Out-of-hours cleaning
Traditionally, offices are cleaned after staff leave in the evening or before they arrive in the morning. Cleaners can work quickly in empty spaces, vacuum without disturbing anyone and deep clean desks, kitchens and washrooms without queues. The office is fresh when staff arrive.
The downsides are cost and security. Out-of-hours work can mean a premium on the hourly rate, keyholding arrangements, alarm codes and lone working procedures. Cleaners rarely meet the people they clean for, so issues are reported by email or note and can take longer to resolve.
Daytime cleaning
Daytime cleaning schedules cleaners during working hours, usually with quieter equipment and a plan that avoids busy times. Cleaners can respond to spills and washroom issues immediately, keep kitchens and touch points clean throughout the day, and get to know staff. Many businesses find it improves standards and communication.
It can cost less, because there's no unsociable hours premium and less need for keyholding, and the building can be locked and heating switched off earlier. Some companies like the visible commitment to hygiene. The challenges are noise, working around people and meetings, and staff who would prefer not to be disturbed at their desks.
How they compare
The main factors businesses weigh up:
| Evening or early morning | Daytime | |
|---|---|---|
| Disruption to staff | Minimal | Some, managed with scheduling |
| Cost | May include an unsociable hours premium | Often lower |
| Security and keyholding | Needed | Minimal |
| Response to spills and issues | Next visit | Immediate |
| Washroom and kitchen hygiene | Clean at start of day | Maintained through the day |
| Energy use | Building lit and heated longer | Shorter building hours |
| Relationship with cleaners | Distant | Closer, easier feedback |
General comparison. Results depend on the building, the team and the specification.
Hybrid schedules
Many offices combine the two: a main clean out of hours for vacuuming, floors and desks, and a daytime 'janitorial' presence of a few hours for washrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms and replenishing consumables. With hybrid working, offices are busier on some days than others, so cleaning can be weighted towards peak days.
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What to put in the specification
Whichever you choose, make it explicit in the contract:
- Cleaning times, including any 'no vacuuming' periods or areas
- Which tasks happen in which shift
- How meeting rooms are booked for cleaning
- Noise expectations and equipment (quiet vacuums, battery machines)
- Keyholding, alarms and lone working procedures for out-of-hours work
- How staff report issues to the cleaning team
Choosing the right schedule
Open-plan offices with lots of calls and video meetings may prefer out-of-hours cleaning for floors, with daytime washroom checks. Busy buildings with high footfall, shared kitchens and visitors often benefit from daytime presence. Small offices may only need a few evening visits a week.
Our guides on how often an office should be cleaned and what's included in office cleaning help you build the specification, and office cleaning prices gives indicative rates. Request quotes from office cleaning companies for both options to compare.
Security and lone working
Out-of-hours cleaning means people working alone or in small teams in an empty building. Employers and contractors need lone working procedures – check-in calls or apps, emergency contacts, first aid arrangements and clear routes out of the building. Keyholding and alarm procedures should be written down, with codes changed when staff leave.
Daytime cleaning reduces those risks but brings others, such as trailing cables, wet floors in busy corridors and confidential papers on desks. A clear desk policy and agreed times for floor cleaning help. Whichever schedule you choose, ask your contractor for risk assessments and include security expectations in the contract – see how to choose an office cleaning company.
