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Your Crew Is Probably Using a Disinfectant Wrong: Contact Time, the Label, and What It Costs to Fix
A disinfectant that is wiped off after 30 seconds is a surface cleaner, not a disinfectant. Contact time is the difference between the claim on the label and the result in the restroom, and getting it right changes both your labor math and your medical-account bids.
Cleaning Companies Are Buying Each Other: Who Is Actually Consolidating Janitorial
Four platform companies now anchor the consolidation of a 63,000-firm industry, and the deals are not chasing revenue. They are buying contract books, route density and specialty capability, which changes what a small operator's growth is worth.
The Recordable You Never Reported: What Janitorial Contractors Get Wrong About OSHA Logs
A twisted knee on a stairwell, a hand in a chemical, a fall from a step stool: most janitorial injuries are recordable, and most small contractors are not logging them. Here is the reporting tree that decides it, and why the EMR makes it a pricing issue.
Which Overtime Rule You Are Under Depends on the State: The 2026 Salary Threshold Reset
The federal salary threshold for overtime exemption went back to $684 a week on May 15, 2026. For janitorial contractors with salaried working supervisors, that means rechecking every classification, because state floors now sit far above the federal number and the dollar difference is real.
What a Cleaning Company's Contract Book Is Worth in 2026
Contract cleaning companies trade between 2.5x and 7x EBITDA depending on the quality of the paper, not the size of the revenue. Here is what buyers underwrite, where the multiple moves, and the three years of records that decide it.
Your Loaded Labor Rate Is Probably Wrong: A Janitorial Bidding Walkthrough
Most underbid cleaning jobs are lost in the first 20 minutes of estimating, when the loaded labor rate is set too low. Here is what goes into the number, why two states have 5.5x different workers' comp rates on the same class code, and a full worked bid on a 20,000 sq ft office.
The 200% Turnover Number Is a Myth. The Real Data Is Worse to Ignore
The most-quoted statistic in contract cleaning, a 200% average turnover rate, has no traceable primary source. What the documented data shows is a wide spread between firms, one seat in seven refilled a year, and a replacement cost most operators undercount.
The Escalator Clause Is Where Your Cleaning Contract Actually Makes Money
Payroll costs for private employers rose 3.3% in the year to June 2026. If your renewal letter had no escalator, that increase came out of your margin. Here is the arithmetic, the four ways escalators get misapplied, and the exact language to ask for.
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