Category Archives: Blog

Why a Commercial Cleaning Company Makes Sense For Your Business

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Everyone’s house gets dirty, but as business owners we don’t often think about the cleanliness of our offices. What does a little dust and debris matter when there are so many more important things you need to worry about? The thing is, the cleanliness of your office is very important because it can affect the productivity of your employees.

Today we’re going to look at several reasons why a commercial cleaning company makes sense for your business.

It’s Easier Than Cleaning It Yourself

Let’s face it, no one loves to clean, especially when they still have other work to do. So in many cases it is simply easier for you to hire a commercial cleaning company to do the cleaning for you

This means you and your employees will spend less time tidying up the joint, and more time getting actual work done. That means higher productivity and more money.

It’s Cheaper Than Cleaning it Yourself

While this may not seem like a true statement, often times it is actually cheaper to hire a commercial cleaning company than to have your employees do the cleaning themselves. The reason is that you still have to pay them to do the cleaning, so you have do deal with man hours, as well as the fact that they could be using that time to do something productive for your business besides cleaning.

It’ll Make Your Employees More Productive

We’ve mentioned this a couple times now, but there have been many studies that have shown that the cleaner and more organized your office, the more productive your employees are. People just don’t work efficiently when they have to deal with a mess all of the time. While a lot of this is just making sure that your files are put in the right place (filing cabinets) and all of your office equipment is taken care of, some of it is ensuring that the bathrooms are clean and the floor is clear of detritus.

In the end a clean office means more production from your staff. More than that, however, it means happier employees. There have also been studies that show people who work in organized and clean workspaces tend to be happier in both their lives and their jobs than people who work in a mess.

That’s why a commercial cleaning company makes sense. While it may mean an added expense, it will pay for itself quickly with cleaner offices and more productive employees. In the end, that is all you are really trying to do. 

How to Find a Great Commercial Cleaning Company in Portland

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Things get dirty. It is a way of life. Even when you do the best to keep things tidy, things get dusty, and eventually office detritus and paperwork just piles up. Before you know it, your office looks really bad, and your employee’s productivity is suffering because of it. That’s when you know it is time to call a Portland commercial cleaning company. Today we’re going to look at how to find a great commercial cleaning company.

Look at Your Options

The first thing we suggest doing is looking what Portland commercial cleaning companies are available in your area. You’ll have a few companies to choose from. This step is relatively easy, just Google for companies near you, and make a list of the ones that look legit and meet your requirements.

Look for Reviews

Your next step is to look at the reputations of the companies you’ve added to your list. You do this by going online and looking for reviews of their services. There are many sites online that specialize in reviews of companies like this, including sites like AngiesList.

This is probably the most important part of your search, because it will help you narrow the list down to the most reputable company. Remember that every company will have a negative review or two online, even the best ones do because no company is perfect. Your goal here is to look at the big picture. Is the overall review of most of the customers positive or negative? If most people find the company respectable and reliable, then they should give you the same level of service. If, on the other hand, there are a lot of negative reviews (especially reviews that all site the same problems), then you should steer clear.

Contact the Companies for Quotes

The next step is to focus on price, as that is often the second piece of the puzzle that you’ll use to narrow down your list. You alone know what your company’s budget is for this service. You’ll need to use that information to figure out what combination of reputation, services, and price you need to meet. The company you choose should provide you value. The best option is almost always the most expensive, but that doesn’t mean the ones that compete on price are bad services. So look for the best combination of price and reputation, as well as services.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, your job is to choose the best Portland commercial cleaning company you can afford. It’s all about getting the best service for the best value. You can use the tips above to help find the company that meets your needs.  Always Quality Cleanings has been providing expert janitorial and cleaning solutions to businesses throughout the Portland OR area and can help you with your commercial cleaning too!

3 Steps to Keeping Your Office Clutter Free

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There have been many studies that say that the cleaner your office is, the more productive your employees are. People tend to like working in clean conditions, so it isn’t surprising that their productivity is impacted when they work in cluttered spaces. Today we’re going to look at three ways you can keep your office clutter free, and why you should consider hiring a Portland commercial cleaning company to help you keep them that way.

Get Rid of the Unnecessary Clutter

The first step is to get rid of the things that you don’t need. Every office has piles of papers and folders lying around that aren’t really needed. These things should be placed in file cabinets or in file storage. Removing the things you don’t need on a daily basis is the first step, because otherwise you just end up moving things around, and nothing actually improves. Keeping that sort of stuff around is the equivalent of sweeping the dust under the rug. It might look cleaner in the end, but it really isn’t.

Clean it Up

Once you’ve decluttered, it’s time to actually clean the offices. This means dusting, washing the windows, removing dead plants, cleaning the bathrooms, and vacuuming the floors. This is the first place where a Portland commercial cleaning company could come in handy. The larger your office, the harder it will be for you to do this on your own. A company can help you not only maintain the cleanliness of your office (more on this later), but can help get to clean in the first place.

Hire a Cleaning Company to Maintain It

Once you’ve cleaned your office, the last thing you want to do is redo it all again in a few months. You’re always telling people to work smarter, not harder, right? Why should you spend time and money to continuously declutter your office, when you can clean it right the first time, and then just maintain it in that clean state?

Hiring a commercial cleaning company might sound like a way to just spend some money, but it can have a huge impact on the productivity of your office. Your office will stay clean, and it won’t even take that much effort on your part. The cleaner the office, the happier your workforce.

In order for this process to work, you need to train your employees to keep the unnecessary items where they belong: in storage. Even the best cleaning company won’t be able to file away your papers. Keep the files where they belong, in the cabinets, and then make sure your employees know that they need to keep their work items organized. Do that, and with the addition of a commercial cleaning company, your office will always look its best.

7 Tricks to Spring Clean Your Office

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Like it or not, your office is where you spend a big portion of your day. A recent study found that there is a correlation between how clean your office is and the amount of work you can get done each day. If you’re not lucky enough to have a commercial cleaning company on hand to do the cleaning for you, we’re going to show you 7 simple tricks you can use to make spring-cleaning your office a little easier.

#1 Start Small

No matter the size of your office, the best way to get started is to start small. Don’t think about the amount of work you have to do in order to clean the whole office; instead think about how little time it’ll take to clean that one bookshelf or that one corner. Each little bit you do will contribute to getting the larger job done.

#2 Avoid Clean Clutter

We all need our stuff, and we like it close by. However it is important that you actually have room to work. Only keep what is absolutely necessary within arm’s reach. Obviously this will include you computer, your writing utensils, and your pad of paper.

#3 Find a Place to Put Your Paper

The floor is not a filing system, no matter how hard you might try to make it one. Obtain file cabinets and desk baskets to store needed paperwork so that it doesn’t end up strewn all over your office.

#4 Get Rid of Unnecessary Stuff

Stuff is great, but you don’t need it all in your office. If you don’t use it or don’t need it, get rid of it. If you can’t stand to part with it, take it home or put it into office storage.

#5 The Drawers of Catch All

Office drawers are the equivalent of a closet. You shove stuff in there to keep it out of sight and out of mind. But that’s a messy system, and it’s inefficient. Go through your drawers and organize. Get rid of detritus and unnecessary items. This way, even if the rest of your office is a mess, your drawers will be clean.

#6 Your Computer Office Needs Cleaning Too

If you’re your own IT department, then you’ll need to take care of things like virus scans, defragmentation of the hard drives, and organizing electronic files. Our best tip for this, is to simply remember that the Windows desktop area is not a folder to store everything on your computer.

#7 Find Your Zen

What is clean to one person is a mess to another. It’s a deep thought, but extremely true. Know what is the right amount of clean for you, and then shoot for that goal. Not every person functions the same, and if a little bit of organized clutter actually makes you more productive, then that’s what you should aim for.

Always remember that if it gets too out of control and self-organized spring cleaning is out of the question, you can always look for a commercial cleaning company to come help, such as Always Quality Cleanings in Portland OR. Let us help make your office “spring fresh” all the time!

Why Commercial Cleaning in Portland OR is Important

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It is common to have flu, cold and even stomach illness outbreaks around the office. Today with offices holding hundreds or even thousands of employees, cleanliness does prove to be a tall order. It is important to note that people drag around dirt and germs from different places to the workplace among them the public commuting system. Public buses and trains have some of the dirtiest surfaces known. Another interesting fact to keep in mind is that the best breeding ground for germs is in dirty conditions where bacteria abound. Commercial cleaning in Portland OR comes in handy when getting rid of dirt and germs and sanitizing the workplace for healthy working conditions.

In a recent study on the dirtiest places around the office, it is interesting to note that the workplace bathroom ranks cleaner than the break room. According to evidence collected during the study, some of the regularly touched surfaces around the break room are the most contaminated surfaces around the workplace. Hiring a commercial cleaning company in Portland OR can easily resolve this.

Researchers measure the level of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) around the surfaces at the workplace to come up with a list of the dirtiest surfaces; most of which commercial cleaning in Portland OR can clean up. ATP is present in animal, vegetable, bacteria, and mold cells. Traces of ATP indicate that a surface has been contaminated by these cells. The implication is the creation of an optimum breeding ground for germs. Surfaces identified as the most vulnerable to germs due to their contaminated nature include refrigerator and microwave doors, keyboards, vending machine and water fountain buttons, break room sink faucet handles. Other contaminated surfaces include desk phones, computer mice, coffee pots and dispensers. Commercial cleaning in Portland OR can sanitize these surfaces by using reliable cleaning agents and practices to restore cleanliness around the office.

From the above list, it is possible to see just how much germs workers carry around on their hands as they come in contact with these surfaces on a daily basis. Having an effective way of managing your personal cleanliness especially with regard to using hand sanitizers can be a great start to addressing this issue but is futile if these surfaces are not also sanitized. Commercial cleaning in Portland OR understands the vital nature of a clean working environment; by thoroughly cleaning these contaminated surfaces regularly other personal cleaning agents such as hand sanitizers have a better chance of success. Cleaning the workplace reduces the severity of the contamination, which is even further reduced by using personal cleaning products to eliminate the transference of bacteria and germs from one surface to another.

A company’s workforce is their most valuable asset. Making sure they are working in a healthy environment enhances their productivity as there will be a reduced risk of outbreaks and the need for regular sick days which can disrupt business. By hiring a commercial cleaning company in Portland OR a clean germ free workplace can be maintained.

The Best Commercial Cleaning Company Will Keep Your Office Germ Free

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Offices are full of people who always come and go to different places and meet at your work place. When someone catches the cold, cough, flu, or something and still went to work, you get worried of catching the germs and viruses to yourself that you start holding things with a tissue or cloth. In reality, the small closed area of your office made it easier for it to be disinfected before bugs and viruses start to scatter all over the place in a few hours. Your office needs a commercial cleaning company to ensure that your office is germ free even in the most unexpected places.

Start With the Dirtiest Place

The comfort room and the shared kitchen area are the dirtiest places in your office. The bathroom gets cleaned with ease using disinfectant sprays. But the shared kitchen contain much of the germs and viruses because these organisms love the environment in refrigerators, microwaves, water fountain, vending machine buttons and faucet handles. Do clean materials from these communal places before touching it and avoid using shared items like sponges. If you do have to wash something, just rinse it off with water and thoroughly clean it at home. A commercial cleaning company would recommend that you change to new sponges frequently to avoid this matter. And have some budget for hand sanitizers and disinfectants in the shared areas.

Keep Your Area Clean

You may have your own desk and computer at work, but that doesn’t mean that you’re free from germs. As you become more confident of your workplace, you neglect the fact that you carry these microorganisms around you. Your cell phone, keyboard, mouse, and top desk are the most populated area so regularly wipe these things with a disinfectant. Also, remove the crumbs of leftover food on your area because it attracts more germs and viruses towards you. You can do this by tapping on your things upside down to let the dirt fall off the trash bin. Always Quality Cleanings, a commercial cleaning company, can guarantee you a germ free work area.

Try to Prevent the Spread Before You Even Know It

The best way to keep of office clean is to take preventive steps. If you feel bad, don’t pursue going to work. Spreading your virus all over the office burdens everyone, not just you. Do cover your mouth and nose with a tissue then toss it directly to the trash afterwards. If you haven’t caught anything just yet, do always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to stop the germs from spreading. Always keep a hand sanitizer, preferably alcohol-based, at your pocket so you can sanitize your hands when you are outdoors. The best commercial cleaning company wants your office to be as clean as it can be. Be germ free, call Always Quality Cleanings.

Top Eco Friendly Ways to Clean Your Home

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Living in an eco-friendly home is not a choice but a must, for the sake of your health. An environmentally friendly home can be created by cleaning with eco-friendly cleaning products that are less toxic and harmful to your health. Eco-friendly cleaning products ensure a clean environment with fresh air that improves your health. There are many benefits of living in a fresh and clean air.

The first step to living in an eco-friendly environment is to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products or to hire professional cleaners who will clean with eco-friendly cleaning products. Always Quality Cleanings in Portland OR has a broad selection of eco-friendly cleaning products for both the residential and commercial buildings. The company has a dedicated team of cleaners who use less-toxic chemicals in cleaning homes. They serve the Portland metropolitan area and have been providing services for many years. The company prioritizes customer service and strives to meet the needs of all clients.

How will Always Quality Cleanings in Portland OR ensure an eco-friendly home?

1). Always Quality Cleanings will replace the toxic products

The company is dedicated to environmentally friendly homes. It will therefore bring non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning products to clean your home. By using eco-friendly products, it will be limiting pollution to the environment and also eliminating the health risk to your kids.

The cleaning products that bear the signs such as warning, danger, caution, or poison will be eliminated when cleaning your home. The company will also encourage you to not have these products in your home especially exposed to kids. Always Quality Cleanings Portland OR professional cleaners are trained to create an environmentally friendly home.

2). Always Quality Savings eliminates disinfectants and chlorine bleach

Chlorine bleach and disinfectants have side effects in health. Cancer disease could be a resultant of using these chemicals. To prevent this, Always Quality Cleanings provides alternative solutions to these chemicals. The company heavily uses natural products that are non-toxic and side effects free. It does not use chlorine bleach and disinfectants.

3). Cleaning equipment

Always Quality Cleanings strives to use renewable and natural products. It, therefore, eliminates the use of harmful products in cleaning. It saves the environment and also your health. Products such as sponges with harmful ingredients are eliminated. Only natural rags are used.

4). Always Quality Cleanings with water conservation

The company will strive to clean the home to provide a fresh and clean air while making sure that it conserves water. It will not waste too much water in all its cleaning solution.

5). Removal of hazardous household products

In addition to cleaning, Always Quality Cleanings can help with disposal of hazardous chemicals in your home. Do not dispose of them to the dustbin or in the drain. They can pollute your environment and subject your kids to serious health risks.

Trust Always Quality Cleanings in Portland OR with all eco-friendly cleaning solutions. The company will create a friendly and harmless living environment for the sake of your health.

4 Outdoor Summer Cleaning Tips | Portland Cleaning Company

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Summer is here! That means you are spending more time outdoors under the sun. To enjoy the most of your summer time, you need to get the outside of your home looking utterly neat – by cleaning the exteriors of your windows, your grill, your patio or deck, and even your outdoor light fixtures. But here is a refreshing thought: You do not have to break into a sweat to keep your outdoors looking vibrant. You only need these 4 simple tips to help ease your work.

Simple Summer Cleaning Tips To Help Ease Your Work

Exterior Windows: To clean windows you need a cleaning solution. In the summer, this might prove a bit tasking as the solution tends to dry too quickly leaving your windows with streaks, which always look unsightly from a distance. So, to get the best results clean your windows on a cloudy day during the summer. This will ensure your windows are looking sparkling clean and neat. While wiping windows is easy, it might be risky when cleaning windows above ground level.

The Grill: This is perhaps the easiest thing to clean that is outside of your home. You need only two basic household items to turn the grill from ho hum to eye-catching in minutes. Think white distilled vinegar and tin foil. Yes, these two items will effortlessly do the magic on your grill. Here is how: Make the tin foil into a ball that pretty much fits into your hand, and then gently apply the distilled vinegar on the foil before scrubbing the grate of your grill with it, and voila!

The Deck or Patio: It is tasking even to think about cleaning the whole patio or deck alone. Most people find it a laborious, challenging, and time-consuming venture. To make things easier for yourself, firstly break down the entire project – depending on the size of your outdoor area of course – into separate and manageable areas. This helps create a plan of how to thoroughly clean the entire patio or deck area without breaking into a sweat. Be simply creative while at it.

Another Imperative Summer Cleaning Tip

Outdoor Lighting Fixtures: Light fixtures gather bugs, dust, and pollen. But thankfully, a water and vinegar solution can help exhaustively clean out the interior and the cover of your light fixtures. You just need to douse a microfiber cloth into the said solution, and then wipe out all pollen and dust in the interior of the lighting fixtures, as well as their plastic or glass cover, and voila! Within minutes, you are finally done. All ready to relax and enjoy the clean, lively, and vibrant outside of your home. No need to break into a sweat this summer.

About our Small Business Office Cleaning Services

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AQC commercial cleaning is a specialist in providing office cleaning services. A part of the industry for years we have managed to accumulate the experience and personnel to provide the most effective cleaning services regardless of the size of your office space and its cleaning needs.

Guaranteed Security

Our highly trained professionals ensure the highest quality of work possible and surpass your expectations. To also guarantee the necessary safety and security of your office space and its assets, we only hire employees after a thorough background check and only once they pass out 90 day training period and a seven-year background check. ID badges and a uniform are also mandatory for our employees to ensure a longer relationship with our clients.

We Believe in Confidentiality

We believe that the client deserves the utmost importance when it comes to privacy. Hence, we implement proper procedures to ensure that all the aspects of the property and your business are kept confidential for your peace of mind.

Flexibility to Accommodate any Size and Frequency 

Our firm is capable of being able to take on any cleaning job easily. Furthermore, the frequency of these cleaning activities can be easily tailored to suit your needs.

Hi-Tech Cleaning Services

We are not limited to traditional methods. For effective results and improved quality, we use the latest hi-tech gadgets and equipment. With these, our cleaning process becomes quick and precise.

Proper Disinfection 

The health of your employees is equally important to us. If you are worried about the spread of infections and diseases, we will take care of this predicament for you by disinfecting the premises as well.

Billing

Rather than calling us every time you need to access our services, we offer regular billing to a location in particular to ensure accessibility and convenience.

Insurance 

We pride ourselves on offering insurance for the basic requirements of any cleaning company. We can extend our insurance to our clients. Furthermore, our employees are covered, ensuring that you are never burdened with additional costs.

The Main Benefits of Commercial Window Cleaning

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In a professional environment, looks matter. This extends beyond your own appearance and all the way to that of your office. If your windows especially are stained, untidy and just plain ugly, you need to rectify this immediately and call in a commercial window cleaning service.

To make this step even more necessary, here are two benefits of this service.

Maintaining the Integrity and Appearance of Windows 

Regular cleaning will make sure that the windows do not deteriorate over time. Due to problems like acid rain and hard water, the windows may weaken and break. Before you are made to pay a hefty bill for replacing your windows, get their cleaned and ensure their longevity.

Integrity aside, the appearance of your windows makes a difference. Clean windows show that you take care of the slightest of details. This proves to both your suppliers and your clients how responsible you are and how much you care about your image in their eyes.

Ensuring Effectiveness and Improved Functionality

Cleaning the windows allows sunlight into the office. This will ensure that your cubicles and offices receive ample heat, especially during winter. In addition, sunlight will drive your employees to work harder. That aside, properly maintaining your windows ensures that they stay strong and ward off attacks from insects and other pests that can disturb your employees.

After reading these two benefits, it is quite apparent that the cleanliness of windows is not to be taken lightly. However, to really get the most value for your money, you need to make sure that your windows are cleaned by professionals. If you choose a mediocre service, chances are that the grime will be gone, but smudges on both ends and fingerprints will be visible. So if you want the best commercial window cleaning, hire the best.

One way to assess how good a service provider is through their website. Check testimonials and the list of businesses they worked with in the past. Also look for their ratings on services like Yelp as these will give you unbiased reviews most of the time. So take these measures today to get the best service provider for life.