How to switch commercial cleaners without the hassle

Before you give notice

• Find your current agreement and check the notice period and any end date.
• List what isn't working, with examples. It helps you brief the new cleaner.
• List what is working. You'll want to keep those things.
• Pick a target start date for the new cleaner, allowing time for quotes and a handover.

Write the scope down

The most common reason a new cleaner disappoints is that nobody told them what the old one did. Before you ask for quotes, write down every area, the tasks in each, how often they're done and when. Our office cleaning checklist is a good starting point, even if you're not an office.

Get quotes on the same scope

Ask two or three cleaners to visit and quote against your written scope. You'll be able to compare like with like, and you'll see who asks good questions. Our guide to commercial cleaning costs explains what should be in each quote.

Try before you commit

Many cleaners will do a trial clean. At Osso, new commercial clients get their first regular clean free, after a free site visit and with no obligation to continue, so you can see the standard before deciding.

Plan the handover

• Keys and cards. Count them, and collect them from the old cleaner on their last day.
• Alarm codes. Give the new cleaner their own code, and remove the old one after the final clean.
• The cleaners' storeroom. Check what's left behind and whose it is, including chemicals.
• Consumables. Count stock of toilet paper, soap, paper towel and bin liners, and agree who orders next.
• Waste. Tell the new cleaner which bins go out on which day.
• Site rules. Parking, lifts, security, and anything unusual about the building.

Check the first two weeks

1. Walk through the site after the first clean, with the plan in hand.
2. Send feedback straight away, good and bad.
3. Ask for photos of areas you can't check yourself. Osso can send photo reports on request.
4. Book a short catch-up after two weeks to fine-tune the plan.