You can choose the cleaning frequency. The cleaner can come every day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. In South Africa, providers typically draft a site-specific checklist and price either per hour (per cleaner) or per square metre for larger sites.
Daily cleaning of commercial spaces
Daily cleaning of commercial spaces is reasonable if there is a high flow of people and/or a high level of cleanliness needs to be maintained. For example, this includes bars, restaurants, food stores, shopping centers, office spaces with many employees, etc. Daily cleaning includes:
- Wiping free work surfaces and desks.
- Disinfecting and damp wiping of door handles and removing fingerprints from doors, glass display cases, cabinets, furniture, etc.
- Cleaning and disinfection of sanitary facilities (replenishing soap, paper towels, and toilet paper; cleaning sinks, faucets, mirrors, toilet bowls, and urinals).
- Emptying trash cans and ashtrays, changing bags, and taking out the trash to the appropriate waste separation container.
- Sweeping in front of the main entrance.
- Sweeping, vacuuming, or damp mopping of hard or textile floor coverings in all areas (offices, kitchenettes, restrooms, vestibules, entrances, staircases, hallways, etc.).
Typical SA pricing (guide): R150–R450+ per hour per cleaner for commercial sites; some providers price standard office cleaning at ~R12–R25 per m² in Johannesburg (scope- and access-dependent).
Why prices vary: labour is 70–80% of a contract’s cost; wage law compliance and after-hours shifts affect quotes.
Price for daily cleaning of commercial spaces
Weekly cleaning of commercial spaces
Weekly cleaning is most suitable for commercial spaces such as offices in any industry, smaller retail stores with clothing and other products, and anywhere where there is not a very high flow of people. Weekly cleaning also includes things that are not part of daily cleaning, or it is an upgrade of daily tasks (details are cleaned):
- Thorough cleaning of free work surfaces (desks, chairs, telephones, computers, desk lamps, technical equipment, etc.).
- Cleaning of interior and exterior doors from top to bottom.
- Dusting cabinets, furniture, and other surfaces.
- Cleaning glass surfaces (display cases, shop windows) and windows along with window sills.
- Cleaning radiators, heaters, and light fixtures.
- Thorough cleaning and disinfection of sanitary facilities (including cleaning of tiles).
- Vacuuming textile floor coverings and/or mopping hard floor coverings.
- Watering plants.
- Removing cobwebs
Scheduling tip for SA: many offices choose after-hours or early-morning service to reduce disruption and to plan around load-shedding if machines are used.
Price for weekly cleaning of commercial spaces
Monthly cleaning of commercial spaces
Monthly cleaning of commercial spaces is suitable for companies with fewer employees or where there is a low flow of people. If you clean certain things yourself on an ongoing basis but don't have enough time and resources to clean everything in detail, monthly cleaning is a good choice.
Companies that order daily cleaning of their commercial spaces also opt for monthly cleaning because they want to maintain cleanliness on surfaces that are missed during daily cleaning. It involves detailed cleaning of surfaces that usually do not get as much attention or require more time to clean.
Monthly cleaning includes all the daily and weekly tasks described above, plus the following additions:
- Cleaning of trash cans.
- Dusting in harder-to-reach places.
- Thorough cleaning of sanitary facilities (cleaning wall tiles, toilet vents, sinks, urinals).
- Vacuuming and wet cleaning of radiators.
- Cleaning signs/advertising boards and railings.
- Cleaning ceiling lights and wall pictures.
- Thorough cleaning of cabinets (including internal shelves), furniture, and doors.
- Thorough cleaning of chairs and armchairs.
Deep cleaning of commercial spaces
Deep cleaning is not part of regular commercial cleaning, as it is usually not scheduled in advance but is performed as a supplement to regular cleaning and according to your needs. It involves cleaning all hard-to-reach areas that are usually missed during regular cleaning or require the use of specialized equipment and machines.
It is advisable to order a deep clean once or twice a year, and you can specify or create a list of tasks you want the cleaning service to perform.
Deep cleaning of commercial spaces is not the same as deep cleaning of apartments or houses, as it also includes other tasks specific to commercial spaces.
You can order a "deep clean" as part of regular annual maintenance of hard-to-reach surfaces, or after construction work, adaptations, and renovations, after painting, and when moving into or out of rented commercial premises.
What does a deep clean of commercial spaces include?
- Cleaning all types of glass surfaces, including at height using aerial lifts (windows with frames, sills, blinds, glass facades, shop windows, etc.).
- Cleaning illuminated signs at height and all types of external blinds.
- Washing and ironing curtains.
- Disinfection of sanitary facilities.
- Thorough polishing of office and building furniture (interior and exterior).
- Thorough cleaning of walls and wall coverings (wallpaper, tiles, etc.).
- Machine and deep cleaning of textile floor coverings (carpets, etc.), rugs, and upholstered furniture (armchairs, chairs, etc.).
- Machine cleaning of floor surfaces with added emulsion protection (for floor surfaces made of ceramic, stone, concrete, epoxy, PVC, and vinyl).
- Removing old and applying new protective coatings on floor surfaces such as linoleum, parquet, rubber, PVC, etc.
Typical SA pricing (guide): office deep cleans from ~R15–R25 per m² for larger areas, or ~R400–R600 per hour for custom work; carpet/upholstery and floor care are usually quoted separately.
Price for deep cleaning of commercial spaces
Before ordering commercial cleaning, it's good to know the following
The scope of commercial cleaning covers the following types of spaces:
- offices
- stores
- bars and restaurants
- clinics
This also includes individual parts of commercial spaces, such as meeting rooms, kitchenettes, archives, staircases, sanitary facilities, storage areas, common areas, etc.
The scope of commercial cleaning does not include industrial facilities, healthcare institutions, kindergartens, schools, hotels, and the like. Cleaning these facilities requires adherence to more specific cleaning standards and prescribed norms.
Standards, compliance & consumables (South Africa)
- Wages & legal compliance: quotes should allow at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and sectoral conditions; the NMW is R28.79 per ordinary hour from 1 March 2025.
- Industry body: many buyers prefer contractors who are members of the National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA); membership signals statutory compliance and a code of ethics.
- Cost structure: labour typically accounts for 70–80% of a contract’s price, which is why wage law, public holidays and shift times influence rates.
- Washroom supplies: you can add supply and servicing of dispensers and consumables (soap, paper, sanitary bins) to the contract.
Adjustments regarding cleaning times
You can arrange with the cleaning service to perform cleaning during or outside your working hours. In any case, they will adapt so as not to disrupt your work process. For some buildings, after-hours cleaning is preferred and may carry different rates due to overtime or security access.
You determine the cleaning schedule, whether it's daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleaning of the commercial spaces. If you decide on weekly cleaning, you can specify which day of the week you want the cleaners to come to your premises. For electricity-dependent tasks (e.g., carpet extraction), coordinate around load-shedding slots where relevant.
Contractual cooperation with cleaning services
Contractual cleaning of commercial spaces offers many advantages. You won't be burdened with organizing the work and ordering cleaning supplies and sanitary materials (toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, etc.). Many providers can include washroom products in a single monthly invoice if needed.
Upon your request, the cleaning service can also use eco-friendly cleaning products. You can also be assured of the quality of service, as reputable cleaning services work to industry standards and often have quality control measures and insurance in place; NCCA-member contractors undergo compliance audits.
Individual approach and customized solutions for commercial cleaning
It is best to first meet with a representative of the cleaning service to discuss your wishes and needs, based on which you will together create a customized cleaning plan according to the type of commercial space.
You will agree on the schedule, type, and frequency of cleaning, as well as the schedule for deep cleans. You can opt for pre-arranged periodic cleanings. In any case, the cleaning service will perform the work according to standards, which depend on the desired standard of cleaning, equipment, complexity, and frequency of cleaning, among other factors. South African providers commonly share daily/weekly/monthly task templates you can adapt to your site.
