Pricing and Costs of Maintenance and Cleaning Services
Save money on cleaning maintenance services and invest in your business
Good quality building cleaning and maintenance services keep you safe from lawsuits, help you promote a professional image and keep morale high at work. For many businesses, however, the pricing and costs of maintenance and cleaning services are confusing. Some businesses also worry that the costs of cleaning and maintenance take away from other company budgets. There are ways, however, to lower your costs while ensuring clean, safe buildings for your team and clients.The pricing and costs of maintenance and cleaning services are often calculated on either a per square foot basis or through an hourly sum. Many factors affect the price you are quoted for such services, including the special skills needed for the work, the number of professionals needed, your local market, the frequency of the work to be done, the area to be cleaned or cared for, insurance and related costs and equipment/supply costs. When looking for janitorial and maintenance services:
- Tally property maintenance costs to keep your building in good shape.
- Determine your expected costs for working with janitorial companies and commercial cleaning professionals.
- Cut costs without slashing quality by understanding the factors that affect your maintenance and cleaning costs.
Calculate the price of your property maintenance
Property maintenance costs are often more expensive than simple cleaning costs because professionals need to be trained in repairs and often need specialized tools. The frequency of maintenance services, the type of work needed and the amount of work needed will impact your maintenance costs. Per-hour costs for building maintenance generally range from $25 to figures in the hundreds of dollars.
Try: The Natural Resources Defense Council offers tips on keeping your maintenance costs low. Whitestone Research offers a guide to understanding the costs of maintenance companies, including how to project and predict building maintenance prices.
Add up how much you need to budget for cleaning companies
General office cleaning can start as low as $25 an hour while specialized industrial cleaning can cost hundreds of dollars an hour. The size of your space, the items to be cleaned, the amount of work power needed for the job, the length of time needed for the job, your region and specialized skills needed for the job can all affect your cleaning costs. The best way to determine actual costs in your area is through quotes from professional companies.
Try: The National Community of Professional Cleaners has a handy forum for both professional cleaners and their clients that includes discussions about costs and fees. The Cleaning Service Directory has a useful list things to ask before hiring a cleaning service. The list includes factors that affect cost, as well as hidden price issues like insurance.
Learn to keep the costs of your building cleaning service low
Understanding your maintenance and cleaning costs and determining where you can reduce costs can leave you with more money to invest in your business. Knowing that cleaners charge for supplies, for example, can help you understand that providing your own equipment and supplies can reduce your costs. Another way to reduce costs of maintenance and cleaning is to reduce the number of unneeded tasks performed by your cleaning and maintenance staff.
Try: Florida's Department of Management Services has a handy price list of janitorial supplies. RICS publishes the BCIS Building Maintenance Price Book, which details current costs of building maintenance and ways to reduce costs.
- You can often reduce costs on your company's janitorial cleaning services and building maintenance services by ordering occasional service rather than scheduled service. While you do get a discount with scheduled service, you need to pay whether you need a service or not. In general, the smaller your business the more realistic this plan is.
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