How to Compare Janitorial Quotes Without Getting Burned

The mistake: comparing only the monthly price

Commercial cleaning proposals can look wildly different because they are often quoting different work. One vendor may include restrooms five nights per week, another may include three. One may include breakrooms, touchpoints, and periodic floor care, while another hides those as add-ons.

Compare these items before you decide

• Areas included: restrooms, offices, breakrooms, lobbies, halls, elevators, entries, and common areas
• Frequencies by area, not just visits per week
• Floor care expectations and what counts as extra
• Staffing plan, supervision, and issue response
• Contract term, cancellation terms, and price-change language

Red flags

Watch for vague phrases like "general cleaning," very low pricing without a walkthrough, no written frequency detail, no contact path for service issues, or strict terms that make it hard to exit if service fails.

Better question to ask

Ask each company: "What exactly will be cleaned, how often, by whom, during what window, and what happens if the scope is missed?" The answer tells you more than the price alone.