Laura Mahecha
Director Professional Cleaning Products
Contractors in professional cleaning and laundry operations are a crucial customer segment, driving efficiency and growth across the industry. Building service contractors, contract cleaners, and commercial laundries play a pivotal role in maintaining high standards for professional cleaning services and laundry outsourcing. According to Kline’s recent end user surveys, decision–makers increasingly rely on contractors to ensure clean buildings and streamlined laundry operations.
Key Trends in Outsourcing and Contractor Usage
Among janitorial managers surveyed recently, about 44% outsource some or all cleaning tasks to building service contractors and 36% expect to increase their usage of these contractors in the future. Tasks typically performed by contract cleaners include all housekeeping (48%), floor care (39%), restrooms/toilets (32%), and carpet cleaning (32%).
Reasons for increasing the use of contractors in the future vary depending on business/facility expansion, increasing cleaning needs, the impact of inflation, and lack of cleaning staff. Among those who use building service contractors (BSCs), 65% indicate that the contractor is responsible for supplying all cleaning products, paper products, and hand soaps and sanitizer used at the facility.
Industry Insights and Supplier Strategies
That’s why the leading industry suppliers prioritize targeting contractors as a crucial customer group. For example, Ecolab and WSI are the leading suppliers of laundry chemicals to commercial laundries, where large amounts of laundry are processed for industrial, commercial/linen supply, and institutional applications such as linens from hospitals, long-term care facilities, and hotels.
Likewise, Diversey and Ecolab target janitorial BSCs as key customers by offering staff training and education, dilution and dispensing equipment and servicing, and large portfolios of cleaning products that offer effective, efficient solutions for a wide range of cleaning applications.
Kline + Company provides in-depth market insights through its Janitorial and Housekeeping Cleaning Products study and the Laundry Chemicals U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities report. These resources offer detailed databases, supplier profiles, and survey summaries to help businesses navigate commercial laundry trends in 2025 and beyond. Discover how Kline + Company’s Professional Cleaning Market Assessments can guide your strategy and accelerate growth. Contact us to learn more.
