Commercial Cleaning Business Guide (2026): Pricing, Contracts, and Operations

Commercial cleaning is not bigger residential cleaning. It is a contract business built on scope, standards, and retention. Win once, deliver well, and you get predictable monthly revenue that compounds.

This guide shows how to price, sell, and run commercial cleaning in the UK, with templates you can copy and systems you can load into Toolfy.

Related deep dives:

• Getting Commercial Cleaning Contracts (2026)
• Quality Control Checklist for Cleaning Businesses (2026)
• COSHH Assessment Template for Cleaning Businesses
• Cleaning Business Software UK (2025)

1) Pick your commercial lane (and stick to it)

Trying to clean everything slows growth. Choose a lane that has repeatable scope and predictable frequency.

Common lanes and cadence

• Office cleaning: 2 to 5 visits per week, evening or early morning
• Retail cleaning: daily or weekly with periodic deep cleans
• Medical or dental: strict compliance, documentation, and checklists
• Schools: term-based schedules with DBS requirements
• Industrial/light facilities: larger sites, more safety protocols

Pick one primary lane and build your scope, pricing, and QA around it. You can add a second lane once delivery is stable.

2) Define a service menu and scope of work

Commercial clients do not buy “cleaning.” They buy outcomes and standards. If you do not define scope, you will absorb freebies.

Scope of work template (copy/paste)

Service: Commercial office cleaning
Location: [Building name + address]
Frequency: [e.g., 3x per week, Mon/Wed/Fri]
Service window: [e.g., 6:00pm–9:00pm]

Included tasks:
- Empty bins and replace liners
- Dust desks and wipe visible surfaces
- Vacuum carpets and mop hard floors
- Clean kitchen surfaces and sinks
- Clean toilets, mirrors, and fixtures

Weekly tasks:
- High dusting ledges and vents
- Spot-clean glass partitions

Monthly tasks:
- Deep clean kitchenette appliances
- Detail edges and skirting

Exclusions:
- External window cleaning
- Consumables (paper towels, soap) unless listed
- Clinical waste disposal

Quality checks:
- Weekly supervisor inspection
- Monthly client walkthrough

Download the scope-of-work pack: PDF · HTML

If you want to standardise delivery further, use:

• Job Sheet / Work Order Template
• Maintenance Contract Templates (2026)

3) Pricing: build it from labour, not guesses

Commercial cleaning pricing has two enemies: underestimated labour and vague scope. Build a simple model and quote off it.

Simple pricing model

1. Estimate labour hours per visit
2. Multiply by loaded hourly cost (wage + tax + overhead)
3. Add supplies and travel
4. Apply margin

Example (office, 2 visits/week)

• Labour: 2 cleaners x 2.5 hours = 5 hours
• Loaded hourly cost: £18
• Labour cost per visit: £90
• Supplies/travel: £10
• Subtotal: £100
• Margin (35%): £135 per visit
• Monthly (8 visits): £1,080

Tip: Track actual time for the first 4 visits and recalibrate. Do not lock pricing without time data.

For cost visibility, keep a Job Costing Template for each contract.

4) Build a commercial proposal that wins

Your proposal should read like an ops plan, not a flyer. Include:

• Scope and frequency (copy/paste the template above)
• Service window (out of hours is common)
• Quality system (checklists + inspections)
• Reporting cadence (monthly summary + issues log)
• Pricing and terms (fixed monthly retainer)

Commercial clients want predictability. Show them you are managing outcomes, not just labour.

5) Compliance pack (non-negotiable)

Commercial buyers need proof you are low risk. Have this ready before you pitch:

• Public liability insurance (and employer’s liability if you employ)
• COSHH assessments for chemicals
• RAMS pack for site work
• DBS checks for schools or sensitive sites
• GDPR/Data protection if you handle keys or access codes

Templates:

• COSHH Assessment Template
• RAMS Template for Trades (UK)
• GDPR Compliance Checklist (2026)

6) Delivery system: checklists + inspections

Commercial cleaning lives or dies on consistency. Build a QA loop that makes quality visible.

Minimum QA loop

1. Cleaner follows a room-by-room checklist
2. Supervisor inspects weekly
3. Monthly client walkthrough
4. Score trends tracked

Example inspection scorecard

Use the Quality Control Checklist and schedule inspections inside Toolfy.

7) Invoicing, terms, and cash collection

Commercial clients pay monthly. Keep terms tight and automate reminders.

Recommended baseline

• Monthly invoices on the 1st
• 14-day payment terms
• Late fee clause in the contract

Templates to plug in:

• Invoice Template for Trades
• Payment Reminder Templates

8) Retention and expansion

Landing the contract is only the first win. Renewals happen when clients feel low friction.

Retention plays that work

• Monthly summary email with inspection scores
• 24-hour response for issues
• Quarterly deep clean upsells
• Multi-site pricing for property managers

If you serve property managers, see the Property Manager Partnership Playbook (2026).

30/60/90 day launch plan

First 30 days

• Pick your lane (office, retail, medical)
• Build scope template + pricing model
• Create compliance pack

Days 31-60

• Pitch 20 targets
• Quote 5 sites
• Close 1 contract and measure actual labour

Days 61-90

• Tighten QA loop and reporting
• Add one upsell (periodic deep clean)
• Standardise onboarding checklist

Where Toolfy helps

Toolfy keeps commercial contracts clean and predictable:

• Recurring schedules and job templates
• Checklists and inspection tracking
• Quote and invoice templates
• Automated reminders

Start a free trial or talk to our team to build your commercial cleaning workflow.