Commercial Cleaning | Hiring Commercial Cleaners

8 Critical Questions to Ask a Commercial Cleaner Before You Hire Them (+ Examples)

March 20th, 2025 | 11 min. read

“What questions should we be asking when we meet with a potential commercial cleaning company?”

If you're asking this question, I'm glad you're here. Because this is a very smart question. By the time you're sitting across from a potential commercial cleaner, chances are you’re ready for something better. Maybe your current provider hasn’t lived up to the promise. Maybe you’re sick of missed cleans, staff constantly changing, or the kind of inconsistency that quietly chips away at your standards.

So now you’re doing the right thing: you’re looking for someone new. Specifically, a better commercial cleaning partner. One you can trust to not only deliver a reliable clean, but to do it the right way—with transparency, accountability, and actual follow-through.

But here’s the problem.

When you're in that first meeting with a cleaning company, you're meeting their best face. You’re likely sitting across from a salesperson, not the cleaner who will do the actual work, and not the person who’s ultimately responsible for what happens on your site. And if you're not careful, it's easy to get sold on a pitch that sounds great… but doesn't hold up in reality.

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This is the mistake I see far too many businesses make. They visit a nice website, they meet with someone well-spoken, they’re handed a shiny proposal full of promises and industry jargon, but they don’t ask the right questions. They don’t push for proof. They trust what they’re told, because frankly, the salesperson is good at telling them exactly what they want to hear.

But just because someone says they can clean your site doesn’t mean they’ll deliver the outcome you're actually expecting.

When You Trust the Shiny Sales Pitch + Don't Know the Right Questions to Ask (a Real-World Example)

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve met with clients who’ve been burnt by the last cleaning company they hired. One in particular stands out; they’d gone through three cleaning companies in under two years. Each time, they were told everything they wanted to hear. “Yes, we can do that.” “Yes, we’ve got great systems.” “Yes, we’re reliable.”

And sure enough, the proposal looked great. It ticked all the boxes on paper. But within weeks of starting, the issues began: missed cleans, cleaners who had no idea what was expected, no response when they flagged concerns. They were back at square one: frustrated, embarrassed, and trying to explain to their team why this time hadn’t worked either.

The problem wasn’t that they picked the wrong cleaner by accident. It was that they didn’t ask the questions that would have uncovered the truth—questions about how the cleaners are employed, how they’re trained, how the company holds itself accountable, and whether they were willing to back up what they promised with actual proof.

So what should you ask? In this article, I’m going to walk you through the most important questions to ask when you’re interviewing a potential commercial cleaner, whether you’re reviewing quotes or replacing a provider who let you down. I’ll also explain why these questions matter, and how to spot red flags before they become your next headache.

Because the truth is, anyone can promise you the world.

But only the right commercial cleaning partner will prove it.

"Can you take care of all our cleaning needs?"

This might sound like a simple question, but it’s one of the most important ones to ask. Before you even sit down with a cleaning company, you need to be clear on what you actually need. Sure, you probably need someone to clean your office regularly. But is that all? What about your carpets? Your windows? Do you need consumables restocked? Are there outdoor areas that need occasional cleaning?

Once you’ve mapped out what your site really requires across the year, ask the cleaning company plainly:

“Can you take care of all of this, or will I need to bring in other vendors?”

Some businesses are happy to manage multiple contractors. You may be one of them.

But if you’re looking for a single provider to manage everything (a true one-stop shop) then that needs to be clear from day one. And the cleaning company should be able to look at your list and tell you, confidently, where they can help and where they can’t. This saves you from surprises down the track. Because the last thing you want is to find out three months in that they don’t do window cleaning, or can’t handle your carpet maintenance, or have no idea how to restock your amenities.

Be clear. Be specific. And ask:

“Here’s what we need, can you take care of all of it?

"What do your clients say about your services, and can you back it up?"

After a cleaner’s done talking themselves up—how great they are, how reliable they are, how much they care—stop them and ask one thing:

“Can you back that up?”

What you want is references. And I don’t mean Google reviews or something someone wrote five years ago. I mean actual clients. Names. Numbers. People you can talk to.

Now, you’d think that would be standard, right? But in my experience, most cleaning companies out there aren’t willing to give you references. And that’s a red flag. If they’re the real deal, they should be proud to let their clients speak for them.

"What are your client retention rates, and how recent are those numbers?"

One of the questions I’d ask is:

“What’s your client retention rate, and how recent is that information?”

I can’t speak for other cleaning companies, but I can tell you about ours. At In-Tec, our client retention rate is 99%. And that’s not a number from last year, that’s as recent as last month. Most of my clients have been with us for five years or more, and the lion’s share are over 10 years. That kind of consistency says more than any proposal ever could.

"What’s your employee retention rate?"

This is one most people forget to ask, but it matters. Because if they can’t keep their staff, they’re not going to keep them on your site either, and that means inconsistent cleans, missed details, no ownership.

Now, I’d love to tell you we place a cleaner on site and they stay forever. But let’s be honest, that’s just not realistic. What I can tell you is this: our longest-standing employee has been with us 14 years. Most of our team have been with us at least a year, and the majority are over two years.

We work hard to keep our staff turnover low. Yes, cleaning can be a transient industry, but if you’re constantly seeing new faces, something’s not right.

"What are your cleaner attendance rates?"

What you’re really asking here is:

“Will I have to put up with missed cleans?”

And my answer to that is no. If you’ve engaged us to clean your site, it’s our responsibility to make sure someone turns up every time. Now look, sometimes your regular cleaner is going to be sick. I can’t help that. But what we can do is make sure we’ve got other cleaners who are trained, who know your site, and who can step in when needed.

That way, you’re never left scrambling.

"If I have an issue, how quickly will someone respond?"

Let’s say the cleaner forgets something. Or there’s a spill, an emergency clean-up needed.

What you want to know is:

“How long will it take to get a response?”

Now, I’ll go out on a limb here, at In-Tec, you’ll usually hear back from someone within an hour. And when I say someone, I don’t mean a call centre. I mean my team—or me personally. We’re available 24/7. No forms. No waiting. You ring us, you get us. Yes, sometimes things take longer. But that’s rare. Really rare.

"This quote is lower than others I’ve seen, where have you cut corners?"

This one’s coming up more and more lately. You might be sitting there with three quotes in front of you — one high, one in the middle, and one that’s suspiciously low.

And I’m actually dealing with this right now. I’ve quoted a multi-site chain, and I’m easily double the price of the company they’re currently using. Why? Because I know for a fact their current provider is using contractors. This is not a guess. I’ve had it confirmed by the client, and I know the company.

They’re using the contracting model. I use the employee model. I’m more expensive because I do it right. So, if you’re comparing quotes and one seems too good to be true, I’d ask just one thing:

“Do you have employees or contractors, and can you prove it?”

Because if the price is that low, I’ll put money on it—they’re using sham contracting, and they’re underpaying people. That’s how they’re getting the number down. That’s where the corners are being cut.

"In what ways is our facility different from your other clients, and how will you address those differences?"

After you’ve done a walkthrough, you’ve got a scope of works in front of the cleaner, here’s what I’d ask:

“Is there anything here that stands out to you? Is there anything different about our site compared to others you’ve worked with?”

Now look, nine times out of 10, the answer will be no. Most offices are cleaned the same way. Sure, the layout’s different, the finishes might be a bit different, but the method is usually similar. But if you’ve got a cleanroom, or specific finishes, or a unique setup that needs something different, you want to make sure they’ve noticed that. That they’re not just nodding along without thinking.

With that in mind, ask a potential commercial cleaner:

“Can you clean this space to the standard we need? Do you have the right equipment, the right training to do it properly?”

You’re not just looking for agreement. You’re looking for signs they’ve actually understood your site.

Before You Talk to Another Cleaner, Make Sure You’ve Done This First

You can ask all the right questions. But if you don’t know what you want—what outcome you actually expect—then none of it will matter. You’d be surprised how many businesses come to me saying, “We just want it clean.” But when I ask, “What does clean look like to you?” they can’t tell me. There’s no scope of works. No expectations. No real outcome to measure against. And then they wonder why things go sideways three months in.

You’ve got to define your outcome. Not a wishlist. Not a “cleaning goal list” with vague intentions. A real, clear, measurable outcome. Something I can look at as your commercial cleaning partner with my team and say, “Yes, we delivered this” or “No, we didn’t.”

That’s the starting point for getting this right.

The next step? Pay attention to how the cleaning company behaves when you start asking questions.

If they won’t give you references...
If they can’t prove how their cleaners are employed...
If they avoid specifics or hide behind glossy proposals...
If they just nod and agree with everything you say, never pushing back, never clarifying, never digging into what makes your site different...

That’s not a partner. That’s a problem waiting to happen. See, if I walk your site and you tell me you want it cleaned three times a week, and I see 60 staff on-site and high-traffic bathrooms, I’m going to tell you flat-out that three days isn’t enough. Because if I don’t say that? If I just smile and nod and take your money anyway? I’ve failed you.

So here’s what I’d recommend. Take the questions we’ve walked through in this article. Sit down with your internal team and make sure you know what good looks like. Get your scope of works sorted. Define the outcome you’re after, clearly and realistically. Then, when you’re ready to meet with a cleaning company, bring these questions with you. Ask every single one. And watch closely—not just for what they say, but for how they say it.

Because the right partner won’t be afraid of tough questions.

They’ll welcome them.

If you're interested in learning more on how to choose the correct commercial cleaning partner for your organisation, you can download our guide, 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Commercial Cleaning Company. Or you can contact us at any time with your questions, or to start a conversation about how we may be of service to you.