Episode 68: How Detailed Are Your Cleaning Inspections And How Often Do You Inspect?

Cleaning business owners often ask how often they should inspect their cleaning technicians' work. And I say…that depends. Frequency of the cleaning and skill level of the employee are just two considerations.

Listen as I offer my take on inspections, including the pros and cons of detailed versus shorter, more frequent inspections.

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Episode 68 - Video Transcription

I'm always amazed at the diversity of answers I get when I ask business owners how often their cleaning technicians' work is inspected. I hear everything from daily to monthly to "we don't have a set schedule". And then I ask, "how detailed are your inspections?" Do you do the white glove test, writing down every smudge and every speck of dust missed?

It's a tough call for most of us. We don't want to nit-pick every little thing, because it can discourage employees if all we do is harp on what they're NOT doing. But it's also important to make sure they clean everything they're supposed to and are performing to your standards. So how often should you inspect their work and how detailed should you get?

Years ago we developed a very detailed checklist that we used to inspect our employees' work. It was great for the supervisors because it helped to train them on what to look for as they walked through the space. But because it WAS so detailed, it took a while to do so these inspections. Our supervisors were very busy every day, so the inspections didn't happen as frequently as we would have liked. In fact they sometimes happened just once every two or three months!

A lot can happen in a short period of time, so we needed to figure out a better way to do shorter, more frequent inspections. So we developed a less detailed checklist that covered the things that are most important to the client -- like making sure all restroom supplies are filled, cleaning the front door glass, closing and locking certain interior doors, making sure chairs are pushed into desks, and that the magazines in the reception area were straightened. This type of inspection can be done quickly and followed up on quickly as well.

Our supervisors were well-trained enough so that as they did the short inspection they also kept their eyes pealed for other things like dust on window sills, build-up in sinks, and water spots on mirrors in the restrooms. And they had room on their form to make notes of the other things they observed. We found it to be much more effective to have shorter, more frequent inspections than it was to do less frequent, more detailed inspections. We still did our detailed inspections, but kept those for quarterly review. And it worked better for the cleaning technicians too.

We instructed our supervisors to always sandwich their constructive comments and corrections in-between positive comments about the employee's work. So instead of approaching the employee with everthing they missed, they'd start out with talking about what they're doing well.

So for example, we had an employee that did a great job of vacuuming, but he would get lazy and not pick up the floor mats to vacuum underneath. So we'd compliment him on his overall vacuuming, and then show him how much dirt and sand accumulates under the mats, which is why we needed him to pick them up every day. And as a rule of thumb, always give them the "Why" of why you want them to do something. When they know the reasoning behind it, they're much more willing to do it. We would usually add a comment something like, "If you can take care of that every day for me it will be a big help in keeping the carpet clean and the client happy. Thanks, and keep up the good work!" Can you see how keeping it a positive, constructive criticism makes all the difference?

As far as how often to do your inspections, it usually depends on two things - the frequency of cleaning and the skill level of the cleaning technicians. If it's a once a week cleaning, you may want to inspect after every service depending on how experienced the cleaner is. For buildings cleaned 5 days a week, you may inspect once or twice a week. This number will vary depending on your staff. Skilled, dependable employees will not need inspections as often as newer, unskilled employees. And keep in mind that not every inspection will be a written inspection. If you're checking the work of a new employee several times a week, you're not going to do a written inspection every night.

So as you can see, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It's up to you and your supervisors to determine frequency of your inspections and how detailed to get. Now I'd like to ask YOU - How often do YOU inspect your cleaning employees' work? Do you use a detailed checklist, a shorter, simple checklist, or do you use inspection software? Please post your comments below the video at CleaningBiz.tv.