7 min read · Updated September 2026
Daily tasks
- Empty all waste and recycling; replace liners
- Vacuum carpeted areas including traffic lanes and under desks where accessible
- Dust-mop and damp-mop hard floors
- Wipe and disinfect touch points: door handles, switches, railings, elevator buttons
- Clean and disinfect washroom fixtures, sinks, toilets, urinals, and partitions
- Restock washroom and kitchen consumables
- Clean kitchen and breakroom counters, sinks, tables, and appliance exteriors
- Spot-clean entrance glass and reception surfaces
- Set the reception and boardroom areas to a presentable state
Weekly tasks
- Detail dust workstations, ledges, sills, and low horizontal surfaces
- Damp-wipe interior glass partitions and door glass
- Machine-scrub or buff hard floors as needed
- Descale washroom fixtures and polish chrome
- Clean and disinfect telephone handsets and shared equipment surfaces
- Detail baseboards and corner accumulation in high-traffic corridors
Monthly tasks
- Dust vents, diffusers, and light fixtures within reach
- Detail chair bases, legs, and under-desk areas
- Clean interior windows and window frames
- Deep-clean kitchen appliances including microwave interiors and fridge exteriors
- Spot-clean carpet stains and treat traffic lanes
- Clean stairwells, railings, and back-of-house corridors in detail
Quarterly and annual tasks
- Hot water extraction carpet cleaning in offices and corridors
- High dusting of beams, ducts, sprinkler heads, and elevated fixtures
- Strip and refinish or scrub-and-recoat resilient flooring
- Exterior and hard-to-reach window cleaning
- Upholstery cleaning on soft seating in reception and lounges
- Full washroom deep clean including grout and partition detailing
How to turn this into a scope of work
Take the checklist area by area — reception, open floor, private offices, boardrooms, kitchen, washrooms, corridors, stairwells — and assign each task a frequency for that specific area. A boardroom used twice a week doesn't need the same schedule as a call floor with 60 people on it.
Then attach the total labour hours per visit. Hours are what actually determine whether the checklist gets completed; a scope without hours is a wish list. Ask every bidder to quote against this same document, and the price comparison becomes meaningful.
Auditing your current cleaner
Walk your space at 8:30 in the morning with this list in hand and check the categories that fail most quietly: washroom fixture scale, kitchen sink and appliance interiors, glass smudges at entrance height, dust on ledges above eye level, and carpet traffic lanes. Those five tell you within ten minutes whether the contracted hours are actually being worked.
Frequently asked questions
What does an office cleaning service include?
Standard nightly service covers waste removal, vacuuming and mopping, washroom cleaning and restocking, kitchen surfaces, touch-point disinfection, and entrance glass. Periodic work like carpet extraction, high dusting, and floor refinishing runs on a separate cycle.
How often should an office be professionally cleaned?
Offices with daily staff presence usually run five nights a week. Hybrid workplaces often move to two or three nights matched to their busiest days, with washroom service on every visit.
Should cleaners clean employee desks?
Most scopes cover clear surfaces only — cleaners wipe what's accessible and don't move personal items or papers. Some companies run a quarterly 'clear desk' night so full detail cleaning can happen.
How do I know if my cleaners are doing everything?
Ask for a written scope with hours per visit and inspection reports. Then spot-check the quiet failures: washroom scale, kitchen sinks, ledge dust, and carpet traffic lanes.