Commercial cleaning is where the real money is. While residential cleaners chase individual homeowners, commercial cleaning businesses secure contracts worth thousands of dollars monthly with a single client. If you want bigger paychecks and more predictable income, learning how to start a commercial cleaning business is your path forward.
This guide covers everything you need to know about how to start commercial cleaning business operations—from landing your first office contract to scaling into a full-fledged janitorial company.
Why Commercial Cleaning Beats Residential
Before diving into the how, let’s talk about why commercial cleaning deserves your attention:
| Factor | Residential Cleaning | Commercial Cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Average Contract Value | $100-200 per visit | $500-5,000+ per month |
| Payment Reliability | Variable | Highly reliable |
| Client Acquisition | Constant marketing needed | One contract = months of work |
| Work Hours | Daytime (when you want to be free) | Evenings/weekends (off-peak) |
| Emotional Labor | High (personal relationships) | Low (business relationships) |
| Scaling Potential | Limited | Excellent |
Commercial clients pay more, pay consistently, and require less emotional energy. One office building contract replaces ten residential clients.
Types of Commercial Cleaning Clients
When figuring out how to start a commercial cleaning business, understand the different client types:
Small offices (under 5,000 sq ft): Easiest to land, lowest barrier to entry. Think dental practices, real estate offices, small law firms. Contracts range from $500-1,500 monthly.
Medium offices (5,000-20,000 sq ft): Require more equipment and possibly employees. Insurance brokerages, accounting firms, medical clinics. Contracts range from $1,500-4,000 monthly.
Large commercial spaces: Warehouses, retail stores, larger office buildings. Need crews and equipment. Contracts range from $4,000-15,000+ monthly.
Specialty commercial: Medical facilities, schools, manufacturing plants. Require certifications and specialized knowledge. Premium pricing.
Start with small offices. They’re easier to win, easier to service, and teach you the commercial cleaning process without overwhelming complexity.
Essential Equipment for Commercial Cleaning
Commercial jobs require more equipment than residential work:
- Commercial-grade vacuum (backpack style for efficiency)
- Auto scrubber or floor machine for hard floors
- Carpet extractor for carpeted offices
- Microfiber flat mop system
- Cleaning cart with organized compartments
- Commercial cleaning chemicals (concentrate form saves money)
- Trash can liners in bulk
- Safety signage (wet floor signs)
- Personal protective equipment
Budget $3,000-8,000 for proper commercial equipment. Don’t cut corners here—cheap equipment breaks down, slows you down, and makes you look unprofessional.
What Not to Do in Commercial Cleaning Business
Learning what not to do in commercial cleaning business saves you from expensive mistakes:
Don’t underbid to win contracts. Desperate pricing attracts price-sensitive clients who will leave for the next cheap option. It also traps you in unprofitable work.
Don’t skip the walkthrough. Always inspect the space in person before quoting. Photos lie. Square footage estimates are often wrong. Surprise messes destroy your profit margins.
Don’t ignore the scope of work. Get everything in writing. What exactly are you cleaning? How often? What’s included and excluded? Vague agreements lead to scope creep and disputes.
Don’t neglect insurance. Commercial clients require proof of insurance. Most want $1-2 million in general liability coverage. Without proper insurance, you’re locked out of the best contracts.
Don’t try to clean everything yourself. Commercial contracts are won through competitive pricing and reliability. You need employees or subcontractors to service accounts efficiently.
How to Land Your First Commercial Contract
Getting that first contract feels impossible until you know how. Here’s the proven approach:
Target businesses directly. Don’t wait for them to find you. Make a list of 50 small businesses in your area. Visit in person, ask who handles their cleaning, and request a meeting with the decision-maker.
Lead with value, not price. Don’t open with “I’m cheaper than your current cleaner.” Instead, ask about their current pain points. Are they unhappy with quality? Reliability? Communication? Position yourself as the solution to their specific problems.
Offer a trial cleaning. Propose cleaning their space once at a discounted rate (or free, for your very first client). This removes risk for them and proves your quality.
Follow up relentlessly. Most commercial contracts aren’t won on the first meeting. Follow up within 48 hours, then weekly for a month. Many cleaners give up too soon. Persistence wins.
Network with property managers. Property managers oversee multiple buildings and award multiple contracts. One relationship can lead to several accounts.
Pricing Commercial Cleaning Jobs
Commercial cleaning pricing works differently than residential:
Calculate your costs first:
- Labor (your time or employee wages)
- Supplies (per-job cost)
- Equipment depreciation
- Transportation
- Insurance allocation
- Overhead (phone, software, admin time)
Determine cleaning time: Walk the space and estimate how long each area takes. Be realistic—underestimating time is the most common pricing mistake.
Apply your hourly rate: Your effective rate should be $35-60 per labor hour after all costs. Multiply estimated hours by your rate.
Add profit margin: Add 20-30% above your costs. This is your profit, not your salary.
Consider frequency: Daily cleaning costs less per visit than weekly cleaning because setup and travel time are amortized.
| Cleaning Frequency | Typical Discount from One-Time Price |
|---|---|
| Daily (5x/week) | 40-50% per visit |
| 3x per week | 25-35% per visit |
| Weekly | 10-20% per visit |
| Bi-weekly | Full price or 5% discount |
How to Grow Your Commercial Cleaning Business
Once you’ve landed a few contracts, here’s how to grow your commercial cleaning business:
Ask for referrals. Your existing clients know other business owners. Ask: “Do you know anyone else who might benefit from reliable cleaning services?”
Bid on larger contracts. As you build experience and crew, pursue bigger opportunities. Larger contracts have better margins because fixed costs spread across more revenue.
Add services. Floor waxing, carpet cleaning, window washing, and pressure washing are natural add-ons that increase revenue from existing clients.
Build relationships with general contractors. Construction companies need post-construction cleaning regularly. One relationship can generate consistent work.
Respond to RFPs. Request for Proposals from larger organizations and government entities are competitive but can yield substantial contracts.
Building Your Commercial Cleaning Team
You can’t grow a commercial cleaning business alone. At some point, you need to hire.
Start with part-time cleaners. Hire people for evening shifts when commercial cleaning happens. Many people want part-time work—students, parents, people with day jobs.
Train thoroughly. Don’t assume people know how to clean professionally. Create training checklists. Shadow new hires for their first several jobs.
Pay competitively. The commercial cleaning industry struggles with turnover. Paying $2-3 above minimum wage attracts better candidates and reduces costly turnover.
Inspect regularly. Quality control matters. Visit job sites randomly to verify standards are maintained. Clients notice declining quality before they mention it.
Your Path to Commercial Cleaning Success
You now understand how to start a commercial cleaning business—the equipment needed, how to price jobs, how to land contracts, and how to grow.
Commercial cleaning offers a clear path to six-figure revenue and beyond. The contracts are larger, the income is more predictable, and the scaling potential far exceeds residential work.
At the Cleaning Business Institute, we offer in-depth training specifically for commercial cleaning entrepreneurs. Our courses cover bidding strategies, operations management, employee systems, and everything else you need to build a thriving janitorial business.
Want to find the right training for your situation? Take our free Cleaning Business Quiz. We’ll analyze your responses and match you with the course that fits your goals. Complete the quiz and unlock a limited-time offer that saves you over 50%.
Your commercial cleaning empire starts with the right knowledge.