Cleaning contracts don’t fail. They drift. And because drift is gradual, most people only notice once it’s been going on for months.
A structured audit turns a vague sense that things aren’t as good as they were into something specific enough to fix.
When to do it
Walk the building at the start of a day, before staff arrive, ideally the morning after a scheduled clean. Fifteen minutes, once a quarter.
The ten dimensions
Score each 0–4:
| Score | Means |
|---|---|
| 0 | Not happening at all |
| 1 | Occasionally, when you chase it |
| 2 | Inconsistent, depends who turns up |
| 3 | Reliably done to an acceptable standard |
| 4 | Consistently excellent, and you can prove it |
1. Bathrooms. Fixtures genuinely sanitised, floors mopped into corners and behind the toilet, consumables restocked before they run out, no build-up around the base of fittings.
2. Kitchens and breakout. Benches and sinks clean and dry, appliance fronts and handles wiped, inside the microwave done, bins washed not just emptied.
3. Floors. Carpet edges and under-desk areas vacuumed, not just the open middle. Hard floors mopped without streaks or sticky residue.
4. Dusting and detail. Skirtings, window sills, tops of partitions, picture frames, monitor bases. This is the first thing dropped when hours get cut, check it first.
5. High-touch sanitising. Door handles, light switches, lift buttons, shared equipment, handrails. Ask when these were last actually sanitised rather than wiped.
6. Glass and entry. Entry doors, internal glass, reception. What visitors judge you on before anything else.
7. Consistency between visits. Score this low if you can tell which cleaner was on.
8. Responsiveness. When you raise something, how fast is it fixed, and does it stay fixed? Score 4 only if it never recurs.
9. Evidence. Can you see what was done on a specific date without asking anyone? Score 0 if the only record is that someone attended.
10. Proactivity. Do they tell you about problems, a leaking tap, damaged flooring, a consumable about to run out, before you find them?
Reading your score
| Total | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 34–40 | Genuinely good cleaner | Tell them. Good ones are hard to find and easy to lose. |
| 28–33 | Solid with specific gaps | Fixable. Take the two lowest dimensions to your account manager. |
| 22–27 | Drifting | Most common score. Have the conversation now. |
| 15–21 | Paying for a standard you’re not getting | Re-tender, or agree a documented remediation plan with a review date. |
| Under 15 | The contract has failed | Check your notice period. |
If "Evidence" scored 0 or 1
Look at that line separately from your total.
If you can’t see what was done on a given date without asking someone, every other score on this page is your impression rather than a fact, including the good ones. You might be right. You have no way to know.
Most cleaning relationships fail slowly, and the absence of a record is what lets it happen unnoticed.
The conversation before you switch
Switching is disruptive and costs you the institutional knowledge of your building. Try this first:
- Lead with specifics. "The kitchen bins haven’t been washed since March" lands. "We’re not happy with the standard" doesn’t.
- Bring the scorecard. A written framework turns a complaint into a shared problem, and tells the account manager exactly what to fix.
- Ask what changed. Standards drop for reasons, a staff change, a route change, an underpriced renewal. The answer tells you whether it’s fixable.
- Ask about hours. "How many hours a week are we currently getting?" Compare to what you were quoted. This is frequently the whole story.
- Agree a review date. Four to six weeks, re-score, same framework. If it hasn’t moved, it won’t.
Get the printable version
The Cleaning Audit Scorecard has the full framework with scoring boxes, ready to print and carry round the building.