Office Deep Cleaning: What Is It and Why Do You Need It?

By Jared Sarbit

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Keeping clean should not be limited to your home! A clean working environment makes a huge impact on the success of your business and the health of your employees. While it is important to maintain daily tasks like taking out the garbage and wiping down desks, a regular deep cleaning of the office is also a good idea. A deep clean removes harmful elements such as allergens, dust, mold and other germs to help maintain a pleasant and hygienic working environment. This will keep your employees happy, healthy and more productive!

So what is a deep clean?

Basically a deep clean involves a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all office nooks and crannies that are often overlooked. This includes (but is not limited to):

Flooring

All furniture should be removed for a thorough vacuuming of carpets and scrubbing of floors. No edges or corners should be missed!

Anywhere dust accumulates

These include all the places you may not think to clean, or don’t get cleaned daily. Dust and harmful particles can accumulate on hard to reach places such as tall cabinets, ledges, vents, door frames, etc. and should be thoroughly wiped down. Also, all baseboards, window blinds and even decor needs to be attended to.

Walls

Walls should be cleaned of any visible spots or dirt and also inspected for damp or mold.

Touch Points

Disinfecting touch points, such as light switches, door knobs, key pads, computer mice, elevator buttons, telephones, and any other common place that is often touched require a proper disinfect, with proper chemical and dwell times.

Kitchens

The insides and outsides of all cupboards need to be wiped down and organized. Also, appliances like the fridge and microwaves should be moved to clean behind and underneath, as well as inside.

Bathrooms

While bathrooms should of course be regularly maintained, they should be cleaned more intensely during a deep clean. There’s not much worse than a gross bathroom! Any walls and floors should be scrubbed down, much like the rest of the office space. Not only do the toilets need to be cleaned, but also the surrounding areas such as the walls around and behind them. Sinks and chrome taps should be checked for any scum or limestone buildup. Any doors, dryers, etc. will need a wipe down.

Windows

Along with any coverings, the windows themselves will need to be cleaned on both the inside and outside.

How often should an office be deep cleaned?

You should aim to deep clean the office at least once a quarter, but this can depend on factors such as the type of business and the number of employees.

There is nothing like a clean office to provide a welcoming space for your employees. It sends the message that you value their time and safety, which is why a regular deep clean, combined with daily maintenance, cannot be overlooked. While shutting down for a deep clean might seem like a pain, the best way to ensure a good quality job is to hire a professional office cleaning service. This will save time and give you the security of knowing you are in a clean, germ-free working environment.

Cost Calculator

What Is In-House Cleaning Really Costing You?

Adjust the four numbers below to see your true annual in-house cleaning cost, an estimated cost range with Picture Perfect Cleaning, and what you'd save by making the switch.

Current in-house staff cost

Annual wages plus benefits for your cleaning staff

Supply and equipment costs

Annual spend on products, tools, and machine upkeep

Management oversight time

Hours per week spent scheduling and supervising cleaning

hrs/wk

Sick days or missed shifts

Average per cleaning staff member, per year

days/yr

Your Cost Comparison

True In-House Cost

Est. PPC Cost Range

$0 – $0

Estimated Annual Savings by Outsourcing

Based on the average of your PPC estimated range

Get a Custom Quote and See Your Savings →

Estimates are based on average commercial cleaning rates across Alberta and typical management and coverage costs. Your actual quote depends on square footage, service frequency, facility type, and scope of work. Request a custom quote above for an exact number.

The Hidden Cost of In-House Cleaning

A wage comparison only tells part of the story. Here’s what usually gets left out:

Wages and Benefits

Payroll is usually the first number people look at when they think about cleaning costs, but it rarely tells the whole story. Supplies, equipment, manager oversight, scheduling headaches, and the inevitable sick days all add up over time. By the time you account for everything, the true cost of keeping cleaning in-house can look very different from what’s on the payroll report. That’s exactly what our cost comparison tool is designed to help you see, along with what outsourcing might save.

Supplies and Equipment

Cleaning products, paper goods, vacuums, floor machines, and the replacement parts that keep them running all add up over the course of a year. Businesses that clean in-house often buy retail-grade supplies at retail prices because they don’t have access to the commercial pricing that a cleaning company gets from its suppliers. Equipment also breaks down, and replacing a vacuum or floor buffer every few years is a cost that rarely gets planned for in advance.

Management Time

Somebody has to schedule shifts, check the quality of the work, order more supplies when they run low, and step in when something gets missed. That’s real time pulled from a manager’s actual job, and it rarely gets assigned a dollar value, even though it should. If a facilities manager or office lead spends even a few hours a week on cleaning oversight, that’s time not spent on the parts of their role that actually move the business forward.

Absenteeism and Coverage Gaps

Sick days and missed shifts are part of running any team. When they happen, the work still has to get done, which usually means paying someone else to cover the shift or accepting that some tasks will have to wait. Over the course of a year, those extra costs can become surprisingly significant. There’s another effect that’s harder to measure, too. When cleaning is inconsistent, people notice. Employees notice it, clients notice it, and visitors notice it, even if they couldn’t tell you exactly why the space feels different.

Cost Category	What It Covers
Wages & Benefits	Annual pay for in-house cleaning staff
Supplies & Equipment	Products, tools, and machine upkeep
Management Time	Hours spent scheduling and supervising
Absenteeism	Missed shifts and last-minute coverage

Why Outsourcing Often Comes Out Ahead

Once you’ve seen your own numbers, the reasons behind the gap start to make sense.

Predictable Pricing

A cleaning company quote covers labor, supplies, and equipment on a single line. You know what you’re paying before the work starts, and that number doesn’t shift because someone called in sick or a vacuum broke down. Budgeting gets easier when the cost of cleaning is a single line item rather than four separate ones scattered across payroll, supplies, and management time.

No Coverage Gaps

When a member of an in-house cleaning team calls in sick, someone on your staff has to figure out what happens next. With a professional cleaning service, that responsibility shifts to the provider. If a cleaner is unavailable, arranging a replacement is part of the service, so your team isn’t left scrambling to fill the gap.

Accountability Built In

Picture Perfect Cleaning holds COR certification and provides regular service reporting, so you can see what’s being done and when, without spending your own hours checking on it. That’s the management time most in-house teams never get back. Our team also uses EcoLogo- and Green Seal-certified products, so you’re not trading cost savings for a lower cleaning standard.

Get Your Custom Quote

Wages are only one line in what in-house cleaning actually costs. Once you add in supplies, the hours a manager spends overseeing the crew, and the gaps left by sick days, the real number is usually higher than what shows up on a payroll report and often higher than what a professional service would charge for the same work. That’s the gap the tool above is built to show you, along with what outsourcing could put back in your budget.

Our cost comparison tool gives you a reasonable estimate of what you could save by switching to a professional cleaning service, not a final number. Every building is different, and factors like your cleaning schedule, the size of your facility, and the services you need will affect the actual cost. If you’d like a more accurate quote based on your space, contact Picture Perfect Cleaning, and we’ll walk you through the options.