What's included in office cleaning?

Three levels, not one list

An office cleaning contract almost always has three parts: what is done at every visit, what is done periodically, and what is ordered separately. Misunderstandings are rarely about level one – they are about the customer assuming something sat in level one when it sat in level two or three.

Every visit

• Vacuuming and damp-mopping floors in corridors, offices and meeting rooms
• Wiping clear surfaces: meeting room tables, reception desk, window sills
• Kitchen and pantry: worktops, sink, the outside of appliances, inside the microwave
• Toilets: basins, WCs, mirrors, restocking paper and soap
• Bins and recycling emptied
• Touch points: door handles, light switches, stair rails

Desks are the most common boundary. Many contracts cover only clear desk surfaces – if papers and cables are on it, the surface isn't wiped. That isn't carelessness but a deliberate rule, because the cleaner shouldn't move someone else's work materials.

Periodically

• Window cleaning, often twice a year
• Floor care: polishing, waxing or deep cleaning depending on the flooring
• Dusting higher surfaces, vents, light fittings and the tops of cabinets
• Deep cleaning the pantry, inside the fridge, extractor filters
• Textile care: rugs and upholstered furniture

These should appear in the contract with an interval, not as an ambition. "Window cleaning included" without a frequency is not a commitment.

Almost always an extra

• Cleaning after renovation or building work
• Cleaning after a party, conference or event
• Washing coffee cups and emptying the dishwasher – a more common source of friction than you'd think
• Plants
• Server rooms and locked areas
• Outdoor areas, entrance steps, bike racks

Three points most often missing

1. Hours. Is cleaning done before, after or during the working day? Evening cleaning costs more but doesn't interrupt anyone.
2. Consumables. Who pays for toilet paper, soap and bin liners – you or the cleaning company? It should be written down, because it is a running cost.
3. Who does the work and how problems are handled. Regular staff or a new person each time, and who you call when something wasn't done. A contract with no named route for complaints works only as long as nothing goes wrong.

One note on RUT

The Swedish RUT deduction is a tax reduction for private individuals. A company buying office cleaning therefore cannot claim RUT for it – the cost is handled as an ordinary business expense instead. Worth knowing when you compare a home cleaning price with an office cleaning price: they are not comparable net of tax.

See companies taking on office cleaning work.