Commercial and office cleaning

What commercial cleaning covers

Commercial cleaning is cleaning for workplaces — offices, shops, clinics, gyms, warehouses, apartment common areas. It usually splits into two kinds of work:

• Janitorial (routine) cleaning: daily or several-times-a-week work such as bins, restrooms, kitchens, vacuuming and mopping, wiping high-touch surfaces and restocking supplies.
• Periodic or specialist cleaning: carpet extraction, floor stripping and waxing, window cleaning, deep cleans, post-construction cleaning.

Many companies do both; some subcontract the specialist work. Ask who will actually turn up.

How often to clean

Frequency follows use, not floor area alone. Restrooms and kitchens in a busy office need daily attention; a small office with a handful of staff may be fine with two or three visits a week; a showroom open to the public may need cleaning during opening hours as well as after. A good company will walk the site before quoting and propose a schedule by area, not one number for the building.

Know what you are buying. CDC distinguishes three steps: cleaning “decreases the number of germs on surfaces”, sanitizing “reduces the remaining germs on surfaces after cleaning”, and disinfecting “can kill harmful germs that remain on surfaces after cleaning” (CDC). If you need disinfection — in a clinic, a childcare setting or a kitchen — say so, and ask which products and contact times they use.

Contracts and scope

Commercial cleaning is usually sold as a monthly contract. Before you sign:

• Get the scope as a task list by area and frequency, attached to the contract.
• Check the term and the exit: notice period, and whether you can end it for poor performance without waiting out the term.
• Ask how quality is checked — inspections, a named supervisor, how complaints are handled and how fast.
• Agree what happens with keys, alarm codes and after-hours access, and who is liable if they are lost.
• Ask who supplies consumables (paper, soap, liners) and how they are charged.

How to choose a commercial cleaning company

• Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, and proof of workers’ compensation for their staff. Your landlord or lease may set minimums.
• Ask whether staff are employees or subcontractors, and whether they are background checked — they will be in your building out of hours.
• Ask for references from a client with a similar building.
• For medical, food or childcare settings, ask about their experience and products for that setting.
• Industry certification exists — for example ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) for cleaning companies. It is voluntary, but a company that holds it has had its management systems assessed.

What affects the cost

• Floor area, and how much of it is restrooms and kitchens.
• Frequency and time of day — out-of-hours cleaning is the norm, but some sites need day porters as well.
• Type of facility: medical and food settings need more time and specific products.
• Floors: carpet, hard floors that need stripping and waxing.
• Consumables, if the company supplies them.

Cleaning cost guide: the factors pros price on →

Common questions

What is the difference between commercial cleaning and janitorial services?

Janitorial usually means the routine daily or weekly cleaning; commercial cleaning is the wider term and also covers periodic work such as carpet extraction and floor care.

How often should an office be cleaned?

It depends on how many people use it and what for. Restrooms and kitchens in a busy office need daily attention; a small, quiet office may manage with a few visits a week.

How do office cleaners price, per square foot or per hour?

Both are common, and many quote a monthly figure built from either. Compare quotes on the same written scope, not on the headline rate.

Do I need to sign a contract?

Most commercial cleaners work on contracts. Look for a clear notice period and a way out for poor performance.

Can cleaners work after hours?

Most commercial cleaning is done out of hours. Agree access, alarm codes and how keys are held before the first visit.

What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting?

CDC describes cleaning as decreasing the number of germs on surfaces, and disinfecting as killing harmful germs that remain after cleaning. If you need disinfection, specify it, and ask which products they use.

Sources

Safety and standards advice on this page comes from these publishers. Dates are the ones each page shows.

• CDC, Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility (last updated April 16, 2024)