Many janitorial contractors mention a "quality control program" or "regular inspections" as a selling point during the proposal phase. What this means in practice varies considerably. At one end, it means a supervisor visits the facility quarterly and signs a form. At the other end, it means a named account supervisor conducts a monthly walkthrough with your facilities manager, documents findings by area and task, and produces a written record that goes into the account file.
This article explains what a useful quality inspection program looks like, what questions to ask your contractor, and how to read inspection documentation when you receive it.
What a Janitorial Quality Inspection Should Cover
A meaningful inspection goes area by area through the facility, checking each task listed in the written scope. The inspector is looking for task completion, not just general appearance — a restroom can look passable and still have a missed task (no soap restocked, mirror not wiped, floor near toilet not mopped). A scope-based inspection catches the difference.
| Area | What the inspection checks |
|---|---|
| Restrooms | Toilet scrubbed under rim, sink cleaned, mirror wiped, floor mopped to corners, paper goods restocked, trash removed, dispenser covers wiped |
| Common areas | Vacuuming pattern complete to edges, hard floors mopped (not spot-mopped), glass wiped, trash emptied and liner replaced |
| Break rooms | Sink cleaned, surfaces wiped, microwave interior, trash removed, floor mopped including under chairs |
| Offices | Trash removed, desk surfaces dusted if access granted, floor vacuumed or mopped depending on surface, glass and partitions wiped |
| Lobby and entrance | Glass doors, floor at entrance, directional materials tidied, mats maintained |
Documentation: What You Should Receive
A written inspection report should include the date, the inspector's name, a pass/fail or notes column for each area and task, any corrective action items identified, and whether those items were resolved on-site or are scheduled for the next visit. A report that says "Building looks good — no issues" is not an inspection report. It is a notation that someone walked through.
If your contractor produces written inspection reports, ask to see the last three. Look for specificity — named areas, specific tasks noted, corrective actions tracked. Absence of negative findings across multiple inspections is not a sign of a good program; it's a sign of a superficial one.
Frequency: What's Realistic
Inspection frequency depends on contract size and relationship maturity:
- New accounts (first 90 days): Monthly inspection at minimum, with a formal 30-day check-in between the facilities contact and the account supervisor.
- Established accounts: Quarterly is the industry standard for stable, well-performing accounts. Monthly is appropriate when there have been recent scope changes, staffing changes on the crew, or recurring issues.
- Large or complex accounts: Monthly, with documentation going to both the account supervisor and the property or facilities manager.
The 30-Day Check-In
The first 30 days of a janitorial contract are when most problems surface — scope items that are harder to execute than anticipated, access issues that weren't apparent during the walkthrough, frequency adjustments that become obvious once the crew is in the building. A 30-day check-in is a scheduled conversation between your facilities contact and the account supervisor to review the scope task by task and address anything that needs adjustment before it becomes a pattern.
We include a formal 30-day check-in in every new contract as a standing commitment. It is documented and goes into the account file. See our full process here or request a quote to see how this works for your facility.