How often to clean, what a janitorial contract includes, what drives cost, and how to switch vendors without a gap in service.
Straight answers from Wasatch Property Services (WPS), a commercial cleaning and building maintenance company serving Salt Lake City, Nashville, Denver and Southern California for more than 35 years. Don't see your question? Call (801) 571-8507 — we answer 24/7.
Choosing a cleaning company
1. What's the difference between janitorial services and commercial cleaning?
Janitorial services are the routine, scheduled cleaning that keeps a building usable day to day: trash, restrooms, dusting, vacuuming and mopping. Commercial cleaning is the broader term and also covers periodic and specialty work such as floor stripping and waxing, carpet extraction, window cleaning, disinfection and post-construction cleanup. WPS provides both under one contract.
2. What should I look for when hiring a commercial cleaning company?
Look for a written, task-by-task scope of work; a named supervisor who inspects the work; proof of insurance; references from buildings like yours; a clear process for complaints and emergencies; and how the company hires and trains staff. Ask how long current clients have stayed.
3. Should I hire a franchise or a locally managed company?
Franchise brands are often run by independent owner-operators, so service quality depends on who holds that territory. A locally managed company gives you one accountable organization from the salesperson to the night crew. Either way, ask who you will call when something goes wrong and how fast they respond.
4. Can one company handle both cleaning and building maintenance?
Yes. WPS pairs janitorial and carpet crews with maintenance technicians for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC and carpentry work. One contract means one point of contact, one invoice and fewer vendors in your building after hours.
Frequency and scope
5. How often should an office be professionally cleaned?
Most offices need cleaning three to five nights a week, with restrooms and break rooms serviced every visit. High-traffic buildings, medical offices and buildings open to the public usually need nightly cleaning, and many add a day porter during business hours. Small offices with few staff can sometimes go to two or three visits a week.
6. What is included in a typical janitorial contract?
A standard contract covers trash and recycling, restroom cleaning and restocking, dusting, desk and counter wiping, vacuuming, hard-floor mopping, break-room cleaning and entry glass. Periodic tasks — floor scrubbing, stripping and waxing, carpet extraction, high dusting and window cleaning — are scheduled weekly, monthly or quarterly. Every WPS scope is written for the specific building.
7. What does a day porter do?
A day porter is on-site during business hours to keep restrooms stocked, lobbies and entries clean, spills handled and conference rooms reset. Day porters suit multi-tenant buildings, busy lobbies and any facility where tenants or visitors notice problems before the night crew arrives.
8. How often should commercial carpet be deep cleaned?
High-traffic areas such as entries, corridors and lobbies typically need hot-water extraction every three to six months; lower-traffic offices every six to twelve months. Daily vacuuming and prompt spot cleaning stretch the time between deep cleanings and extend carpet life.
9. How often should hard floors be stripped and waxed?
Most vinyl composition tile (VCT) floors need a full strip and wax once or twice a year, with regular scrubbing and burnishing in between. Entrances that see winter salt and ice melt may need more frequent scrubbing to prevent residue and dulling.
Cost and contracts
10. How much does commercial cleaning cost?
Commercial cleaning is usually priced as a fixed monthly fee based on square footage, cleaning frequency, the mix of carpet and hard floors, the number of restrooms, and any specialty tasks. The most reliable way to price a building is a walkthrough followed by a written scope.
11. Is it cheaper to clean in-house or to outsource?
In-house cleaning carries wages, payroll taxes, benefits, supplies, equipment, training, supervision and the cost of covering absences. An outsourced contract bundles those into one predictable monthly price. Outsourcing usually wins for buildings that don't already have a facilities team to supervise cleaning staff.
12. How long are commercial cleaning contracts?
Most run month-to-month or one year, with a 30-day cancellation clause.
13. How do I switch cleaning companies without a gap in service?
Give your current vendor the notice your contract requires, and in parallel have the new company walk the building and write the scope. Set a start date that lines up with the old vendor's last night, arrange keys, alarm codes and access badges ahead of time, and do a joint walkthrough in the first week. WPS manages this transition for new clients.
Safety and trust
14. Are your cleaning staff screened and trained?
Every WPS employee goes through a stringent hiring and selection process and is trained and tested on our standard operating procedures before working in a client's building. All WPS employees pass a background check.
15. Do you offer disinfection services?
Yes. Routine janitorial service includes disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as door handles, restroom fixtures and break-room counters. WPS also offers electrostatic disinfection, which applies an even coat of disinfectant across large areas and hard-to-reach surfaces.
Still have questions?
Talk to a WPS manager about your building. Request a Quote or call (801) 571-8507, 24 hours a day.