Somebody in your business eventually has to answer for the cleaning line item, whether that is you, an office manager, or whoever signs off on operating costs each month. The trouble is most pricing pages only answer half the question. They will tell you a rate per hour or per square metre, but not what that number actually needs to cover, or whether outsourcing beats keeping cleaning in house.
This guide is built for that decision, not just the number. It breaks down what office cleaning really costs once every factor is accounted for, compares hiring your own cleaner against using a commercial provider, and separates pricing by the type of clean you actually need rather than treating every visit the same.
How Much Does It Cost to Clean an Office?
Office cleaning generally costs $45 to $65 per hour for smaller offices, or $0.08 to $0.15 per square metre for larger commercial premises, which usually works out to $250 to $500 per month for a small office and considerably more for larger or daily-serviced sites. A one off deep clean typically costs more per visit than a standard maintenance clean, since it covers tasks like carpet extraction and detailed sanitising that a regular visit does not include.
In-House Cleaning Versus Outsourcing: The Real Cost Comparison
This is the decision most businesses actually need to make before pricing even matters, and it is rarely as simple as comparing one hourly wage against another.
Hiring your own cleaner. The wage itself is only one part of the cost. Add superannuation, leave entitlements, equipment purchase and maintenance, cleaning supplies, insurance, and the time someone on your team spends managing and covering for absences. A single part-time cleaner on the books often ends up costing more per hour of actual cleaning delivered than an outsourced provider once you factor all of this in, and there is no backup if that person is sick or leaves.
Using a commercial cleaning company. You pay a quoted rate that already includes wages, equipment, supplies and insurance. There is no gap in coverage if a cleaner is unavailable, since the company manages staffing internally. The trade-off is less day to day control over exactly who shows up, though a good provider will keep the same technician or team on your site consistently.
For most small to medium offices, outsourcing is simpler and often cheaper once you properly account for the hidden costs of an in-house hire. Larger organisations with dozens of staff and multiple sites sometimes find a hybrid approach works, with a small in-house team handling daily basics and an outsourced provider covering deep cleans and specialist work.
Office Cleaning Costs by Type
Not every clean costs the same, and lumping them together is where budgets go wrong. Here is how the main types typically break down.
Regular maintenance cleaning. The ongoing service most offices book weekly or several times a week, covering desks, bins, kitchens, bathrooms and floors. This is the $45 to $65 per hour, or $0.08 to $0.15 per square metre, range most pricing pages quote, and it makes up the bulk of most cleaning budgets.
Deep cleaning. A more intensive service typically booked quarterly or a few times a year, covering carpet extraction, internal window cleaning, upholstery cleaning and detailed sanitising of areas a regular visit does not fully cover. Expect a noticeably higher price per visit, though the frequency is far lower, so the annual cost impact is smaller than the per-visit number suggests.
One-off cleans. Covers situations like moving into a new office, preparing for a big client visit, or an end of lease clean on a commercial tenancy. Priced as a standalone job rather than part of an ongoing contract, generally higher per visit since there is no ongoing relationship to build efficiency from.
Post-event or occasional cleans. A single extra visit after an office event, conference or busy period. Usually quoted on the spot based on scope, and cheaper to add onto an existing contract than to book as a completely separate arrangement.
What Actually Drives Your Final Number
A handful of factors matter more than office size alone when a quote comes in higher or lower than expected.
Frequency. More frequent cleaning costs more overall but less per visit, since a well-maintained office takes less time to clean than one that has built up a week of mess.
Scope. A basic desk, bin, and bathroom clean costs less than one that also includes kitchen detailing, internal glass, and high touch point sanitising. Always check exactly what is included before comparing two quotes.
Industry. Medical practices and similar regulated environments typically cost more due to stricter hygiene requirements, regardless of office size.
Access and building type. A CBD high-rise with lift access and security checkpoints generally costs more to service than a standalone suburban office.
A Simple Way to Budget for Office Cleaning
Start with your office size and decide roughly how often it genuinely needs cleaning, rather than guessing. A busy client-facing office usually needs more frequent attention than a quiet back office few people visit. Get a written quote based on an actual site visit rather than a phone estimate, and ask for the regular maintenance rate and a rough deep clean rate separately, so you can budget for both across the year rather than being surprised when a deep clean is needed.
As a general planning figure, budget your regular maintenance cost as the bulk of your monthly spend, then set aside a smaller allocation every quarter for a deep clean, rather than treating deep cleaning as an unplanned extra expense when it eventually becomes obvious the carpet or windows need attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to hire a cleaner or use a cleaning company?
An individual cleaner can look cheaper on an hourly basis, but once you factor in wages, leave cover, equipment, and insurance, an outsourced commercial cleaning company is usually more predictable and often more cost-effective overall.
How much should a small business budget for office cleaning each month?
A small office cleaned two to three times a week typically needs a monthly budget of around $250 to $500. Larger offices or those on a daily schedule should budget considerably more, often into the low thousands.
Does the cost of office cleaning scale directly with office size?
Roughly, though not perfectly. Larger offices sometimes get a slightly better rate per square metre, while smaller offices may pay a minimum call-out fee regardless of size.
What is included in a high clean price versus a regular clean?
A regular clean covers desks, bins, kitchens, bathrooms and floors. A deep clean adds carpet extraction, window cleaning, upholstery cleaning and detailed sanitising, which is why it costs more per visit but is needed far less often.
Should I budget for cleaning as a fixed monthly cost or a variable one?
Most businesses find a fixed monthly cost easier to manage, based on an agreed regular schedule, with deep cleans and one-off jobs budgeted separately as occasional additions rather than folded into the same number.
Conclusion
The real cost of cleaning an office isn’t just the hourly or per square metre rate quoted on a website. It includes deciding between in house and outsourced cleaning, understanding that regular maintenance and deep cleaning are priced differently for good reason, and budgeting for both year-round rather than reacting when a deep clean becomes unavoidable. A written quote based on an actual site visit, broken down by cleaning type, is the fastest way to turn a rough guess into an actual number you can plan around.
Want a proper written quote for your own office, broken down by regular and deep cleaning costs? Ms Clean provides commercial office cleaning across Adelaide, South Australia. Call 0480 321 027 or visit the office cleaning Adelaide page for a free quote.
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Ms clean Au
Address: 71 Alexandra Street, Prospect, SA-5082
M : 0480 321 027
E-Mail: contact@msclean.au
