Halifax commercial cleaning: hiring and planning

Define the work before requesting quotes

Walk through the premises with each bidder. Identify the rooms they can enter, the floor surfaces they will clean and the equipment or stock they must leave untouched. Give them the cleanable floor area if you know it, but also show the washrooms, kitchen, stairs and entrance. Ask them to record their assumptions in the quote.

Write a task schedule that separates work at each visit from periodic work. Specify washroom fixtures, kitchen surfaces, vacuuming, hard-floor cleaning, accessible glass and waste transfer. List carpet extraction, floor finishing and high-level cleaning as separate items unless you intend to include them in the recurring contract. For each floor treatment, ask the bidder to explain the method, surface compatibility and time needed before people can use the area.

For a clinic, food business or workshop, give bidders your site procedures and ask them to identify work outside their competence. Describe chemical residues, sharps or unusual waste before the walkthrough. Ask the provider to name any exclusions and explain who should handle them.

Compare the full contract cost

Request a recurring price tied to a stated number of visits and a defined task list. Ask for separate amounts for the first clean, supplies, consumable restocking, periodic floor treatments and extra callouts. Confirm whether the total includes tax and whether the provider charges for parking, access delays or missed visits. Use site-specific written quotes for your budget.

Check how each bidder handles holidays, staff absences and changes in opening hours. Ask for the cancellation notice, price-review terms and process for approving additional work. If a bidder proposes an hourly arrangement, agree on a spending limit and the tasks they should prioritize within that limit.

Request evidence of insurance relevant to the work and ask who will enter the premises, including subcontractors. Set a trial period and a review date. Choose inspection points you can check, such as washroom surfaces, entrance edges and the condition of collection bins. Agree on whom to contact and how the cleaner will address missed tasks.

Plan waste transfer and floor-water disposal

Halifax requires businesses, including restaurants, apartment buildings and institutions, to provide sorting programs and commercial containers for blue bag recyclables, paper and cardboard, organics and garbage. The municipality also requires sorting signs for staff, tenants or visitors. During the walkthrough, show the cleaner the indoor bins and final collection containers, then specify how they will preserve each waste stream. [1]

Confirm whether the contract covers moving waste to the building's containers or also arranging haulage. Halifax directs businesses to private waste haulers for collection containers and service. The municipality says biodegradable or compostable bags are unacceptable in the green bin, so agree on suitable liners before the cleaner buys supplies. [1]

Halifax Water instructs businesses to pour ordinary floor-washing water into an indoor drain connected to the wastewater system. It identifies street catchbasins as part of the stormwater system, for rainwater runoff. Its guidance also warns that it cannot treat substances such as chemicals, motor oil and grease. Show the cleaner the intended disposal point and ask them to flag liquids that need separate handling. [2]

For chemical waste, Halifax requires businesses to contact a private hazardous-waste handling company. Keep this service separate from routine bin emptying and agree on who arranges collection. For a post-renovation clean, identify any remaining construction debris: Halifax says it cannot go into regular garbage and must go to a licensed facility in the region. [1]

Prepare entrances and after-hours access

Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991–2020 airport normals report 139.8 mm of precipitation in October, 159.1 mm in November and 146.9 mm in December. These historical airport values provide seasonal context for entrance planning; they do not describe the weather at your doorway today. Ask the cleaner to quote mat care and entrance cleaning as named tasks, with an agreed process for extra work. [3]

Assign someone on your staff to inspect entrances during business hours. Decide where the cleaner can place wet-floor signs, how they will keep a usable route through the building and when they can clean without interrupting customers. If you want mat rental or replacement, ask for a separate proposal and identify who manages it.

Before the first visit, provide the alarm procedure, key or access-card arrangements, emergency contact and lock-up instructions. Show the crew where they can store supplies and draw water. Agree on how they will report leaks, damaged surfaces or access problems. Review the first visits with the supervisor before settling into the recurring schedule.

Monthly precipitation context for entrance-cleaning plans

Match the proposal to your premises

Your hiring checklist

1. Give each bidder the same room list, task schedule and access window.
2. Show floor surfaces, restricted areas, existing damage and unusual residues during the walkthrough.
3. Request separate prices for recurring visits, the initial clean, supplies and periodic treatments.
4. Show the crew the waste streams, collection containers and intended wastewater drain.
5. Assign responsibility for chemical waste, renovation debris and private haulage.
6. Confirm insurance, subcontractor arrangements, key control and lock-up instructions.
7. Agree on inspection points, a trial review date and a contact for missed work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I book cleaning?

Start with your opening hours, washroom use and the condition you want at the beginning of each business day. Ask bidders to propose a schedule for those needs, then review it during a trial period. Assign staff checks during the day alongside the contractor's scheduled visits.

Does a cleaning contract include waste hauling?

Ask the bidder to state whether they move waste to your building's containers or arrange off-site collection. Halifax directs businesses to private haulers for collection containers and service. Name the responsible party in the contract. [1]

Can the cleaner pour mop water into a street drain?

Halifax Water directs businesses to use an indoor wastewater drain for ordinary floor-washing water. Street catchbasins serve the stormwater system. Ask for separate handling instructions if the liquid contains chemical or oily residues. [2]

How can I compare cleaning quotes?

Use the same task list and visit count for each bidder. Compare the recurring total alongside initial cleaning, supplies, floor treatments and extra-work charges. Ask bidders to explain differences in scope before choosing.