Does your current commercial cleaning partner properly train the cleaners who take care of your worksite? You might assume that yes, they do—after all, cleaning seems rather straightforward, doesn't it? You hire a cleaning company, they send their people in, and the job gets done. But what if I told you that, in many cases, those cleaners have had little to no real training? What if the inconsistency, missed details, and frustration you’ve experienced with cleaning services aren’t just about “bad cleaners,” but a fundamental failure in training?

If your organisation has environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals—whether that’s a full-scale sustainability strategy with detailed reporting or simply a push to improve your overall environmental and social impact—you’re probably tracking every detail. You’re measuring emissions, cutting down on single-use plastics, and putting serious thought into waste management.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’d be more than a little suspicious reading this article. On the one hand, yes, this is information you need. Although commercial cleaners all have their own ways of pricing their services (us included), you don't want to go into a conversation with a potential commercial cleaner about budget completely blind.

The other day, I emailed a client after we’d finished some periodical work. I wanted to know how it went, so I asked: “What do you think? Were you happy with everything?”

“No contracts required!”

When you’re looking for a commercial cleaner, it’s not unusual to go through some version of a proposal process. Your typical commercial cleaner will gather basic details about your site (via email, over the phone, or in person), throw together a quote, and hope for the best. In some cases, unfortunately, this opens the door for you to receive generic proposals that overpromise what is possible.

As a business owner myself, I know how frustrating it can be when a supposed "trusted" strategic partner turns out to be anything but. And when your commercial cleaner is the one letting you down, the consequences can be costly:

You want your workspaces and facilities to be clean. But who defines what “clean” is for your organisation? I ask because how you define “clean” may not be the same as someone else. You might be held to rigorous compliance standards that others are not, based on your industry, or you simply may be interested in providing a safe and sanitary environment for your employees.

“We know we have a cleaning problem, but we want to minimise the investment, as we see commercial cleaning as an expense.” Meet Our Client This Brisbane car dealership has a main dealership that includes two large buildings (as well as several small site buildings), two off-site service centres, and a second large used car dealership. At first, their team was sceptical about whether investing more in cleaning would really make a difference. But by the end of the first year, they could see the impact – not just a cleaner, better-maintained workspace, but also happier staff and a noticeable boost in productivity.