Custodial Standards

The following are the custodial maintenance standards definitions:

Level 1 – Superior (> $4.00 per s.f.)

Intended for corporate sites, donated buildings or historical focal points.
Interior finishes, floors and base molding shine and/or are bright and like new. Colors are fresh.
No build-up in corners or walls.
All surfaces have a freshly cleaned appearance and have no accumulation of dust, dirt, marks, streaks, smudges, or fingerprints.
Washroom and shower tile and fixtures gleam and are odor-free.
Supplies are adequate.
Trash containers are empty, clean and odor-free.
Exterior fixtures, walls, and windows are like new.

Level 2 – Orderly Tidiness ($3.25 - $4.00 per s.f.)

Acceptable industry standard.
Interior finishes, floors, and base moldings shine and/or are bright and clean.
No build-up in corners, or along walls, but there can be up to two (2) days' worth of dust, dirt, stains or streaks.
All surfaces are clean, but marks, dust, smudges and fingerprints, are noticeable with close observation.
Washroom and shower tile and fixtures gleam and are odor-free.
Supplies are adequate.
Trash containers are empty, clean and odor-free.
Exterior fixtures, walls, windows are in good condition.

Level 3 – Casual Inattention ($2.50 – 3.25 per s.f.)

Staffing shortfall.
Lower than normal expectations.
Less than adequate funding; not totally unacceptable – yet to reach an unacceptable level of cleanliness.
Floors are swept clean; but dirt, dust and/or floor finishes in corners and along walls can be seen; minor leaks apparent.
There are dull spots and/or matted carpet in walking lanes and steaks and splashes on base molding.
Photo of Janitor supplies Surfaces have obvious dust, dirt, marks, smudges and fingerprints.
Lamps all work and fixtures are clean.
Trash containers are empty, clean and odor-free.
Interior/exterior aesthetics and finishes appear average.

Level 4 – Moderate Dinginess (1.75 - $2.50 per s.f.)

Significant staffing and scheduling problems.
Areas becoming unacceptable.
People begin to accept an environment lacking normal cleanliness.
Floors are swept clean, but are dull, effects of leaks visible.
Colors are dingy, obvious buildup of dust, dirt and/or floor finishes in corners and along walls.
Molding is dull and contains streaks and splashes.
Surfaces have conspicuous dust, dirt, smudges, fingerprints and marks that are difficult to remove; exterior is rough looking and needs painting.
Less than 5% of lamps burned out, fixtures are dingy.
Trash containers have old trash, are stained and marked, and smell sour.

Level 5 – Un-Kept Neglect

Poorest level of cleaning.
"Just-in-Time" cleaning.
Facility is always dirty, with cleaning accomplished at an unacceptable level; obvious neglect.
Floors and carpets are dirty and have visible wear and/or pitting.
Colors are faded and dingy and there is a conspicuous buildup of dirt; dust and/or floor finish in corners and along walls.
Base molding is dirty.
Stained and streaked; gum, stains, dirt, dust balls and trash are broadcast.
Surfaces have major accumulations of dust, dirt, smudges and fingerprints, as well as damage.
No major maintenance or cleaning done to exterior surfaces; air/water penetration evident with signs of accelerated deterioration.
More than 5% of lamps burned out; fixtures are dirty with dust balls and flies; windows are inoperable.
Trash containers overflow and are stained, marked and smell sour.

Building Services Goes Green

In 2010, the County committed to being environmentally friendly, using environmentally responsible products, green cleaning and sustainable practices. Our goal is to help eliminate and/or reduce toxics that may adversely affect the health and wellness of the adults and children who may come in contact with the chemicals and processes used during cleaning everyday. Absent a compelling business argument and written approval from the County, all products used in the fulfillment of contracted janitorial services shall be environmentally safe and biodegradable.

Cleaning products listed as a part of the Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program, LEEDS O&M, the Environmental Protection Agency's DfE Safer Product Labeling Program, Eco-friendly and/or green certified programs cleaning products will be utilized. Cleaners shall be non-toxic, products, shall be biodegradable and non-aerosol. In addition, undiluted disinfectants, sanitizers, carpet cleaners and floor care products must not be toxic to humans / aquatic life and must not contain any ingredients in concentrations above the applicable maximum contamination levels in drinking water, shall not adversely affect indoor air quality, shall exhibit a VOC limit of not greater than 0.1% or contain more than 0.5% by weight of total phosphorous. In addition, the County shall provide products avoid the use of provide information as to whether their products contain ingredients that may be identified as asthmagens (asthma-causing agents) such as monoethanolamine, toll or rosin, chlorhexidine, chloramines, etc.

Recycling in County Office Buildings

The custodial contracts for County-maintained facilities have been modified and expanded to include the collection of recyclable materials. Since December 2006, Single Stream collection has made recycling simple and more convenient for employees by allowing newspaper, magazines, mixed paper, phone books, plastic and glass containers, tin / steel and aluminum cans to be "mixed together" and no longer need to be sorted. County employees continue to encourage coworkers to collect and recycle. If you work in an office that makes a lot of copies, suggest that everyone try to copy on both sides of the paper. This cuts your use of copy paper in half. "Mixed Paper" includes computer paper, letterhead, manila folders, ledger paper, both white and mixed colors, envelopes, card folders, pamphlets, and note pad paper (including the thin card stock backing of note pads). New programs such as Document Destruction Days have also been implemented in conjunction with the County's Information Technology Department to help dispose of more confidential paper materials. In conjunction with Earth Day, the County also participates in the annual National Clean Out Your Files Day. These type of events make it possible for office workers to purge their workplace of a variety of paper products, including computer paper, letterhead, white ledger paper, cards and envelopes.

Why are we doing this?

We are certain that this customer service improvement will make it more convenient for our residents and businesses to recycle larger quantities of materials, improve our recycling rate and reduce the amount of material we have to pay for to place into landfills.

What Will Happen to Your Recyclables

Once your recyclable items are collected, they are transported to the largest single stream recycling facility in the nation, located in Elkridge Maryland. The facility is equipped with the state of the art sorting technology that separates our recyclable materials right at the plant.