Should you outsource your office cleaning?
Outsource office cleaning when it's taking time from people you hired to do other work, when it gets done unevenly or not at all, or when the office has grown past what one person can keep up with. Keep it in-house only if the office is small, someone actually owns the job, and the place looks the way you want on an ordinary Tuesday.
What are the signs it's time?
- The office manager is wiping the microwave and restocking paper towels between real work.
- The kitchen and the restrooms look fine Monday and rough by Thursday.
- Someone senior has started "just doing it themselves."
- Clients visit and you find yourself apologizing for the conference room.
- The carpet near the door is a different color from the rest.
- You've added people or space, and the old routine hasn't changed.
Two or more of those and it's worth getting a quote.
How does in-house compare with outsourced?
| In-house | Outsourced | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does it | Staff, between their own work | Cleaning professionals, on a schedule |
| Supplies and equipment | You buy and store them | Agree in writing who supplies what |
| When someone's out | It doesn't get done | Ask the company how they cover it |
| Insurance | Your own policies | Ask for their certificate of insurance |
| Consistency | Depends on who's in that week | Set by a written scope you agree on |
Outsourcing doesn't fix everything on its own. A company with no written scope can be as patchy as a busy office manager. The scope is what makes it work.
Why does a clean office matter to the people in it?
Nobody does their best work next to an overflowing bin and a sticky coffee counter. A clean office is one less thing for people to work around, and one less thing for the person who notices it to stew about.
It also matters for anyone walking in. Clients and candidates see the entry, the conference room and the restroom, and those three rooms say a lot about how the rest of the business runs.
And shared surfaces spread germs. Daily cleaning of the kitchen, the door handles and the restrooms is the part of office hygiene a schedule handles better than good intentions. Our guide to keeping office germs down lists the touch points.
What should you ask a cleaning company?
Before you sign anything, ask:
- Can I see your certificate of insurance?
- How are your cleaners screened?
- How do you handle keys, fobs and alarm codes?
- What's in the written scope, and how often is each task done?
- Who supplies the cleaning products, paper goods and trash liners?
- How do I report something that was missed, and what happens next?
- Who is my contact, and how do I reach them?
Get every answer in writing. A good company is glad you asked.
How do you write an office cleaning scope?
Walk the office with a notepad and list:
- Every area: entry, workstations, private offices, conference rooms, kitchen, restrooms, storage, stairwells.
- The tasks for each area, like trash, surfaces, glass, floors, restocking.
- How often each task happens: daily, weekly or monthly. The kitchen and restrooms need more than the storage room.
- The square footage and the number of people.
- Access: when cleaners can get in, and how.
- Special care: wood conference tables, electronics, medical or lab areas.
If you're in a multi-tenant building in Center City, University City or a suburban office park, ask the building whether its janitorial covers your suite or only the lobby, elevators and common areas.
How do you get started?
Write the scope first, even a rough one. Then look at our office cleaning page and request a quote for Commercial Cleaning with your scope, square footage and the number of people.
FAQ
When should a business outsource office cleaning? When cleaning is taking time from people hired to do other work, when it gets done unevenly or not at all, or when the office has grown past what one person can keep up with. A tiny office where someone owns the job and keeps it up may not need to.
What should I ask a commercial cleaning company? Ask for a certificate of insurance, how cleaners are screened, how keys and alarm codes are handled, what the written scope covers and how often, who supplies what, and how you report something that was missed. Get the answers in writing.
What goes in an office cleaning scope of work? Every room or area, the tasks for each, and how often each task happens: daily, weekly or monthly. Add the square footage, when the cleaners can get in, who restocks supplies, and any surfaces or equipment that need special care.
Request a quote
Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Request a quote at phillyscleanteam.com/request-a-quote, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.
