The Hidden Costs of "Do-It-Yourself" Office Cleaning

In an effort to cut costs, many small and medium-sized businesses in the Phoenix area consider handling their cleaning in-house. It’s a common thought process: "Why pay a service when we can just have staff take turns tidying up or hire a single part-time cleaner?" While this might seem like a money-saver on the surface, the hidden costs of "DIY" commercial cleaning can actually end up costing your business more in the long run.

At Bacahui Services, we believe in transparency. Here is why outsourcing your janitorial needs to professionals is the smarter financial move.

1. The Cost of Equipment and Supplies
When you hire a professional service, the cost of equipment and supplies is included. When you do it yourself, you are responsible for:

• Purchasing Equipment: Commercial-grade vacuums, floor buffers, and carpet extractors are expensive. Buying consumer-grade models often leads to frequent replacements because they can't handle the daily wear and tear of an office environment.
• Maintenance: Who fixes the vacuum when a belt breaks? Who services the floor scrubber? These maintenance costs—and the downtime associated with them—add up.
• Restocking Supplies: Managing inventory for toilet paper, hand towels, soap, trash liners, and cleaning chemicals takes time and administrative effort. Plus, you likely pay retail prices, whereas we leverage bulk purchasing power.

2. Liability and Safety Risks
Cleaning involves chemicals, slippery floors, and physical labor.

• Chemical Safety: Do you have Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for every cleaning product in your closet? OSHA regulations require them. Professional services manage this compliance for you.
• Injury Risk: If an employee slips while mopping or hurts their back moving a heavy trash bag, that’s a workers' compensation claim. Professional janitorial companies are fully insured and trained in safety protocols, transferring that liability away from your business.

3. The "Opportunity Cost" of Employee Time
This is the biggest hidden cost. Every minute a skilled employee spends washing dishes, taking out the trash, or wiping down a conference table is a minute they aren't doing the job you hired them for.

If you are paying a staff member $20-$30 an hour (plus benefits) to do a job that a professional cleaner could do more efficiently, you are overpaying for cleaning. Furthermore, adding cleaning duties to a professional's job description can lead to lower morale and higher turnover.

4. Inconsistent Results
Let's face it: cleaning is probably not your employees' top priority. When deadlines loom or phones are ringing, cleaning tasks get skipped. This leads to a gradual decline in the appearance of your facility. A professional service has one job: to clean. We don't get distracted by your business operations; we are there to support them by providing a consistently clean environment.

Make the Smart Investment

Don't let the illusion of savings cost you time, money, and peace of mind. Outsourcing your janitorial services is an investment in efficiency, safety, and professionalism.

Ready to stop managing cleaning supplies and start focusing on your business? Contact Bacahui Services today for a quote.