How much does commercial cleaning cost in Virginia?
No Virginia agency sets a price for commercial cleaning, so the real number is a written bid for your own space. It rises with square footage, visits per week, floor types, restrooms, supplies and add-on tasks such as disinfecting. Because labor drives the price, expect bids to move with Virginia's minimum wage, which steps up to $13.75 in 2027.
Free to ask. Local shops send quotes, and you pay only when you book one.
By Kasra Taheri, Founder, LoclisPublished
Researched and drafted with AI, then checked claim by claim against the sources listed below before it was published. Prices and rules change; the dates beside each source say when it was last checked.
Step by step
Read when to stop and call a pro, further down this page, before you start.
Step 1: Measure and describe the space
Note the square footage, the number of restrooms, kitchens and meeting rooms, and the floor types: carpet, vinyl, tile or hard floors.
Step 2: Decide how often
Pick the visits per week you want and whether cleaning happens after hours, since access and timing change the bid.
Step 3: List what is included
Write down the tasks you expect each visit and the tasks you want only monthly or quarterly, such as floor stripping or carpet extraction.
Step 4: Choose a disinfecting standard
Decide which surfaces need disinfecting rather than ordinary cleaning, because that is extra work and a different product.[3]
Step 5: Ask three companies for itemized written bids
Give each the same description and ask for the price per visit, per month and for each add-on.
Step 6: Ask who does the work and who insures them
Ask whether the crew are the company's own employees and for proof of insurance before you compare prices.[4]
Step 7: Compare bids line by line
Check that every bid covers the same tasks, supplies and visit schedule before you look at the total.
Step 8: Start with a trial period
Agree a short trial with an exit clause, then review the first month's work before you commit to a longer term.
There is no price list for commercial cleaning in Virginia, and no agency that sets one. What you pay is a written bid for your own space, and the bids you get depend on a short list of things you can describe in advance. Anyone who quotes a number over the phone without asking about the building is guessing.
What drives a commercial cleaning bid
Labor. Cleaning is mostly people's time, so labor is usually most of the bill. Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 per hour through the end of 2026, $13.75 from January 1, 2027 and $15.00 from January 1, 2028.[1] The statute says every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i) $12.77 per hour or (ii) the federal minimum wage for that period.[1] That is a floor; a company that pays more, trains its crews and keeps them will usually charge more. If your contract runs past a wage step, ask whether the price is fixed or passes the increase through.
Size and layout. Square footage matters, but so does how the space is divided. Forty small offices take longer than one open floor of the same area, and restrooms, kitchens and break rooms take far longer per square foot than corridors.
Frequency and timing. More frequent visits mean more labor hours, but each visit can be lighter because the space never gets far behind. After-hours cleaning, key and alarm handling and short notice all show up in a bid.
Floors. Vinyl, tile, hard floors and carpet each need different equipment. Periodic work such as stripping and waxing or carpet extraction is usually priced separately from the nightly clean.
Supplies. Ask whether paper, soap and trash liners are in the price or billed at cost.
Disinfecting. Cleaning and disinfecting are different steps. Virginia Cooperative Extension says the first step is to clean dirty surfaces,[3] and that choosing whether to sanitize or disinfect a cleaned surface will depend on what kind of germs you want to reduce.[3] A bid that includes disinfecting should say which surfaces, how often and with what product. The EPA's guidance is to check that your product is EPA-approved and to follow the contact time,[2] so a crew that sprays and wipes immediately is not disinfecting.
How to get bids you can compare
Write one description and send it to every company: square footage, floor types, restrooms, visits per week, the hours the building is open and anything special, such as a medical area or a kitchen. Ask for the price per visit, the monthly total and each add-on as its own line.
Then ask who actually does the work. Employees and independent subcontractors are treated differently. Virginia's workers' compensation law says that "nothing in this title shall be construed to make the employees of any independent contractor the employees of the person or corporation employing or contracting with such independent contractor,"[4] so the crew's coverage depends on their own employer. Ask for a certificate of insurance.
Compare the bids line by line before the totals. A low bid that leaves out restrooms, supplies or disinfecting is not lower, it is a smaller job.
Contract terms that protect the price
Ask for a stated start date, a short trial period with an exit clause, notice for price changes and a named person who answers when something is missed. The companion answer, what an office cleaning contract should cover, lists the clauses.
Stop and call a pro if
- The space needs more than cleaning. Visible mold, sewage, water damage or biohazards are a specialist job, not a janitorial one; see biohazard cleanup.
- A bid will not say what it includes. A company that refuses to put the scope, the schedule and its insurance in writing is not ready to be hired.
- You are cleaning after construction. Dust and debris from a build-out are a separate service; see post-construction cleaning.
Getting help in Virginia
For homes, the pricing logic is the same; read how much house cleaning costs in Virginia, what recurring cleaning costs per month and what professional disinfecting costs. Browse cleaning services or more cleaning answers.
To get bids for your space, describe the job once and local cleaning businesses quote it.
Common questions
- Is commercial cleaning priced per square foot or per hour?
- Both are used, and neither is regulated in Virginia. Per-square-foot bids hide how much labor is assumed; hourly bids hide how fast the crew works. Ask every company to state the crew size and hours per visit behind its number so the bids can be compared.
- Why is one bid so much lower than the others?
- Usually because it covers less. Check the visit frequency, which tasks are included, whether supplies and restroom paper are in the price, and whether the crew are employees with workers' compensation coverage or unsupervised subcontractors.
- Will cleaning costs go up with Virginia's minimum wage?
- Often, because labor is most of a cleaning bill. Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 per hour through the end of 2026, $13.75 from January 1, 2027 and $15.00 from January 1, 2028. Ask whether a multi-year contract fixes the price or passes wage changes through.
- Is disinfecting included in a regular office clean?
- Not automatically. Regular cleaning removes dirt; disinfecting is a separate step with its own product and contact time. Say which high-touch surfaces you want disinfected and how often, and ask for it as a separate line in the bid.
- What should I check before hiring a commercial cleaner?
- Ask for proof of insurance, whether the crew are employees or subcontractors, and references from similar buildings. Put the scope and price in writing.
Sources
- [1] Code of Virginia § 40.1-28.10. Minimum wages, Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [2] Six Steps for Safe & Effective Disinfectant Use, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [3] How to Clean, Sanitize, and Disinfect Surfaces (FST-395NP), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 27, 2026.
- [4] Va. Code § 65.2-101, Definitions, Code of Virginia, Virginia General Assembly. Checked October 27, 2026.
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