Most offices get frequency wrong in a specific way: they buy the same frequency for everything. Bathrooms and carpet get the same number of visits, despite needing wildly different attention.
Structuring by task rather than by visit typically saves 15–20% for a result nobody can distinguish.
The principle
Frequency should follow consequence. How quickly does it become a problem if this task is skipped?
| Skip it for a day | Skip it for a week | Skip it for a month |
|---|---|---|
| Bathrooms | Skirtings | High dusting |
| Bins | Internal glass | Vents |
| Kitchen | Window sills | Light fittings |
| High-touch points | Under-desk vacuuming | Fridge interior |
| Reception | Bin washing | Behind furniture |
Daily / every visit
The complaint-generating tasks:
- Bathrooms, full sanitise, mop, restock
- Kitchen, benches, sink, microwave, tables
- All bins emptied and re-lined
- Reception and entry glass
- High-touch points
- High-traffic floor areas
Roughly 60% of total labour, and it’s the 60% you cannot compress.
Alternate visits
Tasks that tolerate a gap:
- General open-plan vacuuming
- Desk surfaces
- Meeting rooms (unless used daily)
- Internal doors and glass at eye level
This is where the saving lives. An office vacuumed three times a week instead of five is indistinguishable to occupants, and it’s typically 12–18% of the contract.
Weekly
- Full carpet vacuum including edges and under desks
- Skirtings and door frames
- Window sills and ledges
- Internal glass and partitions
- Kitchen bins washed
- Bathroom grout and tiles
- Chair bases and castors
- Waste and recycling areas
Monthly
- High dusting above reach
- Air vents and extractor grilles
- Light fittings
- Fridge interior
- Under and behind furniture
- Upholstered seating
- Cupboard interiors
Quarterly
- Internal windows, tracks and frames
- Blinds
- Carpet spot treatment
- Storage and archive areas
Annual / periodic
- Carpet steam cleaning (6–12 monthly)
- Hard floor strip and seal (12–24 monthly)
- External windows (quarterly to 6-monthly)
- Upholstery cleaning
A worked schedule: 20-person office, 3 visits a week
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, every visit (approx 2.5 hrs) Bathrooms, kitchen, all bins, reception, entry glass, high-touch, high-traffic floors
Monday only, add 45 min Full carpet vacuum with edges, skirtings, sills, internal glass, kitchen bin wash, bathroom grout
First Monday of month, add 60 min High dusting, vents, light fittings, fridge, under furniture, cupboard interiors
Total: roughly 8.5 hours a week average, versus about 11 hours if everything ran every visit, for an outcome nobody in the building could tell apart.
Getting your provider to structure it this way
Most will if you ask. Very few offer, because a flat schedule is simpler to quote and staff.
Ask for two prices: your current arrangement, and a structured schedule with daily amenities plus alternate-visit general cleaning. Compare, and ask them which they’d recommend if it were their building.