The staff of Housekeeping Solutions is frequently asked about trends in the industry and what issues are keeping our readers up at night. Well, we often wonder that ourselves. So, we set out to learn what our readers thought about issues facing the industry and what cleaning managers around the country see as priorities. The results from our reader survey provide a general look into the world of cleaning and what trends impact housekeeping departments.

Of course, every facility is different, but weighing your views against those of other survey takers in the industry can often be both informative and intriguing. These results might also help cleaning managers make difficult decisions regarding policies within their own custodial department.

Housekeeping Solutions surveyed its readers, asking them to share their perception of the industry in terms of management issues, purchasing decisions, budgets, as well as their take on the green movement. The result was a look at the current and future trends facing the cleaning industry.

How do you make product selections? (Multiple answers allowed)
• Research and/or purchase via the Internet (38%)
• Work with a jan/san distributor (66%)
• Work directly with the product
manufacturer (27%)
• Based on recommendations from peers (33%)
• Based on budgets (38%)
• Whether products are green certified (27%)

• Other (12%)

What are your top three 2007 management priorities?
• 52% of readers surveyed ranked “improving staff performance/cleaning times” as their number one management priority of 2007.
• 38% of readers made “more/better staff training” their second priority of the year.
• 44% of those surveyed chose “improving the overall perception of the housekeeping department” as their third priority.

What are your top three concerns when it comes to cleaning?
• An overwhelming 60% of readers said overall appearance of the facility was their number one concern regarding cleaning.
• 44% of those surveyed said building occupant and employee health was their second concern in terms of cleaning.
• Productivity and cleaning times were ranked third by 57% of readers.
Other top concerns included: cross contamination, environmental impact of cleaning products, building occupant feedback and product and equipment costs.

With respect to your department, in the next year, do you expect the following to increase, decrease, stay the same or not applicable?
• STAFFING LEVELS
31% — Increase
9% — Decrease
59% — Same
1% — N/A

• BUDGETS
48% — Increase
13% — Decrease
38% — Same
1% — N/A

• PRODUCT PURCHASES (chemicals, hand tools, soaps, etc.)
32% — Increase
7% — Decrease
59% — Same
2% — N/A

• EQUIPMENT PURCHASES (floor/carpet machines, vacuums, etc.)
35% — Increase
9% — Decrease
53% — Same
3% — N/A

• TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE CLEANED
43% — Increase
1% — Decrease
55% — Same
1% — N/A

• GREEN CLEANING PRODUCT USAGE
56% — Increase
0% — Decrease
33% — Same
11% — N/A

• GREEN CERTIFICATIONS
32% — Increase
0% — Decrease
42% — Same
26% — N/A

• ENERGY COSTS
63% — Increase
11% — Decrease
20% — Same
6% — N/A

The annual operations budget is:
39% — Under financed relative to workload
25% — Fluid – Adjusts relative to workload
17% — Readjusts during the course of the budget year
19% — Could go up or down regardless of workload

The reason the cleaning department is perceived negatively is:
54% — The general nature of the work
19% — Nothing, the department is not perceived negatively
11% — The pay scale
6% — The fact that cleaning can be easily outsourced
6% — Other
4% — Inability to recruit quality management

Product/facility green certification is:
54% — Somewhat important
29% — Very important
17% — Not important at this time

Budget responsibility:
46% — Have complete control
31% — Share responsibility with another department
23% — Have a little input

Do you use green products?
67% — Yes
33% — No

The housekeeping mission is:
86% — More critical to the overall facility mission
10% — Less critical to the overall facility mission
4% — Declining in importance relative to the overall facility mission

We do whatever we can to incorporate green certified products into our cleaning program.
50% — Agree
43% — Neutral
7% — Disagree

In the next five years, housekeeping’s impact on the overall facility mission will:
74% — Increase
24% — Stay the same
2% — Decrease

Do you outsource any of your cleaning workload?
60% — No, we do everything in house
34% — Yes*
6% — Varies from year to year
*The majority of readers who answered “yes” to the above question outsource in the following areas: carpet cleaning, window cleaning, grounds care and seasonal cleaning.

My facility is working towards green certification.
• 33 % —said yes
• 67 % —said no

We only purchase green products as our existing stock runs out.
• 24% — said yes
• 76% — said no

We purchase whatever products do the best job for the least amount of money.
• 52% — said yes
• 48% — said no

How has your facility benefited from the use of green certified products? (Multiple answers allowed)
• 72% — have improved health among building occupants and cleaners
• 34% — have experienced improved appearance
• 19% — have seen a reduction in cleaning times
• Green certified products have helped reduce budgets for 23% of managers surveyed
• 13% — of readers used green certified products to help reach facility certification
• 15% — of readers cited other benefits

What types of green products are currently being used in your department? (Multiple answers allowed)
• Floor Finishes (28%)
• Floor Strippers (21%)
• Glass Cleaners (61%)
• Restroom Cleaners (74%)
• Multi-Surface Cleaners (70%)
• Soaps (42%)
• Paper Products (47%)
• Vacuums (31%)
• Microfiber Products (cloths, mops, etc.) (52%)

We have no interest in using green certified products in our cleaning program.
• 4% — agree
• 28% — are neutral
• 68% — disagree

Green certified products work just as well as traditional cleaning products.
• 25% — agree
• 57% — are neutral
• 18% — disagree

We have seen financial benefits to going green.
• 13% — agree
• 69% — are neutral
• 18% — disagree

Do you plan to switch to green products in the future?
• 43% — said yes
• 57% — said no
Reasons for the change include: safety, health, local mandates, wave of the future, indoor air quality issues and environmental responsibility.

What types of green products do you plan on implementing in the coming year? (Multiple answers allowed)
• Floor Finishes (43%)
• Floor Strippers (36%)
• Glass Cleaners (57%)
• Restroom Cleaners (75%)
• Multi-Surface Cleaners (64%)
• Soaps (43%)
• Paper Products (32%)
• Vacuums (39%)
• Microfiber Products (cloths, mops, etc.) (46%)

What are the top three factors that impact your purchasing decisions?
• 54% of readers surveyed commented that purchasing decisions were based on the products’ impact on “building occupant health.”
• That was closely followed by “the price of the product,” rated second by 40% of readers.
• Rounding out at number three was “cleaning speed and duration of cleanliness,” ranked by 39% of readers.