Commercial Cleaning Contracts: What to Expect Before You Sign

Choosing a commercial cleaning provider isn’t just about the hourly rate — it’s about what the contract actually commits them to. A clear agreement protects both sides and means you know exactly who does what, how often, and what happens if something goes wrong. Here’s what a good commercial cleaning contract should cover, so you […]

Student Accommodation Cleaning: How PBSA and University Halls Differ

Student Accommodation Cleaning How PBSA and University Halls Differ

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management commercial team · Updated 2026 “Student accommodation cleaning” sounds like one service, but the way it’s delivered depends heavily on who runs the building. A purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operator and a university managing its own halls face similar hygiene expectations, yet very different operating models, contract structures and […]

What Is Colour-Coded Cleaning? The UK 4-Colour System Guide

What Is Colour Coded Cleaning The UK 4 Colour System Guide

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management commercial team · Updated 2026 Colour-coded cleaning is one of the simplest and most important systems in professional hygiene, yet it’s often reduced to “red for toilets” and left there. Done properly, it’s a core infection-prevention control that stops one area’s contamination being carried into another. This guide explains […]

Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) Explained

Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) Explained clean

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management team · Updated 2026 The cheapest time to fix something is before it breaks. That single idea is the whole logic behind planned preventive maintenance — the discipline of servicing a building’s assets on a schedule rather than waiting for them to fail. PPM is the backbone of well-run […]

Hard FM vs Soft FM Explained: What’s the Difference?

Hard FM vs Soft FM Explained What's the Difference clean

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management team · Updated 2026 Anyone procuring facilities management quickly runs into two terms: hard FM and soft FM. They’re the industry’s basic way of dividing up everything it takes to run a building — but the labels aren’t always obvious, and getting the split right matters when you’re deciding […]

Infection Control Cleaning in Healthcare Settings

healthcare infection control cleaning

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management commercial team · Updated 2026 In a healthcare setting, cleaning is one of the front-line defences against infection. Healthcare-associated infections — from MRSA and C. difficile to norovirus — spread through contaminated surfaces and equipment, and the environment plays a real part in that chain. Good infection control cleaning […]

TUPE and Cleaning Contracts: What Happens to Staff When You Switch Provider

TUPE and Cleaning Contracts

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management commercial team · Updated 2026 Switching cleaning contractor sounds simple until someone asks the question that stops a procurement process in its tracks: “what happens to the cleaners who already work here?” In most cases the answer is TUPE — a piece of employment law that transfers the existing […]

How to Choose a Commercial Cleaning Contractor in London

How to Choose a Commercial Cleaning Contractor in London

Reviewed by the Crystal Facilities Management commercial team · Updated 2026 Choosing a cleaning contractor looks simple until you’re holding three quotes that all say something different. The cheapest isn’t the safest, the biggest isn’t always the best, and the wrong choice shows up as no-shows, complaints and a search for a replacement six months […]