Resources
From walkthrough to day 30 with a new janitorial company
In a San Ramon building, habits formed during a new cleaning company’s opening weeks stick for the long run. This plan runs from the walkthrough through a short review at day 30.
Printable checklist
Why the first month gets its own plan
A signature picks the company. The opening weeks decide what the service actually looks like in your rooms. A written visit list becomes a routine only after the crew has worked through your rooms a dozen or so times, and the small questions that come up along the way are easiest to answer while everything is new.
It is also the easiest time to change course. A frequency that doesn’t fit, a room left off the list or a supply that runs out by Wednesday is a one-line fix in week two and a lingering irritation by month six.
This page picks up where a changeover ends. Still winding down an outgoing contract? Notice, timing and the handover are in our changeover guide. What follows starts at the walkthrough with the new company and runs to a short review at day 30, with a printable sheet to track it.
Before the first visit: walkthrough and the visit list
Every San Ramon Cleaning quote starts with a walkthrough, and that visit doubles as the first planning session. Walk the rooms together and say out loud what matters most to the people who work there: the restroom that gets the heaviest use, the kitchenette that fills up after lunch, the conference room that hosts clients.
Before night one, read the visit list that comes out of the walkthrough and confirm it in writing. It should name each room, the tasks done there and how often. Add the details that never make it onto a floor plan:
- Offices or storage rooms the crew should not enter
- Desks to leave alone, and how to treat surfaces around equipment
- Where recycling, compost or shredding bins are collected
- Which lights stay on and which doors stay propped or locked
- Where the crew can keep its cart and products
- Whether paper, soap and liners come from our stock or your closet
The scope of work guide is a good reference if you want to rewrite the list from scratch rather than adjust it.
Keys, cards and the alarm
Of everything in the first month, access leaves the least room for a second try. Decide who on your side hands over keys or cards, which doors the crew will use and how the alarm is armed and disarmed for each zone. We write down your key and alarm steps before the first visit, and only the background-checked cleaners assigned to your building hold them.
Give the new company a name and phone number for after-hours questions, and tell building security or the property manager when the crew is expected. If an earlier provider held codes, set fresh ones for the new team. Keep a record of which keys and cards went out and to whom, so the count is easy to check later.
Week one: look closely each morning
Early on, tour the space each morning ahead of staff. The point is to test whether the list and the building agree, rather than to score anyone. Most first-week gaps come from a detail nobody mentioned, not from effort.
- Restrooms sanitized, mirrors clear and every holder stocked
- Bins emptied at each desk, kitchen and copy area
- Breakroom counters, sink and appliance handles wiped
- Door pulls, push plates and switches cleaned
- Floors vacuumed or mopped in the main lanes
- Lights off, doors locked and alarm set as agreed
Look at supply levels too: full holders on the first morning are expected, and full holders on day four show the restocking plan works. Jot down each miss by room and date, and send the batch before noon. Early corrections are small ones, and they keep the routine accurate from the start.
Weeks two and three: set the feedback routine
By the second week, daily walks can give way to a steady habit. Name a single point person on your side who gathers what staff say and forwards it, so nothing gets reported twice or slips through. A note with the room, the date and what was wrong is more useful than a general sense that the office looked tired. Keep your own copy of every note you send; at day 30 those notes become the agenda.
This is also when frequencies show whether they fit. If a restroom needs attention before the next visit, it may need another night or a midday check from a day porter. If a room sits unused, it can drop to a lighter schedule. Our supervisors run quality inspections at each building, and your notes help them look in the right places.
Day 30: a short review
Around day 30, book a short sit-down, bringing your notes and the visit list. Twenty minutes is usually enough. Work through four questions:
- Which items from the first weeks are now fixed, and which are still open?
- Does any room need more visits, or fewer?
- Do the paper and soap reserves hold up between visits?
- When are carpet extraction and hard floor work due, and are they on the calendar?
Record the changes on the visit list with a date at the top, so the night crew works from the current version. Then settle on an ongoing rhythm, such as a monthly walk with the same sheet in hand. Periodic projects like carpet extraction belong on that calendar too, booked for evenings or weekends so they never interrupt the workday. When every line on the sheet is ticked and the notes have gone quiet, you have what the month was for: a routine that runs without anyone chasing it.
Starting fresh with us? Request a quote, list your rooms and busy days in the Facility needs field, and we will set the walkthrough that begins your first month of janitorial service.
A few useful answers
Common questions
What should I check after the first night with a new cleaning company?
Restrooms, trash and recycling, the breakroom counters and the touch points staff use most. Walk them before people arrive and send notes on anything missed that day.
Who on our side should handle cleaning feedback?
A single staff member who is on site early on most days. Routing every comment through them means each issue is reported once and followed up.
What should be on my list by the close of month one?
Fixed and open items, any frequency that isn’t working, and dates for periodic carpet and floor work. Send that list to us and the visit plan is updated from it.
Is this the same as switching cleaning companies?
No. Our switching guide covers leaving a current provider: notice, keys and the handover. This page starts at the new company’s walkthrough and follows the first month.