Commercial cleaning is defined by a document, not by a category. Two providers can both say "full office cleaning" and deliver work that differs by a factor of two. Understanding the structure of a scope is what lets you compare them.
The every-visit list
These happen on every scheduled visit regardless of frequency. This is the part that keeps a building functional.
| Area | Every visit |
|---|---|
| Restrooms | All fixtures, partitions, mirrors, high-touch surfaces, dispensers restocked from your supplies, floors mopped, trash emptied |
| Break room or kitchen | Counters, sink, tables, chairs, appliance exteriors, microwave interior, trash and recycling |
| Entrance and reception | Entry glass, door hardware, mats, seating, floors, trash |
| Work areas | Hard surfaces wiped, trash emptied, floors spot-cleaned and traffic lanes vacuumed |
| Meeting rooms | Table, chairs, glass at hand height, floors, trash |
| Throughout | Light switches, door handles, handrails, visible spills, trash to the disposal point |
The rotating list
These do not need doing every visit but do need doing on a defined cycle. If a scope does not name them and say when, they will not happen, and the building degrades in ways nobody notices month to month.
- Weekly
- Full-floor vacuuming wall to wall, dusting of all horizontal surfaces, interior glass partitions, chair bases and casters.
- Biweekly
- Baseboards, door frames, under-desk floor areas, cabinet fronts, kitchen appliance detail.
- Monthly
- Air vent covers, light fixture surrounds, high dusting, window sills and tracks, trash bin washing.
- Quarterly
- Hard floor detailing, restroom tile walls and grout attention, refrigerator interior on an agreed date.
What a scope should also define
- Days of service and the time window
- Access: keys, codes, badges, alarm handling, security check-in
- Who supplies consumables and who restocks them
- Which areas are excluded or restricted
- The named contact on both sides
- What happens when something is missed, and in what timeframe
- How and when the scope gets reviewed
What is never included
These are separate trades with their own equipment, licensing and insurance. Any provider including them in a general cleaning scope is either subcontracting or overpromising.
- Carpet shampooing and hot-water extraction
- Hard floor stripping, sealing and refinishing
- Exterior window cleaning above ground level
- Kitchen exhaust hood and duct cleaning
- Grease trap service
- Pressure washing of forecourts, sidewalks and building exteriors
- Waste hauling beyond taking bagged trash to your disposal point
- Pest control, mold remediation and any hazardous material work
- Clinical or sterile-area cleaning in medical settings
How scope differs by facility
The structure above is universal; the weighting is not. A restaurant puts almost everything into dining floors and restrooms. A warehouse puts almost everything into offices and welfare areas. A school weights toward restrooms and surfaces at child height. A gas station is, functionally, a restroom cleaning contract with a store attached.
That is why commercial work is quoted per facility rather than from a table. How commercial pricing is built.