Janitorial cleaning frequency chart by office type
Frequency sets your visits per month, and visits set your labour hours. Agree on it in writing before you price.
Visits per week by building type (starting points)
These are common starting schedules, not standards. Every client's traffic, budget and expectations differ, so confirm the schedule on the walkthrough.
| Building type | Typical visits / week | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small office, under 15 staff | 1-3 | Light traffic, trash and restrooms are the main load |
| Mid-size office, 15-100 staff | 3-5 | Daily restroom and break room use |
| Medical / dental clinic | 5 (nightly) | Exam rooms and restrooms need cleaning after every patient day |
| Retail / showroom | 5-7 | Customer-facing floors and glass |
| Gym / fitness studio | 5-7 | Locker rooms and equipment touchpoints |
| Warehouse office / light industrial | 2-3 | Office area and restrooms only, plant floor usually excluded |
Task frequency chart (typical office)
| Task | Each visit | Weekly | Monthly | Quarterly / periodic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty trash and recycling | x | |||
| Clean and restock restrooms | x | |||
| Break room counters, sink, tables | x | |||
| Spot-clean entry glass | x | |||
| Vacuum high-traffic carpet | x | |||
| Vacuum all carpet, edges | x | |||
| Damp mop all hard floors | x | |||
| Dust desks (cleared areas), sills, ledges | x | |||
| Disinfect door handles, switches, rails | x | |||
| High dusting, vents | x | |||
| Wipe interior glass and partitions | x | |||
| Carpet extraction, floor strip and wax | x (price separately) |
Put a chart like this in your proposal. Most disputes in cleaning contracts are about who expected what, and how often.
Visits per month: use 4.33, not 4
A month has 52 / 12 = 4.33 weeks. Monthly visits = visits per week x 4.33:
| Schedule | Visits / month |
|---|---|
| 1x / week | 4.33 |
| 2x / week | 8.66 |
| 3x / week | 12.99 |
| 5x / week | 21.65 |
| 7x / week | 30.31 |
How frequency changes the price
Example: a site that takes 2.0 labour hours per visit, at a loaded wage of $20.40/hr. At 3x/week: 2.0 x 12.99 = 25.98 hrs = $530 labour a month. At 5x/week: 2.0 x 21.65 = 43.3 hrs = $883 labour a month. Then add supplies, overhead and margin as in the per-square-foot guide.
Don't assume hours per visit stay the same when frequency drops. With fewer visits, trash, restrooms and floors build up more between cleans, so each visit often takes longer. Time it on the walkthrough or on the first weeks of the contract, and set your production rates from real numbers.
Schedules and figures above are starting points and a worked example, not market rates or standards. Replace them with what you agree with the client and your own costs.
Run your numbers in the free calculator, or get the Bid Kit: room-by-room spreadsheet, 30-question site-walk checklist and 3 proposal templates.