What a commercial cleaning estimate is for
Commercial clients compare cleaning bids line by line, and the bid that wins is often the one that makes the scope clear: which tasks happen nightly, which weekly, which monthly, and who supplies paper. An estimate that sets out the frequencies and the periodic floor care up front avoids the classic dispute about whether carpet cleaning was included.
What to put on a commercial cleaning estimate
- The building, square footage and number of restrooms.
- Nights per week and the hours of service.
- Nightly, weekly and monthly tasks, separated.
- Periodic floor care, priced separately.
- Who supplies consumables.
- Access, keys and security requirements.
- Monthly price and contract terms.
A worked example
A 12,000 sq ft office with four restrooms, a break room and mixed carpet and tile, cleaned five nights a week. The client wants floor care priced separately.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly janitorial service | 22 | visit | Your price |
| Restroom cleaning and restocking | 4 | room | Your price |
| Break room cleaning | 1 | room | Your price |
| Interior glass and entry doors, weekly | 4 | visit | Your price |
| Floor strip and wax, quarterly | 2,000 | sq ft | Your price |
| Consumables, paper and soap | 1 | month | Your price |
The quantities are for one month. Put the scope by frequency in the notes; janitorial bids are usually compared on that list, not just the monthly price.
Line items commercial cleaning companies use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly janitorial service | visit | Per night; list the tasks in the scope. |
| Restroom cleaning and restocking | room | Per restroom; say who supplies paper and soap. |
| Trash and recycling removal | visit | To the building's dumpster. |
| Vacuum carpeted areas | sq ft | Or include in the nightly visit. |
| Mop hard floors | sq ft | Lobbies, kitchens, restrooms. |
| Break room and kitchen cleaning | room | Counters, sinks, appliance exteriors. |
| Floor strip and wax | sq ft | Periodic; priced separately. |
| Carpet extraction | sq ft | Periodic deep clean. |
| Interior glass and entry doors | visit | Fingerprints on doors and partitions. |
| High dusting | visit | Vents, ledges and light fixtures, periodic. |
| Consumables, paper and soap | month | If you supply them; otherwise the client does. |
| Day porter | hour | On-site cleaner during business hours. |
Terms and deposit language for commercial cleaning
- Deposit. Commercial contracts rarely take a deposit; some take the first month in advance from new clients.
- Payment. Billed monthly, often net terms set in the contract; say the due date and late fee if any.
- Warranty. Quality complaints are reported to a named contact and corrected on the next visit or sooner.
- Keys, alarm codes and access badges are signed out and returned at the end of the contract.
- Staff are background checked if the client requires it; say so in the scope.
- Price is reviewed yearly or when the square footage or scope changes.
How to fill it in
- Put in your business details once; this browser keeps them for every template.
- Fill in the customer and the job.
- Change the line items to fit this job and add your prices.
- Set tax, the deposit and the good-until date.
- Print to PDF, download Word or CSV, or send it from Koira.
Free tools for commercial cleaning
The same estimate for other trades: appliance repair, auto detailing, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, concrete, drywall, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, gutter, handyman, hvac, irrigation, junk removal, landscaping, lawn care, locksmith, moving, painting, pest control, plumbing, pool service, pressure washing, remodeling, roofing, septic, snow removal, solar, tree service, waterproofing, window cleaning.