Skip to content 
What Is an ISSA Firm? What It Means for Cleaning Companies
Understanding What an ISSA Firm Means
An ISSA firm generally describes a company connected with ISSA, often through membership. It does not automatically mean the company holds a specific ISSA certification.
If you’re searching for what is ISSA firm, this distinction is important because an ISSA membership can provide access to professional resources and industry connections, but it does not automatically mean a company is certified.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the difference between an ISSA firm, ISSA membership, and specific certifications, what CIMS certification means for a cleaning organization, and how to evaluate these credentials when comparing professional cleaning companies.
What Is an ISSA Firm?
ISSA, which was originally known as the National Sanitary Supply Association (NSSA) and later became known as the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), is a global trade association serving the cleaning, hygiene, and facility management industry. Founded in 1923 by Alfred Richter, who wanted industry professionals to come together and share ideas, the organization brings together cleaning-industry businesses and professionals.
Today, ISSA provides resources such as education, networking, training, certifications, and industry standards worldwide.
So, when a cleaning company describes itself as an “ISSA firm,” it generally means the company has a connection with ISSA, such as membership or participation in an ISSA program or credential. The phrase itself does not necessarily tell you that the company holds a particular certification.
For someone looking for a professional cleaning company, that connection can be meaningful. A cleaning company may participate in several professional organizations, but being part of ISSA connects it with an organization dedicated specifically to the cleaning and facility management industry.
Through membership, companies can access education, training, networking, industry information, and other resources that can help them stay connected with developments and expectations within the profession.
ISSA Membership vs. Certification
Membership and certification represent different kinds of professional involvement, and both can be valuable to a cleaning company.
ISSA membership connects a company with the association and its professional community. It gives members access to education, training, networking, industry information, and other resources that can support ongoing professional development.
Certification, meanwhile, refers to a specific program with defined requirements and a particular scope. What it demonstrates depends on the certification and what the program evaluates.
For example, Roochii Cleaning identifies itself as an ISSA member. The company also identifies an IICRC Certified Firm credential. These represent different professional relationships, rather than one being a higher version of the other.
The distinction is easier to understand this way:
| ISSA Membership | Specific Certification |
|---|---|
| Connects a company with ISSA and its professional community | Represents a specific certification program |
| Provides access to education, training, networking, industry information, and other resources | Has defined requirements and a specific scope |
| Supports continued professional development and engagement with the cleaning industry | Indicates what the particular certification evaluates or requires |
| Is valuable as a professional association membership | Is valuable as a specific professional credential |
An ISSA membership can therefore be meaningful on its own. A company does not need to hold a specific ISSA certification for its membership to have value. At the same time, a specific certification can provide additional information about a particular area of a company’s professional practices.
What Does the ISSA Badge Mean?
Seeing an ISSA badge on a cleaning company’s website or marketing materials can indicate that the company is connected with ISSA. For a prospective customer, that can be a useful sign that the company participates in the professional cleaning industry and has access to the association’s resources and professional community.
The badge itself, however, is only part of the picture. What matters is the ISSA relationship it represents and how that connection fits into the company’s broader approach to professional development and cleaning operations.
What Does an ISSA Connection Mean for You as a Customer?
If you’re considering a cleaning company and notice that it is connected with ISSA, the natural question is what that connection means for you.
An ISSA membership gives a cleaning company access to professional resources and opportunities that can support continued learning, industry involvement, and the development of its cleaning operations.
Ongoing Education and Professional Development
Staying current involves more than knowing how to perform routine cleaning tasks. ISSA provides education, training, and professional development opportunities that allow cleaning companies to continue building the knowledge and skills of their teams.
That ongoing learning can help a company keep developing its approach to cleaning as its employees, services, and responsibilities evolve.
Staying Connected With the Cleaning Industry
Cleaning companies do not operate in isolation. ISSA gives members opportunities to connect with other cleaning professionals, suppliers, and organizations through industry events, networking, and other professional activities. These connections can expose companies to ideas and developments taking place across the field.
The value is not simply in belonging to a network. It is in having opportunities to remain engaged with the wider professional cleaning industry and learn from what is happening within it.
Industry Standards and Professional Frameworks
ISSA also provides access to standards and professional frameworks that can help cleaning organizations develop and support their practices. CIMS, or the Cleaning Industry Management Standard, is one example.
This is where an ISSA connection can extend beyond education and industry networking into the systems and frameworks used to support professional cleaning operations.
What Is CIMS Certification?
CIMS, or the Cleaning Industry Management Standard, is an ISSA framework that helps cleaning organizations establish and maintain structured management systems for their operations.
ISSA provides the CIMS Standard as a dedicated reference document for cleaning organizations developing and implementing those systems. It outlines the procedures and principles organizations can consider when establishing their management practices.
CIMS certification involves an assessment of an organization’s management systems against the CIMS Standard.
How Does CIMS Improve Cleaning Processes?
CIMS is intentionally non-prescriptive. Rather than telling cleaning companies exactly how to perform every cleaning task, it provides a framework for organizing and managing their operations. Its five areas cover:
- Quality Systems
- Service Delivery
- Human Resources
- Health, Safety, and Environmental Stewardship
- Management Commitment
Together, these areas allow a company to look beyond individual cleaning tasks and consider how its processes, people, resources, and management practices work together.
How Can a Cleaning Framework Streamline a Company’s Processes?
A structured cleaning framework can bring consistency to the many moving parts behind a cleaning operation. It gives a company a common structure for defining expectations, carrying out the work, and checking whether those expectations are being met.
At Roochii Cleaning, we apply structured processes to keep cleaning work consistent across different types of services. Our deep cleaning service uses custom checklists based on the room types and quantities identified for each home, giving cleaning teams a defined scope of work for each service.
We also use a KPI-based quality-control system to monitor service performance. Our system tracks measures such as positive reviews, complaints, and on-time arrival, while a weighted scoring system brings together 10 measured inputs to evaluate employee performance.
CIMS certification provides an external assessment of an organization’s management systems against the CIMS Standard.
How to Evaluate an ISSA-Connected Cleaning Company
An ISSA connection can provide useful context when you’re considering a cleaning company, but it is only one part of the picture. Looking at the company’s specific relationship with ISSA, its other credentials, and the way it manages its cleaning services can give you a clearer understanding of what stands behind the claims it makes.
What to Look for in an ISSA Connection
An ISSA badge or mention on a cleaning company’s website can tell you that the company has a connection with ISSA. The useful next step is to look at how the company describes that connection. It may be an ISSA membership, participation in an ISSA program, or a specific credential, and those relationships can represent different forms of involvement with the organization.
Checking the company’s stated relationship gives the badge more context. Rather than treating the ISSA name itself as the credential, you can understand what the company is actually connected to and what that connection represents.
Check the Company’s Specific Credentials
A company’s ISSA connection is only one part of its professional profile. Look at the specific credentials the company identifies and what each one covers. A certification such as CIMS or an IICRC credential, for example, can tell you about a particular standard, program, or area of professional practice rather than simply indicating an association membership.
The important point is to understand what each credential represents, rather than treating every badge or certification logo as interchangeable.
Look at How the Company Operates
An ISSA connection or professional credential gives you information about the company’s industry involvement, but the company’s own processes can tell you more about how that involvement translates into day-to-day work. Look for clear service procedures, defined quality-control practices, employee training, or other systems the company uses to keep its work consistent.
These details can give you a better sense of how the company organizes and manages its cleaning services beyond the credentials it displays.
Final Takeaway
An ISSA connection is a meaningful professional distinction for a cleaning company. It shows that the company is connected with a recognized organization within the cleaning and facility solutions industry and has access to professional resources, education, training, and industry opportunities.
The specific nature of that connection still matters. Membership, certifications, and standards such as CIMS represent different forms of professional involvement, so understanding what each one represents gives you more context when evaluating a cleaning company.
At the same time, credentials are only one part of the picture. A company’s cleaning processes, quality-control practices, and approach to managing its services can provide additional insight into how it puts professional standards into practice.
