What is commercial cleaning?

Commercial cleaning is the professional cleaning of non-residential premises — offices, retail, warehouses, medical centres, gyms, schools, hospitality venues and strata common areas. It is delivered to a scoped scope of work, on a recurring schedule, by police-checked teams who are insured for business premises and trained on equipment and chemicals that domestic cleaners don't carry.

What's actually included

A standard commercial cleaning contract typically covers:

• General cleaning — vacuuming, mopping, dusting all floor surfaces and horizontal hard surfaces.
• Washroom servicing — toilets, basins, mirrors, sanitary disposal, paper and soap top-ups.
• Kitchen / breakroom — surfaces, sinks, appliances exterior, bin removal, fridge wipe on a longer cycle.
• Workspace touchpoints — desk wipes, keyboards, door handles, light switches, lift buttons.
• Glass — internal partitions, reception glass, mirrors.
• Waste — bin emptying, liner replacement, separation of recycling.

On top of that base scope, sites usually negotiate add-ons: external window cleaning monthly or quarterly, carpet steam cleans annually, high-pressure cleaning of entryways, hospital-grade disinfection of high-traffic touchpoints, and specialised work for vertical-specific zones (medical exam rooms, gym equipment sanitisation, food-service end-of-day cleans).

How commercial cleaning differs from residential cleaning

Three things make commercial cleaning a different category, not just "cleaning but bigger".

Documentation and recurrence. A commercial cleaner works to a scoped scope of work, with defined deliverables per visit, KPIs around what "done" means, and contracted SLAs around response times. Residential is largely ad-hoc — you ring someone, they clean what they think needs cleaning, and they leave.

Equipment and chemicals. A commercial cleaner shows up with industrial-grade vacuums, scrubbers and floor machines; TGA-approved disinfectants; and the right PPE for biohazard handling. A residential cleaner brings a domestic mop and a bottle of supermarket spray.

Compliance and insurance. Commercial cleaners are WHS-compliant, police-checked, and carry public liability insurance (usually $20M) that covers them to work in business premises. Residential cleaners often don't carry that level of cover, and a body corporate or commercial landlord will rarely accept them on-site.

What a Sydney commercial contract looks like

A typical Sydney office contract documents:

• Frequency (5 nights/week, twice weekly, weekly, etc.)
• Scope per visit (the checklist above plus site specifics)
• Hours expected on site
• Whether supplies are included or charged
• Sign-in/out method and supervisor contact
• Notice period either side
• Insurance certificate copies
• WHS undertakings and police-check verification

For a primer on what to ask in a walkthrough before signing one of these, see our guide on how to get a commercial cleaning contract. For a worked checklist used by ANZ supervisors, see our commercial cleaning checklist.

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