We know that you likely have plenty of practical questions about how we operate and what makes our service different from a standard agency. This page is designed to give you clear and direct answers about our processes and our commitment to the local Saffron Walden community. We have gathered the most common queries we receive from facilities managers and business owners to help you understand exactly what to expect when you work with us.
We cover a twenty mile radius which allows us to serve clients across various parts of Essex and into the neighbouring counties. This local focus means we are never too far away to respond quickly to your needs or conduct regular site visits.
We certainly do because we understand that having a vacuum running while you are trying to conduct meetings is not ideal. We are happy to work around your specific schedule to ensure we provide a seamless service that never gets in the way of your productivity.
Every single person who wears our uniform is a direct employee of The Office Cleaning Company. We do not use subcontractors or temporary agency staff because we want to maintain total control over the quality of our work. By putting our team on full employment contracts, we ensure they are properly trained and invested in the buildings they look after.
Because we have a stable and directly employed team, we can manage absences much more effectively than a smaller outfit could. If your regular cleaner is unwell or takes a holiday, we arrange for a briefed and trained cover cleaner to step in. This means you won't have to deal with a missed service and your office stays clean regardless of individual circumstances.
We take care of everything so you don't have to worry about storing bulky equipment or ordering chemical supplies. Our team arrives with the latest professional machinery and all the necessary cleaning products to get the job done properly. This is all included in our service fee, giving you one less thing to manage on your weekly to do list.
While most of our clients find that a regular contract provides the best value and consistency, we are more than happy to help with one-off tasks. This might be a deep clean after an office renovation or a specialised refresh before a big event. We can tailor our visits to suit whatever your current business requirements happen to be.
Consistency comes from having the same faces in your building and a clear set of site specific instructions. We create a detailed cleaning schedule for every new contract which serves as a checklist for our team. Regular supervisor checks also ensure that the high standards we set at the start of the contract are maintained every single month.
We are fully insured for all the commercial services we provide. This includes public liability and employers liability insurance which gives you total peace of mind while our team is on your premises. We are happy to provide copies of our insurance certificates for your records whenever you need them.
Maintaining a safe and professional environment is about more than just looking tidy. It involves rigorous behind the scenes processes to ensure that hygiene standards remain high and safety risks are eliminated. We take our responsibilities in this area very seriously and these answers explain how we protect your team and our own.
Our quality control process is proactive rather than reactive. We conduct regular audits where a supervisor visits your site to inspect the work and speak with your team to ensure you are happy. This allows us to spot any minor issues before they turn into problems and ensures our cleaners are always performing at their best.
We use a strict colour coding system for all our clothes and cleaning equipment. This means that a cloth used in a washroom will never be used in a kitchen or on a desk. Every site has its own dedicated stock of materials which are laundered and replaced regularly to ensure the highest levels of hygiene across your entire office.
Safety is baked into every task we perform from the moment we enter your building. Our staff are trained to use warning signs for wet floors and to handle all equipment and chemicals according to strict safety protocols. We ensure that our presence never creates a hazard for your employees or the public.
Every building has its own unique layout and specific hazards. Before we start any new contract, we carry out a full site specific risk assessment to identify any potential issues. This allows us to create a safe system of work that is tailored exactly to the needs of your premises and the people who use it.
Training is a continuous process for our team. We ensure that all staff are fully briefed on our company standards and we also provide specialised training through recognised industry bodies like BICSc. This ensures they are up to date with the latest techniques and can handle complex tasks like floor restoration or external window cleaning safely.
We select our cleaning products with both effectiveness and safety in mind. We prioritise items that are non toxic and safe for use in busy environments. If you have specific concerns about allergies or environmental sensitivities, we can talk through the options to ensure everyone in your office stays comfortable and healthy.
We focus on sustainability in everything we do, from the products we choose to the way we manage our logistics. We use concentrated cleaning solutions to reduce packaging and prioritise biodegradable formulas. We also invest in efficient machinery that uses less water and electricity to get the job done.
Whenever it is practical, we select biodegradable products that break down safely after use. This helps to protect the local environment and ensures that we are not adding harmful chemicals to the water system. We are constantly reviewing our supply chain to find the most effective and eco-friendly options available.
We provide recycled paper hand towels and toilet rolls as a standard part of our janitorial service. This is one of the easiest ways for a business to reduce its environmental impact without having to change its daily routines. The products we supply are high quality while still being much kinder to the planet.
We look for every opportunity to cut down on waste. This includes compacting rubbish to use fewer bin liners and reusing cleaning cloths after they have been professionally laundered. We also manage our deliveries carefully to reduce the amount of cardboard and plastic packaging that enters your building.
The best way to start is to give us a call or send us an email to arrange a site visit. We prefer to see your premises in person so we can understand the layout and any specific challenges before we provide a price. This ensures that our quote is accurate and that there are no hidden surprises later on.
When we visit, we will look at the size of the office, the number of washrooms and kitchens, and the type of flooring you have. We will also discuss how often you want us to visit and whether you need any specialised services like window cleaning or carpet care. All of this helps us build a plan that fits your budget.
Once you have approved our quote, we can usually get started within a week or two. We need this time to recruit or assign the right staff and ensure that all the necessary equipment and supplies are delivered to your site. We aim to make the transition as smooth and fast as possible.
We are always happy to discuss a trial period or a one-off deep clean so you can see the quality of our work for yourself. We are confident in the results we deliver and we want you to be completely happy with the service before you commit to a long term arrangement.
We offer flexible contract lengths to suit the needs of your business. While most of our clients prefer the stability of an annual agreement, we can talk through different options based on your specific circumstances. Our goal is to build a partnership that works for you, rather than locking you into something that doesn't fit.
In a typical commercial environment, we usually recommend a professional deep clean every six to twelve months. High traffic areas like receptions and corridors might need attention more frequently to prevent dirt from becoming permanently ground into the fibres. Regular maintenance like this can significantly extend the life of your carpets and save you money in the long run.
While the carpets will be slightly damp after the process, our powerful extraction machinery removes the vast majority of the moisture. In a well ventilated office, most carpets will be completely dry within four to six hours. This is why many of our clients prefer us to carry out this work on a Friday evening or over a weekend.
We have a very high success rate with stain removal because we use specialist treatments for different types of marks. While we cannot guarantee that every single old stain will vanish completely, we can usually make a dramatic improvement to the appearance of even the most neglected carpets. It is always best to treat spills quickly before they have a chance to set.
Hot water extraction is the gold standard for most modern office carpets, especially those made from synthetic fibres. or wool blends. However, our specialists always check the type of carpet you have before they start to ensure we are using the safest possible method. We adapt our heat and pressure settings to suit the specific material we are cleaning.
Hot water extraction is a deep cleaning method that flushes dirt out from the base of the carpet pile. Bonnet cleaning is a low moisture method that focuses more on the surface of the carpet. Bonnet cleaning is often used for a quick refresh or in areas where a very fast drying time is essential, while extraction is better for a true hygienic deep clean.
We almost always carry out our specialist floor cleaning outside of normal business hours. Whether it is late in the evening or during a weekend, we make sure the floors have plenty of time to dry or cure before your staff return to work. This prevents any risk of slips and ensures your daily routine is never interrupted.
Our expertise covers almost every type of commercial flooring. We provide dedicated cleaning and maintenance for natural wood, ceramic tiles, and specialised safety flooring like Altro. Each surface requires a different approach and our team is trained to use the correct machinery and products for every single one.
A strip and seal involves removing old layers of worn out polish and protective coatings before applying fresh layers of high quality sealer. A floor needs this when it starts to look dull and scuffed even after a regular clean. This process provides a new protective barrier that makes the floor easier to clean and much more resistant to future damage.
In many cases, a professional restoration can make a tired floor look brand new again for a fraction of the cost of replacement. We can sand and refinish wood or deep clean and reseal safety flooring to bring back its original colour and grip. It is always worth having us take a look before you commit to the expense of a new floor.
It really comes down to the environment surrounding your specific building in Saffron Walden. Most businesses find that a thorough clean once a year is enough to stay on top of things. However, if your premises are tucked away under a lot of overhanging trees or if we have had a particularly stormy winter, you might want us to pop by every six months. For your peace of mind, we can take a look and give you an honest appraisal of what kind of schedule will keep your drainage working.
We certainly can and most of our clients prefer it that way. It makes much more sense to handle the entire roofline at once while we already have the team and the specialised equipment on-site. This is far more efficient for everyone and it means you only have to think about exterior maintenance once, rather than booking multiple appointments throughout the year.
Height is not an issue for our team because we are fully equipped for high level work of all kinds. We use a modern reach and wash system that allows us to safely clean up to 65ft right from the safety of the ground. For anything taller or particularly awkward, we bring in specialist access equipment like cherry pickers or cradles. Our staff are fully IPAF trained to operate this machinery, so we can get to the very top of multi-storey offices or industrial units without any drama.
We work hard to make sure our presence is barely noticed by your staff or your customers while we are on site. With our long reach systems, we don’t need to rely on bulky scaffolding or ladders that might block your entrances or walkways. We are flexible, usually able to work around your opening hours, or schedule your cleaning for quieter times in the day. We know you have a business to run and we aim to be as invisible as possible while we work.
The reach and wash system uses long, water fed poles to clean windows from the safety of the ground. It is an incredibly effective way to wash glass without needing ladders or scaffolding. This method is safer for our team and much less intrusive for you because there is no equipment leaning against your building.
Our systems allow us to reach and clean windows up to four storeys high with total precision. This covers the vast majority of commercial buildings in and around Saffron Walden. For anything higher than that, we can discuss alternative methods, but the water fed pole remains our most popular choice for office blocks.
We use a sophisticated filtration process to remove all the minerals and impurities from tap water. This pure water acts like a magnet for dirt and lifts it away from the glass. Because there are no minerals left behind when the water evaporates, the windows dry naturally to a crystal clear and streak-free finish.
Yes, we believe that a window isn't truly clean unless the frame and sill are spotless too. Our water fed pole system allows us to scrub the frames and wash away the grime at the same time we are cleaning the panes. This prevents dirt from running back onto the glass the next time it rains.
Most of our clients find that a monthly or bi monthly schedule works best to keep the building looking professional. However, if your office is near a busy road or in a particularly exposed area, you might prefer a more frequent visit. We can adjust the frequency to suit your budget and the location of your premises.
Since our reach and wash system doesn't involve ladders or heavy machinery, there is very little noise or disruption. We can work quickly and quietly around the exterior of your building while your team continues their work inside. It is a very discreet way to maintain your property.
We certainly do because blocked gutters can lead to serious water damage if they are ignored. We use specialised vacuum equipment to clear out leaves and debris from the safety of the ground. This is an essential part of building maintenance that we can easily add to your regular exterior cleaning schedule.
Our high pressure jet washing equipment is perfect for cleaning stone, brick, concrete, and tarmac. We use it to refresh outdoor entrances, walkways, and car parks that have become covered in grime or moss. It is an incredibly effective way to make your building's approaches look clean and inviting again.
While jet washing is very powerful, our team is trained to use the correct pressure and nozzle settings for different materials. We are careful to avoid damaging delicate stonework or removing the pointing between bricks. We assess every surface before we start to ensure we are using the safest possible approach.
Yes, we can refresh the entire exterior of your building, including cladding and architectural façades. Over time, these surfaces can become dull due to pollution and weather. Our specialised cleaning methods can strip away that dirt and restore the original colour and look of your building's exterior.
If you have more questions or you are ready to arrange a visit for your premises, the team at The Office Cleaning Company is here to help.
Call today to get a free, no-obligation quote, or send an email to have someone call you back.
