10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Commercial Cleaning Company

Most business owners pick a cleaning company the same way they pick a restaurant, they go with whatever looks good on the surface and hope for the best. That works fine for lunch. It doesn’t work for a vendor who has access to your building after hours.

The truth is, a bad hire here isn’t just inconvenient. It can mean damaged property, missing items, or a facility that makes your clients and employees uncomfortable. A few pointed questions before you sign can save you a lot of trouble.

Here are 10 questions worth asking every commercial cleaning company you’re considering, along with what good answers actually sound like.

The 10 Questions to Ask

1. Are You Fully Insured, and Can You Prove It?

This isn’t optional. Any cleaning company working in your facility needs general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage.

• General liability protects you if the crew damages property or causes an accident in your space.
• Workers’ comp means you’re not on the hook if an employee gets injured while cleaning your building.

Ask for a certificate of insurance, not a verbal assurance. A legitimate company will email it to you within 24 hours. If they stall, walk away.

2. Do You Run Background Checks on Your Staff?

Your cleaning crew will likely be in your building alone, often at night. That’s a real access-and-trust situation.

Ask specifically:

• Do you run criminal background checks on every employee?
• Are checks done at hire only, or periodically?
• Do you run drug screening?

What a good answer looks like: “We run background checks on all employees before hire and rescreen annually. We use a third-party service for consistency.” Anything vague, “we have a process”, is a red flag.

3. Who Actually Does the Work. Your Employees or Subcontractors?

This is one of the most overlooked questions. Some cleaning companies win contracts and then farm the work out to subcontractors they didn’t screen themselves.

If they use subcontractors, ask:

• Are those subcontractors bound by the same insurance and background check requirements?
• Who manages quality when a sub is doing the work?
• Who do you call when there’s a problem, you or the sub?

Direct employees are almost always preferable. They’re trained by the company, covered by the company’s insurance, and accountable to a single chain of command.

4. Can You Provide References from Similar Businesses?

A company that cleans offices has different expertise than one that cleans medical facilities or restaurants. Make sure their references are relevant to your industry.

Ask for 2-3 references from businesses similar in size and type to yours. Then actually call them.

When you call, ask:

• How long have you worked with them?
• Have there ever been problems, and how were they handled?
• Would you hire them again?

The last question is the most telling. A lukewarm “they’re fine” is not a ringing endorsement.

5. What Chemicals and Products Do You Use?

This matters more than most owners realize. Some cleaning companies use harsh chemicals that can damage certain floor finishes, irritate employees with sensitivities, or leave residues on food-prep surfaces.

Ask:

• What products do you use for general cleaning vs. disinfecting?
• Do you offer green or low-VOC options?
• Will you use our preferred products if we supply them?

Reputable companies will have safety data sheets (SDS) available for every product and won’t hesitate to share them.

6. How Do You Handle Communication and Complaints?

When something goes wrong, and at some point, it will, how does the company respond? This is arguably more important than how they perform on a normal day.

Ask:

• What’s your process when a client reports a missed area or a quality issue?
• Is there a dedicated point of contact for my account?
• How do I reach someone after hours if there’s an urgent issue?

What you want to hear: A named account manager, a clear escalation path, and a commitment to making it right within 24 hours. Anything involving “just call the main number” is a warning sign for a company too big or disorganized to manage your account.

7. What Are the Contract Terms, and Can I Exit If Things Go Wrong?

Read the contract carefully before signing. Key things to look for:

• Contract length. Is it month-to-month or a long-term commitment?
• Cancellation policy. What’s the penalty for early termination? How much notice is required?
• Price lock. Can rates change mid-contract? Under what circumstances?
• Scope definition. Are the services spelled out specifically, or left vague?

A company confident in their service will offer reasonable exit terms. Aggressive cancellation penalties are a sign they know they’ll have trouble keeping clients happy.

8. What Are Your Performance Standards, and How Do You Enforce Them?

Ask how they measure whether a job was done right.

Look for:

• A formal inspection process (random or scheduled)
• A checklist system for each cleaning visit
• A feedback loop that surfaces problems before you have to report them yourself

Some companies use digital quality control tools where supervisors log inspections from the facility itself. That’s a good sign. Companies that have no formal process beyond “our cleaners are trained” are leaving quality to chance.

9. What Happens When a Scheduled Cleaner Doesn’t Show?

Staff turnover in the cleaning industry is real. Ask what the backup plan is when the regular crew calls out.

• Do they have backup staff they can deploy?
• Do they notify you in advance, or after the fact?
• Who covers when the primary team is unavailable?

No-shows with no warning, or a pattern of constant crew rotation, will erode the quality of your clean over time. You want a company that owns the problem before you discover it.

10. How Is Pricing Structured, and What’s Not Included?

Get a written quote that breaks down exactly what’s included in the regular service. Then ask specifically about extras:

• Is restocking paper products and soap included or billed separately?
• Are floor-care services (waxing, buffing, stripping) in scope or an add-on?
• What happens if the scope of work changes, is there a formal change order process?

A low bid that excludes half the services you actually need isn’t a deal. Get everything in writing before you commit.

What Good Answers Actually Look Like

The best cleaning companies answer these questions confidently and without hesitation. They’ve been asked before. They have processes, paperwork, and references ready.

Watch for these signs of a quality vendor:

• Specific answers, not generic ones, “We use this specific product for disinfecting high-touch surfaces” beats “We use professional-grade products.”
• Written documentation available, insurance certs, SDS sheets, sample contracts, reference lists
• A single point of contact they name by role or title
• An inspection or quality control process they can describe step-by-step

You’re not being difficult by asking these questions. You’re doing exactly what a responsible business owner should do.

Red Flags to Watch For

Beyond weak answers, these are behaviors that should end the conversation:

• Pressure to sign quickly, “This price is only good today” is a sales tactic, not a business practice
• No written contract or a contract that’s intentionally vague
• Inability to provide proof of insurance on request
• No references or references they’re slow to provide
• Unusually low bids with no explanation of what’s excluded
• High turnover signals, if they can’t keep staff, they can’t deliver consistent service

Trust your read. If the sales conversation already feels slippery, the service relationship won’t improve.

FAQ

How many quotes should I get before hiring a commercial cleaning company?

Get at least three written quotes from different vendors. This gives you enough data to spot what’s standard pricing versus what’s unusually high or suspiciously low. Compare line by line, not just the bottom-line number.

Is it a red flag if a cleaning company uses subcontractors?

Not necessarily, but it warrants extra scrutiny. Ask how they screen and manage their subs, and whether subs are covered under the same insurance policy. If the company can’t answer clearly, that’s the red flag, not the subcontractor model itself.

Should I hire a local cleaning company or a national franchise?

Both have trade-offs. Local companies often offer more responsive service and a direct line to ownership. National franchises may have more standardized training and systems. The more important question is whether this specific company, local or national, can demonstrate quality control and accountability.

What’s a reasonable contract length for commercial cleaning services?

Month-to-month or short-term (3-6 month) contracts are reasonable for a new vendor relationship. Long-term contracts (1-2 years) can offer pricing stability, but only commit once you’ve verified the company delivers consistently.

What should I do if quality drops after I’ve already signed a contract?

Document the issue in writing and report it through the company’s formal complaint process. Good vendors will respond quickly and offer a make-up visit. If the problem is systemic and they’re unresponsive, review your contract’s termination clause and consult it before taking further action.

How often should I formally evaluate my cleaning company’s performance?

At a minimum, do a walk-through inspection monthly during the first three months. Once you’ve established trust and consistency, quarterly reviews are usually sufficient. Build a simple scorecard around the areas that matter most to your facility.

Excellence Janitorial Services serves businesses across Pennsylvania, including Scranton. Wilkes-Barre. Pittston, and the greater Luzerne County region. If you’d like to put us to the test with these same questions, we’re ready for them, and happy to put every answer in writing.