When In-Sourcing Janitorial Services Fails: A Commercial Facility’s Wake-Up Call

How Partnering with Mark’s Cleaning Service Delivers Consistency, Savings, and Peace of Mind
Across commercial industries — from office buildings and banks to industrial plants and educational campuses — facility managers face a familiar question: should janitorial services be handled in-house, or outsourced to a professional provider?
While in-sourcing or using multiple local vendors can seem cost-effective on paper, the reality often tells a different story. Let's use a multi-site organization operating across Northeast Ohio as an example.

The Struggles of In-Sourcing and Vendor Juggling
When you are a commercial operator with multiple buildings to maintain, each with different needs based on square footage, foot traffic, and industry-specific standards. Initially, you may have used a mix of in-house staff for daily upkeep and scattered local cleaning companies for deep cleans or specialty work.

What typically goes wrong when you take that approach:

• Inconsistent Service Quality: With no unified scope of work or training, the quality of cleaning can vary from site to site. Some buildings meet expectations, while others routinely fall short — causing frustration for tenants, customers, and internal teams.
• Staff Burnout & Role Confusion: Employees hired for administrative, operations, or customer service roles are asked to clean bathrooms, empty trash, and sanitize high-touch areas. It isn't long before this approach affects morale, productivity, and even retention.
• Inefficient Vendor Management: The facility team has to juggle scheduling, invoices, supply management, and customer service issues with more than a dozen cleaning companies — each with different standards and communication styles. It becomes a full-time job managing what should be a support function.
• Risk Exposure & Compliance Gaps: Without a single vendor being held accountable across all locations, the organization can be faced with difficulties with insurance tracking, background checks, training records, and safety compliance — especially in regulated industries like manufacturing or finance.

The Proposed Solution: Centralizing with Mark’s Cleaning Service
Recognizing inefficiencies of that type of setup, the company can launch a search for a single vendor who could handle their commercial janitorial needs across all sites — and do it with consistency, professionalism, and transparency. If you choose Mark’s Cleaning Service, a trusted Northeast Ohio provider with more than 40 years of experience in commercial cleaning.

Here’s how things get turned around:

• One Provider, One Standard: Mark’s implements a unified cleaning plan tailored to the unique needs of each facility — ensuring brand and cleanliness standards are met across the board. From office lobbies to production floors, every site received reliable, high-quality service.
• Happier, More Focused Employees: Employees would no longer be responsible for janitorial tasks, allowing them to focus on their actual job responsibilities. That boost in focus and morale translates to improved customer service, operational output, and team satisfaction.
• Streamlined Operations & Communication: Instead of dealing with multiple vendors, the facility team now would have one point of contact, one invoice, and one trusted partner for routine cleaning and specialized cleaning tasks: window cleaning, pressure washing, deep cleans, terminal cleans, floor and carpet care. Mark’s also provides regular updates and inspection reports, making oversight simple and efficient.
• Compliance & Documentation Handled: From safety training to insurance certificates, Mark’s ensured every compliance box was checked. This helped reduce legal exposure and provided peace of mind for leadership.

​When It Does Make Sense to Keep Cleaning In-House
While outsourcing janitorial services offers flexibility, consistency, and cost predictability, there are times when managing cleaning internally is the better option:
1. Highly Specialized or Sensitive Environments

• Facilities like research labs, or high-security government buildings may require staff with security clearance, deep internal training, or strict protocols that are easier to control internally. MCS can offer customized teams with clean room certifications, security clearance options, and SOP compliance for sensitive industries.

2. Unpredictable or Constantly Changing Needs

• If your cleaning needs change hour-to-hour based on production or operations (e.g., manufacturing floors with multiple shift turnovers), in-house staff may offer more flexibility without relying on contractor response time. MCS builds flexible, seasonal scopes and can scale staffing up or down quickly—without the headache of hiring and training.

3. Unionized or Contractual Obligations

• Some organizations (especially municipalities, school districts, or large enterprises) may have union or employee agreements that mandate in-house labor for certain roles. MCS respects union contracts and can provide non-conflicting support services like day porters, post-project cleans, or emergency sanitation.

A Better Long-Term Strategy for Commercial Facilities
For businesses managing multiple commercial buildings, the drawbacks of in-sourcing or juggling too many small vendors add up quickly — in time, money, and morale. Working with a dedicated janitorial partner like Mark’s Cleaning Service eliminates those issues and replaces them with consistency, transparency, and a higher standard of care.
Let’s Talk Clean.
Whether you manage a multiple retail locations, corporate campus, industrial sites, educational facility, or office portfolio — Mark’s Cleaning Service can tailor a janitorial program that works smarter for your business. Reach out today to schedule a walkthrough and get a customized proposal: 330-662-9549 or www.markscleaning.com

Download the In-House Vs. Outsourcing Cost Comparison Resource