For cleaning businesses, especially those that are newly established, one of the trickiest things to figure out is pricing. For customers, meanwhile, it can be a challenge to find a cleaning company that ticks all the boxes but doesn’t charge an exorbitant amount.
A good example here would be school cleaning. There are different kinds of educational institutions so it’s only logical for each one to have a different rate. However, there are plenty of factors that can affect the pricing of professional cleaning for schools. Here are some things to keep in mind for appropriate costing and budgeting:
What Does School Cleaning Entail?
Unless they’re extremely niche (e.g., disaster cleaning), most cleaning companies offer a variety of services. These are often either “bundled” into packages or tiers, or else able to be cherry-picked by customers; sometimes, the company can offer to create a suitable and customised cleaning package based on client requirements.
Once you know the kind of work to be done, it will be easier to get a more accurate price range for school cleaning. Some of the most common services you’ll see offered by cleaning companies include but are not limited to the following:
- Cleaning, dusting, and polishing furniture
- Vacuuming, mopping, and drying floors
- Vacuuming or washing curtains, upholstery, carpets, and other similar surfaces
- Cleaning ceilings, walls, and sideboards (e.g., removing cobwebs)
- Cleaning windows
- Removing rubbish and emptying trash bins
- Cleaning and relining trash bins as necessary
- Washing kitchen floors and walls
- Scrubbing and sanitising the kitchen sink
- Wiping and sanitising kitchen worktops, backsplashes, cabinet doors, and furniture
- Cleaning and disinfecting kitchen appliances
- Scrubbing and disinfecting toilets, basins, mirrors and floors
- Replenishing bathroom and hygiene supplies such as toilet paper, soap, and the like
All of these services can be considered “basic” and are applicable to a variety of establishments. However, this doesn’t mean that a customer is obligated to avail everything. Cleaning companies can omit certain services upon request and then either adjust prices or replace the omitted services with others.
What Cleaning Tasks Can Cost Extra?
There are also plenty of specialised services that cleaning companies can include in their packages, particularly if they have the right equipment for it. These specialised services can come at an extra cost, although they’re done only occasionally:
- Steam-cleaning carpets
- Specialised surface cleaning (e.g., hardwood floors)
- Cleaning or scrubbing tile grout
- Cleaning roofs
- Polishing or restoring bathroom fixtures
- Pressure cleaning
- End-of-lease cleaning
- High-rise window cleaning
- COVID-19 cleaning
For daycare centers, special services may also include the disinfection of toys. Sometimes, basic exterior cleaning such as sweeping up leaves may also be included in service packages.
Now that you have an idea about what’s included in standard and specialised cleaning services, it’s now time to take a look at the costs involved.
How Much Does a School Cleaning Service Cost?
Ultimately, the price you charge (or pay) for cleaning a school will depend on various factors. Aside from the services mentioned above, the size and location of the school will also get factored in. Is the school in a low-cost suburb? How many storeys and classrooms are there? What are the floors made of and do they need polishing? Are there any equipment that also need cleaning, such as those used in a science laboratory?
Then, there are also pricing schemes to think about. There are three common models for this:
Hourly Costs
For most routine cleaning tasks, a cost of $25 to $40 per hour for a sole worker is a reasonable expectation. For more in-depth cleaning or if there are more cleaners required on-site, the price can reach up to $100 per hour or even higher.
Per-Square-Metre or Per-Square-Foot Costs
This type of pricing scheme is uncommon, particularly for school cleaning, but there are some cleaning companies that follow a per-square-metre or per-square-foot pricing for smaller institutions.
The pricing for this scheme is usually offered in brackets. For example, deep-cleaning a 100- to 150-square-metre space will cost $300, while a 150- to 250-square-metre space will cost $400. Some may also use direct conversion—standard cleaning will cost $3 per square metre or $.5 per square foot, while deep cleaning can be $6 per square metre or $2 per square foot. As a general rule, the rates can go lower for bigger spaces.
Packaged Costs
Packaged costs simply mean offering a fixed rate per job or cleaning service package. One-off cleaning will cost higher, while weekly, monthly, or annual packages can be discounted.
As previously mentioned, there can also be customised cleaning packages. Companies can either offer different price ranges or tiers based on the number of services availed of or assign a value per service. This way, the customer has more control over their spending.
How Long Does It Take to Clean a School?
The answer to this is similar to determining the cost of cleaning a school: it depends. Smaller schools will of course be easier and faster to clean. It also depends on variables such as the complexity of the cleaning job. For example, some schools may be smaller but may have a variety of equipment.
Nevertheless, it’s reasonable to expect about half to a full day of cleaning for schools depending on the size of the space and how many people are working at the same time.
For efficient cleaning with excellent results, it’s best to work with a reputable cleaning company. That’s because when it comes to cleaning, you do really get what you pay for.
That being said, hopefully, this article has clarified your concerns regarding the cost of school cleaning.