Commercial cleaning costs & service levels in London and the UK
A transparent 2026 guide to office and commercial cleaning pricing — hourly rates, per-square-foot benchmarks, what's included, and how frequency and specialist equipment change your quote.
What does commercial cleaning cost in the UK?
Most UK businesses pay between £15 and £30 per hour for commercial cleaning, or £0.08–£0.25 per sqft per clean. London contracts sit at the upper end of these ranges. Your final quote depends on six cost drivers below.
Floor area (sqft)
Larger footprints reduce cost per sqft but increase overall spend. Most UK offices benchmark between £0.08 and £0.25 per sqft per clean.
Frequency & hours
Daily, weekdays, 3× per week or periodic. Higher frequency lowers cost per visit but raises monthly spend.
Site complexity
Number of floors, washrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms and reception zones directly affects labour hours.
Specialist tasks
Carpet extraction, hard-floor machine work, window cleaning, IPC deep cleans and periodic works add scoped line items.
Compliance & vetting
DBS-checked staff, BICSc training, COSHH documentation and ISO-aligned QA add cost but are essential in regulated sectors.
Consumables & supply
Whether the contract includes washroom consumables, chemicals and equipment can shift monthly totals by 10–25%.
UK commercial cleaning rates by service level
Indicative 2026 rates for commercial cleaning across the UK. London and out-of-hours contracts trend toward the upper end of each band.
| Service level | Typical rate | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Office Cleaning | From £15 / hour | General cleaning, washrooms, kitchens, bins, vacuuming and dusting. Suited to small–mid offices with weekday visits. |
| Contract Cleaning | Tailored Quote | Structured cleaning specification, QA reporting, uniformed team, back-up cover and account management. |
| Deep Cleaning | Site Survey Required | Carpet extraction, hard-floor restoration, kitchen deep cleans, post-construction and window cleaning packages. |
| Specialist Cleaning | Bespoke Pricing | Healthcare, education, food-safe, laboratory or high-security environments requiring vetted staff and IPC protocols. |
What affects your commercial cleaning price?
Four variables drive almost every quote we produce. Understanding them helps you compare providers on a like-for-like basis.
How does cleaning frequency affect cost?
Daily contracts have the lowest cost per visit because labour is scheduled efficiently and the site stays on top of soil levels. Moving from 5× to 3× per week typically cuts monthly spend by 30–40%, but each visit takes longer and periodic deep cleans become more important. Ad-hoc or one-off cleans carry a mobilisation premium.
How does the scope of work change the quote?
A "standard" scope covers desks, floors, washrooms, kitchens and bins. Adding reception hosting, day porters, consumables supply, dishwasher management, meeting-room resets or waste segregation each adds labour hours and materials. We price every scope line separately so you can flex the specification without renegotiating the whole contract.
How does square footage change the price?
Cost per sqft falls as floor area grows — a 1,500 sqft office may cost £0.20–£0.25 per sqft per clean, while a 20,000 sqft floorplate can drop to £0.08–£0.12. Layout matters too: open-plan space cleans faster than cellular offices with the same footprint, and washroom/kitchen density can shift labour by 20% or more.
When does specialist equipment add to the price?
Scrubber dryers, carpet extraction machines, HEPA vacuums, rotary buffers and high-level access (poles, towers, IPAF) are quoted as separate line items when required. Periodic works — hard-floor restoration, carpet extraction, high-level dusting and external window cleaning — are typically scheduled quarterly or bi-annually rather than baked into the hourly rate.
Get a tailored cleaning quote
Share three details — your postcode, site size and preferred frequency — and we'll return a written specification and price within one working day.
Office cleaning cost by size — London
A practical weekly cost range for typical London office footprints. Actual quotes vary with access, floor finishes and consumables supply.
Small office (up to 2,000 sqft)
£120 – £220 / week
3–5 visits/week, ~1–1.5 hrs per visit.
Mid-size office (2,000–8,000 sqft)
£250 – £650 / week
Daily clean, 2–4 hrs per visit, washrooms daily.
Large office (8,000–20,000 sqft)
£650 – £1,600 / week
Daily team of 2–4, day porter option, QA reporting.
HQ / multi-floor (20,000+ sqft)
£1,600+ / week
Full-time on-site team, day + evening cover, periodic works included.
What a good commercial cleaning contract covers
Beyond the hourly rate, a properly scoped commercial contract should include people, process and reporting — not just labour hours.
- Uniformed, DBS-checked and BICSc-trained cleaning operatives
- Written cleaning specification and site logbook
- Digital QA audits with photo evidence and issue tracking
- COSHH-compliant chemicals and colour-coded equipment
- Consumables supply and stock management (optional)
- Dedicated account manager and 24/7 escalation line
- Back-up cover for holidays, sickness and peaks
- Periodic deep cleans and window cleaning schedules
When specialist equipment changes the price
Some tasks need machines or access solutions that fall outside the standard hourly rate. Expect these as separately quoted line items.
Scrubber dryers & buffers
For hard floors in receptions, retail, warehousing and education — typically £30–£80 per hour when hired in for periodic works.
HEPA-filter vacuums
Essential for healthcare, education and allergy-sensitive workplaces. Standard on ValidCore enhanced contracts.
Carpet extraction machines
Hot-water extraction for periodic carpet cleaning — priced per sqft with a typical site minimum.
High-level access equipment
Reach-and-wash poles, mobile towers or IPAF-certified access for windows, atriums and high-level dusting.
Commercial cleaning cost questions
How much does office cleaning cost in London?
Office cleaning in London typically ranges from £15–£25 per hour for standard daytime contracts and £18–£30 per hour for out-of-hours or specialist work. Per-sqft benchmarks fall between £0.08 and £0.25 per sqft per clean.
What drives the price of a commercial cleaning quote?
Floor area, cleaning frequency, service level, consumables supply, out-of-hours access, security vetting and specialist equipment are the primary cost drivers.
Is daily or weekly cleaning better value?
For offices above ~2,000 sqft, daily cleaning is usually better value per visit and protects hygiene standards. Smaller sites often opt for 2–3 visits per week with a periodic deep clean.
Do you cover the whole of London and the UK?
Yes. ValidCore delivers commercial cleaning services across London, Berkshire and nationwide, with structured mobilisation for multi-site contracts.
Get a tailored commercial cleaning quote
Share your site size, frequency and postcode — we'll return a written specification and transparent price within one working day.