What cleaning companies don't put in the quote.
Real numbers, real frequencies and the compliance documents you should be asking for. Written for facilities managers, practice managers and business owners in South East Queensland who are tired of comparing quotes that don't describe the same job.
How often should your site be cleaned?
| Site type | Core clean | Deep clean | Floors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office, 20+ staff | 5 nights/week | 6-monthly | Carpet 6-monthly |
| Office, under 20 staff | 3 nights/week | 6-monthly | Carpet annually |
| Retail shopfront | Daily | Quarterly | Scrub monthly |
| Medical practice | Daily + per session | Quarterly | Vinyl scrub quarterly |
| Childcare centre | Daily + 2× sanitise | Each school holidays | Carpet quarterly |
| Warehouse / DC | Amenities daily | 6-monthly | Ride-on weekly |
| Strata common areas | 2–3 visits/week | Quarterly | Lobby scrub monthly |
Indicative for South East Queensland sites. Humidity, foot traffic and floor type all move these numbers — a site walk is the only way to be sure.
Six things worth knowing before you sign.
What commercial cleaning actually costs in SEQ in 2026
Most South East Queensland offices land between $38 and $55 per hour, or $0.85 to $2.20 per square metre per month for a nightly service. The spread is driven by four things, not by how good the salesperson was.
The cleaning documents your auditor will ask for
A compliant contractor file has six items in it. If your cleaner can't produce all six within a day, that's the finding waiting to happen.
Why your cleaning contract fails in month four
Almost every failed contract follows the same curve: excellent for six weeks, drifting by week ten, unacceptable by month four. It's rarely the cleaner's fault — it's the handover that never happened.
How to write a scope you can hold a contractor to
A scope is a legal instrument, not a marketing document. Written properly it makes three quotes genuinely comparable and makes a dispute a five-minute conversation.
How often does your site actually need cleaning?
Frequency tracks occupancy and touch, not floor area. A 400m² office with 40 staff needs five nights a week; the same floor plate with 12 staff needs three.
In-house vs contract cleaning: the real comparison
An employed cleaner's wage is roughly 60 percent of what they actually cost you. Super, WorkCover, leave cover, equipment and management time make up the rest.
The three questions every quote should answer.
If a proposal doesn't cover these, it isn't comparable to the one next to it.
How often should a commercial site be cleaned?
Offices over 20 staff: five nights a week, because kitchens and amenities won't hold a day. Offices under 20 staff: three nights a week with a weekly amenity deep clean. Retail and food premises: daily. Medical practices: daily, with clinical rooms turned over after each session. Childcare: daily, with high-touch sanitisation twice per day. Warehouses: amenities daily, floors weekly to monthly depending on traffic.
What should a commercial cleaning scope of works include?
Every task, the area it applies to, and a frequency against it — daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Anything written as 'as required' cannot be audited and is where every dispute starts. The scope should also state which consumables are included, who supplies equipment, and what the response time is when something is missed.
What insurance should a commercial cleaner carry in Queensland?
At minimum $10 to $20 million public liability plus WorkCover Queensland cover for all employed staff. Ask for certificates of currency, check the expiry dates, and confirm the insured entity name matches the entity signing your contract — subcontracted labour is where that check usually fails.
What changes between Brisbane, the coast and the corridor.
Want these numbers applied to your site?
Book a free walk-through and we'll tell you what your building actually needs — even if it's less than you're paying now.