How often should an office be cleaned?

There is no single right answer to how often an office should be cleaned, but there is a right answer for your office. It comes down to how many people use the space, what they do in it and who else walks through the door.

Start with headcount and foot traffic

The more people in a space, the faster it gets dirty. As a rough guide:

• Small offices with up to ten people and few visitors often manage well with two or three cleans a week.
• Medium offices with shared kitchens and several bathrooms usually need a clean every working day.
• Customer-facing premises such as medical rooms, real estate offices and showrooms should be cleaned daily, because first impressions count.

Not every task needs the same frequency

A good cleaning scope separates tasks by how often they are needed rather than doing everything on every visit.

• Every visit: bins, bathrooms, kitchen surfaces, touchpoints and visible floor areas.
• Weekly: full vacuum and mop, glass doors and partitions, dusting of desks and ledges.
• Monthly: skirting boards, vents, high dusting and inside the microwave and fridge.
• Every three to six months: carpet extraction cleaning, window cleaning and a full deep clean.

Splitting the work this way keeps the standard high without paying for tasks that are not needed that day.

Signs your current schedule is not enough

If bins overflow before the cleaner arrives, bathrooms run out of supplies, or carpet in the walkways looks grey by Thursday, the frequency or the scope needs adjusting. The fix is often small, such as adding a midweek amenities check, rather than doubling the contract.

Getting it right for your site

The best way to set a schedule is to walk the site with someone who cleans workplaces for a living. Hawks Facilities Management offers a free site visit and written scope for businesses from Helensburgh to Nowra. See our commercial cleaning service or request a quote.