People often ask us about the differences between the Mero Control Centre and other methods of cleaning validation.
They come to us because they’re facing the same issues:
1. They don’t know what’s happening with their cleaners on-site
With a workforce spread across buildings and territories, it’s impossible to know what everybody’s doing.
Many cleaning executives are currently operating in good faith, with no real visibility of how efficient their employees are, how they’re spending their time, or what tasks they’ve completed or missed.
2. Their clients have repeatedly asked for it
The importance of tracking and proving cleaning tasks is one thing property managers and cleaning providers can universally agree on.
Neither wants to operate in the dark. Property managers want to make sure that they are getting what they’ve paid and be proactively warned if a site isn’t cleaned on time.
BSCs want to know what’s happening on-site, where their employees are, and make sure cleaning is done according to the scope of work.
3. They’re tired of their current method or mixture of solutions
They’ve had bad experiences implementing methods that were unreliable and disruptive to cleaners while providing low-quality information.
That’s why we’ve interviewed commercial cleaning executives and categorized 7 different ways to track and validate cleaning tasks. They are ranked from best (S-Tier) to worst (F-Tier).
This guide will help you:
- Know what other BSCs are using
- Avoid making the same mistakes
- Understand the pros and cons of each method
- Fast-track your research and avoid falling behind the competition
Grading criteria: 6 questions to evaluate cleaning validation methods
After talking to janitorial companies and in-house facility teams, from mid-sized to some of the largest in North America, here are the 6 most important criteria they consider for a cleaning validation method.
1. How much extra work will it add to my cleaners?
Cleaners are busy and human memory isn’t reliable.
Any method that requires cleaners to stop in the middle of their task, and remember to do extra work lowers productivity, increases frustration, and has a high risk of noncompliance.
Questions to ask:
- Will this disrupt my cleaning team’s day-to-day?
- Does it require my cleaners to carry and manage a mobile phone?
2. How long does it take to get up and running?
Taking months to roll out solutions isn’t uncommon.
Owners and executives are baffled by how much they’ve underestimated the amount of training required to implement new solutions while overestimating the tech skills of the average employee.
Every extra task assigned to your employees is a point of failure. It requires cleaners to be trained on how to do it, comply with it every day and continuously remember to do it.
What might seem like trivial actions on an app can lead to mistakes that are magnified a hundredfold when managing a larger cleaning team.
Some admitted to us that the lengthy training process, human mistakes, and non-compliance canceled any benefit they’d hoped for.
Questions to ask:
- How long does it take to set up?
- How long will it take to train my cleaners to stick with this new system?
- What happens if cleaners forget or make mistakes?
3. What information does it give me?
In other words, how useful is the data? Can you put it into action?
Questions to ask:
- Can you spot incomplete tasks at a glance across your sites?
- Can you use it to pinpoint potential issues & improve your operations?
- Can you use it to prove how good of a job you’re doing to stakeholders?
- Can you use it to defend against slip and fall claims?
4. Is it built with cleaning in mind?
With so few polished solutions purposefully built for the commercial cleaning industry, some companies have resorted to using generic employee tracking apps. These one-size-fits-all solutions weren’t built with the specific needs of commercial cleaning.
This forces them to manage a mixture of solutions, waste time reinventing workflows, and try to fit their approach to the solution instead of the other around.
Questions to ask:
- Can I use to it manage my scope of work and create new work orders?
- Can I use it to respond to complaints?
- Can I use it to schedule periodic tasks?
5. How much does it cost?
We’re not just talking about the cost of the software or hardware — we’re also including hidden opportunity costs: the extra time it takes to set up, train employees, modify workflows, etc.
6. How scalable is it?
This is a combination of all the previous factors. Methods that require extra work for cleaners, long set-up time, and training are not scalable.
Picture a single cleaner that’s required to log into an app, press buttons, take pictures, and attach files - after every task they complete.
Now multiply that across dozens or hundreds of cleaners. The risk of missed check-ins and mistakes increases exponentially.
Questions to ask:
- How quickly would this solution take to deploy across hundreds of sites?
- How will this reduce the headache of monitoring my distributed labor force?

The Tier List
S Tier — Bluetooth beacon (The Mero Control Centre)

Overview
The Mero Control Center lets you see, validate, and prove what your cleaners are doing across your sites, without adding any extra for your cleaners.
You can see what tasks your cleaners have completed, which ones they’ve missed, and how productive your employees are - so you can surface potential issues early and provide proof of service with a detailed audit trail.
Mero uses Bluetooth beacons the size of keychains carried by cleaning staff combined with base stations installed in your buildings. This lets you track the location and time spent by your cleaners in specific areas, such as restrooms.
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Our main differentiator
What separates Mero Control Center from other cleaner validation methods is that it doesn’t require any manual input, mobile phone, or training for cleaners.
That means no need to carry a phone, log in to an app, remember to clock in and out of every shift, take pictures, or scan a QR code.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Pricing
Pricing is simple: pay a monthly subscription based on the size of your building. The monthly plan includes unlimited zones and base stations.

A Tier — Wi-Fi geofencing
After talking to janitorial companies and in-house facility teams, from mid-sized to some of the largest in North America, here are the 6 most important criteria they consider for a cleaning validation method.

Overview
Wi-Fi geofencing uses WiFi access points to create virtual boundaries around specified areas. These geofenced areas could include different rooms, floors, or zones that require cleaning.
Cleaning staff are assigned smartphones with a geofencing app installed. These devices connect to the building’s WiFi network. As staff members enter or exit the geofenced areas, their devices interact with the WiFi network, triggering the geofencing app to record the timestamps of the events.
The app then logs the time spent by each cleaner in various areas, and can potentially be integrated with task management software to track the completion of specific cleaning tasks.
Supervisors can monitor the movements and activities of cleaning staff in real-time, ensuring that all areas are cleaned as per schedule and standards.
Strengths
Weaknesses
B Tier — Janitorial & inspection software using GPS tracking

Overview
Janitorial software uses GPS to track cleaner movement, allowing supervisors to pinpoint their locations on a digital map. They also help with scheduling, time tracking, receiving status updates, and communicating more efficiently.
Cleaners have to carry a phone, log in, and check into their shifts. They are provided a task list that they can check off. Common workflows often involve taking a picture before and after each task is done.
Strengths
Weaknesses
C Tier — Employee tracking and scheduling software

Overview
Just like janitorial software, these applications rely on GPS for time tracking & monitoring staff’s real-time location.
You can use them to manage employee timesheets and payroll, create and update schedules, add shift details, and send reminders.
Strength
Weaknesses
D Tier — QR Scanning

Overview
It works by placing QR codes in areas that cleaners service.
Cleaners are required to scan the QR code after each task and often fill out a form and upload pictures.
Strength
Weaknesses
E Tier — Buttons

Overview
It works by having a button in specific areas. Cleaners press them after they finish a list of tasks. The information is then automatically logged so supervisors can track what has been completed and when.
This essentially works the same as wireless smiley buttons used to gather customer feedback in retail stores or from restroom attendees in airports.
Strength
Weaknesses
F Tier: Pen and paper logs

Overview
The old standard of the industry. Cleaners check off tasks and log the start and end of their shifts on a sheet of paper.
Surprisingly some of the largest and most sophisticated properties, including airports still use this method today.
Strength
Weaknesses
Bottomline
You’ve probably noticed a common thread here: most methods rely on cleaners remembering to do extra work and carry a mobile device. If you want reliable and trustworthy cleaning validation that can scale across your buildings, you need to take human intervention out of the picture.
Only Bluetooth beacons and Wi-Fi geofencing don’t rely on manual inputs from your cleaners.
And Bluetooth beacon is the only method that doesn't require a mobile device on cleaners.
If your goal is to:
- Track, validate, and prove what your cleaners are doing across your sites without requiring extra work, training, or mobile device.
- Proactively show your clients when a site has been cleaned, not cleaned, and missed cleanings
- Let your supervisors spot incomplete tasks at a glance