that cleaners will provide their own supplies and equipment. While this is true of most companies, it’s not always the case. Some janitorial companies carry a limited line of cleaning products, so if a client requests a special type of cleaning product, the cleaning company will ask the client to provide these materials.
Before hiring a janitorial cleaning service, it’s important that you know whether the company will use its own supplies or if you’ll be asked to provide any cleaning materials. If this issue comes up, it’s equally important that you know the pros and cons that come with supplying your own cleaning products.

Here’s a quick guide from the experts at JAN-PRO® on how to handle this aspect of hiring a janitorial cleaning service.

Will Your Janitorial Cleaning Service Use Its Own Supplies?

First, the good news: in most cases, janitorial cleaning services don’t ask their customers to provide cleaning supplies. If you operate a business with typical cleaning needs — e.g., an office or a retail store — your janitorial cleaning service should have all of the products and equipment needed to clean your workplace.

On the other hand, if you operate a facility with specific cleaning needs, or if you have special requests about the types of products used to clean your workplace, you could run into issues.

Medical facilities, for example, are sometimes asked to provide specialized cleaning products, disinfectants, and/or cleaning equipment. The same is true for businesses that request green janitorial cleaning services.

If your facility demands specialized cleaning products, it will depend on whether your janitorial cleaning service stocks the kinds of specialized products you need. If they don’t, they will probably ask you to supply these products yourself.

Should You Agree to Supply Janitorial Cleaning Products?

Let’s say that you’re considering a janitorial cleaning service, and they ask you to supply some or all of the cleaning products used to clean your facility. Should you agree to supply your own cleaning supplies? Or should you look for a different janitorial cleaning service?

Here are a few points to consider when making this decision:

  • If you’re supplying your own cleaning products, you will have full control over the type of products used to clean your facility.
  • When you agree to supply your own cleaning products, your janitorial cleaning service may offer lower cost cleaning services.
  • While providing your own supplies may result in cheaper cleaning services, the added costs of researching, sourcing, and purchasing your own supplies usually outweigh these savings.
  • Your janitorial cleaning service will likely be unfamiliar with any cleaning products you supply, which could compromise the quality of the cleanings they provide.
  • If you have specialized cleaning needs, it is typically better to hire a cleaning company that offers a specialized cleaning program to meet these needs.
  • A janitorial cleaning service that offers specialized cleaning programs should carry the necessary products to provide these services.

At the end of the day, it’s typically a smarter choice to hire a janitorial cleaning service that provides all of its own supplies. The one exception to this rule is if you have a highly specific cleaning product — rather than a specific class of cleaning product — that you want cleaners to use. Otherwise, it’s almost always a better idea to find a janitorial cleaning service with the specialized experience and products that your facility needs.

Call JAN-PRO at 866-355-1064 to learn more about our janitorial cleaning services and request a FREE quote.