Commercial cleaning advice
Writing a commercial cleaning scope and window schedule
Practical information to help you plan the work, prepare your enquiry and agree a clear commercial cleaning scope.
Request a quoteA useful commercial cleaning scope names the surfaces included and connects each one to its location and access arrangements. A short window schedule turns “clean the building” into work that can be quoted, checked and updated.
Choose identifiers that people on site recognise
Start with the site address and building name, then divide the windows into sensible groups. Front, rear and side elevations may be enough for a small premises. A larger building may need block, floor and room names. Use the same labels on photographs, plans and the quotation.
Avoid numbering every pane unless that detail solves a real problem. The useful unit is a group with the same scope and access. Split a group when one section is inside, belongs to another occupier or needs a different route.
Build the schedule around these fields
| Field | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Location | Main building, front, ground floor |
| Surfaces | Display glass, entrance doors, frames and sills |
| Faces | External glass plus internal display surfaces |
| Access | Public frontage; internal access through reception |
| Preparation | Occupier clears display items by agreement |
| Programme | First clean and recurring option requested separately |
This is an example structure, not a specification for every building. Add a column for a known condition issue or an important exclusion where it helps the reader understand the work.
Separate scope from method
Describe the result and surfaces required without choosing an access method from a photograph. The cleaning team needs to assess the building, condition and working space before proposing its approach. Your schedule should show obstacles, permissions and room availability so that assessment has a reliable starting point.
Likewise, list rooflights, gutters, cladding or signage as separate tasks. Being attached to the same building does not make them part of a window-cleaning instruction. Unusual residues after decorating should have a note and photograph rather than disappear inside “all glass”.
Check and maintain the document
- Walk through the schedule with the local building contact.
- Check that every photograph uses the same location labels.
- Confirm landlord, tenant and shared-area boundaries.
- Record a version date and keep the accepted quotation alongside it.
When a tenant expands, a canopy is added or a room changes use, update the relevant row and ask whether the proposal needs review. A clear schedule makes a small change visible without rewriting the entire brief.
Scope schedule FAQs
Do I need measured drawings?
No. Clear labels, photographs and a plain description can start the enquiry. Existing plans help where the layout is complicated, but the team can identify any further information needed for the assessment.
Should excluded windows appear in the schedule?
Include an exclusion when it prevents likely confusion, such as another tenant's upper windows or a rooflight outside the request. A visible boundary is more useful than leaving the reader to infer why a surface is absent.
Related help
- Related commercial service and planning information
- Supporting a scope with photographs
- Schedules for several properties
Monk Cleaning Services accepts North West commercial window and exterior cleaning enquiries. Read the commercial service overview and send the site details for an individual assessment.