Commercial cleaning guide
What does office cleaning cost in Peterborough?
Office cleaning is priced on hours, not on floor area. A contractor works out how long the agreed tasks take at the agreed frequency, multiplies by a charge rate that has to cover wages, employer costs, cover, equipment and supervision, and quotes a monthly figure. If you know how that build-up works, you can tell a properly costed quote from one that will be renegotiated in six months.
The arithmetic behind a monthly price
Almost every office cleaning quote in the UK is hours multiplied by a rate, presented as a monthly sum. The two numbers to interrogate are therefore how many hours and what the rate has to cover.
The hours come from the task list and the frequency. A 2,000 sq ft office with twelve desks, one kitchen and two WCs cleaned three evenings a week is a different hour count from the same office cleaned five evenings a week with the washrooms serviced daily.
The rate has to cover rather more than the cleaner’s wage. It carries employer’s National Insurance, pension contributions, holiday pay, sickness and holiday cover, training, insurance, equipment, consumables, supervision and the contractor’s margin. A rate that looks close to the minimum wage has not accounted for all of that, and something in the list is being skipped.
What drives the hours
Floor area, but less than you would think
Open-plan space is quick. The time goes into washrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms, reception, stairs and corridors — the areas with fittings, touchpoints and detail. Two offices with identical floor areas can differ by 40% in cleaning hours purely on layout.
Frequency
Daily, three times a week, weekly and fortnightly are genuinely different services, not the same service at different speeds. Lower frequency means more soiling has built up at each visit, so the hours per visit go up even as the total comes down.
Washroom provision
Washrooms are the highest-complaint area in any office and need the most consistent attention. Consumables, sanitary waste collection and servicing frequency should all be stated explicitly, not bundled.
Headcount and usage
Thirty people in a 2,000 sq ft office generate more soiling than eight. Hybrid working patterns matter too: three busy days and two quiet ones may justify a frequency that matches occupancy rather than the calendar.
Floor finishes
Carpet, vinyl, resin, timber and tile all need different routines and different periodic treatment. Periodic work such as carpet extraction or hard floor machine cleaning is usually quoted separately from the routine contract, and it should be.
Access hours
Out-of-hours cleaning is the norm and is priced normally. Early mornings, split shifts, weekends, key-holding and alarm responsibility all add cost.
Kitchens and breakout areas
A staffed kitchen with a dishwasher, a coffee machine and a daily lunch crowd needs daily attention. A kettle and a sink does not. Say which you have.
Why three quotes can differ by 40%
When quotes diverge sharply for the same building, it is nearly always one of these:
- Different hours assumed. One contractor priced 90 minutes a visit, another 150. Ask every bidder to state the hours
- Different task lists. Internal glass, high-level dusting, desk surfaces and kitchen interiors are commonly in one quote and out of another
- Consumables in or out. Toilet paper, hand towels, soap and bin liners can be a meaningful monthly sum
- Periodic work bundled or separate. Carpet cleaning and floor treatment included once a year versus quoted ad hoc
- Cover arrangements. Whether holiday and sickness cover is included or the visit is simply missed
- Employment model. Employed and supervised operatives cost more than self-employed labour booked by the hour, and behave differently on site
Normalising those six points usually collapses most of the apparent gap.
Making quotes genuinely comparable
Ask every bidder for the same four things:
- Hours per visit and visits per week, stated as numbers
- A task list by area and frequency, so daily, weekly and monthly tasks are separated
- What is excluded, written down
- Consumables and periodic work, priced separately so you can see them
If you already have a specification, send it to all three. If you do not, our commercial cleaning contract checklist sets out what a specification should contain, and how often an office should be cleaned covers frequency by area.
What else belongs in the price
Beyond the cleaning itself, a commercial contract should carry:
- Public liability, employers’ liability and professional indemnity cover, with certificates available
- DBS checks where the setting requires them
- Documented quality checks, and a named contact for escalation
- A clear position on key-holding, alarm codes and access
- COSHH information for the products used on your premises
- An agreed route for raising and resolving a problem
Local considerations in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire
Travel time is real cost. A contractor based locally can service a short evening visit economically; one travelling from further afield either prices that in or batches your building into a round that suits them rather than you. Ask where the operatives are coming from and whether you get the same people each week.
We are based in Deeping St James and work across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands, which is why we can quote short, frequent visits without the travel loading.
How we quote office cleaning
We survey the building, agree a written task list by area and frequency, and quote a fixed monthly price against it. The quote states the hours, the visits, what is included and what is not. Periodic work such as carpet extraction is priced separately so you can see it rather than discover it. Quoted prices are the final amounts payable.
See our commercial and office cleaning service, or send your postcode and a rough task list and we will come back with a figure.
Frequently asked questions
Is office cleaning priced per hour or per square foot?
Per hour, almost always, then presented as a monthly figure. Square footage informs the hour estimate but does not set the price on its own.
Should consumables be included in the contract?
Either works, as long as it is explicit. Including them is simpler to budget; excluding them makes the cleaning rate easier to compare. What causes disputes is leaving it unstated.
How often should a small office be cleaned?
It depends on headcount and washroom provision more than floor area. Many small offices work well on two or three visits a week with washrooms serviced on each visit.
What happens when our cleaner is on holiday?
Ask before signing. A contract with employed staff and planned cover maintains the visit. An arrangement built on a single self-employed cleaner usually does not.
Can we change frequency later?
Yes, and a sensible contract allows for it. Frequency changes should be re-priced against the same task list rather than renegotiated from scratch.
Get an office cleaning quotation
Send your postcode, rough floor area and the areas that need covering. We will arrange a survey and quote a fixed monthly price against a written task list.