FAQs
General questions we are often asked about our cleaning services.
Who do you provide cleaning to?
We are a commercial cleaning company focussing on providing cleaning to businesses and workplaces. We do not provide domestic house cleaning.
What is your minimum requirement for contract cleaning?
Due to the cost of the initial outlay for equipment and cleaning materials, we require a minimum of 4 hours per week for ongoing cleaning contracts. We aim to build long-term partnerships based on reliability and high standards.
What is included in an office or daily clean?
Every clean will be different, depending on what our customer requires, therefore we tailor our cleaning plans to the needs of your business and a clear and comprehensive cleaning work schedule is prepared.
However, there are usually a few things which are to be expected as standard across all office cleaning:
- Entrances, offices, meeting room areas: vacuum floors; damp wipe/polish hard surfaces (including desks, furniture, sills and ledges).
- Toilet and shower areas: clean and sanitise worktops, toilets, urinals, basins and shower areas; wipe down splashbacks or tiles; polish mirrors; mop hard surface flooring.
- Kitchen/breakout areas: clean and sanitise sinks and worktops; tables and chairs; damp wipe visible marks on units; mop hard surface flooring,
- Empty waste bins and remove waste to agreed waste disposal area.
- Clean and dust ledges, sills, fixtures and fittings.
- Periodic weekly, fortnightly or monthly tasks: high/low level dusting.
But, what added value can we also provide?
- Externally clean regularly touched items like door handles, light switches or push plates; phone handsets; kettles, toasters, microwaves and frequently used appliances in the kitchen. We use virucidal cleaner to prevent germs spreading around the office.
- We will clean glass vision panels in doors and glazed doors to remove all those smudged fingerprints that inevitably happen throughout the day.
- We can empty and refill the dishwasher and put it on so you have clean dishes for the next day. We can move dishes from the Boardroom to the dishwasher if this is something that is also required.
- We can clean and sweep debris immediately outside the front entrance to present a welcoming image for staff and visitors.
- We can clean and sanitise internal fridges and, if required, dispose of out of date items which can build up – remember when you found a jar dated 3 years ago!
We can clean external areas as required; for example, we can empty cigarette bins periodically, we can clean external stairwells or fire exit stairs, pressure wash car parks, or even clean high level metal cladding on industrial buildings.
There isn’t much we can’t clean, so please just ask us and we can include this in our quote.
What is your hourly rate or cost for cleaning services?
We don’t have a standard hourly charge as we prefer to undertake a site visit to determine the cleaning requirements for your workplace or premises.
Our costs are based on various factors such as the size and types of areas to be cleaned; the types of flooring and surfaces; the number of staff or area usage; and if you have any other specific requirements or require any additional services such as window cleaning, washroom servicing, etc. This allows us to tailor our quote to your exact requirements.
Our costs include:
- employment costs and on-costs for the cleaner(s) employed on your site only
- insurance
- training and uniforms
- cleaning sprays, cloths and equipment, including PAT testing
- HSEQ documentation
- management costs and profit (because, like every business, we do need to make a little profit to carry on providing our services).
Do you offer flexible cleaning schedules?
Yes, we can offer flexibility in our regular contract cleaning schedules. We can include periodic weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly cleaning tasks within our contacts.
Will we always have the same cleaner or cleaners?
Yes, we appoint each of our cleaners to dedicated customer sites. This provides consistency, allows the cleaner to get into a daily routine, but also addresses any potential security concerns for our customers.
We need to allow for holidays and sickness and we aim to have the same cover cleaner for holidays or sickness periods. However, our aim is that your cleaner(s) will become integrated into your workplace and be looked upon as an asset to your business.
You will also have the same dedicated Cleaning Manager appointed for your site to maintain communication and address any concerns.
Can you provide environmentally friendly cleaning products?
Yes, we can include fully environmentally friendly, low phosphate, cleaning products. When booking your site visit, please advise us of this requirement and we will include it in our quotation.
Are your staff trained and insured?
Yes, our staff all trained in-house in line with the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) standards. All of our staff are local, vetted, insured and reliable for your peace of mind.
We are insured for up to £10 million Employer’s Liability; £5 million Public Liability.
Can you scale your services to multi operational sites?
Yes, we can provide cleaning services for a single location, or can scale up to multi operational sites or branches throughout Scotland.
This is particularly useful where you have area or regional offices that require cleaning and associated facility support services.
Can I provide the cleaning sprays and equipment?
As we are Alcumus SafeContractor accredited, we are required to provide our own cleaning products and equipment. This allows us to undertake COSHH Risk Assessments on the cleaning products used and supplied, and check and repair our cleaning equipment, in line with our Company Equipment and Maintenance Procedures.
Our Alcumus SafeContractor accreditation ensures that we are independently audited every year and meet the highest quality standards in health and safety management.
What should I ask if I am considering appointing a commercial cleaning company?
There are many considerations when appointing a commercial cleaning company.
Cleaning is expensive and therefore you need assurance that your commercial cleaning company are highly professional and experienced. When selecting a cleaning company we always recommend that their credentials are checked to ensure they have:
- A good reputation and can provide independent references and testimonials
- Suitable and adequate insurance cover
- Relevant memberships and accreditations
- Comprehensive health and safety documentation or accreditation/certification
It is also important to ask:
- how cleaning standards will be monitored and checked
- how you can get hold of the company if there is a problem
- how sickness and holiday cover are arranged
- how staff are trained and vetted
- who else they service in the local area
What do I do if I have a concern or problem with our cleaning?
Our goal is to retain our customers over a long period of time and integrate our cleaners into our customer’s business so they become part of the team.
We also recognise that the best customer and contractor relationships are built on trust, which must be gained over time. It is not simply about consistent cleaning but proactive management, clear communication and promptly getting back to customers if and when they have a query or concern.
We recognise that we might not get things right 100% of the time. There is no point in over promising and saying that we will 100% get everything right, like many of our competitors will do to gain business. We are honest about these things and we recognise that things may happen that are outwith our control. However, it’s how you deal with those things that really matter.
There really isn’t much we haven’t dealt with in the 15+ years that we have been in business. It may be that a cleaner covering sickness or holiday has missed some waste bins; perhaps a cleaner has gone off sick suddenly and we have need arranged a short term cover solution which can be agreed with you. We’ve even had some experiences where additional cleaning arrangements or supplies have had to be put in place due to a customer’s staff having cultural or religious requirements.
However, sometimes bigger issues may occur, which must be dealt with swiftly. Should we receive a request to remove a cleaner from a customer site, this must be made on reasonable and lawful grounds, where a thorough investigation has taken place and where a full disciplinary process has been undertaken.
We ask that our customers tell us straight away if they have a concern or issue. Small concerns can fester and become much bigger issues. If not dealt with quickly, this can lead to a customer feeling frustrated and ultimately deciding to look elsewhere. Therefore we ask customers to contact us straightaway with any concerns so we can look into them and communicate back with any changes that may be needed, or any findings.
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Contact Shine Cleaning Solutions
Our website provides a great deal of information on why we feel we could provide the best service to you but we always like to show our commitment and professionalism at a face to face meeting so please contact us on 01506 414452 if you would like to discuss your cleaning needs with us.