Commercial Office Cleaning Rates

Your office may be one of your biggest business investments – not only is it costly to purchase or rent office space, but it is also a place that influences so much of your employees’ wellness and productivity.  A well-maintained office is often the cover by which the book of your business is judged.  Plus, a well-organized office allows for better organized operations.  Still, as a business owner, your expertise is certainly not cleaning.  In fact, you may not even have the skills to manage office cleaning staff effectively.  As such, hiring professional cleaners is always recommended; but, as you know – there is a cost.  So how much does office cleaning cost?

Several factors will influence the cost of commercial office cleaning.  The size of the office, your cleaning needs, and the time required to do the cleaning are some of the intrinsic factors that will impact office cleaning costs.  Additionally, you should expect costs to vary depending on the company you are working with – some are large, reputable companies that charge more (mostly for their reputation).  Some companies offer specialized cleaning services that may or may not be relevant to your cleaning needs.  Ultimately, it is important to consider your unique needs and contact several contractors to find the cleaning services you need within your budget.  With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of these intrinsic factors that will affect office cleaning costs.

Office Size

Larger offices cost more to clean – that’s just common sense.  Not only do larger offices require more time to clean (in most, but not all cases), they often feature different types of equipment or surfaces that must also be cleaned.  For example, a small rented office in a larger building may have a shared bathroom space.  In these arrangements, the building owners usually take responsibility for cleaning the bathroom, so your office cleaner only needs to focus on your space which may have one type of flooring and fewer pieces of equipment.  On the other hand, a large office space may have a kitchen, bathrooms, several private offices and meeting spaces that require cleaning.  The equipment and supplies required to clean these spaces will vary and so will the costs.

Cleaning Time

Not only the duration of cleaning but the time of day your office is cleaned will influence cleaning costs.  If you have a lot of equipment, windows, desks, and other features that require cleaning, your cleaning time will be longer and costs will often be higher.  Additionally, some companies will charge more depending on whether you want your office cleaned after hours or during regular business hours.  You must negotiate all these terms with your potential commercial cleaner.

Cleaning Services

Finally, the services you require and the frequency of cleaning will impact costs.  There are a wide range of cleaning services from recycling and garbage removal, floor and wall cleaning to surface sanitization and disinfection.  Your specific cleaning requirements and the frequency of cleaning will certainly impact office cleaning costs.

So then, how much does office cleaning cost?  As you can see, it depends on a wide range of factors that must be discussed with your cleaners before you finalize your cleaning contract.

Office Cleaning Tips for Summer

Summer in the office is a special time of year.  Folks tend to be busier in their personal lives – whether that means more social engagement at the end of the work day or time away on vacation, the office takes on a different vibe in the summer months.  Unfortunately, this can sometimes mean that people are less in tune with keeping the office orderly – desks are disheveled, food is rotting in the fridge, and fruit flies can become a nuisance.  The following office cleaning tips can help you and your team keep your office cleaner throughout the summer.

Kitchens and Break Rooms

Ideally, your office cleaners will conduct regular checks to make sure the fridge is clean and food isn’t left to rot.  That being said, it’s important to engage your staff to take responsibility for their leftovers.  Professional cleaners will often recommend that staff is provided a deadline to remove their food and containers from the fridge so that cleaners can sanitize the fridge.  This helps to keep food odors and fruit flies at bay.  Additionally, consider putting a compost bin in your kitchen and/or break room so that food waste can be removed daily, especially in summer months.

Promote Tidy Desks

In order to maintain a dust free environment, surfaces including desks and cabinets should be wiped regularly.  Your employees can help cleaning staff by making sure that surfaces are free of clutter at the end of the day.  Creating organizational systems that are accessible and easy to use is vital to ensuring that desks and surfaces are free of clutter.  Still, during the summer when the weather tends to be drier, dust and dirt is more readily tracked through the office so you may need to increase the frequency of surface cleaning to ensure optimal air quality and ultimately your employees’ efficiency.

Clean the Floors

Whether you live and work in a hot/dry climate or a hot/humid climate or somewhere in between, floors can become especially dirty during the summer months.  You may also find that mold or bacteria becomes a bigger concern when the temperature heats up.  Increase the frequency of floor cleaning in the summer to maintain a fresher environment.  Your professional cleaning service will have the right materials for the job no matter the type of flooring in your office.  They will also probably recommend deep cleaning your carpets in the summer because many offices tend to be a bit quieter in the summer with staff on vacation and such.

Remember, keeping a clean and sanitary office is important year round which is why it is always advisable to work with a professional cleaning company that can help you identify the cleaning tasks that are most important no matter the season.

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!

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.