What Should Be Included in Office Cleaning?

You're hiring an office cleaning service in Saint John. You've gotten quotes from a few companies, but you're not entirely sure what you're actually paying for.

What should professional office cleaning include? What's standard vs. what costs extra?

Here's what should be part of regular office cleaning services in Saint John, Quispamsis, and Rothesay.

Standard Office Cleaning: What Should Be Included

When you pay for office cleaning, here's what you should reasonably expect every visit:

Desks and Workstations

Should be included:

• Desk surfaces wiped clean

• Computer monitors dusted (not moved)

• Keyboards dusted

• Phones wiped down

• Office chairs cleaned (seats, arms, backs)

• Under and around desks vacuumed

Your cleaners should be able to clean desk surfaces without you having to move everything off them. Basic tidying helps, but they should work around reasonable workspace items.

Bathrooms

Should be included:

• Toilets cleaned inside and out

• Sinks and counters sanitized

• Mirrors cleaned (no streaks or spots)

• Soap dispensers refilled and wiped

• Paper towel dispensers refilled and wiped

• Toilet paper restocked

• Partition walls wiped down

• All fixtures cleaned

• Floors swept and mopped

• Trash emptied

Bathrooms are high-priority areas. They should be thoroughly cleaned every visit, not just surface wiped.

Kitchen or Break Room

Should be included:

• Countertops wiped and sanitized

• Sink cleaned

• Outside of appliances wiped (microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator)

• Inside microwave cleaned

• Tables and chairs wiped down

• Floors swept and mopped

• Trash and recycling emptied

The inside of the microwave should be standard, not an add-on. It takes three minutes and it's clearly part of cleaning a kitchen.

Reception and Common Areas

Should be included:

• Reception desk and surfaces cleaned

• Waiting area furniture dusted

• All floors vacuumed or mopped

• Glass doors and partitions cleaned

• Magazines and materials straightened

Your reception area is the first impression clients get. It should be pristine every visit.

Conference Rooms

Should be included:

• Conference tables wiped clean

• Chairs cleaned

• Whiteboards wiped if marked

• All surfaces dusted

• Floors vacuumed or mopped

• Glass cleaned

• Trash emptied

Floors Throughout

Should be included:

• All carpeted areas vacuumed (including under desks and in corners)

• All hard floors swept and mopped

• Edges and corners cleaned (not just traffic areas)

• Entryways given extra attention (especially in winter)

Surface cleaning means hitting the middle of the room and skipping edges. Real cleaning means the entire floor, including corners and under furniture.

Throughout the Office

Should be included:

• All trash and recycling collected and removed

• High-touch surfaces sanitized (door handles, light switches, elevator buttons)

• Baseboards wiped or dusted

• Cobwebs removed

• Spot-cleaning walls where needed (fingerprints, marks)

What Typically Costs Extra

Some tasks are genuinely occasional and beyond regular maintenance:

Deep carpet cleaning - Full shampooing or steam cleaning is different from regular vacuuming

Window washing (exterior) - Interior glass should be standard, but full exterior window washing is seasonal work

High dusting above 10 feet - Standard dusting is included, but very high areas requiring special equipment may be extra

Deep appliance cleaning - Wiping exteriors is standard, but deep cleaning inside ovens or refrigerators is occasional

Floor stripping and waxing - For facilities with specialty floors requiring periodic deep treatment

Post-construction cleaning - Heavy-duty cleaning after renovations is different from regular maintenance

These are legitimate extras because they're infrequent tasks that don't need regular attention.

What Should NOT Be Extra

Some companies try to charge separately for tasks that should obviously be included:

Baseboards - They're attached to your walls and collect dust. Cleaning them should be standard.

Door handles and light switches - High-touch surfaces that need sanitizing every visit, especially post-COVID.

Inside the microwave - Part of cleaning a kitchen. Takes minutes.

Under desks - Real vacuuming includes under furniture, not just around it.

Cabinet fronts in kitchens - You touch them constantly. They get fingerprints and splashes. They should be wiped.

If companies charge extra for these basics, you're being nickel-and-dimed.

Questions to Ask About What's Included

Before you hire any office cleaning company in Saint John:

"Can you walk me through exactly what's included, room by room?"

Get specifics. Don't accept vague answers like "we'll clean your office thoroughly."

"Are baseboards, door handles, and inside the microwave included?"

These should all be automatic yeses.

"Do you clean under desks and in corners, or just traffic areas?"

Real cleaning means everywhere, not just the obvious spots.

"What tasks would cost extra?"

Understand what's occasional vs. what should be standard.

"How long will your team spend in our office?"

If they're quoting 30 minutes for a 2,000 sq ft office with 15 desks, they're not doing thorough work.

How to Tell If You're Getting What You Paid For

After your office has been cleaned:

Check the details:

• Are baseboards dusty?

• Are corners and edges of floors clean?

• Is there dust visible on surfaces?

• Do bathroom mirrors have spots?

• Does the microwave have food residue?

• Are there cobwebs still visible?

If basics are consistently missed, you're not getting thorough cleaning. You're getting surface work.

What Different Frequencies Include

Daily cleaning might include lighter maintenance (trash, bathrooms, high-traffic floors) with deeper tasks done less frequently

Weekly cleaning should include everything on this list every visit

Bi-weekly cleaning should also include everything, though you might notice more buildup between visits

The frequency affects how often you're cleaned, not what gets cleaned. All the basics should still happen every visit.

Supply and Equipment

Professional companies should provide:

• All cleaning supplies and chemicals

• All equipment (vacuums, mops, etc.)

• Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, soap)

You shouldn't have to supply anything. That's part of what you're paying for.

Special Requests and Customization

Good cleaning companies should be flexible:

"Can you focus extra on the bathrooms this week?"

"Our conference room gets heavy use on Thursdays, can it get extra attention Friday mornings?"

"We have a client visit Monday, can you make sure reception looks perfect?"

Reasonable requests should be accommodated, not treated as major inconveniences.

What's Reasonable to Prepare

Your team can help by:

• Keeping excessive clutter off desks

• Doing dishes in the break room

• General tidying of common areas

Your team doesn't need to:

• Pre-clean before cleaners arrive

• Clear everything off every surface

• Move furniture

Make surfaces accessible, but don't do the cleaners' job for them.

Get It in Writing

Before you sign anything:

Ask for a written scope of work that details exactly what's included.

Review it carefully. Make sure the basics we discussed are all listed.

Ask questions about anything that's unclear.

Get confirmation on what costs extra and what doesn't.

Having it in writing prevents misunderstandings later.

The Bottom Line

Standard office cleaning in Saint John should include:

✓ All desks and workstations thoroughly cleaned
✓ Bathrooms fully sanitized
✓ Kitchen/break room cleaned (including inside microwave)
✓ All floors vacuumed and mopped completely
✓ High-touch surfaces sanitized
✓ Baseboards dusted
✓ Glass cleaned
✓ Trash and recycling removed

Occasional extras that make sense:

• Deep carpet shampooing

• Exterior window washing

• Very high dusting

• Deep appliance cleaning

Things that should NOT be extras:

• Baseboards

• Door handles and light switches

• Inside microwave

• Under desks

• Cabinet fronts

If you're paying for office cleaning, you should get complete cleaning. Not surface work with basics treated as add-ons.

Know what to expect, ask the right questions, and make sure you're getting what you're paying for.

DayMaker Cleaning Co. includes everything on this list in our standard office cleaning service for Saint John businesses. No games, no add-ons for basics. Just complete, thorough cleaning every visit. Contact us to discuss what your office needs.