One of the most common questions businesses have when arranging commercial cleaning is: how often does our office actually need to be cleaned?
For most workplaces, there isn’t one correct answer. A small office with five employees may only require professional cleaning once a week or fortnightly, while a busy workplace with 30 employees, shared bathrooms and a frequently used breakroom may require cleaning two or three times per week.
The right commercial cleaning frequency depends on how your workplace is used.
How Many People Use the Workplace?
The number of employees using a workplace is one of the first things to consider.
More people generally means more foot traffic, more bathroom use, fuller bins and greater use of kitchens and breakrooms.
An office with only a handful of employees may remain reasonably clean for several days. An office with dozens of employees can look completely different after the same amount of time.
Don’t only consider employees either. If customers, contractors or members of the public regularly enter the premises, this additional traffic should be considered when determining your cleaning schedule.
How Often Should Office Bathrooms Be Cleaned?
Bathrooms are often the area that determines how frequently a commercial property needs cleaning.
A bathroom shared between four employees will require considerably less attention than facilities being used by 30 or 40 people every working day.
Toilets and urinals aren’t the only consideration. Sinks, taps, mirrors and floors can quickly develop visible marks and grime with regular use.
Consumables and waste also need to be considered.
If your bathrooms are noticeably dirty before the next scheduled clean arrives, increasing the cleaning frequency may be more effective than simply increasing the amount of work performed during each visit.
Consider Your Breakroom or Kitchen
The same principle applies to staff kitchens and breakrooms.
A kitchenette used primarily for making coffee may require relatively little maintenance. A breakroom where numerous employees prepare and eat lunch every day can accumulate food, spills and waste considerably faster.
Commercial cleaners can regularly attend to areas such as benchtops, sinks, taps, tables, floors and the exterior of commonly used appliances.
The objective should be to clean these areas frequently enough that significant grime doesn’t have an opportunity to accumulate between visits.
What Type of Flooring Does Your Workplace Have?
Flooring can make a major difference to cleaning frequency.
Carpeted offices generally require regular vacuuming, particularly around entrances and high-traffic areas. Hard flooring may show dirt, footprints and spills more noticeably and can require both debris removal and mopping.
Weather can influence this as well. Rainy conditions can result in considerably more dirt and moisture being tracked through entrances.
A commercial cleaner should consider the amount of foot traffic and the flooring material when recommending a cleaning schedule.
Once a Week vs Twice a Week
For many small and medium workplaces, weekly commercial cleaning provides a practical starting point.
A weekly service may be suitable when the premises have relatively low foot traffic, a small workforce and bathrooms that remain presentable throughout the week.
Moving to twice-weekly cleaning can make sense when bathrooms, floors, bins or breakrooms are becoming noticeably dirty before the next visit.
Instead of allowing the workplace to deteriorate throughout the week and performing one larger clean, two visits can maintain a more consistent standard.
When Does a Workplace Need Cleaning Three or More Times Per Week?
Higher-frequency cleaning is generally more appropriate for busy commercial premises.
This could include workplaces with larger teams, frequently used bathrooms, customer-facing areas or busy staff facilities.
For these businesses, cleaning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for example, can prevent long gaps between services.
Some high-traffic commercial environments may require daily cleaning.
What About Fortnightly Commercial Cleaning?
Fortnightly cleaning can work well for smaller, low-traffic workplaces.
An office with only a few employees, limited bathroom use and minimal customer traffic may not need a cleaner every week.
However, fortnightly cleaning becomes less suitable when employees are having to clean bathrooms, empty overflowing bins or maintain floors themselves between professional visits.
At that point, increasing the cleaning frequency can remove those responsibilities from staff.
Your Entire Office Doesn’t Need the Same Cleaning Frequency
This is something businesses can easily overlook.
Not every cleaning task needs to be completed every visit.
Bathrooms, floors, desks and breakroom surfaces may require regular attention, while tasks such as skirting boards, high dusting and detailed cleaning of less frequently touched surfaces might only need to be completed periodically.
A good commercial cleaning scope separates routine cleaning from periodic cleaning.
This can provide a better result without unnecessarily increasing the amount of cleaning performed every visit.
How Do You Know If Your Current Cleaning Schedule Isn’t Frequent Enough?
Look at your workplace shortly before your cleaner is due to return.
Are the toilets still presentable? Are bins overflowing? Is there food or grime accumulating around the kitchenette sink? Are floors visibly dirty? Are employees beginning to clean shared areas themselves?
If the workplace regularly falls below the standard you want several days before the next service, your current cleaning frequency probably isn’t sufficient.
The goal shouldn’t be for a workplace to become dirty and then be restored every cleaning day.
A good commercial cleaning schedule keeps the premises at a relatively consistent standard throughout the week.
Finding the Right Commercial Cleaning Schedule
Every workplace operates differently, which is why the best starting point is usually a walkthrough of the premises.
At Biz Clean Cleaning Service, we provide commercial cleaning throughout Newcastle, Maitland and the Hunter Valley. We assess areas such as office floors, bathrooms, breakrooms, workstations and customer-facing spaces before developing a cleaning scope suited to the workplace.
Depending on the size and usage of your premises, this could mean fortnightly, weekly or multiple services each week.
The objective is simple: establish a cleaning frequency that keeps your workplace consistently maintained without paying for unnecessary cleaning.
Walk in knowing it’s clean instead of wondering.
