In Evans and the broader Columbia County corridor, office environments range from quiet professional suites to client facing clinics and high density flex spaces. A static cleaning plan often fails because it ignores the two variables that drive almost all janitorial outcomes, people count (foot traffic) and risk profile (industry type). This guide gives you a practical, evidence supported method to set the right cadence, zone by zone, then scale it for seasonality and real world operations.
Quick Output, Pick your traffic and industry, get a schedule
Use this as a starting point. Then confirm by inspecting your highest use zones (entry, restrooms, breakrooms) during peak hours.
1. Establish your true foot traffic tier
Foot traffic is not a vibe, it is a measurable input. Use the combined daily count of employees, contractors, and visitors. If you have peak hours, capture the peak as well, because restrooms and entry zones behave like peak use areas, even when the daily average looks modest.
Simple traffic formula
Daily people count = employees on site + average daily visitors + contractors and deliveries that enter occupied zones.
- Include remote staff only if they visit routinely.
- Count clients who wait in reception, they load restrooms and touch points.
- Count shared amenities users (gym in building, shared conference suite) if your office controls those areas.
Practical tiers used in this guide
- Low, under 25 people per day, minimal public access.
- Moderate, 25 to 100 people per day, regular visitors.
- High, 100 to 250 people per day, steady shared zone demand.
- Very high, over 250 people per day, dense seating or continuous turnover.
2. Adjust cadence by industry type, risk profile and public exposure
The second variable is the risk profile of the industry. The same headcount can require different cleaning intensity if the space includes a waiting room, frequent touch points, or sensitive confidentiality zones that demand visible cleanliness (for example, finance and legal).
| Industry type | Baseline service visits | Add these upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Professional office | 2 to 5 visits per week (depends on traffic) | Daily high touch wipe, entry glass, restroom restock |
| Finance and confidentiality heavy | 3 to 5 visits per week | Printer rooms, shred bins, meeting rooms, fingerprint prone glass |
| Coworking and flex offices | 5 to 7 visits per week | Mid day porter, desk reset zones, coffee stations, phone booths |
| Call center, dense seating | 5 to 7 visits per week | Touch points, chair arms, break area sanitation, odor control |
| Medical admin (non clinical) | 3 to 6 visits per week | Restroom and waiting area focus, frequent touch point cleaning |
| Clinic with public waiting areas | Daily, plus porter as needed | Frequent restroom checks, disinfect after illness events, PPE, dwell time compliance |
| Education admin, training center | 3 to 5 visits per week | Classroom style rooms after sessions, whiteboard trays, AV touch points |
| Public facing service counter | Daily, sometimes 6 to 7 days per week | Counter disinfection, queue area floors, glass and door hardware |
3. Build the schedule by zone, not by square footage
Most schedule failures happen because the plan treats the whole office the same. Instead, treat each zone as its own micro facility. The CDC recommends routinely cleaning high touch surfaces and cleaning other surfaces when visibly dirty, with targeted disinfection after illness events in community settings. This is the logic behind zone based frequency planning. [1]
Recommended frequency chart, by zone and traffic
| Zone or task | Low traffic | Moderate traffic | High to very high traffic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restrooms (clean, sanitize, restock) | Daily | Daily, consider mid day check | Daily plus mid day porter, multiple checks if public |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 3 times weekly | Daily | Daily plus mid day wipe, focus on sinks and touch points |
| Entry, lobby, reception, glass | 2 to 3 times weekly | 3 to 5 times weekly | Daily |
| Workstations, trash, light dust | 2 times weekly | 3 times weekly | Daily (especially shared desks) |
| Conference rooms (table, chairs, touch points) | After use, plus weekly detail | 2 to 3 times weekly, plus after heavy use | Daily, plus after events |
| Hallways and common floors | 1 to 2 times weekly | 3 times weekly | Daily |
| High touch points (handles, switches, buttons) | Daily | Daily | Daily, and more often when illness is present |
| Deep carpet cleaning (hot water extraction) | Annually | 2 times per year | 2 to 4 times per year (focus on entries and main corridors) |
4. Floors and soil control, where most schedules break
Most visible cleaning failures start at the door. If you treat tracked soil as inevitable, you will spend labor chasing it through the building. ISSA reports that six feet of entry matting can remove about 40 percent of soil, 12 feet can remove about 80 percent, and 36 feet can remove about 99 percent. [2]
Entry program, what actually works
- Install enough mat length. Aim for at least 12 feet when you want a meaningful reduction in soil load. [2]
- Clean the mats. A dirty mat becomes a soil reservoir. Build mat vacuuming and extraction into your scope.
- Match vacuuming frequency to traffic. CRI guidance is explicit, vacuuming increases as traffic increases, daily in high traffic areas, with slower but consistent passes. [3]
- Protect edges and corners. CRI emphasizes corners and edges because dust accumulates there, which affects indoor air quality. [3]
Traffic based vacuum guidance, practical summary
Use this for carpeted areas, especially entries, corridors, and shared zones.
High traffic
Vacuum daily in high traffic areas. [3]
Medium traffic
Vacuum about twice weekly in medium traffic areas. [3]
Light traffic
Vacuum weekly in light traffic areas. [3]
5. Cleaning, sanitizing, and targeted disinfection, keep it evidence based
Overuse of disinfection can create operational and safety issues. CDC facility guidance for community settings emphasizes regular cleaning of high touch surfaces, and targeted disinfection when someone has been obviously ill, or when directed by health authorities. It also emphasizes following product label instructions, including contact time, and notes that wide area fogging and similar methods are generally not recommended as primary methods unless the product label specifies use. [1]
Compliance anchors for facility managers
- CDC facility guidance, clean high touch surfaces regularly, clean other surfaces when visibly dirty, disinfect after illness events in community settings. [1]
- EPA disinfectant selection, use EPA registered disinfectants, and keep surfaces wet for the full label contact time. [4]
- OSHA sanitation, workroom floors maintained as practicable in a dry condition, and waste receptacles maintained sanitary. [5]
6. Evans specific seasonality, what changes and when
Evans offices see predictable spikes in particulate and track in events that can justify temporary schedule upgrades. In Georgia, tree pollen often peaks in late March and early April, then lingers into spring, which increases dusting and HVAC filter loading in busy facilities. Local allergy and academic sources consistently describe this spring peak period. [6]
- Spring pollen window, increase microfiber dusting, edge vacuuming, and entry cleaning, focus on reception surfaces where pollen settles. [6]
- Rain and track in weeks, prioritize entry mats, damp mopping of hard floors, and spot cleaning in corridors, because soil load increases when moisture binds debris.
- Growth corridors, Columbia County continues to add housing and commercial development, which can shift traffic patterns for client facing offices and shared buildings. [7]
7. Ready to use schedule templates
These templates are designed to be operational, meaning they assume staff availability, supply restocking, and the reality that clients notice entry glass, floors, and restrooms first. Adapt the template by upgrading only the zones that need more cadence, rather than inflating the entire scope.
Template A, low traffic professional office
Visits
- 2 visits per week, evenings preferred
- Restrooms cleaned daily (or self service check plus 2 pro visits)
- Entry and glass 2 times weekly
Monthly and quarterly
- Monthly detail, baseboards, vents, high dust
- Quarterly carpet edge detail, spot extraction as needed
- Annual hot water extraction if carpeted
Template B, moderate traffic office with daily visitors
Visits
- 3 to 5 visits per week
- Restrooms and breakroom daily
- Reception, entry, and glass 3 to 5 times weekly
Traffic controls
- Entry matting length target 12 feet if feasible, to reduce tracked soil. (ISSA 12 feet, about 80 percent soil removal) [2]
- Vacuum high traffic carpet daily, per CRI rule of thumb. [3]
- Targeted disinfection after illness events, follow label contact time. [1] [4]
Template C, high traffic clinic or public facing office
Visits and porter
- Daily service, 5 to 7 days per week
- Mid day porter for restrooms and waiting areas
- Touch points wiped daily, and more often during illness spikes
Documented controls
- Use an inspection checklist, with a visible pass fail for restrooms and entry glass.
- Train on EPA label contact time, surfaces must remain wet for the full duration. [4]
- Maintain sanitary waste receptacles, consistent with OSHA sanitation expectations. [5]
8. Mini FAQ, operational questions that change frequency
When does a mid day porter make sense? +
Do we need to disinfect the entire office nightly? +
What is contact time, and why does it matter? +
What is the fastest win for floor appearance? +
References and standards
- CDC, When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility, community setting guidance including high touch surface cleaning, targeted disinfection after illness, and cautions on fogging.
- ISSA, Matting data cited by ISSA, includes soil removal percentages by mat length (6 feet, 12 feet, 36 feet).
- The Carpet and Rug Institute, Cleaning and Maintenance, rule of thumb for traffic based vacuum frequency and practical vacuum technique.
- US EPA, Selected EPA Registered Disinfectants, explains contact time and the need to keep surfaces wet for the full duration.
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.141 Sanitation, expectations for sanitary waste receptacles and maintaining floors.
- Georgia Southern University Newsroom, Georgia pollen season context, and Atlanta Allergy and Asthma pollen season note, supporting late March and early April peak patterns.
- Columbia County, GA, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, includes population growth context and forecasts relevant to facility traffic planning.