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Owning a cleaning business isn’t easy. You’ve got legal and financials, hiring and training, scheduling and logistics, and so much more to worry about.
With so many variables needed to run a successful cleaning business — some that may be out of your control — it’s no wonder so many fail.
There is one variable, however, that is very much within your control: choosing cleaning supplies.
Let’s explore why this step is critical in your cleaning business because it directly affects your most valuable asset: your employees.
Everyone in this industry knows that cleaning professionals typically have a microfiber towel in their hand for most of their workday. So, as their employer, you want to make sure that, at the very least, their primary tool is working as hard as they do.
This is true for all the supplies you provide your cleaning crew, but let’s just focus on microfiber — because it’s what we know best.
Your employees are cleaning on a schedule, so the last thing they need are supplies that are cheap, flimsy, perform poorly, and make them run overtime.
Not only is this frustrating for them, but it makes their job even harder as they use:
The list goes on.
They deal with all this while trying to give your business the best reputation possible… which is kind of hard to do when their tools suck.
The truth is, your employees know when they’re using a good-quality cleaning product. So you can bet that they also know when they’re not.
What’s more is, they’ll know that you could’ve bought better quality supplies to make their job easier — but you chose not to.
The cleaning industry’s annual turnover rate is estimated to be between 75 and 200%. That’s an enormous percentage, and considering you’re reading this, you’ve obviously experienced this as a cleaning business owner.
The common misconception is that most cleaning employees are unreliable.
But, while this may be true sometimes, the fact is, there are many other reasons why cleaning employees don’t tend to stick around, including:
Those last two points can be directly related to the supplies that they use.
Even with high-quality supplies, cleaning is hard work. So when you’re providing sub-par products for your staff, it’s adding extra physical strain on them.
And, as mentioned we will discuss in the next section, professional-grade supplies are designed to meet strict health and safety regulations. Using cheap supplies or not equipping them with proper PPE increases the risk of your employees getting injured.
Now let’s highlight several other factors that come into play when choosing the best cleaning supplies for your business.
When you invest in high-quality supplies, your employees can give a much deeper and professional-level clean, with less effort.
In addition to cleaning effectiveness, professional-quality supplies enable staff to work faster. Take a high-quality microfiber towel for example, the job can be done more efficiently because the towel cleans surfaces and absorbs liquids much faster than other cloths.
It’s a no-brainer that getting a deeper clean more efficiently means happy, repeat customers. Cha-ching!
Using cheap tools risks damage to delicate surfaces, unlike professional-grade products that are safe to use on their intended surfaces. For example, buying cheap rags might be less investment upfront, but can end up costing you a customer when they realize your employee has scratched their brand new stainless steel fridge.
As already mentioned, pro supplies are formulated to meet strict health and safety regulations, and — as long as they are used correctly — will ensure a clean and safe environment for your staff and customers.
Using high-grade supplies, like microfiber, reduces the need for excessive chemicals, as it does most of the heavy lifting when cleaning. And opting for biodegradable cleaning solutions where possible is also better for the environment.
Providing high-quality equipment demonstrates to your employees and customers your commitment to professionalism and excellence in your business. This upholds your reputation and sets you apart in the industry.
These reasons alone should be enough to convince you that the supplies you choose are absolutely crucial to your business. But let’s go a little further.
“This is the second time I have purchased mops from here. They are fantastic and the best deal around. I have a cleaning business and it is crucial to have top-quality microfiber. They haven't failed me yet.” - Catherine Anderson, Verified Buyer
Now, we keep going on about “high-quality microfiber.” But, what what does that actually mean?
We know that not all microfiber is created equal. But then why do so many professional cleaning companies choose the low-quality stuff?
Well, it always boils down to upfront costs.
Investing in high quality is always going to give you a little sticker shock at checkout, especially when there are cheaper versions that kind of look the same on the market.
The difference is in how effective they are. Not just when you first buy them, because most things work great when they’re brand new. But after the tenth, fiftieth, and hundredth laundering — is it still holding up as well?
My guess is, absofreakinglutely not.
If you were to take a high-quality microfiber towel, like our 320GSM MW Pro Towel, and a run-of-the-mill 200GSM microfiber towel (which you’ll find just about anywhere), and do a side-by-side comparison scrubbing the same stuck-on mess, the higher quality towel will remove the mess faster and with less effort and swipes.
And it’s easy for us to sit here and tell you to invest in high-quality microfiber for your company because it is the superior choice. But why don’t we put our money where our mouth is?
Oh wait, we did.
We had independent lab tests performed on our microfiber towels. The results revealed that the absorbency and cleaning power were almost completely unaffected even after 250+ washings.
We’ve even had customers tell us that our towels have lasted 500 washings, but let’s be conservative and say you’ll get over 300 at a minimum.
Our microfiber towels’ appearance was also completely intact. Even after washing them hundreds of times, no fraying, loose stitching, or linting was prevalent.
For cleaning business owners like, Valerie, from LCCI Cleaning Connection, Inc., our towels “make our jobs so much easier than any of the microfiber towels we have tried in the past.”
We also had our wet mop pads wash-tested 150 times, and our tube mops wash-tested 50 times and found similar results.
“These are high-quality, excellent microfiber that last. I’ve paid more and I’ve paid less, but this is the best quality and bang for your buck by far. The cheaper ones only make it through a wash or two and don't absorb the way these do.” - Crystal, Verified Buyer
In any industry, when a company has a high turnover of staff, people eventually start to ask questions. Who’s the real problem here? The staff? Or the management?
Especially in this industry, where people are opening up their homes and personal lives to complete strangers. It can take them several appointments to build trust with a cleaner.
Imagine their disappointment when they finally get comfortable with someone, and that person up and quits. Then imagine how they feel when it happens again. And again.
It’s your reputation on the line, not the person who quit.
Running a cleaning business is tough.
Never overlook any micro improvements that can make your job easier.
As you’ve seen above, upgrading to premium microfiber seems like such a small thing, but it offsets a chain reaction that’s beneficial to you, your staff, and your clients.
We’ve been making the lives of cleaning business owners like you easy since 1946. We build strong relationships with customers to discover their needs and find the best solutions for their problems.
Our customer relations are the main reason we’re still in business after 78 years.
Leveraging these relationships, we’ve worked with professional cleaners, fabric scientists, and the industry’s best manufacturers to bring you the best microfiber on the planet.
Browse our best sellers and see for yourself why our products are such a hit with professional cleaning businesses.
Promote your brand while protecting your towels from wandering off with our property marking service - an affordable and professional looking solution to keep your towels in service.
By continuing with your order, you acknowledge and agree to the following:Our property-marked towels are printed with a repeating pattern, and logo placement may vary from towel to towel.
You’ve chosen between receiving an emailed digital proof for a detailed review of your design at an additional cost of $20, or allowing our print team to use your uploaded file to prepare your order for printing.
We do not accept returns for printed property marked towels.
