Anyone who’s ever scrubbed down a whole office block knows—cleaning isn’t just about elbow grease. It’s about timing. And if you’re wondering how many minutes you should spend per room during a full surface clean, here’s the quick answer:
On average, a full surface clean takes between 15 to 45 minutes per room, depending on the size, use, and layout of the space. But as with most things, the devil’s in the details.
Let’s break it down and get real about the factors that make all the difference.
For standard office rooms (think private offices, meeting rooms, or break areas), a full surface clean—dusting, disinfecting touchpoints, vacuuming/mopping, wiping down surfaces—usually clocks in at:
Small rooms (up to 150 sq ft): 15–20 minutes
Medium rooms (150–300 sq ft): 25–30 minutes
Large rooms (300+ sq ft): 35–45 minutes
This includes:
Wiping down desks, tables, chairs
Cleaning light switches, doorknobs, keyboards
Emptying bins and replacing liners
Spot-cleaning marks on glass or walls
Vacuuming or mopping floors
For multi-use spaces or rooms that see high foot traffic (like kitchens or shared bathrooms), you can tack on an extra 5–10 minutes.
1. Room Type and Function
Let’s be honest—cleaning a boardroom is not the same beast as cleaning a bathroom.
Bathrooms: Higher hygiene standards mean more time and precision—expect 30–45 minutes depending on size and usage.
Kitchens: Grime-prone areas need more scrubbing. Add extra time for fridge handles, microwave interiors, and benchtops.
Reception areas: Often more visible, so you’re polishing glass, dusting signage, and making it sparkle—25–35 minutes easy.
2. Frequency of Cleaning
Here’s where Cialdini’s principle of Consistency kicks in. Offices that are cleaned daily will always take less time than ones that get a once-a-week blitz. That’s because grime doesn’t get the chance to build up.
A once-weekly clean? You’re looking at full effort—think scraping, scrubbing, and double-passing areas. A daily clean? It’s mostly upkeep.
3. Number of Items in the Room
A room full of desks, cables, monitors, and coffee mugs? It slows the process. More surfaces = more time. Minimalist offices, on the other hand, are much quicker to get through.
4. Floor Type and Accessibility
Carpeted rooms need vacuuming. Tiled ones need mopping. Some need both. If you’ve got a maze of furniture, you’ll spend longer just navigating (there’s that word we avoid, but hey—this is a real human sentence).
5. Experience of the Cleaner
A seasoned professional will be faster and more precise. Newer staff might take longer, especially if they’re double-checking protocols. There’s a reason many commercial cleaning teams use timing templates—they’ve studied it down to the minute.
Here’s a handy cheat sheet of what’s usually included in a full surface clean per room:
Dusting all reachable surfaces
Wiping down horizontal and vertical surfaces (desks, shelves, ledges)
Sanitising high-touch points (door handles, phones, switches)
Emptying rubbish and recycling bins
Vacuuming or mopping floors
Cleaning windows (interior side only)
Depending on the contract, you might also include:
Spot-cleaning walls
Polishing fixtures
Cleaning internal glass or screens
Let’s say you’re dealing with a mid-sized office floor with:
5 small offices
2 meeting rooms
1 kitchen
2 bathrooms
1 reception area
1 open-plan workspace
Here’s a rough time estimate:
| Room Type | Quantity | Avg Time Per Room | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Offices | 5 | 20 mins | 100 mins |
| Meeting Rooms | 2 | 30 mins | 60 mins |
| Kitchen | 1 | 35 mins | 35 mins |
| Bathrooms | 2 | 40 mins | 80 mins |
| Reception | 1 | 30 mins | 30 mins |
| Open Workspace | 1 | 45 mins | 45 mins |
Estimated Total: 350 minutes (just under 6 hours)
This estimate assumes one cleaner working non-stop. With a team of two or three, the job can be knocked out in 2–3 hours.
Cleaning times aren’t just about efficiency—they affect staffing costs, shift schedules, and the perceived quality of service. If your cleaning team rushes through rooms too quickly, chances are something gets missed. On the flip side, over-spending time per room can be a red flag for inefficiencies.
There’s also an external perception factor: a consistently spotless office boosts morale, trust, and even productivity. People just feel better walking into a clean space. It’s like walking into a café where the tables are already wiped and the bin isn’t overflowing. You notice.
How long does it take to clean a single bathroom in an office?
Usually 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size, fixtures, and how often it’s been cleaned recently.
Is vacuuming included in a full surface clean?
Yes. Vacuuming (or mopping for hard floors) is standard in most full-surface clean schedules.
How can I reduce cleaning time per room without cutting corners?
Increase the frequency of light cleans, declutter desks and floors, and ensure your cleaning team has a clear checklist.
Whether you’re overseeing a commercial cleaning crew or just trying to optimise office maintenance, knowing how many minutes to budget per room is more than a time-saver—it’s a productivity tool. It sharpens schedules, streamlines expectations, and keeps your space in top shape.
For a deeper dive into timing breakdowns, how often should an office be cleaned gives practical insights from real-world scheduling.