How to ... Choose a janitorial firm

Having clean offices is something you and your employees and/or tenants want to take for granted.

When an executive leaves her office the evening before a big 9 a.m. meeting, she doesn't want to be wondering whether the cleaning service is going to clean up the conference room. A good janitorial company will never let you down, providing consistent, professional service time and again.

The best way to find a reliable firm is through word-of-mouth advertising.

Ask your commercial neighbors as well as friends and colleagues at other area businesses to recommend a janitorial firm. Ask any cleaning companies you're considering hiring for references of a few longtime customers, particularly those with facilities similar to yours. Ask these customers if the janitorial service is as thorough now as it was in the first few months; some companies will pull out all the stops to impress a new client, then allow service to gradually slip as time goes by and clients get complacent.