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Benefits of Paying Staff Higher Than Minimum Wage

Most minimum wage jobs are entry level positions teaching basic skills to people who are unskilled or inexperienced in that field. Learning these skills at a minimum wage job can then help them improve their skills leading to make more money.

As of January 1, 2017, the minimum wage in Massachusetts is $11 per hour. At C.M. Cleaning we pay our cleaners more than the minimum wage requirement because of the benefits we feel can come from paying staff higher amounts for entry level positions that don’t require a college or sometimes even a high school degree.Cleaning company employee

Earning higher wages boosts employee satisfaction with a company and creates a higher morale. In most cases this translates into kind and pleasant behavior that customers will respond positively to, making everyone satisfied. Being paid higher than minimum wage boosts productivity and motivation. In the case of the cleaners at C.M. Cleaning the product of their cleaning will be better than companies that pay minimum wage since they are earning more they want to strive to provide better work for the customers.

When employees are earning more it makes them want to stay loyal to the company that they are at because they know that the company knows they can provide better outcomes than other companies and their workers. It makes a mentality of treating employees like family and that they want to stay because they feel welcomed and their work is valued.

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5 Restroom Areas That Are Overlooked

When restrooms get cleaned that are used heavily throughout the day, usually there are some areas that are overlooked. Sinks and toilets usually receive a quick scrub and baby changing stations get a quick wipe down at best. The way the restroom looks will reflect the way your customers and employees look at a business. A 2011 study found that, “99% of United States adults would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms”

  1. Baby Changing Stations- changing stations meet a lot more than just a baby, including food, diapers, and other germs. This makes it important for the entire station to be cleaned not just certain areas. The proper way to do this is to first clean it with a neutral cleaner and then spray it with a disinfectant, making sure to get inside all grooves and crevices where bacteria can hide.
  2. Floor Drains- It is very important to make sure the drains are open especially since they are susceptible to obstruction from floor wax. The drains ensure that if there is ever an issue where water gets on the floor, it would go down the drain and not out into the hallway or onto carpet. Removing the floor drain to clean it with a wire brush can help prevent other damages. It is also important to keep the drain “traps” filled with water or enzyme neutralizer to prevent foul odors.
  3. Feminine Hygiene Receptacles- OSHA requires these receptacles to have proper lining in them to prevent employees from having to tough the trash contents which is not considered regulated waste. Single-useToilet and bathrooms scrubber disposal bags and right-sized liners are a helpful disposal method to conceal odors and waste. The inside and outside of the waste receptacles should be precleaned and then disinfected. In some cases, deodorant pellets can be specially purchased for the receptacles and changed out monthly
  4. Graffiti- It is not uncommon for custodial staff to walk into a stall and quickly clean then walk out. If you are pushing your staff to clean the right way they should look at a stall from a customer perspective which would lead them to notice graffiti on the walls. Graffiti on walls promotes more graffiti and if it isn’t removed daily then it could get out of hand. Not to mention most graffiti can be offensive and persuade the employee or customers impression of the business.
  5. Stall Latches- Like door knobs and handles, stall latches are a high-touch area prone to germs especially because it is used to exit a stall. Latches tend to be stainless steel so a disinfectant suitable for nonporous surfaces could help prevent the number of germs. To really shine these up after cleaning, stainless steel polish applied with a microfiber cloth will do the trick.

At C.M. Cleaning we strive to train all of our new staff the “C.M. way” which includes looking for improvements to be made each cleaning we provide. You can be assured that with us, you’ll have peace of mind that these 5 overlooked areas will be handled appropriately.

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The Importance of Vacuuming

Regular vacuuming is the easiest way to keep your carpets looking clean. It is recommended to vacuum a minimum of one to two times a week and daily in high traffic areas.

Carpet is known to trap dust in debris deep into its fibers that could also be bio-contaminants or allergens. Dirty floors are known to affect your family’s health, make your carpets look unappealing and can result in damages. The dust and pollen that build up can highly effect people with asthma and allergies. Additionally, when foot traffic occurs on dusty carpets it causes the dust to go airborne and land on things like shelves, cubicle tops and more.

The ProTeam backpack vacuums with HePa filters are used by C.M. Cleaning employees because of their ability to trap dust in their high filtration systems. Vacuums with high filtration collections systems retrieve soil and safely contain harmful particles, preventing them from being reintroduced into the environment. These backpacks remove more than 98% of the soil which is a 10% increase compared to sweeping.

Vacuuming hard wood floors is also faster, healthier and more efficient than sweeping if the cleaner has the right attachment tool. The ProTeam vacuums clean 52% faster than dust mops in congested areas, such as classrooms, and leave much less small debris behind.

Schools tend to be at a higher risk of poor indoor air quality because they can have four times the occupants as an office building. Children are also more susceptible to air pollution but using a ProTeam vacuum can reduce the pollutants in the air since the filter can trap the dirt and dust instead of releasing it back into the air. When choosing to vacuum dust bunnies tend to not reappear until 72 hours later compared to 24 hours later with a dust mop.

All of C.M. Cleaning’s programs are custom-tailored to your specific facility’s needs, and all programs include the correct vacuuming frequencies. This gives our customer’s peace of mind when it comes to air quality, carpet longevity and an impression of cleanliness.

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Ten Ways C.M. Cleaning Company Aids your Property Investment

At C.M. Cleaning Company, we strive to provide the best service possible to all of our clients no matter your size or frequency of your scheduled cleaning program. The benefits are enormous not only to the health and working environment for your employees, but for your facility itself and the property investment poured into it. Here are ten ways C.M. Cleaning can help to protect your property investment.

  • First impressions are key no matter what type of industry you are in. Ensuring your facility always makes a favorable impression from a cleanliness and aesthetic standpoint are of the utmost importance for Sanitation worker servicesinstilling a quality first impression.
  • A clean workplace is a safe workplace. Ensuring cleanliness can have a significant impact on your own staff by improvement of morale, and reducing personnel loss due to illness, for example.
  • An effective cleaning and maintenance regiment can prolong the life and value of your facility by reducing premature breakdown that may otherwise occur due to poor facility care.
  • Many janitorial programs occur afterhours, when there are little to no in-house employees present in your facility. Having our personnel in your building can serve to be your late night eyes and ears, able to report any facility related issues or problems that may otherwise not have been realized.
  • You don’t want to hand over your keys to just anyone. With C.M. Cleaning, you can rest assured that our staff are properly trained, trustworthy professionals.
  • We follow strict in place protocol regarding personal property of employees and your company as a whole just as much as we would respect our own.
  • Not only can you trust and rely on C.M. Cleaning’s employees, but you can also rely on us when disaster strikes. We are ready to respond to any kind of flood or fire restoration emergency 24/7. When the phone rings, we will jump to action any time of the day or night to get your facility back into working order.
  • C.M. Cleaning prides itself on its top tier customer service. If you have a question or concern, we will answer and assist to your full understanding, avoiding roundabout excuses or incoherent industry jargon.
  • We strive to exceed your expectations. We will aim to provide consistent service to your program’s specifications.
  • Our aim is to provide you, our valued customer, with the very best value for every dollar you spend with us.
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Bedbugs

In the past 15 years, after the discontinuation of harmful pesticides such as DDT, bedbugs are back on the rise in the common household. According to Cleanfax, a recent survey conducted in New York discovered that approximately six percent of homes reported a bedbug infestation, with many other cases probably going unreported. Some experts even believe that fifty percent of all homes are at risk to be infested in the next ten years.Dorm room trash pickup services

The recent spike in bedbug population is believed be in correlation with recent increase in international travel. Bedbugs are outstanding hitchhikers, traveling between countries with ease. So, how does all of this relate to the cleanliness of your workplace? The spread of viruses and bacteria are a common concern in the work environment. In similar fashion, it is also possible that those same people you blame for spreading the flu and stomach bug are also spreading bedbugs! If these critters can travel internationally, then it can be easily concluded that they are able to withstand your commute to work by clinging to clothes, the bottoms of your shoes, and work bags. The good news is that with an implemented cleaning regiment at your place of business, the risk of you taking a coworker’s problem back to your home is diminished.

With regular steam cleaning and vacuuming of carpets and rugs, disinfecting of common surfaces, and washing of hard floors, bedbugs, their eggs, and larvae stand a lesser chance of surviving and making it into your bedroom.

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How a Clean Workplace Boosts Employee Productivity

When a manager faces the task of increasing employee engagement or productivity in their office, cleaning is probably not one of the first things to come to mind. While a clean office is obviously not an end all be all solution to boosting employee performance, the level of cleanliness in the workplace does in fact have significant bearing on overall productivity.  This is also true when it comes to academic performance and learning of students in school settings.  Multiple scientific studies conducted in recent history have demonstrated the correlation between cleanliness and performance. Approximately 88% of students feel they were distracted by unkempt learning environments enough that it affected their ability to learn and focus on tasks.Cleaning improvement tips

A less than spotless office becomes a distraction in that eyesores such as clutter, dust, stains, and discoloring, are essentially like visual noise which pulls attention away from the task at hand. It is easy to understand how unpleasant odors caused by damp and/or dirty carpeting or neglected trash receptacles would cause distraction adversely affecting both engagement and morale.  Keeping a clean office makes a good impression and conveys an organizational attitude of order, efficiency, attention to detail, and accountability. On the other hand, uncleanliness is a major cause of workplace stress and in some cases employees take the issue into their own hands taking time and energy away from the work they were hired to do, to fix a cleaning problem.

A work environment that is not clean can also be a costly health hazard. In the United States workforce illness costs about $576 billion a year, when accounting for both workers’ compensation and sick days.  While cleanliness would not in most cases help to prevent injury resulting in workers’ compensation claims, it may be surprising to find that 39% of the $576 billion in losses is derived from lost productivity of present employees experiencing symptoms while at work.

It is important to have a proper cleaning program to prevent such instances as well as to prevent the generally healthy from coming down with illnesses which either hinder their performance or result in absenteeism such as the flu (especially in winter), or severe allergies which can be a year round issue. All of C.M. Cleaning’s cleaning programs are designed to do just that, so that you can be sure that the value of your office cleaning exceeds what the naked eye can see.

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Preventing Lingering Odor Following Water Restoration

If your facility has the misfortune of requiring a water restoration, your bad luck may not stop there. One of the most common issues following a water related emergency is lingering, musty odor in or around the affected area. Many people associate smell with lack of cleanliness, and in the case of water restoration, they are usually correct.

According to Jeff Cross of Cleanfax, if there is a lingering musty or moldy odor, there is moisture left behind, indicating a water restoration job not fully completed. “If it smells wet, it is wet. It can be a challenge to find all moisture on some jobs, but that has to be accomplished.” Says Cross. He indicates that if moisture is left behind, the consequence is mold. For example, if water is extracted from a floor, but there is still moisture that has seeped behind a baseboard, the dark and damp conditions provide ideal conditions for mold to grow. These conditions are also ideal when moisture has affected places such as a crawl space or attic. The key to a successful water restoration is follow up. The technician cannot simply wipe their hands clean of a restoration after extraction has been performed. This is where the professionals at C.M. Cleaning Company have your back.Carpet cleaning services near Boston

In utilizing moisture meters, air movers, industrial grade dehumidifiers, and the most effective mold prevention chemicals, our highly trained technicians aim to reduce any chance of a lingering odor or residual mold growth. Moisture meters help to locate any moisture that has penetrated a surface, so even if you can’t see it, we can find it! When pairing good training with proper equipment and chemicals, there is no restoration job we cannot handle. With health and safety at the forefront of every workplace, you cannot trust just anyone to get the job done, and get the job done right.

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How Dirty is your Child’s School?

The spreading of illness in the workplace is a widespread concern for many companies and employees. High volume of people in a confined space can certainly increase your odds of getting sick. However, with proper cleaning methods and tactics, you can improve your odds. But what about your kids? The same principle of getting sick in an office workplace can certainly apply in your child’s school, and just like in business, school absences are costly to both your child and to the school system in which they are enrolled.How to clean a water fountain

According to ISSA.com, approximately 38 million school days are missed in the United States each year. Students are absent an average of 4.5 days per school year due to illness, and teachers an average of 5.4 days. Studies show that there is a correlation between student absences and dropout rates, with students who are absent more often having a higher chance of dropping out. For teachers and school staff, the loss is more budgetary than socially harmful. Absent teachers can pose a much higher cost to a school than a typical business. Not only is the staff member not present and able to help their students grow, but the monetary cost of hiring a substitute can be substantial.

With costs like these effecting schools yearly, a vicious cycle is formed. With higher costs, a school is forced to make budget cuts. Budgeting issues can often lead to cutbacks in the areas of facilities maintenance and cleaning. However, with cleanliness and maintenance lacking, more people, children and staff, may become sick, thus increasing costs even more. This is why it is always important to have a highly skilled and trained team such as C.M. Cleaning Company to keep your schools clean. Our hands-on approach will ensure your child and school staff’s risk of getting sick is minimized.

C.M. Cleaning utilizes the best practices to ensure cleanliness, specializing in schools. With frequent quality visits and inspections, we take pride in providing the highest quality cleaning available. We know what school “hot spots” to look out for when inspecting, for example, water fountain spigots, door handles, and detail areas most other cleaning companies overlook, can retain more bacteria than most other surfaces in a school, including toilet seats. With a wealth of knowledge to provide the best conditions possible for your school system, the C.M. Cleaning team takes pride in exceeding cleaning expectations while simultaneously improving health.

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Is your Baby Changing Station Truly Clean?

In many public restroom spaces you will find baby changing stations. Since 2016, it is now required that all publically accessible federal buildings must have baby changing stations in both women’s and men’s restrooms. When these types of mandates are put into place, typically private commercial buildings follow suit. So if your facility has or may soon have baby changing stations, then it is of vital importance that they are also cleaned properly.

It should be assumed that parents do not clean the baby changing station after each use. Although some parents may attempt to clean the changing station, it is likely with a disposable sanitary or baby wipe. While this helps over doing nothing at all, it is not the proper method for effectively cleaning and disinfecting a baby changing station. Additionally, it is also mandated that all baby changing stations must include disposable table liners. Nonetheless, the most common germs and bacteria often found on baby stations are coliforms, salmonella, and shigella, all of which arise from fecal matter.

A 2010 study conducted by the University of Colorado Hospital tested baby changing stations for both bacteria and fecal matter. The stations tested included a local mall, a library, different big-box stores, a coffee shop, an airport, a rest stop, three city-owned buildings, a fast-food restaurant, and even a hospital. Among the locations tested, the changing tables in a big-box store and a library tested positive for fecal matter, while changing tables from all of the facilities in the study tested positive for bacteria. This shows that while some facilities do take better care than others, without a proper cleaning regiment in place, your facility’s changing tables may still contain germs and bacteria.

So how exactly should a changing station be cleaned? This where professional knowledge comes into play and is crucial. A changing station should first be cleaned using a pH-neutral cleaner. This will take care of any heavy soils affecting the surface. Next, a proper disinfectant should be applied paying particular attention to dilution and dwell time, both of which are vital to the effectiveness of the chemicals to kill germs and bacteria. If the dilution is incorrect or the chemical does not dwell on the surface for the proper amount of time, it’s effectiveness could be weakened. With C.M. Cleaning Co. taking point in proper education and training, our team will ensure the necessary steps are taken to properly clean and disinfect your facility’s changing stations and help to keep your child healthy.

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Winter Cleaning

It is predicted that we’re in for another long, snowy winter in New England. While not typically approached with the same sense of optimism as in spring, cleaning is important to keep up with regularly throughout the winter months for a variety of reasons- especially in regions which experience snow and cold.

One major difference between cleaning in the winter and other seasons is the use of deicing salts and sand on road and walkways. These salts make it easier and safer to get around outdoors but can be easily tracked Dirty classroom floorinside despite our best efforts to wipe our feet at the door.  Accumulation of deicing salts indoors can lead to problems for hard floors and carpets alike.  On carpets, salts leave residue causing unsightly discoloration and if not removed can actually be corrosive to the carpet fibers adversely affecting the longevity of the carpet.  On hard floors, the corrosive properties of the salts also cause stains and can erode finishes such as wax on most tile floors and polyurethane making the combination of foot traffic and other debris tracked in like rough sandpaper on unprotected flooring.

In addition to the erosion caused to your flooring by the harsh salt and sand, winter brings peak flu season to your workplace and/or school making it imperative to regularly and diligently have “germ hot spots” disinfected. These include bathroom fixtures, work spaces (including keyboards), and kitchen/cafeteria areas where influenza is spread through droplets associated with the respiratory tract.

Carpet cleaning is one way to eliminate two winter problems with one solution! Our hot extraction methods will clean out the salt and sand laying deep within the fibers of your carpet while also preventing the spread of illness during the winter. In fact, noroviruses are able to survive 4-6 weeks and can easily go airborne when disrupted by foot traffic. Norovirus is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) in humans at 19-21 million cases per year according to the CDC.

When it comes to your commercial needs, the multiple services provided by C.M. Cleaning is a strong defense for both your floors against deicing salts, and you and your staff against winter germs, helping you to get the most out of the season!