· 4 min read
Is your office cleaner not doing a good job? How to fix it or switch
What to do when your commercial cleaner keeps missing things, from pinning down the problem to raising it properly and, if needed, changing contractor without a gap.
Full bins on a Monday morning. Dust on the meeting room table before a client visit. A washroom that smells by lunchtime. If your office cleaner keeps missing things, you are not alone. Poor cleaning quality is one of the two main reasons businesses change cleaning companies. The other is price.
Before you start looking for a new contractor, it is worth checking whether the problem can be fixed. This guide explains how to work that out, how to raise it properly, and how to switch without a gap if you need to.
Work out what is going wrong
Most cleaning complaints fall into one of four patterns. Each has a different cause.
Tasks are being missed
The cleaner skips the same things every week, such as skirting boards, inside microwaves or under desks. This is often a specification problem. If nothing is written down, the cleaner has no list to work to and no time allowed for the extra tasks.
The standard keeps changing
One week is fine and the next is poor. This usually means a different cleaner each time. Contractors with high staff turnover send whoever is free, and nobody learns your building.
Cleans are short or late
The cleaner arrives late, leaves early, or the visit clearly takes less time than you are paying for. This can point to a contractor that has priced too low and is cutting hours to make the job pay.
Nobody responds
You report a problem and nothing changes. This is a management problem, not a cleaner problem, and it is the hardest one to fix.
Fix it before you replace it
If the problem is missed tasks or a changing standard, it can often be fixed in a few weeks.
- Write down what is wrong. Note the date, the area and what was missed. Photos help.
- Check what you agreed. Find your cleaning specification or contract. If a task is not listed, the cleaner may not know it is expected.
- Ask for a walk round. Walk the office with your contractor's supervisor and agree the standard area by area.
- Put the agreement in writing. Update the specification with any tasks and frequencies that were missing.
- Set a review date. Give it two to four weeks, then check again.
If you do not have a specification, now is a good time to write one. Our guide on writing an office cleaning specification takes you through it.
When it is time to switch
Some problems do not get better. It is usually time to change cleaning company when:
- you have raised the same issue more than once and nothing changed
- nobody returns your calls or emails
- cleans are regularly missed with no cover sent
- you suspect the contractor is not paying its staff properly or does not hold insurance
How to switch cleaning company without a gap
Changing contractor does not have to leave your office uncleaned for a week.
Check your notice period
Read your contract for the notice period and any minimum term, so you know the earliest date the old contractor can finish. Give notice in writing and keep a copy.
Line up the new contractor first
Book site visits and get quotes before you give notice, so the new contractor can start the day after the old one finishes. Give every contractor the same specification so the quotes are comparable. Our guide to office cleaning costs in London explains how to compare them.
Ask the right questions this time
Ask about cover for sickness, how quality is checked and who your contact will be. Our list of 15 questions to ask a commercial cleaning company covers everything that tends to go wrong.
Think about the current cleaners
If the outgoing contractor's cleaners have worked on your site for some time, they may have rights under the TUPE regulations when the contract changes hands. Ask both contractors how they will handle this before the switch date.
Hand over keys and codes properly
Collect every key and fob from the old contractor, change alarm codes, and give the new team a proper induction to the building.
A cleaner you do not have to chase
JJ Prime Clean Solutions works with London businesses that are tired of chasing their cleaner. We write the specification with you, keep the same team on your site, and run regular cleaning on a rolling agreement with an agreed notice period. If something is missed, you tell us and we come back to fix it. Book a free site visit and we will plan a start date that follows straight on from your current contract.
