A long time ago (OK, it was 1982, but hey, anything pre-Karate Kid is old as far as we’re concerned), a couple of social scientists came up with a fascinating theory called the Broken Windows effect, that has a direct bearing on Los Angeles janitorial services. They noted an experiment in which a previous scientist had left two cars unattended with the hood up — one in the Bronx, and one in Palo Alto.
The one in the Bronx was stripped within 24 hours. The one in Palo Alto was untouched until the scientist himself walked up and broke one of the windows with a hammer. Within 72 hours, it, too, was stripped. The Broken Windows theory offers this explanation: once something shows signs of neglect, it inspires further neglect and abuse from people who use or encounter it. That’s one reason why it’s so important to keep your commercial facilities clean and in good repair — because as soon as one thing is noticeably out of place, everything will fall apart fast.
The Most Important Areas
Perhaps in no part of your facility is this more obvious than in the bathroom. If a customer walks in and finds that the bathroom is sparkling, smells nice, and everything is stocked, there’s a much lower likelihood that they’ll treat it with disrespect. On the other hand, if the first thing they notice is the grunge, the graffiti, and the complete lack of soap, chances are pretty good that they’ll add their own commentary on the wall, not flush, and steal the toilet paper roll to decorate their friend’s house with.
Perhaps counter-intuitively to some, the other ‘most important’ area is your front door — just inside and outside of it. If a customer approaching your business sees a bunch of cigarette butts stuck in dried-on chewing gum on the way in, they’re going to walk in with a mindset about your business that you really don’t want. And if they get just inside and encounter a smell that definitely doesn’t belong inside a business establishment, they’re likely to walk right back out.
The easiest way to keep Broken Windows theory on your side is to have someone with the explicit job of keeping everything clean and in working order. That’s exactly what Los Angeles’ janitorial services are all about — get in touch and see how they can work for you!
