Even if you own a small business, you can save a lot of money and trouble by using a firm such as Image One for Chicago janitorial services. Before hiring any type of cleaning service, consider the following questions.

1. How long has the company been in business? Ideally, you want an established janitorial service with a solid Better Business Bureau record.
2. Does the company have a physical address, professional letterhead and business cards? Some unscrupulous people pose as Chicago janitorial services and do a poor job or worse steal things from your building.
3. Do they have supplies and reliable vehicles? The absence of either of these is a clear sign you are not dealing with a true company.
4. Is the janitorial service bonded and insured? Do they perform background checks on their employees or independent contractors? Most likely, whoever cleans your office will come after hours. Thus, he would have a key to your building and therefore must be fully trustworthy. Even if he cleans your building during business hours, he will see some of your company’s internal operations.
5. What is the price structure for service? Get all quotes and agreements in writing. Find out if the Chicago janitorial service charges by the hour or the job.
6. How often will you be billed, or do you pay in advance? Is a gratuity expected?

Understand which services you need as opposed to which services the company wishes to offer. If you have a rarely-used kitchen, then you do not need daily kitchen cleaning services. Maximize your financial return on investment by knowing in advance how your existing staff members can incorporate basic maintenance tasks into their workdays. Some basic tasks such as emptying trash or sorting recycling could be assigned to an assistant or an intern so you can leave the true cleaning to the professionals.