If your employees are dragged away from more important tasks to clean your offices or bathrooms it may be time to consider hiring professional commercial cleaners.

If you are looking to hire a commercial cleaning company, we will review the cost, the different types of services available, and how to select the best commercial cleaning company. 

While the average cost per square foot for commercial cleaning is $0.11 per square foot, the range can vary from as low as $0.07 to as high as 16 cents per square foot. On larger projects, the cost per square foot generally goes down. Alternatively, you may pay by the hour. The average hourly rate is $75 per hour. The price per hour ranges from $50 to $110 per hour. Some specialty commercial cleaning rates such as stripping, waxing, and carpet cleaning do carry higher costs per square foot. 

How Much Should a Business Expect to Pay for Commercial Cleaning Services?

Depending on what kind of commercial cleaning you are looking to have done will depend on how much it will cost you.  Some services are considered specialty commercial cleaning services and usually cost more per square foot.

These include things that are not done every day or even every week like stripping and waxing the floors, cleaning the carpet, cleaning the ceramic tile and grout, and buffing and burnishing the floors. 

Window cleaning can also be considered a specialty service, but many businesses may do it quite often, some even weekly. 

Commercial Cleaning Rates Chart 

Types of Commercial Cleaning

Some commercial cleaning only needs to do a few times per year while other commercial cleaning services need done regularly. It’s important to know the difference so you know which service you need and what to expect. 

Regular commercial cleaning services include things like regular sweeping and mopping, vacuuming, and dusting. Some commercial cleaning cover much bigger cleaning jobs that are not necessary regularly such as shampooing upholstery on couches and chairs. However, wiping down chairs to sanitize them is probably done often and on the regular cleaning list. 

Some companies offer both kinds of services to their customers. Although, some commercial cleaning companies specialize in those harder less ended specialized cleaning projects. 

A hotel has maids that clean the rooms every day, but they may hire a commercial cleaner to come in periodically to shampoo the carpet and clean the grout and tile.  These services might cost the hotel an extra $0.08 to $0.25 per square foot each time they need these services provided on top of their normal costs for maids every day. 

A commercial cleaning company should follow standards set out by the EPA and other government regulatory agencies.  This helps ensure the safety of your employees and customers. 

Commercial Rate For Cleaning A Bathroom 

On average you should expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $61 to clean a bathroom. The hourly rate for cleaning a bathroom averages $50 to $60 an hour. IF you are only having a cleaning company, come to clean the bathrooms you may have a minimum for coming out. 

Some companies charge by the fixture. So, if you have a bathroom with two toilets and two sinks and the cost is $25 per fixture your cost would be $100. 

You might be charged by the job as much as $25 to $50 per restroom. 

What to expect a commercial cleaner to do when they clean your bathroom should include at least things. Bathrooms should be properly stocked with toilet tissue, hand soap, and hand towels. Trash removed and new liners put in them.

All dirt and grime should be removed from doors and other surfaces. Mirrors should be cleaned. All fixtures should be cleaned. Floors should be swept and mopped. Splash marks should be cleaned. 

Probably the most important factor when cleaning your bathrooms is proper sanitation. Sanitation is crucial to preventing diseases and germs from spreading. 

The Pricing Structure (Fixed Vs. Hourly Rates)

As far as commercial cleaning rates are concerned, there is no single flat or hourly rate for all cleaners. Some hourly rates are mandated by the state, just like minimum hourly wages for workers.

Some workers are certified to be experts in a particular field and may charge a higher rate.

If the scope of work includes extra jobs that have no regular schedule for their execution, the provider is likely to charge a premium rate on it.

Again, the following pricing structures for commercial cleaning will also impact the overall cost:

Commercial Hourly Cleaning Rate

Based on statistical findings, the standard cleaning rates in the industry today range between $30 and $35 per hour per worker.

Companies that charge by the hour may provide a free cost estimate based on a walkthrough and the number of hours they think it could take to clean a space.

This cost estimate can vary after the job is complete, and the time it takes to clean the same space may vary from cleaning to cleaning, affecting office cleaning prices

Flat Commercial Cleaning Rates

Some commercial cleaning companies charge a flat rate to clean a commercial space. Generally, they will do a site visit and walkthrough to determine how many employees will be needed and how long the job will take.

As you have learned above, the flat rate charged by every provider depends on several other factors.

For instance, it is dependent on the total square footage, type and number of rooms as well as the nature of cleaning required.

This being the case, there are two main flat rates being used in the industry today, the per square foot rate and the fixed monthly charge.

Examples of Monthly Cleaning Costs 

The much you will end up paying to have your commercial space cleaned will depend on the pricing structure used by your provider. It will also, to some extent, depend on the level of cleaning that is required.

To begin with, there are those providers that charge a flat monthly cleaning rate. With such a provider, to should expect to pay between $500 and $800 per month for a comparatively small office.

If yours is a larger office, the provider may charge you a flat rate of between $2,000 and $5,000 per month.

Others base their pricing on the square footage of the area to be cleaned.

With this commercial cleaning pricing structure, to should expect to spend between $.05 and $.20 per square foot. There are yet other cleaners that will bill you on an hourly basis.

With such providers, the standard industry rate is between $25 and $60 per hour.

Factors Affecting Commercial Cleaning Prices

One of the main factors that will affect the cost to clean your commercial building is the size. The bigger the building the more you will have to pay since many cleaners charge by the square foot. Even if they charge by the hour, it makes sense the bigger the building the longer it will take to clean it.

Types of Rooms 

What kind of rooms need cleaned can also impact the cost to clean.

Rooms like break rooms which tend to be high-traffic areas and may have spills and things of that nature to clean up may take a lot more time to clean than a private office where only a few people enter it in a day.

Other high-traffic rooms could be bathrooms and kitchens. 

Bathrooms tend to get very messy and sometimes even nasty with the use of more people.

It can also make a difference if the users are employees or customers off the street. Employees may try harder to keep it clean since they will need to use it again. Someone off the street may not particularly care since they are less likely to need to use it any time soon. 

Kitchens, where food is prepared or stored, will need refrigerators cleaned periodically to remove spoiled leftover food that employees may have left behind. Coffee makers and microwaves will need to be scrubbed down regularly. 

Some surfaces are harder to clean than others. For instance, a concrete floor of a shop may be able to be power washed.  A room where there are carpeted floors that need deep cleaning may need to be vacuumed to get up dirt and debris removed, then spots treated and removed from spills, and then shampooed to clean deep down not to mention furniture and equipment moved out of the way and then replaced back. You might even put a protected coating on such as a scotch guard to help prevent staining. So, it is easy to see why this would require a higher price per square foot.

On the other hand, buildings, where grease and other hazardous materials may get spilled even if they are concrete, may prove hard to get clean and require a much deeper approach to remove the grease and grime that has built up. Hardwood floors and tiles may need to be stripped and waxed. See our post about restaurant cleaning. 

Number of Windows 

Buildings with lots of windows can cost more to clean because of the extra costs of cleaning the windows. Multilevel buildings also can have added costs since it will take a crane or scaffolds to clean the outside of windows making it much more difficult and costly than a firs story office building. 

Commercial cleaners are often charged by the appliance to clean them. The average cost range is between $10 and $35 per appliance. The rooms themselves can make costs change. An office building with two kitchens will typically cost more than one with only one. 

Location can affect commercial cleaning costs. You should expect to pay more in areas where the supply of available commercial cleaners is much less than the demand. 

Distance To Your Location

Some companies may charge more if they have a long distance to travel to get to the building and might be considered when preparing a quote. Rising gas prices will affect the cost because they are a part of doing business and the further a company must travel may impact the rate they charge. 

Frequency of Cleaning

How often or the frequency you will need your commercial building cleaned may affect the rate you are charged. Some companies may give you a break if you are hiring them to come there several times a year because it may not get as dirty as otherwise.

Some providers will require you to sign long-term contracts of up to three years. These contracts will stipulate the number of times your space will be cleaned in a week or month for a certain price range.

As you will come to learn, this frequency of cleaning will impact the cleaning cost directly. The frequency of your cleaning will also make a difference in the cost of your cleaning service.

A daily clean will lead to more costs than a weekly clean, but depending on your premises and industry, you may need to clean at specified intervals.

One-Time Cleaning Costs More

Sometimes you hire a commercial cleaner to come in after a flood or a fire and these are times when it will take a commercial cleaner to come help restore your business.

A commercial cleaner knows how to get water damages cleaned up and smoke out of the carpet and upholstery. This kind of commercial cleaning is requiring in-depth work and will usually need a quote to get a closer estimate of the costs since no two circumstances are exactly alike. 

Sometimes businesses call in commercial cleaners after a large event, a job fair, or a convention. This can involve a lot of trash pickup and general cleanup, but the company just does not have the manpower to get it cleaned and back in order quickly without hiring extra people. A commercial cleaning company may come in and handle the excess or all the cleanup.

What Is Usually Included in Daily Commercial Cleaning Services? 

Included in the estimated $75.00 per hour or on average eleven cents per square foot are several things like keeping your reception area looking clean and inviting by making sure you have clean mats at the door and the carpet is vacuumed and all floors are swept and mopped. 

Surfaces should be dusted and disinfected. There should be no cobwebs or signs of any kind of insect. Trash should be emptied and properly disposed of, and trash liners replaced. Glass doors should be cleaned daily and any trash left lying around should be disposed of. 

Some commercial cleaners will give you a better rate if you have a rather large area to clean and might reduce your rate per square foot to as low as $0.04. The same company might charge a lot more for cleaning a building under 12,000 square feet by as much as $.06 per square foot more. 

Things to Consider When Hiring a Commercial Cleaner 

When choosing a commercial cleaning company there are a few other things to consider other than the cost to take into consideration so that it not only does not end up costing more but is an experience that works well for you both. 

Look at how long they have been in business. Are they an established company you can depend on to be there long term to meet your cleaning needs. It takes time to find a commercial cleaning company and that means money to you. Make sure they will not close up shop leaving you looking for a new company in a few weeks. 

Check out their reviews and reputation. Good reviews mean you can depend on them to do a good job which means you probably will not pay out more than they quoted you. 

Are they available when you need them? Can they handle the job? Do they have the people and time to meet your needs on your schedule?

• Construction Cleaning Cost 
• Restaurant Cleaning Cost

To Conclude

There are a lot of factors that will affect the costs involved with hiring a commercial cleaner to clean your building. Some of the most important cost considerations include the size of the building, the specific needs your business has, whether it is a regular scheduling or occasional cleaning you require, and the specific cleaning needs you wish to have.

Location, supply and demand, the rooms involved, what kind of flooring, and even how many windows you have can have an effect on the cost to hire a cleaner. However, the national average of about $75 an hour or approximately $0.11 per square foot will give you a good starting point.