New BSCAI Cleaning Report Show Trends in Costs, Frequency of Service

A new report from BSCAI, Contracting Profits and Facility Cleaning Services, shows that while cleaning frequency is up since the Great Recession, prices for nearly all facility types are lower than pre-Recession levels.

The report is intended to help cleaning professionals compare themselves to their peers. The data was collected from a survey conducted in 2018, where more than 600 professionals from the field answered a series of questions about the types of services they offer and the prices at which they do business. It surveyed building owners and facility executives of commercial and institutional buildings, including commercial offices, educational, health care, government, industrial, retail and hospitality facilities.

The biggest takeaway were the changes seen from the Great Recession of the late 2000s. During that time, cleaning budgets were cut drastically and daily task was spread out during the week. Cleaning frequencies have started going back to their pre-Recession rates, according to the report. Most facilities that participated in the survey said they returned to a normal, if not higher, cleaning schedule.

On the negative side, prices for nearly all facility types were lower than pre-Recession levels by about 30 to 40 cents.

Of the highest costs to clean per square foot are health care facilities, which require extensive cleaning and infection control. The lowest were religious facilities.

The report also explores:

• A detailed breakdown of average price per square foot by region
• Tasks performed by contracted services vs in-house staff
• Breakdown in how tasks are divided among workers
• And more

The full report is available for purchase through BSCAI.