I have a small cleaning company and Im trying to figure out how much to charge per square foot for a regular office building. What is the going rate in the Indiana area anyone know?

Clough

The first thing that I would suggest trying is to click on the following search and see if you will find some prices for Indiana on the links that you will find.

Craigslist Indiana Office Cleaning - Google Search

That is one way that you can find out how much people might already be charging.

Another thing that you could do would be to call around and see what different cleaners are charging or how they charge for their services. It would be okay to do that. Just ask them how they charge for their services and what services they provide.

Are you just starting out in this business? Or, have you already had experience working through or for someone else, please?

It could be that someone will come along here who does know how much they are paying to have a cleaning service in the Indiana area.

lucydog

We have been cleaning a fitness center for about 5 years, but it is time to grow our little business and we have a couple office building to quote which is really different then what we do now.

Clough

How were you charging for your service at the fitness center? Also, did you have to do any hard surface floor maintenance there besides sweeping and mopping, like stripping, waxing and polishing with a buffing machine? If not, then will you have to do that in the office buildings? If you do have to do that, it will make a difference as to what you will charge because that type of floor maintenance is more specialized. Also, whoever is providing the cleaning supplies and utensils that you will be using will make a difference in what you are going to be charging a customer. So, it would also be good to know here as to who is going to be providing those things.

Stringer

Great response Clough, I only have a minute because I have to go to dinner.

But I wanted to add that in most commercial jobs that the cleaning company usually provides all the cleaning supplies, but not always. Another factor to be factored into the pricing. Paper products; paper towels, TP, etc are usually provided by the client.

Many factors besides competition dictates pricing; the number of days the service is to be performed per week, the density of the building, etc.

Density refers to; the number of regular staff (people) in the building on a continual basis. This makes a difference because it dictates how much time you will have to work each night to complete the job.

Example; are there at total of 30 work stations, 40, 75, 225? That would mean;30, 40 75 or 225 trash cans to be emptied each night. Also relates to the "usage" in the washrooms; more paper products, soaps, etc to be refilled. You can price by square footage, but in reality it always refers back to the time spent in the building, your labor, costs and profit. I always check pricing at least three ways.

So density counts also, among other things. Sorry I didn't have more time.

Stringer

lucydog

We do all the stripping, waxing, buffing,rubber floors, gym hard wood floor plus keeping up with all the ceramic. Its a pretty big job. But not a lot of office space. so Im thinking that the pricing would be different because an office wont be as hard. We would be cleaning the office building 3 days a week and we will use or own supplies and equipment and charge them back for the paper products. The billing has a small bank, an accountant, other some small business and a reality office. about 26000 sq. foot.

Clough

Excellent points made, Stringer! And, I do hope that you return to this thread to shed additional light as to how to handle this type of situation in a business.

Stringer

Hey Clough how are you? I took a two week vacation, well deserved I might add...saved my sanity.

"We do all the stripping, waxing, buffing,rubber floors, gym hard wood floor plus keeping up with all the ceramic."

You will need to give me approximate square footage for the VCT, rubber floors, wood floors and the ceramic floors. Volume dictates price, although even on small floors the is a minimum price which is for:

1. The trip itself
2. Set up time
3. Doing the job itself

Generally (with some exceptions) we charge $175.00 for even a small job. Now, if you are already there and have your equipment there, that would constitute one of the exceptions. Another exception; important client that you don't want to charge the minimum if the potential is there for a lot of other business......

Give me the approximate sq ft of each AND...how often it is to be completed.

Stringer