Costs · 4 min read · Updated 6 November 2026
How to cut office cleaning costs without lowering standards
Start with where the hours go
Office cleaning is priced from the hours needed, typically around £18 to £30 per cleaner per hour outside central London. That means the only real way to save money without cutting standards is to reduce the time needed to reach the same result. Ask your contractor how long each part of a visit takes. The answers are often surprising: emptying dozens of desk bins, washing up and working around cluttered desks can take a large share of a visit.
Ten practical savings
| Change | Why it saves money |
|---|---|
| Clean by zone and usage | Busy kitchens and washrooms daily, quiet rooms and storage weekly |
| Clear desk policy | Cleaners wipe desks faster and do not have to work around clutter |
| Shared recycling points instead of desk bins | Far fewer bins to empty and fewer liners to buy |
| Staff wash their own mugs | Saves the time a full sink adds to every visit |
| Good entrance matting | Less dirt reaches carpets, so less vacuuming and fewer deep cleans |
| Daytime cleaning | Can avoid key holding, alarm and early-start costs |
| Close unused floors or rooms | Clean them weekly instead of daily |
| Plan periodic tasks | Carpet and deep cleans booked together cost less than emergency call-outs |
| Buy consumables in bulk or through the contractor | Compare prices for toilet roll, towels and soap |
| Review the specification annually | Remove tasks nobody needs and add only what matters |
Mistakes that cost more in the long run
- Cutting hours without cutting tasks, which leads to rushed cleaning and complaints
- Dropping periodic carpet cleaning, which shortens carpet life
- Skipping washroom descaling, which can stain fittings beyond repair
- Choosing the lowest quote without checking its hours, which often leads to a change of contractor within a year
- Ignoring small problems until a deep clean is needed
Carpet tiles and washroom fittings are expensive to replace. Regular low-cost maintenance protects them, so savings that remove maintenance tasks often cost more later. The same applies to switching contractor purely on price: a new provider needs time to learn the building, and a change-over can bring a dip in standards for the first few weeks, as well as possible TUPE implications if the existing cleaners are mainly assigned to your site.
Using hybrid working to your advantage
If your office is quieter on some days, the schedule should reflect it. Moving from five full visits to three full visits plus short checks on quiet days can make a noticeable difference to the monthly bill while keeping the busy days just as clean. Base the change on real attendance data, not guesswork.
A worked example
Take a hypothetical office cleaned for two hours a day, five days a week, at a guide rate of £22 an hour. That is about 10 hours a week, or roughly 43 hours a month, which comes to around £950 a month. Staff are mainly in on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
| Schedule | Hours per week | Approximate monthly cost at £22 an hour |
|---|---|---|
| Five full visits of 2 hours | 10 | Around £950 |
| Three full visits of 2 hours plus two 45-minute checks | 7.5 | Around £715 |
| Three full visits of 2 hours plus a quarterly deep clean budget | 6 plus periodic | Around £570 plus periodic work |
The figures are illustrative only, and real savings depend on your building and the tasks that need doing. The point is that changing the shape of the schedule, rather than just cutting minutes from every visit, can save money while keeping kitchens and washrooms clean on the days that matter. Some offices reinvest part of the saving in periodic carpet cleaning or washroom descaling, which protects expensive fittings.
How to have the conversation with your contractor
Most contractors would rather adjust a specification than lose a client. Ask for a walk-round, share what is and is not working, and ask what they would change to save time. Agree the new specification in writing, with the hours and price for each part, so standards do not quietly slip.
- Which tasks take the most time?
- Which tasks could move to weekly or monthly?
- What could staff do themselves?
- Would a different visit time be cheaper?
- Are there products or equipment that would speed things up?
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to save money on office cleaning?
Reviewing the specification against how the office is used. Many offices are cleaned to a schedule written years ago, with daily cleaning of rooms that are now rarely used. Moving those to weekly, and introducing a clear desk policy and shared bins, can save hours each week without affecting the areas people notice. Agree any changes in writing so standards in the areas that matter do not slip.
Is it cheaper to reduce cleaning frequency or visit length?
It depends on the office. Fewer, longer visits reduce travel and set-up time, which can be efficient for small offices. Busy offices usually need frequent visits for kitchens, washrooms and bins, so shorter visits on quiet days often work better. Ask your contractor to price both options so you can compare the monthly totals against the same specification.
Should we provide our own cleaning products to save money?
Usually not. Most contractors buy chemicals and equipment in bulk and include them in the hourly rate, and they are responsible for COSHH assessments for the products they use. Consumables such as toilet roll, hand towels and soap are different, and it is worth comparing prices for those. Dispensers that control how much is used, such as single-sheet towel dispensers, can also reduce consumption.
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