Three common janitorial service types
Most commercial janitorial programs fall into one or a combination of these:
- Day porter: On-site presence during business hours. Trash runs, spot mopping, restroom checks, lobby tidying, and responding to spills or requests. Ideal for high-traffic lobbies, retail, schools, and buildings where appearance matters all day.
- Recurring cleaning (night or after-hours): Scheduled visits—daily, several times per week, or weekly—for vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning, emptying trash, dusting, and wiping high-touch surfaces. The work is done when the building is empty or mostly empty.
- Floor care and deep cleaning: Periodic or project-based work: carpet extraction, VCT scrub and recoat or strip and refinish, tile and grout cleaning, and detail cleaning in high-traffic zones. Often scheduled quarterly or before/after busy seasons.
What’s usually included in a recurring program
| Area | Typical tasks |
|---|---|
| Restrooms | Sanitize fixtures, partitions, and dispensers; refill soap and paper; mop floors; empty trash; spot-clean mirrors and glass. |
| Common areas | Vacuum carpets; damp-mop hard floors; empty trash; dust desks, ledges, and sills in lobbies and corridors. |
| Breakrooms / kitchens | Wipe counters and appliance fronts; mop floors; empty trash; clean sinks. |
| High-touch surfaces | Door handles, light switches, railings, elevator buttons, and shared equipment—wiped with appropriate disinfectant. |
Floor care: what to schedule separately
Recurring cleaning keeps floors maintained day to day, but it doesn’t replace periodic floor care. Plan for:
- Carpet: Hot-water extraction (deep clean) in high-traffic areas at least once or twice a year; more often in entrances and corridors if needed.
- VCT (vinyl composition tile): Auto-scrub and recoats to restore shine; strip and refinish when the finish is worn or yellowed.
- Tile and grout: Deep cleaning to remove buildup and improve appearance and hygiene.
Many facilities in MA and CT bundle recurring janitorial with quarterly or semi-annual floor care so one team handles both and scheduling stays simple.
QA and documentation
Commercial janitorial that’s built to last usually includes some form of quality assurance: walk-throughs, checklists, or photo documentation so you know what was done and when. That’s especially useful for multi-site portfolios, schools, healthcare, and properties with strict compliance or audit requirements.
How to scope janitorial for your building
- Square footage and mix of space (carpet vs hard floor, number of restrooms, breakrooms).
- Access window: day porter hours vs after-hours only vs weekend availability.
- Frequency: nightly, 3x/week, weekly, or custom.
- Floor care: how often you want extraction and VCT service, and whether to tie it to the same vendor.
- Any special requirements: green products, key handling, security clearance, or reporting.
Oasis provides commercial janitorial and floor care across Massachusetts and Connecticut—offices, schools, retail, healthcare, and multifamily. Recurring programs can be combined with day porter or periodic deep cleans and floor care. See our janitorial service page or Boston, Worcester, and Hartford area pages for local scope.