In short
Most professional offices of 1,500 to 5,000 square feet need cleaning between one and five times per week. The drivers are washroom and kitchen use, client traffic, and staff density, not square footage. A 10-person office with client meetings and a shared kitchen typically starts at two to three visits per week; a quiet back-office can hold a standard at one.
Frequency is the decision that sets both your cleaning budget and your morning standard, and it is usually made by guesswork. The honest answer to 'how often?' is 'it depends,' but it depends on knowable things, and this guide lays them out so your starting point is an estimate rather than a shrug.
What actually drives frequency
- Washrooms: the binding constraint in most offices. Washrooms degrade by use, not by time; ten people using two washrooms daily sets a floor on frequency no other factor can lower.
- Kitchens and breakrooms: shared food areas accumulate visible mess within a day and odour problems within two.
- Client traffic: every visitor sees reception, the meeting room, and possibly a washroom. Appointment-driven offices carry a higher standard than headcount alone suggests.
- Staff density and habits: twenty people in 3,000 square feet generate more load than eight people in the same space, and a tidy-desk culture stretches any schedule further.
- Season: GTA winters put salt and slush at every entrance. Many offices step up entrance and floor attention from November through March without changing the rest of the scope.
Typical starting points by office type
| Office profile | Typical starting frequency | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Solo or two-person professional suite, few visitors | 1 visit per week | A single washroom shared with other tenants can push this to 2 |
| Accounting, law, or consulting office, 5–10 staff, occasional clients | 1–2 visits per week | Tax season or filing deadlines often justify a temporary step up |
| Real estate, mortgage, or insurance office with steady appointments | 2–3 visits per week | Reception, boardroom, and washroom presentation set the number |
| Office of 15–25 staff with a shared kitchen | 3 visits per week | Kitchen and washroom load, more than square footage |
| Dental, medical, or therapy clinic with daily patients | 3–5 visits per week | Patient flow and morning-readiness expectations; clinical tasks stay with the practice |
Signals the frequency is wrong
Increase when washroom complaints surface between visits, bins fill before pickup, Monday mornings start with visible Friday, or staff have begun doing small cleaning tasks themselves. Decrease carefully when the close-out reports show light work visit after visit and the office holds its standard across a long weekend. Adjust one step at a time and let two or three weeks of reports confirm the call.
How Keystone sets the number
The walkthrough produces a recommendation built from washrooms, kitchen, traffic, floors, and season, documented in the written quote with the reasoning attached. Then the first month of Close-Out Reports tests it against reality. Frequency changes are normal and easy; the scope stays written either way, so the standard never drifts just because the schedule changed.
Common questions
Is once a week enough for a 10-person office?
Sometimes. With one lightly used washroom, no shared kitchen, and few visitors, weekly service can hold a standard. Add client meetings or a busy kitchen and most 10-person offices land at two visits. The walkthrough settles it with specifics rather than headcount.
Can we change frequency after service starts?
Yes. Frequency adjustments are routine: the written scope stays the same while the schedule changes. Most clients calibrate within the first month based on what the close-out reports show.
Do offices clean more often in winter?
Many do, selectively: entrance, mat, and corridor attention steps up during salt season without changing the full scope. It is a targeted adjustment, not a full extra clean.
Does a bigger office automatically mean more visits?
No. Square footage affects how long each visit takes more than how often visits are needed. A large quiet office may need one long visit; a small busy clinic may need five short ones.