What Is Included In Office Cleaning?
What’s Included in Office Cleaning?
Office cleaning is the routine cleaning of a workplace: bins, bathrooms, kitchen, desk and shared surfaces, floors, and glass at hand height. It is a recurring service delivered to a written scope, usually outside business hours, and it is distinct from one-off deep cleaning or specialist work like carpet extraction.
What separates a good office cleaning contract from a bad one is not the task list — it is how clearly the contract states what is not included.
Included as standard, every visit
- Bins emptied and liners replaced, waste taken to the building’s collection point
- Bathrooms cleaned and sanitised, consumables restocked
- Kitchen benches, sink and appliance exteriors cleaned
- Desks and shared surfaces wiped and sanitised
- Carpeted traffic areas vacuumed; hard floors dust-mopped and spot-mopped
- Glass doors and internal glazing spot-cleaned at hand height
- Reception and meeting rooms reset
Full task list by frequency: office cleaning checklist.
Schedule your office cleaning appointment right away.
Included, but weekly or monthly rather than every visit
- Full hard-floor mop including edges
- Skirtings, sills and ledges dusted
- Partition glass cleaned in full
- Fridge and microwave interiors
- High dusting — tops of partitions, cable trays, vents
How often each of these should happen: how often should an office be cleaned.
Usually quoted separately
These are legitimate services, but they are not part of a routine office cleaning price. If a quote looks unusually cheap, check whether these were assumed out:
- Carpet steam cleaning
- Hard-floor strip and seal
- Internal window cleaning above ground level, and all external glass
- Upholstery and workstation screen cleaning
- Post-construction or builders cleaning
- End-of-lease and make-good cleaning
- Waste removal beyond normal office volumes
Almost never included
Worth knowing before you assume otherwise:
- Personal items on desks — most contracts require a clear desk to clean it
- Fridge contents — cleaners will clean an empty fridge, not throw out staff food unless agreed
- Dishes left in the sink — usually loaded into a dishwasher, not hand-washed
- IT equipment interiors — screens and keyboards are wiped externally only
- Plants, aquariums, coffee machine descaling — specialist tasks, separately quoted
- Anything above safe reach without a height-access plan
What to check before signing
- Is the task list in the contract? If the scope only exists in an email, it is not a scope.
- Which tasks are every visit, and which are periodic? This is where most disputes start.
- Are consumables included? Toilet paper, hand soap and paper towel are a real monthly cost.
- Who supplies equipment and chemicals?
- What happens if a clean is missed or substandard? There should be a stated remedy.
- Is there a lock-in term and an exit clause?
- Is the same team assigned to your site? Rotating staff is the main cause of quality drift.
- Insurance certificates — supplied on request, before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What does office cleaning consist of?
Bins, bathrooms, kitchen, desks and shared surfaces, floors and glass at hand height, done to a written scope on a recurring schedule. Deep cleaning tasks like carpet extraction are usually quoted separately.
What is office cleaning?
Office cleaning means the routine, recurring cleaning of a workplace to an agreed scope — as opposed to one-off deep cleans or specialist services.
What is the difference between office cleaning and commercial cleaning?
Office cleaning is one type of commercial cleaning. Commercial covers any business premises — warehouses, medical centres, retail, gyms — while office cleaning refers specifically to workplace environments.
Does office cleaning include the kitchen and bathrooms?
Yes, both are standard on every visit. If a quote excludes either, that is unusual and worth querying.
Is cleaning the fridge included?
Exterior yes, interior usually weekly if scheduled. Removing staff food is not included unless you ask for it in writing.
Do office cleaners bring their own supplies?
Usually yes, including chemicals and equipment. Consumables such as toilet paper and hand soap may be included or billed separately — confirm which.
Should the cleaning scope be part of the contract?
Yes. A scope written into the agreement is the only way to verify the work. If a cleaner will not put the task list in writing, that is the answer to your question.
Want a written scope for your site before you commit? See our office cleaning services in Sydney or call 02 9188 5449.
