Office window cleaning is priced by how the glass is reached rather than by how dirty it is. A ground floor frontage and a fourth floor elevation with no cradle are different jobs at different rates, and the access method is what separates them. The duty behind it sits on the building as much as on the cleaner, because the workplace regulations require windows to be capable of being cleaned safely.
What office window cleaning covers, and what it does not
Internal glass, external glass, frames and sills are separate line items, and a quote that says windows without saying which of them is not comparable with anything. Atrium glazing, skylights and internal partitions are normally priced apart from the elevations, and cradle cleaning of a high rise is a different contract again. Ask for each as its own line, because the item left out is the one that returns later as a variation.
Access is the price, from reach and wash to rope access
Water fed pole cleaning from the ground reaches most low and mid rise elevations and is the cheapest method by some distance. Above that the choices are a mobile elevating work platform, a permanent cradle, or rope access, each carrying its own hire, permits and crew. The useful question to a contractor is which method they intend to use on which elevation, because that is what the number actually rests on.
The safe access duty sits on the building, not only the cleaner
Regulation 16 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires windows and skylights to be of a design or construction that lets them be cleaned safely, and says equipment used with the window, or devices fitted to the building, may be taken into account in judging that. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 then ask for the work to be planned and for the risk to be avoided where it can be.
Frequency, and a specification a contractor can price
Frequency is a judgement about the elevation and its setting, because a roadside frontage shows dirt long before a courtyard does. A specification that can be priced names the elevations, the access method for each, the frequency, whether frames and sills are included, and who supplies water and power. Without those, quotes differ because they assume different jobs rather than because one firm is cheaper than another.
A checklist for office cleaning, and why the frequencies are the contract
A cleaning checklist is only useful when each task carries a FREQUENCY, because that is what is actually being bought and what disputes are about. Daily: bins, desks and reception surfaces, kitchen surfaces and appliances outside, washrooms fully with consumables replenished, entrance matting, spot mopping. Named days or daily by area: vacuuming, hard floor mopping, internal glass in high traffic areas. Weekly: skirtings, partitions, internal doors and frames, low level dusting, kitchen appliance fronts. Monthly: high dusting, vents and grilles, behind and under furniture, waste bin washing. Periodic with dates in the contract: carpet and upholstery cleaning, hard floor treatment, internal window and blind cleaning, kitchen appliance interiors, and any external or above ground floor glazing, which is a different trade with its own access requirements. Add who supplies consumables, the hours of attendance, key holding and how a missed clean is reported and credited, and the checklist becomes the specification rather than an aspiration.
Questions people ask about office window cleaning
Is office window cleaning part of the daily office clean?
Usually not. A daily contract covers internal surfaces and washrooms, while window cleaning runs as a separate visit on its own frequency. Internal glass is sometimes the only part of it included.
Who is responsible for safe access to the windows?
The building carries the duty. Regulation 16 requires windows and skylights to be capable of being cleaned safely, and equipment used with the window or devices fitted to the building may be taken into account.
Why do two office window cleaning quotes differ so much?
Almost always because they assume different access. A pole clean from the ground and a cradle clean of the same elevation are different jobs, so ask each firm to state the method it has priced.
Should frames and sills be in the quote?
Ask for them as a named line. They are commonly excluded, and a quote saying only windows cannot be compared with one that spells out whether the frames and sills are part of the work.
Is office cleaning Maidstone priced differently from London?
Lower, because the rate is mostly wages and the local labour market sets them, plus travel that is cheaper and parking that exists. What does not change is the specification or the standard the work is judged against, so the useful comparison between a Kent quote and a London one is the weekly hours and the headcount rather than the total. What a smaller market does change is capacity: fewer contractors means less slack in the diary, so ask who currently works within a few miles and what happens in August before comparing prices.