Office Cleaning Cost Guide

Understanding Office Cleaning Costs

When budgeting for professional commercial cleaning services, understanding office cleaning services costs per square foot is essential. Clean, sanitary workspaces impact productivity, employee well-being, and your brand image by reducing the spread of germs and supporting a healthier environment.

But how much should you expect to pay for professional office cleaning? Office cleaning is usually priced either by the square foot or by the hour, and understanding both models helps you compare quotes fairly. Per-square-foot pricing gives a transparent way to estimate the total cost for your specific footprint, while hourly pricing helps you understand how labor time and scope translate into your final invoice. By combining both views; space-based and time-based, you can build a realistic cleaning budget that aligns with your standards, staff traffic, and business goals.

Factors That Influence Office Cleaning Prices

Not all offices are the same, and neither are their routine cleaning costs. Here are the main variables that affect cleaning rates and why they matter when you plan your budget.

1. Office size and layout

The larger your office space, the more time and resources are needed. Open-plan layouts are typically easier to clean than spaces with many separate rooms or cubicles because there are fewer tight corners, doors, and partitions to work around. In practice, this means a 5,000-square-foot open office may cost less per visit than a 5,000-square-foot space broken into many small offices, even though the total area is the same. Efficient layouts also allow cleaning teams to move faster with equipment such as vacuums and floor machines, which can help keep your per-square-foot cost toward the lower end of the range.

2. Location of the office

Offices in larger cities or high-demand business areas often have higher rates due to increased labor and operational costs. Wages for cleaning staff, building operating costs, and even parking or access constraints can all drive pricing up in urban centers compared with smaller towns.

Local market competition also plays a role; in some regions, strong demand and limited supply of reliable cleaners can push rates higher even for basic services. When comparing quotes, it is helpful to keep regional labor norms in mind so you understand whether a price reflects fair pay and professional service or unusually low-cost labor.

3. Frequency of cleaning services

A daily cleaning schedule will cost more than a weekly visit, but frequent cleaning can reduce the intensity of each clean, sometimes balancing out the cost. High-traffic offices, shared workstations, and busy restrooms benefit from more frequent service because dirt and germs build up quickly. For some businesses, a hybrid approach works best, such as light daily cleaning paired with a deeper weekly or monthly service, to keep appearance, hygiene, and costs in balance. By adjusting frequency seasonally or as staff numbers change, you can fine-tune your cleaning budget without sacrificing workplace standards.

4. Type of cleaning services required

Basic janitorial cleaning includes dusting, vacuuming, and trash removal, which form the foundation of most office cleaning packages. If your office requires carpet cleaning, window washing, or floor polishing, these will increase the price because they demand more time, equipment, and specialized products. Periodic tasks like stripping and waxing hard floors, high-level dusting, or deep bathroom descaling are usually priced separately from routine maintenance. Mapping out which services you need daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly helps avoid surprises and ensures quotes reflect your true requirements.

5. Business type and usage

Offices with high foot traffic, shared kitchen spaces, or client-facing environments may require more frequent or intensive cleaning. Professional services firms, medical administration offices, call centers, and coworking spaces can have very different risk profiles and expectations, even at the same size. If your brand relies on client visits and first impressions, you may prioritize spotless lobbies, conference rooms, and restrooms more heavily than low-traffic back-office areas. Understanding how staff and visitors actually use your space helps your cleaning provider design a scope that targets the most critical zones.

6. Special requests and standards

Using eco-friendly products, scheduling after-hours cleaning, or including high-touch disinfection can add to the overall cost. Green cleaning options might involve certified low-toxicity chemicals and specific processes that support indoor air quality and sustainability goals. High-touch disinfection of surfaces like door handles, elevator buttons, and shared equipment requires extra time and product, but it can significantly support health and safety in busy offices. After-hours or overnight service also carries a premium in many markets because it requires staffing outside standard daytime shifts.

Office Cleaning Cost Breakdown

Let’s look at what you can typically expect to pay based on per-square-foot pricing and hourly rates, using common structures in office environments.

Per-square-foot pricing

For standard office cleaning, costs generally fall between $0.10 and $0.25 per square foot, depending on the factors listed above. At the lower end, you will usually find straightforward spaces with basic cleaning needs and modest traffic, while the upper end reflects complex layouts, higher standards, or added services.

Example:
If your office is 5,000 square feet and the rate is $0.18 per sq ft per visit, your total cleaning cost per session would be:

• 5,000 sq ft × $0.18 = $900 per visit.

If you schedule two visits per week, that is roughly eight visits per month, bringing your estimated cleaning spend to about $7,200 per month (8 × $900), assuming four weeks in the month.

Office size and average price range

These sample bands show how per-square-foot office cleaning rates often scale by size.

These ranges reflect typical economies of scale, where larger sites can sometimes secure lower per-square-foot rates due to more efficient cleaning routes.

Hourly rates for office cleaning

If priced by the hour, most cleaning companies charge between $40 and $60 per hour per cleaner, depending on the region, scope, and required expertise. This model is often used for one-off jobs, deep cleans, move-in or move-out services, or highly customized scopes where task time can vary.

Example:
A typical cleaning team of two working for 2.5 hours might cost:

• Low end: 2 cleaners × 2.5 hours × $40 = $200 per visit.

• High end: 2 cleaners × 2.5 hours × $60 = $300 per visit.

If your office needs three such visits per week, your monthly cost could fall between roughly $2,400 and $3,600, assuming about 12 visits per month.

Cost by Type of Office Cleaning Service

Different service levels are often priced at different per-square-foot rates so you can tailor your plan to your space.

Here is how common office service levels typically compare on a per-square-foot basis:

• Basic cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, bins): $0.10–$0.15 per sq ft.

• Deep cleaning (floors, windows, bathrooms): $0.15–$0.22 per sq ft.

• Carpet cleaning: $0.20–$0.35 per sq ft.

• Floor waxing and polishing: $0.30–$0.50 per sq ft.

• High-touch disinfection add-ons: $0.08–$0.15 per sq ft on top of standard cleaning, often applied to targeted zones like restrooms and shared workstations.

Mixing and matching these services allows you to design a plan that protects high-visibility areas while managing costs in low-traffic zones.

How to Save on Office Cleaning Costs

Here are a few tips to manage cleaning costs while keeping your office aligned with health and safety expectations.

Practical cost-saving strategies

• Bundle services to get better rates from your cleaning provider, especially if you need multiple locations or supplemental services like carpet or window cleaning.

• Choose the right frequency; balance cleanliness with budget by increasing service in busy seasons and scaling back slightly when occupancy drops.

• Prioritize high-traffic areas during off-peak cleanings so that shared spaces, restrooms, and reception areas always look their best.

• Request a custom quote based on your actual needs instead of fixed packages, so you are not paying for services that are not essential for your type of office.

• Review your scope and walk-through checklist with your provider periodically to remove redundant tasks and focus effort where it has the most impact.

Why Work With a Professional Office Cleaning Provider

with a professional office cleaning provider, the team understands the importance of a clean workspace for both health and brand perception. Their specialists focus on tailored office cleaning solutions that meet your facility’s specific needs and budget, rather than one-size-fits-all packages.

Ziva Cleaning Services offers transparent pricing, reliable scheduling, and high-quality standards across every cleaning visit, so you always know what is being done and when. Whether you manage a small office or a large corporate space, they help you maintain a healthy and productive environment by focusing on both appearance and hygiene. Professional cleaning also supports compliance with workplace expectations around sanitation and cleanliness, which are increasingly important to employees and clients.

Need a Quote for Office Cleaning?

If you're looking to hire a trusted and experienced office cleaning provider, Ziva Cleaning Services is ready to help. You can request a free custom quote today, or explore more of our commercial cleaning pricing guide.