Office cleaning prices range from $0.05–$0.25/sqft in 2026. See exact janitorial rates by building type, frequency, and square footage — plus how to bid and win commercial contracts.
Office cleaning pricing is more complex than residential — and more profitable. Commercial cleaning contracts are typically larger, more consistent, and stickier than residential clients. But the bidding process is also more competitive, more technical, and less forgiving of pricing mistakes. This guide gives you the framework to bid office cleaning jobs accurately and win them profitably.
Office cleaning rates in 2026 range from $0.05 to $0.25 per square foot, with most office contracts landing between $0.07 and $0.15/sqft depending on cleaning frequency, building type, and scope of work. For a 10,000 sqft office building cleaned nightly, that's $700–$1,500 per month — or $8,400–$18,000 per year from a single contract.
Use the commercial cleaning bid calculator as your starting point, then apply the modifiers and strategies in this guide to build bids that are competitive and profitable.
Not all office spaces are created equal. Cleaning rates vary significantly by building type, use, and density.
General office / professional (law firm, accounting, tech): $0.07–$0.12/sqft. Low foot traffic relative to size, mostly hard surface floors or carpet, minimal specialized cleaning needed. Most profitable per-hour category for cleaners.
Medical offices: $0.12–$0.20/sqft. Higher standards, biohazard protocols, more frequent disinfection, specialized products. Requires trained staff and higher liability coverage. Higher rate is justified and customers expect to pay it.
Retail / showroom: $0.08–$0.15/sqft. High foot traffic, window cleaning often included, more frequent floor maintenance. Weekend cleaning often required.
Industrial / warehouse: $0.03–$0.08/sqft. Large open areas with basic cleaning needs. Lower per-sqft rate but efficient to clean. Best when you have a ride-on floor machine.
Restaurant / food service: $0.15–$0.35/sqft. Grease, daily deep cleaning of kitchen, health department standards. Highest per-sqft rate in commercial cleaning. Never underbid a restaurant.
Educational / childcare: $0.10–$0.18/sqft. High disinfection standards, frequent cleaning required, seasonal variation. Typically cleaned daily or every other day.
Commercial cleaning frequency is the biggest driver of total contract value — and it significantly affects your per-sqft rate.
Daily cleaning (5× per week): Your rate per visit is lowest because homes are maintained and each visit is efficient. But weekly and monthly totals are highest. Most large offices (5,000+ sqft) require daily cleaning.
3× per week: Common for medium offices (2,000–5,000 sqft). Per-visit rate is slightly higher than daily because there's more accumulation between visits.
Weekly: Appropriate for low-traffic offices. Per-visit rate is highest because accumulation between visits is significant. Don't underprice weekly cleans.
Monthly specialty services: Window washing, floor stripping and waxing, carpet shampooing, high-dusting. These are add-on revenue streams on top of your base contract. Price them separately.
Step 1: Get the square footage. Walk the space and measure if needed — don't rely on the prospect's estimate. Confirm the cleanable square footage (exclude storage areas, mechanical rooms, and areas not included in scope).
Step 2: Estimate production rate. For standard office cleaning, 2,500–3,500 sqft per hour is a typical production rate for one cleaner with basic equipment. Medical and restaurant environments are 1,000–2,000 sqft per hour. Adjust for density, number of bathrooms, and floor type.
Step 3: Calculate labor hours per visit. Divide cleanable sqft by production rate. A 10,000 sqft office at 3,000 sqft/hr requires 3.3 labor hours per visit.
Step 4: Apply your fully-loaded labor cost. Hourly labor cost (wage + taxes + benefits) plus overhead allocation gives you your cost per visit.
Step 5: Add your profit margin. Target 20–35% net margin on commercial contracts. Divide cost by (1 - target margin) to get your minimum price per visit.
Step 6: Calculate monthly and annual contract value. Multiply per-visit price by frequency to get monthly. This is what you present in your proposal.
The commercial cleaning bid calculator automates steps 1–5. Use it to sanity-check every commercial bid you send.
Supply costs typically run $0.01–$0.02/sqft per visit for standard office cleaning. That's $100–$200/month in supplies for a 10,000 sqft office cleaned daily. Build this into your price from the start.
Equipment costs are where new commercial cleaners often underestimate. A commercial upright vacuum runs $200–$400. A commercial backpack vacuum (faster and better for large offices) runs $400–$800. A floor buffer or autoscrubber for hard floors runs $1,500–$8,000. These capital costs need to be amortized over your contract base.
If you don't have commercial equipment, your production rates will be lower and your labor cost per sqft will be higher. Factor this into your bid, or invest in equipment that lets you hit professional production rates before pursuing large commercial contracts.
The office cleaning sales process is different from residential. You're typically presenting to a facilities manager or office manager who is accountable for cleanliness to their leadership. They care about reliability, consistency, and accountability — not just price.
A winning commercial cleaning proposal includes: your company background and insurance certificates, scope of work with specific frequencies (what areas, how often, what products), a clear pricing breakdown (per visit, per month, per year), references from similar commercial accounts, and your quality assurance process (how you ensure consistent results).
Insurance is a filter before you even get to pricing. Minimum coverage for commercial cleaning: $1M general liability, $500K workers' comp. Medical offices often require $2M GL. Have your certificates ready to email before any commercial prospect asks.
After winning a commercial contract, protect it. Show up on schedule every time. Report issues proactively. Conduct regular quality checks. Commercial clients renew year over year if you deliver consistent quality. Losing a commercial client to a competitor is entirely avoidable.
Your base office cleaning contract is the foundation. Specialty services on top of it can double or triple your per-account revenue.
Floor care (strip and wax / burnish): $0.15–$0.40/sqft annually. Quarterly or semi-annual service on vinyl and hard surface floors. High-margin with specialized equipment.
Carpet cleaning: $0.15–$0.30/sqft per cleaning. Annual or bi-annual deep carpet extraction. Most office carpets need cleaning 1–2× per year.
Window cleaning: $2–$8 per pane interior/exterior. Quarterly to annual depending on location and appearance standards.
Post-renovation or construction clean: $0.15–$0.30/sqft. When tenants move or renovation projects complete, they need specialized cleaning before reoccupation.
Disinfection services: $0.05–$0.15/sqft per application. Electrostatic or fogging disinfection became standard in many offices post-pandemic and remains a consistent add-on service.