If you’re considering hiring a commercial cleaning company, chances are no-one has explained to you what factors are included in the setup for the site and the initial costs. That’s because most commercial cleaning services set low prices without taking into account their direct costs.
At In-Tec, we are different because we want you to know exactly why good commercial cleaning companies charge what they do.
In this article, we’ll explain what it takes to set up a site for the cleaner to be able to perform the cleaning tasks needed to ensure you are receiving the highest value.
How much are commercial cleaner setup fees?
The truth is, the setup cost varies from site to site.
In general, the cost of setting up sites for commercial cleaning can range from $1,500 all the way to over $20,000. That is quite a big range, and below we’ll explain the factors that affect this.
As you may expect, your cleaner will need to be equipped with the best equipment and products available to ensure they get the job done to the highest standard possible. Depending on the site, this can include standard items like a commercial grade battery backpack vacuum, quality microfibre cleaning cloths, microfibre flat mops, and can extend to include an i-mop or an ergonomic cleaners trolley.
The best way to explain these factors is for us to take a look at three different site sizes.
- Small Site: up to 300 square meters
- Medium Site: up to 1500 square meters
- Large Site: over 1500 square meters
It is important to note that the figures within this article address the cost of equipment and supplies only. If you’re wondering how much a commercial cleaning person is paid (as of July 2021), feel free to read our article, How Much Do Commercial Cleaning Companies Pay Their Employees?
What is needed to set up your site?
Something that you may not know is that your cleaning charge will be initially worked out on labour and the labour required is generally worked out on the overall size of the area needing to be cleaned. So the first question to be asked is:
How big is your site, or to be more exact, what is the square meters of the area to be cleaned?
Now I am not sure about you but I would not normally know that off the top of my head. However, I can suggest that the best way to find this out would be to ask someone who handles the leasing of your site as they normally know. Be ready for them to use terms like Net lettable area (NLA). The NLA measures the total occupiable floor space (excludes toilets, stairwells etc) taken from the inside surfaces of exterior walls. Short of this, just ask the cleaning companies that you are talking to about a cleaning service - they should be able to answer it (at least roughly).
Armed with the size of your space, you’ll also need to determine the level of standard you expect or need. This can greatly affect the equipment that will be needed on your site.
To now explain the differences with what a site needs, I’ll give a description of current clients that In-Tec Commercial Cleaning currently services for each different size site.
A small site - 300 square meters or below
The example I will use is a pathology site that In-Tec currently services at Gatton. This site is about 90 square meters.
The site is not a busy site, however as it is a pathology site, the need for disposable cloths is required.
The equipment used at this site is:
- PacVac battery vacuum - $1,149.00
- Pacvac disposable vacuum bags - $22.00 (pack of 10)
- Rubbermaid Pulse mop - $165.00
- Disposable pulse mop covers - $169.40 (pack of 150)
- Disposable microfibre cloths - $191.95 (assorted colours - red, green and blue, overall 600 cloths)
- Chemical solutions - $134.55 (3 types of chemical concentrates at 1L each)
- Other assorted needs - bucket to carry things etc - $62.35
As you can see from the above this is a small site and the cost to set up the site for the cleaner was $1894.25.
The weekly ongoing cost to keep the site supplied is expected to be $11.72.
A medium site - over 300 square meters and up to 1500 square meters
The example I will use is a health facility we commenced in July 2021. This site is about 1,200 square meters.
This is a very busy practice seeing over 1,200 clients, several times a week. The site has extensive hard and soft floors and to keep the site clean an i-mop was selected as part of the cleaning equipment set up. As the site is located within the Brisbane metro area, it was decided that launderable microfibre would work best, so an ongoing cost for cloth management will also need to be considered.
The equipment used at this site is:
- i-mop XL - $8765.35 (machine with two sets of brushes)
- PacVac battery vacuum - $1,149.00
- Pacvac disposable vacuum bags - $22.00 (pack of 10)
- Rubbermaid Pulse mop - $165.00
- Launderable pulse mop covers ($19.22 each) - $403.62 (21 covers - 7 of each colour needed)
- Launderable microfibre cloths ($2.64 each) - $396.00 (assorted colours - red, green and blue, overall 150 cloths)
- Chemical solutions - $80.55 (3 types of chemical concentrates at 5L each)
- Other assorted needs - bucket to carry things etc - $62.35
The total initial set up cost for the site was $11,043.87.
The weekly ongoing cost to keep the site supplied with the needs (cloth management included) is expected to be $68.36.
A large site - over 1500 square meters
The example I will use is a corporate head office located at Eagle Farm. This site has approximately 600 plus team members and there is approximately 5,500 square meters of cleanable area. The site has a full-time day cleaner and a night cleaning team.
The equipment used at this site is:
- i-land XL trolley - $4231.40
- i-mop XL - $9345.35 (machine with two sets of brushes, one set of pad holders)
- Chemical dispensing station - $1435.00
- 2 x PacVac battery vacuums - $2,298.00
- Pacvac disposable vacuum bags - $220.00 (pack of 10, carton of 10 packs)
- 2 x Rubbermaid Pulse mops - $330.00
- Launderable pulse mop covers ($19.22 each) - $1441.50 (75 covers - 25 of each colour needed)
- Launderable microfibre cloths ($2.64 each) - $3168.00 (assorted colours - red, green and blue, overall 300 of each colour)
- Chemical solutions ($134.45 each on average) - $1075.60 (4 types of chemical concentrates with 2 bottles each at 2.5L)
- Other assorted needs - $62.35
The initial setup cost for this site was $23,607.20.
The weekly ongoing cost to keep the site supplied with the needs (cloth management included) is expected to be $178.36.
How much will it cost to set up a cleaning service at your worksite?
As you can see, the cost of setting up a site ready for the cleaner to work depends on 2 things:
1. The size of your site
2. The type of equipment you’d like your cleaners to use
The type and quantity of equipment, products, and supplies we have suggested for each site size can vary depending on what tasks need to be carried out and of course the standard you are expecting. For instance, if you have a small site that is mostly hard floors and would like to see an i-mop used instead of conventional mopping, this option can be offered. Just keep in mind that this would change the set-up prices for the site.
Keep in mind that if you are talking to a professional commercial cleaning company, there is an investment made by the cleaning company in supplying and setting up the site with all the appropriate equipment to get the cleaner started.
With over 28 years of experience, In-Tec is here to answer your questions and help you choose the best quality products and equipment for your commercial cleaning setup.
If you’re interested, schedule a call with one of our helpful team members.
