Commercial Cleaning Service Buyer's Guide - Prices

Published: 03/28/2011

» Business Services

 

Pricing

 

Pricing for cleaning services is not clear‐cut and varies depending on the company. In general, you can expect to pay based on cleanable square footage.

 

 

The actual price you pay varies on the size and frequency of cleaning services. Nightly janitorial service for a company in a 20,000 sq ft office in a major city may cost 5‐10 cents per square foot ($2,000‐$4,000/month). More services, additional workers, or pricey cleaning supplies and equipment can increase the cost as much as 10‐35 cents per square foot. Most cleaning companies will provide volume discounts as the total number of square footage increases.

 

 

Of course, if square footage isn’t a factor a cleaning company will offer a fixed rate. If you only need daily trash pickup, the average account is about $500‐$700/month for 3‐5 days of service per week. For the smallest offices, some cleaning companies offer a basic service 1 or 2 times a week for $100‐$200/month.

 

 

These costs are consistent across most industries and types of businesses, including retail, food service, general offices, and manufacturing. The one significant exception is cleaning services for the medical industry. Cleaners use a combination of a loaded rate, the hourly cost of handling and transporting waste, overhead, insurance, and supplies, and the productivity rate, the amount of square footage they can clean in an hour. They use these factors to arrive at an hourly cost – typically $18‐$20.

 

 

Most cleaning companies will supply their own cleaning supplies and consumables. If you prefer to supply your own, let them know ahead of time so they don’t bill you.

 

 

 

Special services pricing

 

Pricing for special services also varies. Like basic services, the costs are determined by cleanable square footage. Stripping & waxing a tile floor may cost 20‐30 cents per square foot. Carpet extraction would run about 10‐15 cents per sq ft. Power washing of an outside building depends on the building structure and the chemicals used. As with all cleaning services, having a company perform a walkthrough is essential for getting an appropriate estimate on special services.

 

 

You will typically get a bill for cleaning services on a monthly basis. The bill should be itemized to show any special services or consumables used.

 

 

Remember that price is important but shouldn’t be the sole factor in your decision. Since you will need to trust a cleaning company to enter your offices regularly and do a good job without your staff around to watch, building a relationship them is crucial.

 

 

 

Contracts

 

The length of a commercial cleaning services contract is usually one year. However, many businesses select longer‐ term contracts of 2‐3 years. Many companies include a 30‐60 day “right to cure” clause in the contract – if you are unhappy with the job done, the cleaning service will do the cleaning again or issue your account a credit. If you still aren’t satisfied, you can cancel the contract without penalty. Without this clause, you could be responsible for some, or all, of the money due on the contract if you choose to cancel your contract.