Start with what your space actually needs
Choosing a commercial cleaning company is less about finding the lowest number and more about finding a partner whose work holds up night after night. The right fit depends on the kind of space you run. A professional office needs workstations, conference rooms, kitchens and restrooms ready before staff arrive. A medical or dental practice needs careful disinfection and respect for patient privacy. A bank branch needs overnight service with discretion around secure areas.
Before you call anyone, write down the basics: the approximate square footage, the number of restrooms, the types of floors, the hours the building is open, and anything that has gone wrong with past cleaning. That list will make every conversation faster and every quote easier to compare.
Get the scope in writing, with a checklist
A clear scope is the foundation of good service. Ask each company for a written checklist that spells out what gets done on every visit and what happens on a weekly, monthly or periodic basis. Vague promises like general cleaning leave room for misunderstanding. Look for specifics.
- Which rooms and areas are included, and which are not
- Daily tasks such as trash removal, restroom sanitation, vacuuming and surface disinfection
- Restocking of consumables like paper towels, soap and toilet paper
- Floor care, including hard surface care and carpet treatment, and how often
- Periodic work such as deep cleans or quarterly resets
- For medical spaces, how exam rooms, waiting areas and restricted areas are handled
Match the schedule to your hours
Cleaning should happen when it causes the least disruption. Most offices prefer after-hours service so staff walk in to a clean space each morning. Banks often need overnight cleaning between close and open. Medical practices may need early-morning or late-evening service around patient hours. Busy facilities and lobbies may benefit from a day porter, a uniformed team member on site during business hours to keep restrooms, entries and common areas in shape while people are in the building.
Ask any company you are considering whether they can work evenings, overnights, early mornings, weekends and holidays, and how they handle a change in your schedule.
Ask about supplies, products and communication
Find out who supplies the cleaning products and equipment, and what kinds of products are used. For medical and dental offices, ask specifically about disinfectants for high-touch surfaces. At MCG, our medical cleaning uses hospital-grade disinfection with EPA-registered products on high-touch surfaces.
Communication matters just as much as the cleaning itself. Ask who you will call when something needs attention, and whether that person will stay the same over time. A single point of contact who knows your building saves your facilities team from repeating the same instructions to someone new. If your staff, security team or contractors speak Spanish, a bilingual company can make coordination much smoother. MCG is family-run and fully bilingual, and clients have one point of contact for their account.
Insist on a walkthrough and a written quote
Be cautious of any company that quotes a commercial space without seeing it. A walkthrough lets the cleaner see your floors, fixtures, traffic patterns and special requirements firsthand, and it gives you a chance to ask questions face to face. After the walkthrough, you should receive a written proposal that covers scope, schedule and pricing in one place.
That is how every commercial relationship at MCG begins: a walkthrough of your space, then a detailed written proposal, then onboarding, where we set up your service calendar, assign the team and coordinate keys, codes and building requirements with your facilities contact.
If you manage an office, medical practice or bank in Knox, Loudon or Blount County, we would be glad to walk your space and put together a custom proposal. Most commercial scopes are custom, so tell us about your property and we will take it from there.
Talk through security, keys and alarm codes
After-hours cleaners will have access to your building when no one else is there, so treat this part seriously. Ask how keys, key cards and alarm codes are stored and who on the team can use them. Ask how the crew handles areas that are off limits, such as records rooms, vaults, medication storage or executive offices. Make sure you know who is coming into your building and how you will be told about any change. Give each vendor its own alarm code if your system allows it, so access can be tracked and changed easily.
Questions to ask before a trial period
Many businesses start with a short trial before committing long term. Use these questions to set clear expectations from the start.
- What does your checklist include for a space like ours, and can we adjust it?
- Who is my point of contact, and how do I reach them?
- Will the same team clean our building each visit?
- How do you handle something that was missed?
- What hours and days can you work, including overnights and weekends?
- How do you manage keys, alarm codes and restricted areas?
- How will we review the service after the first few weeks?