Overview: Commercial & Office Cleaning
Commercial cleaning is a contract, not a booking. A crew comes in after hours and works through an agreed scope, or a day porter stays on site to handle spills and restock washrooms. In a Canadian winter, the front entrance does most of the damage. Salt and slush get tracked across the lobby, so matting, daily floor care at the doors and a spring scrub belong in the scope.
Switching companies is less simple in Ontario than it looks. The Employment Standards Act treats cleaning as a building service. A new contractor that declines to hire the cleaners already on site usually owes them termination pay, plus severance where it applies, counted on their years with the old company. Bidders can ask for staff details, and the building owner has to help pass them along.
In Quebec, decrees set pay, holidays and benefits for building cleaning staff above the general labour standards. In Ontario and British Columbia, check the contractor's workers' compensation standing before work starts. A business that hires a contractor behind on its premiums can be held liable for them.
Our listings show what each company states on its own website: the building types it handles, the certifications it claims, its hours and what customers say in public reviews. Use the province and city lists to find companies already cleaning buildings like yours.
Commercial cleaning costs in Canada
Compare the cleanable area, task list and visits together. Routine cleaning, a deep clean and floor restoration are different purchases.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Routine office cleaning | C$0.08–C$0.25per square foot cleaned per visit | Routine office floors, accessible surfaces, waste, washrooms and kitchenette cleaning on an agreed recurring schedule.A minimum visit charge can override area-based pricing. Compare the same cleanable area, visit frequency and task list.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Agreed routine task list; Listed standard cleaning supplies Budget separately or confirm: Washroom consumables and specialist sanitation; Carpet extraction, floor restoration and high-level work |
| One-time deep cleaning | C$0.20–C$0.40per square foot cleaned | Defined office area receiving a written deep-clean task list.Request a written detail-clean checklist and minimum charge; high surfaces, carpet extraction and floor refinishing may be separate.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Specified detail cleaning Budget separately or confirm: Specialist disinfection; Construction debris removal |
| VCT floor stripping and waxing | C$0.50–C$1.50per square foot treated | Full stripping of vinyl composition tile followed by three to five finish coats.Confirm the number of finish coats, furniture handling and required drying time. A scrub-and-recoat price covers less work.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Old finish removal and surface preparation; Specified finish coats Budget separately or confirm: Tile repair and unrelated floor types; Major furniture moves unless included |
| Post-construction final commercial clean | C$0.25–C$0.50per square foot cleaned | One final detail clean of completed commercial space after dust-producing trades have finished.Confirm the minimum charge and the exact cleaning phase. Rough cleaning, repeat visits and heavy debris removal are separate unless listed.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Dust and residue removal; Listed final-clean tasks Budget separately or confirm: Earlier rough clean and later touch-up visits; Heavy debris hauling and hazardous-material cleaning |
Illustrative monthly office budget
Assumptions:
- 2,000 square feet of cleanable office space
- Eight routine visits in the month, with the same task list each visit
- The quoted minimum does not exceed the calculated visit price
2,000 sq. ft. × C$0.08–C$0.25 × 8 visits = C$1,280–C$4,000 for the month.
C$1,280–C$4,000 for the stated eight visits
Not included:
- Tax, consumables and separately priced specialist tasks
- Any contract discount or additional visit minimum
What changes the price
- Cleanable area, furniture density and washroom count
- Visits per month and the tasks required at every visit
- After-hours access, specialist floors and additional sanitation requirements
Ask before accepting a quote
- What cleanable area, number of visits and per-visit task list does the monthly total cover?
- Which consumables, floor treatments and periodic deep cleans are extra?
- Does a minimum or access charge apply, and how are missed or additional visits billed?
Read the monthly contract
- Check the exact number of visits, holiday treatment and cancellation terms; a monthly total alone does not identify the service.
- Keep routine cleaning and separately scheduled floor or construction work as distinct quote lines.
Canadian context
Use a Canadian-dollar service total and show applicable sales taxes separately; confirm any building-specific access and security requirements.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
Nightly janitorial or a day porter?
Foot traffic decides it. A night crew handles the scheduled work: garbage, washrooms, floors and dusting on a rotation. A day porter deals with what happens while people are in the building, such as spills, empty towel dispensers and meeting rooms left in a mess. In winter, a busy lobby can't wait for the night shift. Slush tracked in with the morning rush is a slip hazard by the coffee break.
What should a cleaning specification cover?
Each area, each task and how often. Name the washroom touchpoints, set rotations for desks, carpets and hard floors, and list windows and floor stripping as separate items. Say who buys paper, soap and liners. Then add the winter lines: entrance mats, salt residue and who clears snow from the doorway, since that's often a different contractor. A vague spec starts every argument that follows.
What happens to the cleaners if we switch companies?
In Ontario, they're better protected than most owners expect. The Employment Standards Act lets a new cleaning contractor decline to hire them, but it then usually owes termination pay, plus severance where it applies, based on their service with the old company. If it hires them, their past service carries over. The outgoing company pays out their vacation pay. Expect those costs to show up in the bids.
Could we owe a cleaning contractor's unpaid workers' comp premiums?
Yes, in Ontario and British Columbia. WSIB says a business that hires a contractor without a clearance may be liable for its unpaid premiums, up to the labour portion of the contract. A clearance only lasts a limited time, so check again while the contract runs. WorkSafeBC says to get a clearance letter before the work starts and again when it ends.
Does Quebec set its own pay rules for building cleaners?
Yes. One decree covers the Montreal region and a second covers the rest of the province. They set minimum pay, vacation, holidays, sick leave and a group retirement plan for building maintenance staff, above the general labour standards. A joint committee enforces each one. In the Montreal region, building owners have to let its inspectors in. Ask every bidder whether its price reflects the decree.
