Knowing how to choose an office cleaning company saves you from the most common facilities headache: a contract that looked cheap, a team that changes every week, and a pantry that becomes the complaint channel. In the UAE you will usually compare three to five quotes that look similar on paper, so the differences are in the detail. This guide gives you the documents to ask for, the questions to put to each company, the red flags, a simple scorecard to compare quotes, and what a fair hourly rate looks like in Dubai and Sharjah.
For most offices, the right choice comes down to four things you can check before you sign: a valid trade licence for cleaning, a written scope of work for every visit, a clear plan for cover when a cleaner is absent, and a trial visit. Price matters, but only once those four are in place.
Step 1: write down what your office needs
Companies can only quote accurately if they know the job. Before you ask anyone for a price, put these points on one page and send the same page to every company.
- Floor area, number of staff, and the number of washrooms, pantries and meeting rooms.
- Floor types: carpet, tile, marble or vinyl, and any glass partitions.
- How often you want cleaning: daily, a few times a week, or weekly with a monthly deep clean.
- When: before hours, after hours or during the day, and building access rules.
- Who supplies consumables such as soap, tissue and bin liners.
- Anything sensitive: server rooms, client files, labs or clinical areas.
Our office cleaning checklist splits typical tasks into daily, weekly and monthly lists, which makes a good starting point for this page.
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Step 2: check the documents
A professional company will send these without fuss. If it hesitates, move on.
- Trade licence: it should be valid and list a cleaning activity. You can check a licence, company name and activities through the UAE government’s licence inquiry services.
- Insurance: ask what cover the company holds for damage to your property and for its own staff, and ask for the certificate.
- Staff: ask whether cleaners are employed by the company and how they are vetted and trained.
- Product safety: ask for safety data sheets for the chemicals they will use. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration explains why safety data sheets and labels matter wherever cleaning chemicals are used at work.
Step 3: questions to ask every office cleaning company
Ask the same questions of each company and write down the answers, so you compare like with like.
- What exactly is done on each visit, and can we have it as a written checklist?
- Will the same cleaner or team come each time?
- What happens if our cleaner is sick or on leave, and how fast is cover arranged?
- Who supervises the work, and how often do they inspect it?
- How do we report a problem, and how quickly is it fixed?
- Are equipment and materials included, and which products do you use?
- Can you clean outside our working hours, and how is building access handled?
- How are keys, access cards and confidential areas handled?
- Is the price fixed per month or per visit, and does it include VAT?
- What is the notice period, and can we start with a trial visit?
If you also manage home cleaning, our guide on how to choose a cleaning company in Sharjah covers the household side.
What to check, and the red flags
| Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Valid trade licence listing a cleaning activity | No licence shown, or a different company name on the invoice |
| Scope | Written checklist per visit, weekly and monthly tasks listed | “General cleaning” with no detail |
| Staff and cover | Named team, a supervisor, a cover plan for absence | New faces every week, no answer on sick days |
| Insurance | Certificate provided on request | “We have never needed it” |
| Products | Safety data sheets, products suited to your floors | Unlabelled bottles, one product for everything |
| Price | Fixed against the scope, VAT stated, extras listed | A price given before anyone has seen the office |
| Contract | Clear notice period and a trial visit | Long lock in from day one |
Step 4: compare quotes with a simple scorecard
The cheapest quote often covers less, so score each company on the same points before you look at the price. This is the weighting we suggest for a typical office; adjust it if, for example, a clinic needs more weight on products and hygiene.
Give each company a score out of 5 on every line, multiply by the weight, and add it up. Then compare price only between the companies that scored well. A quote that is 10 percent cheaper but has no cover plan usually costs more in complaints.
What office cleaning costs per hour in the UAE
Most office work is priced either by the hour or as a fixed monthly fee for an agreed schedule. As a reference, hourly cleaning on our cleaning price calculator typically costs:
| Emirate | Typical hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Sharjah and Ajman | AED 30 to 45 per hour |
| Dubai | AED 35 to 50 per hour |
A regular office schedule is quoted by scope: floor area, frequency, hours and the tasks on your checklist. Ask for the monthly price in writing against that checklist, and ask whether VAT is included. For a new fit out, book an after builders clean first, because construction dust in vents and tracks spreads if a regular team starts too early.
Step 5: start with a trial, then review
A trial visit tells you more than any brochure. Book a one off clean first, walk the office afterwards with the checklist, and note what was missed. If the result is good, move to a schedule and agree a review after the first month.
Keep the review simple: walk the same route each month, check washrooms, pantry, desks, floors and glass, and share the notes with the supervisor. Good companies welcome this, because it keeps the scope clear on both sides. The CDC’s guidance on cleaning and disinfecting is a useful reference for high touch points such as door handles, lift buttons and shared desks.
For Sharjah offices, our office cleaning in Sharjah guide covers schedules and timing slots. We also serve offices through our cleaning services in Dubai and cleaning services in Sharjah pages.
Frequently asked questions
What questions to ask a cleaning company?
Ask what is done on each visit and whether you can have it as a written checklist, whether the same team will come each time, and what happens when a cleaner is absent. Also ask about insurance, the products they use, who supervises the work, and whether the price is fixed and includes VAT. Our office cleaning checklist helps you agree the scope.
How much is office cleaning per hour?
On our cleaning price calculator, hourly cleaning typically costs AED 30 to 45 in Sharjah and Ajman and AED 35 to 50 in Dubai. A regular office schedule is quoted by scope, so the monthly price depends on floor area, frequency and tasks. Always ask for the final price in writing before work starts.
What is the going rate for an office cleaner?
The going rate depends on the emirate, the hours, the time of day and whether equipment and materials are included. Use the hourly rates above as a reference, then compare monthly quotes that are written against the same checklist. A price that is far below the others usually means a smaller scope or no cover for absences.
How to professionally clean an office?
Professional office cleaning follows a written schedule: daily desks, bins, pantry and washrooms; weekly glass, high touch points and chair vacuuming; and a monthly or quarterly deep clean of vents, skirting and under furniture. The team works top to bottom and finishes with floors. Our daily, weekly and monthly office checklist sets this out task by task.
What are 7 common cleaning mistakes?
Seven common mistakes in offices are: mopping before dusting, using one cloth for every surface, skipping high touch points, using the wrong product on stone or wood floors, mixing chemicals, disinfecting dirty surfaces without cleaning them first, and having no written checklist. Most of them disappear when the scope is written down and checked. OSHA’s guidance on chemical hazard communication explains the labelling side.
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