The Booming Market For Janitorial Services

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Janitorial services, otherwise known as cleaning services, is an industry on the upswing throughout the world. This is due in part to the increasing number of office buildings and factories being built in countries all over the globe. The Global Economist Magazine estimates that China alone will use a fifth of all concrete and cement products produced globally in 2017 for residential and business structures. And these new structures will need to be kept clean and free of waste materials.

 

While homeowners traditionally take care of their own homes, more and more people are choosing to live in apartment buildings and condominiums — and these buildings need extensive janitorial maintenance in order to remain attractive, healthy, and appealing. This can either be done by an in-house staff or it can be outsourced. With security becoming a larger issue, many apartment and condominium complexes are now opting for in-house cleaning staff. Residents then can feel safer because they come to know the cleaning staff personally and are assured that the staff has been vetted by the building management. This is more expensive than outsourcing, and so rents and leases are consequently becoming more expensive.

 

The upside to this, of course, is that janitorial positions are relatively easy to come by, not only in Third World countries but everywhere. It’s unfortunate that in some countries, such as Japan, India, and Brazil, there is still a social stigma attached to cleaning up after other people — it makes it harder to fill the many burgeoning cleaning positions that are available. But this same ostracism can mean golden opportunities for those willing to take on the task and then learn to manage/own their own janitorial service. According to Elliott Greenberg, CEO of Wholesale Janitorial Supply, “We have seen a marked increase in the amount of orders we’ve gotten from janitorial companies across the nation. This seems to be a fast growing sector.”

 

This is an aggressive growth market, and initially just about anyone who can learn the business from the bottom up can begin their own cleaning company with very little startup expense. If you’ve got a crew willing to sweep, mop, clean windows, water and prune plants, and empty the trash, then word of mouth is often all the publicity you’ll need to get started.

 

Industrial and office buildings are also straining for experienced janitorial services. Usually a higher standard is required for this kind of work, and countries such as the United States, Canada, and Great Britain now recommend that janitorial workers become certified through courses offered at the community college level. In other countries all that’s required is the ability and the desire to push a broom and mop. These are good entry-level positions for those who, for various reasons, may not be up to finding other regular employment.

 

There are now subgroups for professional cleaning services in industry. For example, special training is required when working as a maintenance person in a chemical or pharmaceutical plant — cleaners must be aware of the special hazards involved in working around volatile chemicals and toxic compounds. Likewise, janitors working at a food processing plant or in a food warehouse must be aware of the constant threat from vermin such as rats and insects; if these pests are not kept eradicated they can spread disease and taint entire shipments of product, which in turn may mean a product recall on a state, national, or even international level.

 

One other janitorial specialty now exists for industrial maintenance, and that is in the area of security/industrial espionage. Companies with proprietary intellectual knowledge are very careful to see that such valuable information does not leak out to or get stolen by competitors. This usually involves encrypted computer procedures and mandatory shredding of documents. But studies show that office employees often are careless with the disposal of sensitive documents; instead of taking the time to have them shredded, they simply rip them up and throw them in the trash. So special janitorial services now exist to make sure that all physical trash is thoroughly treated to become unusable by competitors in any way, shape, or form.

 

Residential and industrial janitorial services are poised to become a real financial powerhouse in 2017. As a potential investor or worker, it remains a good idea to look into this business in your area.