Vendors use "janitorial services" and "commercial cleaning" as if they mean the same thing. Many companies, ours included, offer both under one roof. But when you are writing a scope or reading a bid, the difference matters. One is a routine. The other is a project. They are scheduled, staffed and priced in different ways, and most buildings need some of each.
The short version
Janitorial service is recurring upkeep. A crew comes on a set schedule, nightly or a few times a week, and does the same task list each visit. The goal is to keep a building at a steady standard.
Commercial cleaning, used in the narrower sense, is periodic or project work in a commercial building. It happens once, or a few times a year, and it resets the building to a standard that routine visits cannot reach. Deep cleans, floor care, post construction cleaning and apartment turns all fall here.
People also use "commercial cleaning" as the umbrella term for any cleaning done in a business setting, which is why the two get mixed up. If a bid says "commercial cleaning", look at the task list and the schedule to see which kind you are being quoted.
Side by side comparison
| Janitorial services | Commercial cleaning projects | |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Recurring: daily, several times a week or weekly | One time, seasonal, or a few times a year |
| Purpose | Hold a steady level of clean | Reset the building or get it ready for use |
| Typical tasks | Trash, restrooms, break rooms, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, restocking | Deep cleaning, floor stripping and refinishing, carpet extraction, post construction cleanup, unit turns |
| Crew | The same small assigned crew each visit | A larger crew sized to the job and the deadline |
| Equipment | Vacuums, mops, cloths, standard chemicals | Floor machines, extractors, ladders, scrapers, specialty products |
| Scoped by | Room type and task frequency | Area, condition and a finish standard |
| Priced by | Per visit or per month | Per job, per square foot or per unit |
| Agreement | Ongoing service agreement | Single work order or project quote |
What janitorial service covers
Janitorial work is the list of things that have to happen every time or a building goes downhill within a week:
- Emptying trash and recycling and replacing liners
- Cleaning, disinfecting and restocking restrooms
- Wiping break room counters, sinks and tables
- Dusting desks, ledges and common surfaces
- Vacuuming carpet and sweeping and mopping hard floors
- Cleaning entry glass and wiping touch points
The value is in consistency. That is why a recurring account should have the same crew, a written scope and someone who inspects. Our commercial cleaning and janitorial page explains how we set that up, and the office cleaning page covers the most common version of it.
What project cleaning covers
Deep cleans
A deep clean reaches what the nightly routine skips: behind and under furniture, vents, baseboards, the inside of break room appliances, high dusting, detailed restroom work. It is common at the start of a new janitorial contract, when a building has been neglected, or once or twice a year as a reset.
Floor care
Mopping keeps a floor clean. It does not keep a finish on it. Vinyl tile needs to be scrubbed and recoated, and at longer intervals stripped and refinished. Carpet needs extraction to pull out what a vacuum leaves behind. This work uses different machines and is booked on its own schedule.
Post construction cleaning
After a build out or renovation, every surface carries dust, and there are stickers, adhesive, paint spots and debris to deal with. Post construction cleaning gets a space ready for occupancy and is usually done in stages around the contractor's punch list.
Turns
When a tenant moves out, the unit has to be made rent ready before the next move in. In student housing, hundreds of units can turn in the same short window. Apartment and student housing turns are run as a project with a schedule, a unit count and an inspection of every unit.
When a building needs each
You need janitorial service if people use the building every week. Offices, clinics, schools, retail stores and warehouse offices all fall in this group. The only real question is frequency.
You need project cleaning when one of these is true:
- You are moving into a new or renovated space
- You are starting with a new janitorial vendor and the building is behind
- Floors look dull or carpet looks stained even though they are cleaned on schedule
- An inspection, an audit, a sale or a big event is coming
- Tenants are moving out and units must be ready by a fixed date
Most facilities end up with both: a janitorial schedule for the routine, plus a short calendar of periodic work through the year. Putting the periodic work in the same agreement keeps it from being forgotten.
How they are scoped and priced differently
Janitorial pricing is built on repetition. The vendor works out how long one visit takes from the square footage, restroom count, floor types and traffic. That time is multiplied by the number of visits. The result is a price per visit or per month that stays flat as long as the scope does. The scope is a list of tasks by room type with a frequency beside each one.
Project pricing is built on condition. Two spaces of the same size can take very different amounts of labor. It depends on how dirty they are, what the floors need and how tight the deadline is. So the vendor prices the job itself: per square foot for floor care or post construction work, per unit for turns, or a single price for a defined deep clean. The scope describes the finished result and the date.
This is why a janitorial bid that claims to include "floor care" needs a second look. Ask what kind, how often, and whether it is in the monthly price or billed apart.
How each type of work is quoted
The two kinds of work are measured differently. Recurring janitorial and office cleaning is quoted from square footage and how often the crew visits. Project work depends on the project: apartment and student housing turns are quoted per unit by floor plan, post construction cleaning by square footage and phase, and one time deep cleans or cleanouts by the crew time estimated at an assessment.
Getting both from one vendor
Squeaky Clean Team provides recurring janitorial service and project cleaning across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle from Pensacola to Panama City. Recurring accounts get the same assigned crew, a written scope by room type and a team lead who inspects. Recurring work is priced per visit or per month after a free walkthrough or video call. Turns are priced per unit by floor plan. We do cleanup only, with no demolition, repairs or painting.
Not sure which one your building needs? Describe the space on our quote form and we will reply the same business day.
Questions this guide answers
Is janitorial service the same as commercial cleaning?
Not quite. Janitorial service is recurring upkeep on a set schedule. Commercial cleaning is often used as the broad term for all cleaning in business settings, and in the narrower sense means periodic or project work such as deep cleans, floor care, post construction cleaning and turns.
Does a janitorial contract include floor stripping and waxing?
Usually not by default. Routine visits cover sweeping, mopping and vacuuming. Scrub and recoat, strip and refinish, and carpet extraction are periodic services that should be listed and priced separately in the agreement.
How often should an office have a deep clean?
It depends on traffic and how thorough the routine service is. Many offices schedule one at the start of a new janitorial contract and then once or twice a year.
Why is project cleaning priced differently from janitorial service?
Janitorial pricing is based on a repeatable visit, so it can be a flat price per visit or per month. Project work depends on the condition of the space and the deadline, so it is priced per job, per square foot or per unit.
Can one company handle both?
Yes. Squeaky Clean Team provides recurring janitorial service as well as post construction cleaning and apartment and student housing turns, so one vendor can cover the routine and the project work.