Office cleaning cost in Canada depends on how many labour hours your building needs each month. That number comes from the size and layout of the space, how often people use it, how many washrooms and kitchens it has, and what the floors are made of. Two offices with the same square footage can end up with very different quotes.
Below you will find what moves a quote, how companies write one up, and what to check before you sign. Our consultations start with a walkthrough of the building, and you can book a free consultation to get one.
What drives office cleaning cost in Canada?
Labour is usually the largest part of any cleaning quote, so every factor below comes back to time. The more work a crew has to do in a visit, and the more visits you want, the higher the cost.
Floor area and layout
Start with the approximate floor area, then confirm which rooms are in scope. An open-plan floor, a suite of small rooms and an office spread over three storeys all need different cleaning routes. Stairs, furniture and restricted-access areas slow a crew down. Name anything excluded, such as tenant-controlled rooms, secure storage or areas another contractor handles.
Staff numbers and daily use
An office that is full five days a week is a different job from a hybrid one that sits empty on Mondays and Fridays. Visitors matter too. A busy reception area needs more attention than a boardroom used twice a week. Tell the cleaning company how the space is really used and let them build the schedule around it.
Washrooms and kitchenettes
These two rooms take more time than their size suggests. For washrooms, say what is covered: fixtures, floors, waste, and who supplies soap and paper. For kitchenettes, separate wiping appliance exteriors from cleaning inside microwaves and fridges. Dishes and food left behind by staff should be discussed, not assumed.
Cleaning frequency
Daily, three-times-weekly and weekly service lead to different monthly budgets. Halving the visits does not always halve the cost, because more work builds up in between. Tasks can also run on different schedules. Washrooms and waste may need attention every visit, while partition glass or high dusting can wait for a periodic visit.
Floor types and condition
Carpet, tile and vinyl each need their own method. Routine vacuuming and mopping are one job. Carpet extraction and floor stripping or refinishing are another, and they are often quoted separately. Ask the company to identify each surface and recommend a treatment before you add these jobs to the budget.
Access and working hours
Tell the company when the crew can get in and how. Alarm codes, key pickup, elevator access and parking limits all affect the plan, and so does a short gap between the last person leaving and the building reopening. Raise these early so the quote reflects them.
Your location
Office cleaning cost in Canada also varies by province, because wage rules differ. The same office can be quoted differently in Toronto and Winnipeg for that reason alone. Everest works in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Winnipeg, Kitchener–Brantford, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. If you are in Vancouver, our guide to office cleaning in Vancouver has more local detail.
Three example offices, three different office cleaning quotes
These offices are made up. None is a real client. They show how one cleaning company can reach very different quotes depending on the building.
A small office cleaned three nights a week
Eight desks, one washroom, a kitchenette and mostly carpet. The crew is in and out quickly, and most of the work is vacuuming, bins and the washroom. The quote is short because the scope is short.
A hybrid office that fills up midweek
Forty desks, but only half are used on most days. Monday and Friday are quiet and Wednesday is packed. A flat nightly schedule would clean empty rooms, so a sensible quote adds visits midweek and trims them at the edges.
A multi-floor office with a staffed reception
Three floors, a lobby, a boardroom level, two washroom banks per floor and a mix of carpet and tile. The crew spends most of its time on washrooms and the lobby, and the quote has to cover supervision across all three floors.
Same company, same standards, three different scopes. That is why a quote written without a walkthrough is a guess. Your own office cleaning cost in Canada depends on which of these offices yours resembles most, and a walkthrough settles it.
How do cleaning companies structure an office cleaning quote?
Some companies quote by the hour. Ask whether the hours belong to one cleaner or the whole crew, because two cleaners working two hours is four labour hours. Others charge a fixed fee per visit for an agreed list of tasks, which suits offices with steady needs. The third option is a monthly fee for a fixed schedule.
The monthly fee needs the most scrutiny. It tells you little until you can see the visit frequency, routine tasks and periodic work behind it. Ask how statutory holidays and office closures are handled, and what happens when you add a visit or need extra work after an event.
What a good office cleaning quote spells out
Vague wording is the thing to watch. A line like full office cleaning leaves every real decision for later. A good quote names the details:
- Which rooms and surfaces are cleaned on every visit
- Which jobs happen weekly, monthly or on request
- Who supplies soap, paper and cleaning products
- How often the crew visits
- Who supervises the work and fixes missed tasks
- How extra visits and extra work are approved and billed
- Whether GST/HST is included (see the CRA’s GST/HST guidance for businesses)
Your office cleaning service agreement should match the areas your team uses and the tasks your building needs. For a room-by-room scope, see our commercial cleaning checklist for offices.
Extras that are often added to an office cleaning quote
Check whether the quote includes any of these:
- Carpet extraction or spot treatment
- Floor stripping and refinishing and other specialist floor care
- High-level dusting
- Interior or exterior window cleaning
- Refrigerator and appliance interiors
- Post-renovation cleanup
- Extra visits after events
Some companies fold these into a planned program. Others bill each one separately. Get the frequency and billing basis in writing so you can budget for routine and periodic work together. Not sure which floor job you need? Read carpet cleaning vs floor waxing.
Warning signs in an office cleaning quote
- A line such as full cleaning with no task list
- No stated visit frequency or schedule
- No mention of supplies, equipment or supervision
- No walkthrough before the quote arrived
- Reluctance to put extras in writing
Any one of these can be fixed with a question. If the company will not answer it, that tells you something too.
How to compare office cleaning quotes fairly
Send every company the same building details and the same task list, then compare line by line. We would rather you do that than choose by total alone, because a quote that looks light often leaves things out. A proposal with five visits a week, washroom restocking and interior glass cleaning is not comparable with one that has three visits and neither.
Cost matters, but so do supervision, communication and experience with your kind of building. Our guide to choosing a commercial cleaning company covers the rest, and what commercial cleaning includes explains nightly work versus extras.
How to keep office cleaning fees under control
Savings usually come from a clearer schedule, not a thinner one. Tell the company which areas are busiest and which barely get used. Agree how staff should leave their desks. Report changes in headcount.
If the office is quiet on certain days, ask for a task-specific schedule: lighter attention in rarely used rooms, the same routine for washrooms, kitchens and entrances. Revisit the scope whenever the business changes. A new hire, an extra floor or more client visits can make an old plan wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Is a monthly contract better than hourly billing?
Not automatically. A monthly fee is easier to budget and compare when every task is listed. Hourly billing suits needs that change week to week. Test both against the same task list.
How do I get an accurate office cleaning quote for a 5,000-square-foot office?
Square footage alone will not do it. Share your washroom count, floor types, staff numbers, preferred schedule and access rules, then ask for a walkthrough before the quote is final.
Can I change the schedule after I sign?
Often, but ask before signing. Find out how much notice is needed and whether a change in scope changes the monthly fee.
Does an office cleaning quote include GST/HST?
Ask, and get the answer in writing so you can compare proposals on the same basis.
Get an office cleaning quote for your workplace
Office cleaning cost in Canada is easiest to pin down once someone has seen your building. Bring your approximate floor area, location, staff numbers, washroom count, floor types and preferred schedule. Mention access restrictions and any specialist services too. Book a free consultation and we will walk the space, then send a cleaning plan with a defined scope and schedule.
