Choosing the right cleaning company for your business

Every sanitation job has different pricing considerations, and each vendor uses its own criteria — such as the size of your facility, the type of cleaning required, and any requests specific to your operations. This can make it challenging to judge a fair rate when you are hiring a commercial cleaning service for your business. But it doesn’t have to be complex. Understanding some basic pricing principles and knowing which cleaning supplies to provide can help ensure you’re getting the best value out of the services you receive.

Understanding some basic pricing principles and knowing which cleaning supplies to provide can help ensure you’re getting the best value out of the services you receive.

How are commercial cleaning rates calculated?

Knowing the factors that impact pricing can help you choose the right cleaning deal. Let's look at some common ones in closer detail: How big (or small) your establishment is will affect the time and effort it takes to clean. A larger space, like a multi-storey office with multiple washrooms, means more square footage to cover, increasing the overall workload. On the other hand, a compact boutique hotel might be easier to clean. Prices are usually adjusted to reflect this.

What kind of cleaning you require also matters, as some spaces need extra attention and care to stay spotless.

For example, a small office kitchen used mainly for making tea and coffee requires far less effort to clean than a commercial or industrial kitchen where grease, food residue, and equipment demand deep, frequent cleaning. Similarly, manufacturing environments may involve oil, dust, or machinery residues that need specialised products and cleaning techniques. All of this leads to variable cleaning rates. Some locations (like medical facilities) even require specialised services, further increasing overhead.

The further a cleaning team needs to travel to get to your facility, the higher their rate tends to be. That’s because commuting takes time, money, and planning, so commercial cleaning prices often reflect this too. Well-known cleaning companies might charge more for their expertise, whereas smaller or newer businesses could charge less. The trade-off is balancing price with proven quality. Simply put, the more often cleaning is required, the higher the cost. So, consider how areas with higher foot traffic — such as lobbies or corridors — usually accumulate dirt and wear more quickly, meaning they need constant cleaning.

Getting familiar with different pricing structures in more detail can help you pick the right option for your business. [3] In this setup, you are offered a fixed price per hour and get charged for the time it takes to complete the cleaning. This can be a good pick if your establishment is small or if you’re booking a one-off clean, as it allows flexibility when there’s uncertainty of the scale of the job.

In this case, the price is fixed, meaning you pay for the agreed amount regardless of the time the job takes. For example, if you wanted to have a commercial kitchen cleaned, you would get a single price that covers all the tasks involved.

Flat rate pricing could be the right option for your business given it’s straightforward and encourages efficiency, as the staff are likely to be quicker so they can move on to the next client.

Just be mindful that, to avoid misunderstandings, it’s worth clearly defining everything that’s included in your flat rate and exactly what qualifies as an extra charge.

As the name suggests, this is a model in which you get charged based on the square footage of your facility. This can be an interesting option when the cost decreases for each additional square foot.

Take into consideration that one single large space is usually less expensive to clean than two smaller spaces in different locations. This is generally the case even if the square footage is the same, as it reduces expenses like fuel for the service provider. So, asking for price adjustments accordingly could help you make the most out of your budget.

This is often the ideal choice for recurring cleaning jobs. That’s because with this approach, you get a monthly or annual fee for ongoing visits, meaning your cleaning costs become quite easy to predict. Just keep in mind that sometimes contracts can lock you in, giving you less flexibility for changing business circumstances.

Getting the most out of your investment not only depends on the workforce behind the cleaning, but also on getting the right products for the job. That’s because high-quality supplies make a world of difference.