Businesses, SVJ and rentals
What regular office cleaning includes and what is ordered separately
The basic scope of regular office cleaning, typical additional services and key points to clarify with your cleaning company before the first visit.
In short
- Regular office cleaning basics include floors, waste bins, work surfaces, kitchenette and sanitary facilities.
- Window cleaning, upholstery and carpet shampooing, comprehensive disinfection or deep cleaning are usually ordered separately.
- Before ordering, list the rooms, frequency, timing, building access and who supplies consumables.
- Under Government Regulation No. 101/2005 Coll., the employer must determine who is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the workplace.
- It pays to have the scope in writing so both parties know what is completed after each visit.
Regular office cleaning typically includes vacuuming and mopping floors, emptying waste bins and changing bin liners, wiping clear work surfaces and desks, cleaning the kitchenette including the sink and worktop, and thorough cleaning of sanitary facilities with restocking of soap and paper. Window cleaning, upholstery and carpet shampooing, comprehensive disinfection or cleaning inside cupboards are usually ordered as additional services. The exact scope is always a matter of agreement, so please clarify it in advance.
What is typically included in the basic scope
Regular office cleaning is intended to keep the office in a functional and hygienically acceptable state between major cleans. It does not address everything, but rather what becomes soiled daily or weekly. For a detailed list of tasks by day, see our article office cleaning: daily, weekly and monthly checklist; here we focus on what is typically included in the service itself.
- Floors: vacuuming carpets and entrance cleaning zones, mopping hard floors, removing stains that can be wiped.
- Waste bins and rubbish: emptying bins in offices, kitchenette and toilets, changing bin liners, removing rubbish to the designated area, observing waste separation where applicable.
- Work surfaces: wiping clear desk surfaces, windowsills and shelves. Desks with documents are typically not rearranged.
- Frequently touched surfaces: door handles, light switches, handrails, lift buttons, if present in your premises.
- Kitchenette: sink, taps, worktop, exterior surfaces of appliances, microwave inside and outside according to agreement, table and chairs.
- Sanitary facilities: WC bowls, urinals, wash basins, taps, mirrors, floor, restocking of toilet paper, soap and paper towels.
- Entrance and reception: glass doors wiped clean of fingerprints, reception desk, cleaning mats.
For smaller offices, washing dishes or emptying the dishwasher is often included in the base service. For larger operations, this is usually handled separately as it significantly changes the time required. Clarify this in advance.
What is usually ordered as additional services
Additional services are work carried out once a month to once a year, require special equipment or would significantly extend the cleaning visit. Cleaning companies therefore typically offer these as separate items or as regular but less frequent tasks.
| Task | Why it is additional |
|---|---|
| Window and frame cleaning | Requires time, and for higher floors may require access arrangements or special equipment. |
| Upholstery and carpet shampooing | Requires shampooing equipment and drying time, usually carried out outside working hours. |
| Comprehensive disinfection | Different cleaning products, adherence to contact time, usually only during illness or on request. |
| Refrigerator and cupboard cleaning | Involves employees' personal items, so it must be agreed what will be discarded. |
| Machine floor cleaning and treatment | Special equipment and products depending on floor material. |
| Deep cleaning | Light fittings, blinds, radiators, walls and everything at height all at once. |
| Cleaning after events, moving or renovation | One-off and unpredictable in scope. |
If your office sees many people with colds, more frequent wiping of handles and shared surfaces is usually more sensible than comprehensive disinfection. This is discussed in more detail in our article disinfection in the office during flu season. The American CDC recommends in its guidance for facilities that regular cleaning with soap or detergent reduces the number of microbes on surfaces, and disinfection is mainly beneficial where someone has been clearly unwell, for example after vomiting (CDC).
What regulations say about cleaning
The law does not specify the exact frequency for office cleaning. Government Regulation No. 101/2005 Coll. requires the employer to designate persons responsible for workplace cleaning and maintenance, and to set out cleaning and maintenance schedules for common areas in internal regulations (Government Regulation No. 101/2005 Coll.). A cleaning company can therefore be one way to fulfil this obligation.
Government Regulation No. 361/2007 Coll., in section 45a, requires that natural and electric lighting systems and light-reflecting surfaces be cleaned regularly. Section 42 further states that dust and dirt that could contaminate the workplace air must be removed immediately (Government Regulation No. 361/2007 Coll.). Therefore, window and light fitting cleaning should be included in your plan, even if not at every visit.
This is general information, not legal advice. Please verify the specific obligations of your workplace with your safety representative or local hygiene authority.
What to arrange in advance
Most misunderstandings about regular cleaning do not arise because something was cleaned poorly, but because each party expected a different scope. Before booking the service, go through these points with the company:
- Rooms and areas. List the offices, meeting rooms, kitchenettes, toilets, corridors and storage areas. Specify which areas are not to be cleaned (server room, archive, management office).
- Frequency. Daily, several times a week, or weekly. This is often varied: toilets and bins more frequently, offices less frequently.
- Cleaning time. Early morning before people arrive, during the day, or in the evening. The advantages and disadvantages are summarised in our article when to clean an office.
- Building access. Keys, cards, alarm codes, reception, parking. How to arrange this safely is described in our article how to hand keys to a cleaning company.
- Consumables. Who purchases toilet paper, soap, paper towels and bin liners, who monitors stock levels and where they are stored.
- Cleaning products and equipment. Whether the company brings its own or uses yours. If you have specific requirements (for example, fragrance-free), state them.
- What should not be touched. Desks with documents, monitors and equipment, plants, personal items. Agree whether keyboards and telephones are to be wiped.
- Contact person and oversight. Who on your side takes receipt of the cleaning, who to report issues or comments to, and how often the scope is reviewed.
- Additional services. Which less frequent tasks you want included in your plan (windows, upholstery and carpet shampooing) and how these are ordered.
You can then incorporate such a specification into your purchase order or contract. The scope we offer is described on our office cleaning services page.
Safety of cleaning products in the office
In an office environment, people who know nothing about cleaning move about, and cleaning products often remain in the kitchenette or toilets. Several principles therefore apply:
- Read the label and follow the dilution ratio and contact time specified by the manufacturer.
- Ensure ventilation whilst working and wear gloves; for some products also eye protection according to the safety data sheet.
- Never mix chlorine-based products with acids or ammonia. The Toxicological Information Centre warns that mixing chlorine-based products with acids risks the release of toxic chlorine gas (TIS). The CDC generally recommends not mixing bleach with any other cleaning or disinfecting product (CDC).
- Test any new product or method first on a hidden area, especially on stone worktops, veneers and upholstery.
- Store cleaning products in sealed original containers and away from kitchen shelves with food.
Scope and price are connected
The price of regular office cleaning depends mainly on the area, number of toilets and kitchenettes, frequency and how many additional services are included in the plan. The more detailed your specification, the more precise the quote you will receive. Find out what affects pricing and how to calculate it on our how much does office cleaning cost page.
Recommended approach: start with the basic scope, review it with the company after the first month and adjust the frequency of individual tasks according to actual use. Plan window cleaning, upholstery and carpet shampooing and deep cleaning separately, ideally for periods when the office is less busy.
Frequently asked questions
Is window cleaning included in regular office cleaning?
Usually not. Regular office cleaning typically includes only wiping windowsills and glass doors to remove fingerprints. Window and frame cleaning is more time-consuming, and for higher floors may require special techniques, so it is ordered separately, for example several times a year. If you want window cleaning included in your plan, state this in your brief along with the desired frequency.
Who should supply toilet paper and soap?
This is a matter of agreement. Some cleaning companies supply and bill for consumables, whilst others see the client purchase them and the cleaner just tops up the dispensers. It is important to agree in advance who monitors stock levels, where they are stored and who should be informed when they run low. Without such an agreement, it easily happens that materials run out and no one is responsible.
Do cleaning companies clean employees' desks?
Usually only clear desk surfaces are wiped. Papers, personal items and equipment are typically not moved to avoid losing or damaging anything. If you want desks cleaned thoroughly, it is best to introduce a clear desk policy and agree whether keyboards, mice and telephones are also wiped. Specify all of this in your brief.
Must an employer legally ensure office cleaning?
Government Regulation No. 101/2005 Coll. requires the employer to designate persons responsible for cleaning and maintaining the workplace and to include cleaning schedules for common areas in internal regulations. The regulations do not specify the exact frequency for office cleaning. This is not legal advice; please verify your workplace obligations with your safety representative or local hygiene authority.
Is regular disinfection necessary in an office?
For normal operations, regular cleaning with detergent is usually sufficient, especially for door handles, light switches and shared surfaces. Disinfection makes sense where someone has been clearly unwell, for example after vomiting, or during increased illness prevalence. Always read the product label, follow the contact time, ensure ventilation and do not mix products.
Sources
- Nařízení vlády č. 101/2005 Sb., o podrobnějších požadavcích na pracoviště a pracovní prostředí – Zákony pro lidi (checked 15 November 2026)
- Nařízení vlády č. 361/2007 Sb., kterým se stanoví podmínky ochrany zdraví při práci – Zákony pro lidi (checked 15 November 2026)
- Obchodní přípravky – Toxikologické informační středisko (checked 15 November 2026)
- When and How to Clean and Disinfect a Facility – CDC (checked 15 November 2026)
- Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach – CDC (checked 15 November 2026)
Prepared by the Úklid 1-2-3 editorial team with the help of AI and verified against the sources listed. Manufacturers' instructions and regulations change: always follow the current wording of the source and the product label. This article is general information, not professional or legal advice. This article was translated from Czech with the help of AI. The sources are in the original language.
Would you rather not clean yourself?
Choose a service and a part of Prague and you will see an estimated price straight away. We will get back to you with a date; the enquiry is non-binding.