How to choose a commercial cleaning company.

What should a commercial cleaning proposal include?

A task list by frequency, the cleaning window, supplies, access, quality checks, exclusions and terms, all tied to one price for that scope.

Proposals with different task lists aren't comparable, whatever the totals say, so line them up by scope first. Ours start from our cleaning checklists; how our quotes work explains the rest.

Ten questions to ask on the walkthrough

Ask them out loud, note the answers, then check that the written proposal says the same thing.

1. Who will clean, and will it be the same people? Listen for a named crew or lead who learns your building, and a promise to tell you before it changes. A new face every week is the most common reason service drifts.
2. Who supervises, and how often? Listen for scheduled inspections you can join, not "we spot-check", one named contact who answers, and a short written note after each inspection.
3. How do I report a miss, and how fast is it fixed? Listen for one channel (text, email or a form), a reply time and a fix-by commitment. "Just call us" with no timeline isn't a process.
4. How are keys and alarm codes handled? Listen for coded key tags that never show your name or address, a key log, and a separate alarm code for each cleaner, so your alarm history shows who came and went. Codes should change hands in person or by phone, never by text or email. Ask what happens if a key goes missing.
5. Who supplies paper and soap? Either arrangement works if it's in writing. Also ask which chemicals they'll bring: OSHA's Hazard Communication standard expects an employer whose chemicals could expose other employers' staff on a shared site to give them access to the safety data sheets (29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(2)).
6. Can I see your COI, with my company as certificate holder? The right answer is yes, quickly. Check that the named insured matches the company on the proposal and the policy dates are current.
7. Do you carry workers' comp? In Virginia, a business with more than two employees regularly employed in the state must carry it, and part-time workers count (Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission). If cleaning is part of your own business, as when a general contractor hires a cleaning sub, Virginia's statutory-employer rule can make you answerable for a subcontractor's uninsured workers (Va. Code § 65.2-302).
8. Are your cleaners background-checked, and to what scope? Ask who runs the checks, what they cover and how far back, and whether everyone on your site is included, owners and fill-ins too. Expect a written attestation, not the reports: under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, an employer needs the worker's written authorization before getting one (FTC). Churches with children's areas and medical practices often have their own screening rules; mention them on the walkthrough.
9. How do I end service? Listen for a notice period in days, notice by email, and no penalty for ending. More on agreement terms below.
10. What isn't included? Listen for a specific list. Usual janitorial exclusions: regulated medical waste and sharps, biohazard cleanup, mold or lead work, pest control, kitchen hoods, exterior windows above ground level, and hauling.

Insurance paperwork, explained

A certificate of insurance shows that coverage exists. It doesn't extend that coverage to you. An endorsement on the policy does.

• Certificate of insurance (COI)Usually an ACORD 25 form from the cleaner's agent, listing policies, carriers, dates and limits. It says it's issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights on the certificate holder. Check your exact legal name, the dates, and that the named insured is the company you're hiring.
• Additional-insured endorsementThe policy change that extends the cleaner's liability coverage to you for claims arising from its work. Common forms: CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) and CG 20 37 (completed operations). Leases often add a waiver of subrogation (CG 24 04) and primary and non-contributory wording (CG 20 01). Blanket versions apply wherever a written contract requires them, so a COI can go out quickly.
• Workers' compensationCovers the cleaner's workers if they're hurt on your site. See question 7 for Virginia's rules.
• Janitorial bondA third-party fidelity bond that can reimburse you for theft by the cleaner's employees. Read the conditions: many janitorial bonds pay only after an employee is convicted. It's optional, though some offices and practices require one.

Limits belong on the certificate, not on a website. Compare them with what your lease or contract requires, and ask your own agent if you're unsure. General information, not insurance or legal advice.

Medical and dental offices: two more things to settle

Agree in writing on who cleans what, and on how patient privacy is protected.

Who cleans what. Your clinical team usually keeps clinical surfaces, exam tables and dental chairs, between-patient disinfection, sharps and regulated waste. The cleaner takes the waiting room, restrooms, offices, breakroom and floors. Where a cleaner's workers could reasonably be expected to contact blood or other infectious materials, OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard applies to their employer. OSHA leaves it to each employer to decide which tasks involve exposure (OSHA interpretation, 1992), so ask how the cleaner made that call.

Privacy. HHS says janitorial services generally aren't business associates under HIPAA, because any contact with protected health information is incidental (HHS FAQ 243). What you want instead is a confidentiality agreement and clear habits: papers never read, moved or photographed, screens left alone, records rooms kept locked.

Red flags

One of these is worth a second look. Two or more usually means keep looking.

• A firm number before anyone has seen your space. It's a guess, and guesses get corrected later, usually by cutting time on site.
• A vague scope: "general cleaning", "as needed", no frequencies.
• A long lock-in, an automatic renewal you have to catch in time, or a penalty for leaving.
• No clear answer on keys and alarm codes.
• No COI, or one for a different company name than the proposal.
• "We can do everything." Remediation and cleanup of contaminants such as mold or lead is contractor work under Virginia's licensing law (Va. Code § 54.1-1100), not janitorial work.
• A quote far below the others for the same scope. The difference usually comes out of the hours on site.
• Slow replies before you've signed. They rarely get faster after.

What should the agreement say about ending service?

Look for service you can end with written notice, price changes only with advance notice, and a way to cancel that's as easy as signing up.

• Term. Month-to-month is simplest. If a fixed term renews automatically, calendar the cancellation deadline the day you sign.
• Notice. How many days, and how it's given. Email should be enough; you shouldn't have to call and be talked out of it.
• Price and scope changes. In writing, ahead of time, with a reminder of how to cancel.
• Hiring the cleaner's staff. Some agreements restrict you from hiring their workers directly. Read that clause before you sign.
• Payment terms. When invoices go out and when they're due.

Virginia's automatic renewal and continuous service law covers many small businesses, not only households (Va. Code § 59.1-207.45). It calls for clear terms before you agree, a copy you can keep, notice before a material change, and a way to cancel at least as easy as signing up (§ 59.1-207.46). Ask your attorney how it applies to your agreement.

How do you switch cleaners without a gap?

Give notice the way your current agreement requires, line up the new cleaner before the old one's last visit, and hand over the scope, not just the keys.

1. Check your notice period. Find the clause, send notice the way it says, and keep a copy.
2. Walk the space with new cleaners while the old one is still working. Compare proposals calmly, not in a scramble.
3. Write down what's been missed. Those items become the first lines of the new scope.
4. Start the new cleaner the day after the last visit. No gap, no double night.
5. Collect every key, fob and badge. Delete the old crew's alarm codes and change any door codes. Rekey if a key is missing.
6. Hand over access in person, and log every key and code you issue.
7. Walk the space after the first week. Adjust the checklist while it's fresh, then check in monthly.

The full sequence, with a notice-letter template, a key and code handoff checklist and a plan for the changeover week, is in switching commercial cleaners without a gap.

A printable checklist

Take it to each walkthrough and check each proposal against it.

Print this checklist