Cleanliness isn’t just cosmetic—smart janitorial services extend asset life and slash long-term maintenance costs.
Cleanliness as Preventive Maintenance
When most businesses think of janitorial services, they picture clean floors, empty trash bins, and tidy restrooms. While these are visible benefits, the real financial impact goes much deeper. Routine janitorial services act as a preventive maintenance strategy that protects assets, reduces repair costs, and extends the life of building systems. Cleanliness reduces wear and tear, prevents damage, and ensures that facilities operate efficiently over decades—not just months.
Research across corporate, municipal, and educational facilities shows that structured, high-quality janitorial programs can cut long-term maintenance costs by 15–25%. By outsourcing strategically, adopting performance-based contracts, applying predictive scheduling, and aligning janitorial practices with sustainability goals, organizations can achieve significant savings while also improving quality of service.
Outsourcing and Cost Avoidance
Outsourcing janitorial functions has long been recognized as a way to reduce overhead and eliminate inefficiencies. Bragg (2012) highlights that outsourcing helps organizations avoid the step-costing problem—the need to hire full-time staff when only part-time service is required. Instead of absorbing the fixed costs of employment (salaries, benefits, training), organizations can scale janitorial support flexibly with demand.
Outsourcing also streamlines supply management, since professional contractors often handle procurement of cleaning chemicals, consumables, and equipment. This reduces administrative costs and ensures economies of scale that individual organizations cannot easily achieve.
The ROI is clear: fewer fixed costs, reduced management overhead, and greater flexibility in matching service levels to organizational needs.
Best Value Approach to Janitorial Procurement
One of the most significant innovations in cost reduction comes from procurement. The Best Value Approach (BVA), developed by Kashiwagi and colleagues, emphasizes selecting vendors based on performance data and value delivery, not just lowest bid.
Case applications demonstrate the results. A Colorado City janitorial contract that applied BVA delivered services 22% under budget while achieving higher quality and satisfaction metrics. Unlike traditional procurement, which often rewards underbidding and leads to service quality issues, BVA aligns vendor incentives with long-term facility outcomes.
For maintenance cost reduction, this approach ensures vendors are accountable for asset preservation, reducing long-term expenditures from premature wear, replacement, or costly corrective maintenance.
Standardization of Cleaning Practices
Research by Kamei et al. (2012) into municipal park toilet maintenance revealed that lack of standardized janitorial practices leads to inefficiency and higher long-term costs. Municipalities varied widely in how they commissioned services, with little consistency in quality standards or inspection processes.
Without clear standards, facilities deteriorate faster, requiring more frequent capital spending. Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs), inspection criteria, and accountability mechanisms is therefore essential for cost efficiency.
When janitorial practices are standardized, organizations can ensure that preventive maintenance is consistent across facilities, extending the life of assets and reducing reactive repair cycles.
Predictive and Smart Maintenance Scheduling
One of the most exciting cost-saving developments is predictive maintenance for janitorial tasks. Lokman et al. (2023) demonstrated how predictive algorithms (ARIMA and LSTM) can forecast restroom usage and optimize janitorial deployment.
Instead of fixed schedules that may result in wasted labor or overlooked needs, predictive systems deploy staff only when and where necessary. This reduces unnecessary cleaning, lowers labor costs, and ensures assets such as restroom fixtures, dispensers, and HVAC-linked air systems are cleaned before failure or breakdown.
The research showed cost reductions of up to 25% and measurable improvements in asset longevity. Predictive maintenance represents the future of janitorial efficiency—turning cleaning into a data-driven, precision activity.
Performance-Based Contracting and Long-Term Savings
Straub (2005) provides evidence that performance-based maintenance contracts—which often include janitorial services—reduce both direct and indirect costs. Unlike input-based contracts (paying for hours worked or materials used), performance-based contracts tie payment to outcomes, such as cleanliness levels, inspection scores, or asset life extension.
By increasing contractor accountability, these models eliminate duplication, reduce wasted effort, and incentivize vendors to focus on long-term performance rather than short-term activity. In practice, this lowers lifecycle maintenance costs, reduces deferred maintenance backlogs, and improves budgeting predictability.
For example, in public housing and infrastructure projects, performance-based contracts reduced lifecycle costs by up to 20% compared to traditional models.
Waste Segregation and Sustainability Savings
Sustainability goals intersect directly with maintenance costs. Booth et al. (2019) found that janitorial teams trained in waste segregation improved campus sustainability while reducing operational costs. High levels of awareness and compliance with legal frameworks (RA 9003 in the Philippines) correlated with more efficient waste management systems.
The ROI pathways include:
- Lower disposal fees by reducing waste volumes sent to landfills.
- Recovery of recyclable materials for resale or reuse.
- Enhanced institutional reputation, which can attract students, tenants, or customers.
Institutions with strong janitorial-led waste programs reported financial and environmental efficiency gains, demonstrating that sustainability is not just a compliance requirement but a cost-saving strategy.
Supply Chain Efficiency in Janitorial Services
Janitorial services also reduce costs through smarter supply chains. Kashiwagi & Gunnoe (2022) documented how delivering janitorial supplies to a large international organization using a value-based approach minimized shortages, reduced emergency procurement, and cut unnecessary expenditures.
Well-managed supply systems prevent interruptions in cleaning that could accelerate wear and tear on assets, ensuring that preventive maintenance is consistent and effective. In large-scale organizations, this translates to millions in avoided waste and procurement savings.
Technology-Enabled Asset Preservation
Janitorial services today are increasingly integrated with smart building systems. IoT-enabled restrooms and cleaning equipment provide real-time data on usage, cleanliness, and asset condition. Sensors detect when restrooms need attention, when soap or sanitizer dispensers are low, and when HVAC or plumbing systems are at risk of failure.
By responding proactively to early warning signs, janitorial staff can prevent costly breakdowns, extend asset lifespans, and minimize downtime.
For example, predictive smart toilet scheduling systems have been shown to improve cleanliness while reducing fixture replacements, saving both capital and operational budgets (Lokman et al., 2023).
Janitorial Services as a Strategic Investment
Janitorial services are far more than an operational expense. When structured strategically—through outsourcing, performance-based procurement, predictive scheduling, waste segregation, and smart technology—they become a core preventive-maintenance function that drives measurable cost savings.
The research evidence is clear: organizations that treat janitorial services as an investment, not a cost, can reduce lifecycle maintenance expenditures by 15–25%. In practical terms, this means fewer emergency repairs, extended asset lifespans, predictable budgets, and facilities that remain safe, efficient, and sustainable for years to come.
Cleanliness is not just about appearances—it is about protecting the bottom line.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation on-site assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno, CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia, CA, or Santa Clarita, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Palmdale, CA, or Lancaster, CA, call (661) 371-4756
People Also Ask (PAA)
How do janitorial services save businesses money?
They extend asset life, prevent breakdowns, reduce accidents, and lower capital replacement costs.
What is the long-term ROI of janitorial services?
Research shows well-managed janitorial programs cut lifecycle maintenance costs by 15–25%.
Can outsourcing janitorial services reduce maintenance expenses?
Yes. Outsourcing avoids step-costing, streamlines supply management, and improves efficiency.
What role does predictive cleaning play in maintenance?
Predictive scheduling reduces unnecessary labor, prolongs equipment life, and saves up to 25% in costs.
FAQ
Why are janitorial services part of preventive maintenance?
Routine cleaning prevents wear, reduces system strain, and extends the life of assets such as floors, HVAC, and restrooms.
How do performance-based contracts lower costs?
They hold vendors accountable for outcomes like asset preservation, reducing waste and duplicative work.
What are the benefits of predictive cleaning schedules?
Smart scheduling systems optimize labor, reduce fixture replacements, and cut cleaning-related maintenance costs.
How does waste segregation by janitorial teams reduce expenses?
It lowers disposal fees, improves recycling efficiency, and supports sustainability-driven savings.
Is outsourcing janitorial services more cost-effective than in-house teams?
Often yes. Outsourcing avoids full-time staffing overhead, optimizes procurement, and provides scalable solutions.
References
Booth, M., Taqueban, N., Azcarraga, J., Masusi, M., Platon, C., Benavidez, M., Malilay, A., Tan, R., Sagun, C., Jantoc, G., & Mendoza, R. (2019). Waste segregation awareness and practices of janitorial services in a tertiary educational institution: Influencing the institution’s drive to sustainable campus. Journal of BIMP-EAGA Regional Development, 5(2), 108–120. https://doi.org/10.51200/jbimpeagard.v5i2.3273
Bragg, S. (2012). Outsourcing the maintenance and janitorial functions. In Outsourcing: A guide to selecting the correct business unit, negotiating the contract, maintaining control of the process (pp. 273–300). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119201144.CH13
Kamei, Y., Fukui, N., Sone, Y., & Yamamoto, Y. (2012). The current state of janitorial maintenance commissioning by local municipalities for park toilets. AIJ Journal of Technology and Design, 18(40), 749–753. https://doi.org/10.3130/aijt.18.749
Kashiwagi, J., Kashiwagi, I., Scott, V., & Mellecker, T. (2022). The application of the Best Value Approach in janitorial services. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1101(8), 082025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1101/8/082025
Kashiwagi, J., & Gunnoe, J. (2022). Delivering janitorial supplies to a large international organization. Journal for the Advancement of Performance Information and Value, 14(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.37265/japiv.v14i1.139
Lokman, A., Ramasamy, S., Ting, C., & Ramasamy, R. (2023). Scheduling and predictive maintenance for smart toilet. IEEE Access, 11, 17983–17999. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241942
Straub, A. (2005). Cost savings from performance-based maintenance partnering. Journal of Facilities Management, 3(1), 26–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/14725960510808368
