Resources
Choosing a commercial cleaning company: what to ask and what to check
The right cleaning company is the one that understands your building before it prices it. Use these questions, document checks and reference calls to sort the candidates.
Get clear on your building first
Hiring goes faster when you can describe the job in a few sentences. Before you contact anyone, jot down the property type, the rough size, how many restrooms it has, the hours people are inside, and which rooms see the heaviest use. Add the floor types if you know them, plus anything unusual: a server room, a lab bench, a loading dock or a showroom.
Then decide what kind of service you are shopping for. Some buildings only need an evening crew a few nights a week. Others need someone on site during business hours as well, and the day porter vs. nightly janitorial guide walks through that choice. Knowing which you need keeps every conversation focused on the same work.
Settle one more thing internally: who makes the final decision and who will be the day-to-day contact. When facilities staff, the office manager and a property manager each have opinions, agree on them before the walkthroughs begin. Each company then hears one consistent description of the job, and you end up comparing quotes written for the same building rather than for three different listeners.
Questions for the first phone call
A short call tells you whether a company is worth a site visit. Ask questions that reveal how the work is run, not just what it costs:
- Will the same people clean our building each week?
- Who checks the work, and how often does that person visit?
- How do we report a missed task, and who answers?
- What happens when a regular cleaner is out sick?
- Who provides restroom paper, soap and liners?
- Who holds our keys and access cards, and how is the alarm handled?
Listen for specific answers. “A supervisor walks the building and checks it against the task list” is useful. A vague promise that everything will be taken care of gives you nothing to hold anyone to later.
Also notice the questions the company asks you. A provider that wants to know your hours, your floors and your busiest rooms is already thinking about how to do the job well.
Paperwork worth checking before anyone gets a key
Ask every finalist for a current certificate of insurance. Read it rather than filing it: the company name should match the business you are hiring, the policy dates should be current, and it should show general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. Many landlords and property managers set their own minimum limits, so check the lease or ask the building office what they expect to see.
Ask how cleaners are screened before they work in a client building, and whether the company is bonded. It is also fair to ask how long the typical cleaner stays with the company and how new people learn a building, since turnover shows up in your restrooms before it shows up anywhere else. Finally, ask how access is controlled once the crew has keys: who holds them, how they are logged and what happens to them if the service ends. A company that has answered these questions many times will answer them without hesitation.
Call the references instead of just collecting them
Names on a reference sheet only help once you actually call them. Ask for contacts at buildings similar to yours in type and size, because a company that handles a two-room suite well is not always set up for a multi-floor office, and the reverse is also true.
On the call, skip “Are you happy with them?” and ask questions that get specific answers:
- How long have you used them, and has the crew changed often?
- If a task got skipped, how long did the fix take?
- Do you hear from a supervisor, or only when you complain?
- Has the price or the task list changed since you started?
Two or three honest conversations usually tell you more than any brochure, and they show you how the company behaves once the service is under way.
Expect a walkthrough before a number
A reliable price needs eyes on the building. During a walkthrough, the estimator should look at every restroom, check the floor surfaces, ask where trash goes, note the entry points and ask about your hours and any rooms with special rules. Bring the person who knows the building best, along with a list of the things that bother you about the current cleaning.
Use the visit to test how well they listen. If you mention that the breakroom is a problem by 3 p.m., the written quote should address it. If the quote reads as though the visit never happened, take that as your answer. Every quote from Sage Commercial Cleaning starts with an on-site walkthrough, so the plan is built on your rooms and your hours.
Reading the quote: what belongs there, and what should give you pause
A useful quote lists the tasks for each area and how often each one happens, keeps periodic work such as floor scrubbing or carpet extraction on separate lines, states who supplies consumables and names the days and hours of service. With those pieces in place, you can lay several quotes side by side and see real differences. The cleaning cost guide explains what moves the number up or down.
Some signs deserve a follow-up question before you go further:
- A single monthly total with no task list behind it
- A price given over the phone without a visit
- Frequencies left blank or written as “as needed”
- No mention of who checks the work
- Pressure to sign before you have seen the insurance certificate
Each one leaves a gap you would rather close now than argue about later.
Plan the first month together
Once you choose, schedule a check-in walkthrough after the first week or two. Go room by room with the supervisor, compare what you see with the task list and adjust anything that does not fit how your building really runs. Small corrections early save months of frustration.
Keep one simple channel for feedback, such as a shared email thread or a log at the front desk, so notes reach the right person. If you would like to see how we handle all of this, request a walkthrough: every client receives a certificate of insurance, everyone on our crews is background-checked, and a supervisor inspects the work against your task list.
A few useful answers
Common questions.
How many bids are worth collecting?
For most buildings, three finalists strike a good balance. That gives you enough range to spot an outlier without spending weeks on walkthroughs, and it keeps reference calls manageable.
What should a cleaning company's certificate of insurance show?
The company’s legal name, the policy types such as general liability and workers’ compensation, the coverage dates, and the limits. Your landlord or building office can tell you which limits they want, and you can ask to be listed as the certificate holder.
Is the lowest bid a bad sign?
Not by itself. Line it up against the other quotes as the cleaning cost guide in our resources describes, and the reason for the gap usually shows.
What does Sage Commercial Cleaning put in writing before service starts?
After the walkthrough you receive a written quote that lists each task and how often it is done, with periodic work shown separately. Every client also receives a certificate of insurance.