How Much Should Commercial Cleaning Cost?

Commercial cleaning is an important component of maintaining the well-being of your staff and customers.  Yet, depending on a number of factors, the cost of commercial cleaning can vary widely.  So, while it is not effective to take a one-size-fits-all approach to determining the costs of commercial cleaning, it can be helpful to understand what factors will influence how much commercial cleaning should cost.  From the size of your facility and the scope of cleaning services to the type of cleaning and even your geographic location, there are a lot of variables that impact cleaning costs.  If you’ve been asking, ‘how much should commercial cleaning cost,’ read on.

Location

Factors such as geographic location, the size of your facility, and the type of cleaning services will have a significant impact on commercial cleaning costs.  For example, the cost of living in a geographic area will certainly impact cleaning costs – the more it costs a cleaner to do business, the more your cleaning services will cost.  With that in mind, some urban areas with a high cost of living also have a lot of commercial cleaning companies.  In general, competition leads to more competitive cleaning costs.

Additionally, the size of your facility will also influence cleaning costs.  Not only are larger facilities more time consuming to clean, but they also often require more unique cleaning tasks.  So, while some companies will base cost on the square footage of your facility, some cleaning companies will also consider the types of cleaning tasks.  Commercial cleaning costs will often reflect the number of windows, bathrooms, and kitchens that need to be cleaned, the traffic in your facility, and even factors such as the type of flooring and furniture that needs to be cleaned.

Tasks

Next, commercial cleaners will also consider the cleaning tasks required before providing a quote for commercial cleaning services.  If you run a small retail business and require routine cleaning tasks such as garbage removal, vacuuming/sweeping, and a small bathroom cleaning, your costs are going to be lower per square foot than a larger facility that requires regular recycling, cleaning of different floor services, cleaning multiple bathrooms and kitchens, and workstation cleaning.  When discussing cleaning costs with professional companies, always make sure to provide a comprehensive list of cleaning tasks so that you can get the most accurate quote for the services you require.

Fair Rates

While it can be very difficult to predict cleaning costs because of the variability in factors listed above, most commercial cleaners will provide the services required for around $20 to $40 per hour or somewhere between 10 and 60 cents per square foot.  Ideally, you will consult a variety of commercial cleaners and obtain quotes to make sure you get good value for your money.  But beware; the bottom line shouldn’t always come down to the cheapest cleaner – you want to work with a reputable company that provides exceptional cleaning services in your budget.

Commercial Cleaning During COVID-19

The pandemic has affected how we engage in our daily lives in so many ways, but one area that has likely been impacted the most is how we address commercial cleaning.  For the safety of staff and customers, commercial cleaning during COVID-19 has needed to be more thorough and more frequent.  We’ve needed to invest in new cleaning supplies in addition to training staff on proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures.  It has become very challenging for many business owners to keep abreast of best practices and guidelines for commercial cleaning during COVID-19.  With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the basic principles of commercial cleaning for the pandemic.

Cleaning versus Disinfecting

Though the risk of infection with COVID-19 from surface contact is low, cleaning and disinfecting is still an important operational requirement.  Not only should staff and visitors to your facility be encouraged to regularly clean their hands, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can help reduce the risk of infection.  But, what is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting?

Cleaning with soap and/or detergents can remove contaminants and germs while also damage COVID-19 particles to reduce virus transmission.  If there have not been any COVID-19 exposures in a facility, daily cleaning is considered sufficient to maintain the health and safety of your commercial facility.  On the other hand, disinfecting with approved products will kill and remove remaining germs and viruses to provide added protection.  You may need to disinfect if there has been a COVID exposure in your facility or if you are concerned about potential risk because there is a high rate of transmission in your community.  Any time you become aware that a person with COVID or COVID-like symptoms has visited your facility, you should clean and disinfect the space.

Cleaning Plan

It’s important to ensure that all surfaces in your commercial building are regularly cleaned and disinfected as necessary.  Your plan should include a more regular cleaning schedule for high-touch surfaces such as door knobs, faucets, keyboards, and more.  Additionally, if your space is used by people who cannot reliably practice hand and respiratory hygiene (such as children), more regular cleaning should also be considered.  You may want to start with a cleaning checklist where you identify all surfaces that need to be cleaned and then determine how often those surfaces need to be cleaned.

Once you have created a cleaning plan, you may decide that regular disinfection may be needed.  This is likely the case in high traffic commercial facilities particularly in areas with a high rate of transmission.   When disinfecting, ensure to follow product labels carefully and only use an approved disinfectant.  These products will have safety information and explicit instructions for how to ensure disinfection.

Ultimately, many of these tasks are best managed by professional cleaners to ensure they are completed thoroughly and safely so that you know your commercial facility is clean during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s spring! The sun is out and it’s starting to feel warmer.  With flowers blossoming and birds singing, it’s almost like an invitation for a new start in our homes as well.  Spring commercial cleaning offers the perfect chance to tackle a more thorough home cleaning and start the season feeling refreshed and revitalized.  With that in mind, finding the right time and getting organized for spring cleaning are often the main barriers to going deeper than our daily cleans.  So, hold on to your socks…we’re about to share some spring cleaning tips that will motivate you to get started.

Make a Plan

When you look around your home do you feel overwhelmed by amount of work you have to do?  You’re not alone.  One of the biggest mistakes folks make when considering spring cleaning is they are disorganized.  The most important piece of advice we can give you is to realize that it doesn’t all need to be done in a day.  Now, some of you are saying…I’m getting this done in a day – and that’s great!  But it still can be helpful to make a plan.

Start by making a list of all the cleaning tasks you want to accomplish room by room.  This will be your spring cleaning checklist – and trust us, when you see yourself making progress through your list, you’ll find yourself more motivated to keep on cleaning.

Set a Schedule

Next, give yourself a time-based goal for your cleaning.  We’ve found it helps to set a timeframe for each room – you may decide to clean the bedrooms in one day, the living room another, and save the garage for the end (nobody likes to clean the garage).  Whatever you do, schedule yourself enough time to tackle all the cleaning tasks on your list.

Out with the Old

Always…and we mean ALWAYS start your spring cleaning with removing clutter.  Clearing out items that you no longer use or feel is unnecessary for your life not only clears out your space, but it clears out your mind.  Once the clutter is gone, the cleaning is much easier.  It is also so much easier to organize the things you need and want when you have more space to do it.  You can hold a garage sale, donate old items to charity, or even hire a removal company to take your junk and sort it for you.  You will feel so much better when the clutter is gone.

Leave No Stone Unturned

That couch you’ve never moved…those patio chairs that have never been cleaned…the walls and windows – whatever it is, spring cleaning is the perfect time to clean every nook and cranny.  Once again, we want to remind you that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your spring cleaning is something you can tackle piece by piece so that you still have time to do the things you love.  Of course, you might be like us and the thing you love is spring cleaning, but each to their own!

The most successful businesses have one very important characteristic in common – organization.  Business processes are organized, employees are organized, and the environment is organized.  Indeed, efficient and effective operations rely on it, and one part of the organization of a business is cleanliness.  Working with a professional cleaning company helps to ensure your office or commercial space is in optimal condition to allow your employees to do their best work.  So then, let’s take a closer look at all the reasons why you should hire a commercial cleaning company.

Comprehensive Cleaning Services

From surface level cleaning tasks such as garbage and recycling removal to more deep cleaning tasks such as floor and window cleaning, a commercial cleaning company is well-equipped to manage all office cleaning chores no matter how big or small.  More importantly, your commercial cleaner will work with you to develop a cleaning plan that suits your needs –  you decide the daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly tasks that you require to keep your business environment clean and efficient.

Cost Efficiency

Many business owners consider hiring commercial cleaners an added cost to their operations.  That being said, whether you work with a commercial cleaning company or not there will be costs associated with keeping your commercial space clean.  Additionally, because commercial cleaners have the skills, tools, and supplies needed to tackle any commercial cleaning task, they represent a cost-efficient solution to regular commercial cleaning.  ON the other hand, if you attempt to manage commercial cleaning tasks independently, you will likely need to invest in expensive supplies and equipment while also training and managing cleaning staff.

Cleaning Expertise

Speaking of managing and training cleaning staff, working with commercial cleaners guarantees that the people handling the cleaning tasks of your business know what they are doing.  Plus, your commercial cleaners oversee all aspects of cleaning operations from hiring and managing cleaning staff to scheduling and completing cleaning tasks.  Professional cleaning companies ensure that the job is done well and will provide reliable services that allow you to maintain focus on the most important aspects of your business.

Entrepreneurial Success

Finally, one of the main benefits of working with a commercial cleaning company is how they can enhance your own entrepreneurial success.  With better focus on your business goals and an environment that promotes productivity, commercial cleaning allows you to limit distractions so your own work is done better.  Employees also benefit from a clean and sanitary workspace that will ultimately reduce unnecessary absences related to sick leave.

When it comes to keeping your running optimally, there are many great reasons to hire a commercial cleaning company.  At the end of the day you’ll benefit from more efficient operations, expert cleaning services, and improved workplace health.

We are all stepping up our cleaning game to protect our friends, families, clients, and colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic.  When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting washrooms during COVID, we want to take special care to ensure surfaces and objects are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected because the COVID-19 virus may live on surfaces for hours or even days.  Frequently touched washroom surfaces including doorknobs, light switches, cabinet handles, faucet handles, toilet flush levers, and countertops are the most likely to be contaminated, but we also want to be mindful of other washroom surfaces including floors and toilets.  So, what do you need to know about washroom cleaning during COVID?  Read on.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Cleaning and disinfecting are not the same.  Cleaners such as soap and detergent can reduce the number of germs on surfaces but do not always completely kill all germs.  Cleaning is certainly important for reducing the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19, but disinfection is another step in the process.  Disinfectant products kill all germs on surfaces.  Health Canada approves a variety of disinfectants for hard surfaces that are known to kill the coronavirus; always look for a product with a drug identification number that is approved by Health Canada.  If you cannot find an approved disinfectant, you can also create your own solution by diluting bleach.

Chlorine bleach is a very strong disinfectant that will kill bacteria, fungus, and viruses, but it can also be harmful to your skin, eyes, and lungs – so you must take care to handle it safely.  Never mix bleach with other cleaning products and always dilute bleach before cleaning surfaces.  Health Canada recommends that you only dilute bleach as needed; in other words, do not mix up a large container of diluted bleach that is stored for future use as you want to reduce the risk that the diluted bleach is mistaken for another product and used accidentally for other purposes.  When diluting bleach for disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces, follow the label instructions.  Bleach that is 5% sodium hypochlorite can be diluted by pouring bleach into water (and never by pouring water into bleach) with concentrations as follows:

• Mix 1 teaspoon (5ml) of bleach with 1 cup (250 ml) water, or
• 4 teaspoons (20 ml) of bleach with 4 cups (1 litre) of water.

Also, it cannot be stated too strongly (or too often) that bleach should never be mixed with other cleaning products or chemicals.  Additionally, bleach is not safe for cleaning skin.  It is always important to wear goggles and a mask when diluting bleach and to do so in a well-ventilated area.

Finally, you want to create a cleaning and disinfecting process that begins with cleaning surfaces before disinfecting.  After disinfecting, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.