Commercial cleaning pricing: how a flat monthly rate works
Commercial cleaning pricing usually comes hourly, per square foot, or as one flat monthly rate. A flat price is built from time per visit, visits per month on a 4.33-week basis, and supplies if included. Nights per week moves the price most, and five-week months cost the same.
Commercial cleaning pricing usually comes hourly, per square foot, or as one flat monthly rate. A flat price is built from time per visit, visits per month on a 4.33-week basis, and supplies if included. Nights per week moves the price most, and five-week months cost the same.
Commercial cleaning pricing comes in three common forms: by the hour, by the square foot, or as one flat monthly rate. All three start from the same inputs, but they land on your desk very differently. A flat monthly price is the easiest to budget for and the easiest to check against what you actually receive, which is why it has become the standard for recurring office cleaning.
This guide explains how each model works, how a flat monthly price is built, what moves it up or down, and what to look for in any cleaning quote.
Three ways commercial cleaning gets priced
Most quotes fall into one of these models. Each has a place, but they put different amounts of guesswork on the buyer.
| Model | How it works | What you see on the invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | A rate per cleaner hour, multiplied by time on site | A total that can shift each month with hours logged |
| Per square foot | A rate per square foot, per visit or per month | A number tied to size, with less connection to the actual work |
| Flat monthly | Time per visit and visits per month rolled into one price | The same amount each month for the same scope and schedule |
Hourly billing is common for one-time and project work, where the time involved is hard to predict. For a recurring office clean with a written scope, the work is known in advance, so the price can be too. Hourly billing also leaves you to verify time on site, which is hard to do for work that happens after everyone has gone home.
How commercial cleaning pricing is calculated each month
A flat monthly price isn’t a guess. It’s built from the same pieces an hourly quote uses, then rolled into a single number.
- Time per visit. The walkthrough sets how long a visit takes based on the space, the surfaces, and the tasks in the scope.
- Visits per month. Nights per week multiplied by 4.33, the average number of weeks in a month.
- Supplies, if included. Paper goods, soap, and liners only enter the price when restocking is part of the service.
- One monthly total. Those pieces combine into a single flat price that covers every visit in the month.
Time on site is the heart of that number. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics describes how janitors and building cleaners keep buildings clean, sanitary, and in good condition, and the hours that work takes in your space are what the walkthrough measures.
Square footage and time per visit both go into the estimate, but you never pay by the hour or by the square foot. You pay one flat monthly price.
Why five-week months cost the same
A calendar month has four or five of any given weekday. If you paid per visit, a month with five Mondays would cost more than one with four, and your cleaning bill would change from month to month for no reason tied to the work.
Take a Monday and Thursday schedule. Two nights a week times 4.33 comes to about 8.7 visits a month on average. Some months have 8 of those nights, and some have 9 or 10. Calculating on 4.33 weeks evens that out. Over a year, the visits balance, and the monthly price stays even across long and short months. For an office manager reconciling expenses, one predictable number beats a line item that moves.
What moves a flat monthly price up or down
Two offices of the same size can price differently. These are the factors that shift the number, roughly in order of impact.
Nights per week
The biggest lever. Each added night adds a full round of every-visit tasks, from restrooms and trash to floors and the entry.
Square footage
More space means more floor, more surfaces, and more time per visit, though layout and use count as much as size.
Restroom count
Restrooms are the most labor-heavy rooms in an office. Each one adds real time to every visit.
Floor types
Carpet vacuums quickly. Hard floors need sweeping and damp-mopping, and a mix of both adds steps.
Breakrooms and kitchens
Counters, sinks, tables, and appliance fronts get cleaned every visit, so a busy breakroom adds steady time.
Supplies
Restroom products only affect the price when you add restocking. Otherwise they stay on your own supply order.
The type of space plays a part too. Industrial shop offices and automotive waiting areas tend to take more time per square foot than a quiet professional office, while a showroom often takes a little less. Our guide to how often an office should be cleaned covers how to pick the right number of nights.
What’s included and what’s priced separately
A clear quote separates the base service from extras. With After Hours, every visit includes the standard scope:
- Trash emptied and liners replaced
- Restrooms cleaned and disinfected, dispensers refilled from your stock
- Door handles, switches, and shared touchpoints disinfected
- Clear desk surfaces dusted
- Carpet vacuumed, hard floors swept and mopped
- Breakroom counters, sink, and appliance fronts cleaned
- Entry glass cleaned and mats vacuumed
- A photo report texted after the visit
Recurring add-ons are priced on the walkthrough and listed separately, such as a quarterly deep clean, interior glass detailing, a scheduled refrigerator cleanout, blinds and lobby upholstery, or an extra visit before a big meeting. You can see the full list of add-ons in our commercial cleaning cost guide.
Getting a price before anyone visits
Many cleaning companies won’t share office cleaning pricing until after a sales call. After Hours publishes its price guide and an online estimate calculator, so you can see a realistic monthly range for your size, type of space, and schedule before you ever pick up the phone. Enter your square footage, choose your type of space, and pick a number of nights. The calculator returns a monthly range, a rough price per visit, and the number of visits per month, so you can compare schedules side by side.
The range is a reliable starting point. An exact bid needs a 10 to 20 minute walkthrough, and the flat monthly bid arrives within 24 hours, with the scope, nights, price, and start date on one page. The how it works page lays out each step.
How billing works
A flat price is only half of predictable pricing. The billing terms should be just as plain.
- Invoices go out on the 1st and are billed in advance for the month ahead.
- Your first month is prorated from your start date.
- Payment is due within 15 days, by ACH bank transfer, credit or debit card, or business check.
- Restocked supplies, if you use restocking, appear on the following month’s invoice.
- Service is month-to-month, and you can cancel with 30 days’ written notice.
Office cleaning pricing questions to ask
Use these to compare office cleaning pricing on equal terms, no matter how each one is structured.
- Is the price the same each month, or does it change with hours or visits?
- What exactly happens on every visit, and what happens weekly or monthly?
- Are paper goods and soap included, or billed separately?
- How are five-week months handled?
- Which add-ons cost extra, and how are they priced?
- How long is the agreement, and how much notice is needed to cancel?
- What happens when something in the scope gets missed?
If a quote can’t answer these clearly, the number on it is harder to trust. A written scope makes most of them easy, and our office cleaning checklist shows what one should include.
Common questions about commercial cleaning pricing
Do you charge by the hour or by square foot?
Neither. Square footage and time per visit go into the estimate, but you pay one flat monthly price.
Can I get a price without a walkthrough?
The ranges on the pricing page are a reliable starting point. An exact bid needs a 10 to 20 minute walkthrough, and it arrives within 24 hours.
Is restocking included in the price?
Only if you add it. Restroom supply restocking is an optional service, and supplies are itemized on your monthly invoice.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. Service is month-to-month, and you can cancel with 30 days’ notice.
Commercial cleaning pricing should be something you can check before you commit. Run your numbers in the estimate calculator, or request a quote for an exact flat monthly bid.
