Offices that invite you to work.

An office rarely looks dirty. It smells stale, the tea room is sticky, the washroom is out of paper, and dust has settled on the window sills. That is precisely why office cleaning is hard to pin down: the effort does not arise where it is noticeable, but in the washroom, kitchen, and at contact points. And the price is driven by frequency, not by square metres.

Kleibrink Glas- und Gebäudereinigung GmbH from Gladbeck has been cleaning offices, medical practices, and administrative buildings in the Ruhr area since 1983, family-run in its second generation. The usual arrangement is two to five visits per week, or every working day on request, with a fixed team and a dedicated contact person rather than rotating staff. This page answers the questions that need to be settled before any contract: frequency, scope of services, pricing, as well as keys and data protection.

How often do office spaces need to be cleaned?

The legal framework is set by the Workplace Regulations, without specifying a number. The key provision is § 3a(1) of the Workplace Regulations: workplaces must be designed and operated in such a way that risks to safety and health are avoided as far as possible. In addition, § 4(1) of the Workplace Regulations requires that the workplace be cleaned in accordance with hygiene requirements and that any contamination and deposits posing a risk be removed without delay. It becomes more specific in the Technical Rules for Workplaces: ASR A4.1 „Sanitary rooms“ requires that toilet, wash, and changing rooms be kept in a hygienically impeccable condition and cleaned every working day. What this means for your premises, we have set out in more detail in our guide to the Workplace Regulations and office cleaning.

There is no fixed requirement for office spaces themselves. In practice, the frequency depends on the number of people present each day and the level of foot traffic: two people in 200 square metres leave less residue than twelve. The table below is our recommendation based on site experience, not a regulation; the sanitary column reflects the target standard set out in ASR A4.1:

In practice, the frequency is determined by occupancy: up to around ten people, office and meeting rooms can be cleaned two to three times a week; from around thirty people, daily cleaning on working days is the norm. Sanitary areas and tea kitchens are cleaned daily on working days regardless, as soon as more than a handful of people use them. We will determine which frequency suits your site during the on-site visit.

The frequency question in detail — broken down by headcount, type of space and intensity of use — is in the guide How often must an office be cleaned?

The most common mistake is applying a single frequency across the entire site. A tiered plan makes more sense: sanitary areas and kitchen daily on working days, office spaces two to three times a week, and special areas such as archive, technical rooms or storage monthly. This costs less than raising the overall frequency across the board. A recommendation by office type is in the guide How often should office rooms be cleaned?

Schedule of services: what is standard, what is additional

Almost every dispute over cleaning quality is, at its core, a dispute over an unclear schedule of services. If it is not stated in writing that glass partition walls are to be cleaned in full, only the handle area will be done. This overview shows what is typically included in an office regular cleaning and what is priced separately:

The figures below are market-standard reference points for the Ruhr area, not a quotation. Every site has its own characteristics — layout, flooring, access and intensity of use can push the price in either direction. A binding figure is confirmed after the on-site visit. All amounts include VAT; commercial clients can reclaim the VAT included as input tax.

Two items regularly cause misunderstandings. First, glass: internal glass surfaces within reach are included in the regular schedule; full glass partitions and windows are not. Window cleaning runs as a separate schedule with two to four passes per year; ordering it together is more economical, as the same call-out covers more work. Second, desks: we do not clear them. We dust clear surfaces but do not move papers aside unless a clean-desk policy applies and you request it.

What office cleaning costs

Pricing is based on time, not area. The route there runs through productivity rates: how many square metres a trained operative can cover per hour to a proper standard. In regular cleaning, experience puts this at 150 to 250 square metres per hour — more in corridors, considerably less in sanitary areas. Multiplied by the hourly rate, this gives the price per visit; multiplied by 4.33 weeks, the monthly amount.

Area and productivity rate determine the time; time and hourly rate determine the price per visit; visits per month determine the monthly amount. This is the logic we use internally — and you can follow it: the cost calculator states the standard values, the hourly rate and the minimum order value openly and works through your area for you. The result is an indication, not a quotation.

Prices per m² and hourly rates in detail are in the guide Office Cleaning Costs. The price for your premises becomes binding only after the free on-site visit.

All figures in the table are industry benchmarks for 2026 and do not constitute a quotation. To put the hourly rate in context: wages follow the framework collective agreement of the building cleaning trade, whose minimum wage is above the statutory minimum. Once employer’s overheads, cover, materials, equipment and vehicle costs are deducted, less remains than the figure might suggest. Those who quote significantly lower usually plan less time on site. Compare the minutes planned per visit, not the final amount. Two worked examples are in the guide What Does Office Cleaning Cost?

A price becomes reliable only after an on-site visit, because furniture, floor coverings and access logistics all affect the time required. The visit and a written quotation with a schedule of services are free of charge with us. A one-off initial cleaning at the start is billed separately from the ongoing schedule, as are special services; for premises with residential units, stairwell cleaning is added as a separate item.

Data protection and key custody in the office

Cleaning staff move unsupervised through rooms containing personnel files, contracts and open screens. From a data protection standpoint, they are not regarded as processors within the meaning of Article 28 GDPR, according to the prevailing view of supervisory authorities, because they do not process personal data on behalf of the controller but may only come into incidental contact with it. A data processing agreement is therefore usually not required. The obligation to implement technical and organisational measures under Article 32 GDPR, however, falls on the controller: lockable cabinets, locked screens, a clean desk policy and locked document destruction bins.

The position is stricter where professionals subject to professional secrecy are involved. Law firms, tax advisory firms and medical practices must ensure that other persons involved are bound to confidentiality; otherwise they themselves commit an offence (Section 203(4), sentence 2, number 1 of the Criminal Code). The legislative justification for the 2017 amendment expressly names cleaning staff as an example. Our staff are bound to confidentiality; we sign a site-specific declaration of confidentiality wherever you require one – for medical practices it is part of the standard process for practice cleaning. We are a craft business, not a law firm; these notes do not constitute legal advice in individual cases.

For keys, the following applies: acknowledge receipt in writing, assign to a named individual, and return with written acknowledgement at the end of the contract. For the alarm system, we recommend a dedicated user code for cleaning, so that the log records who armed or disarmed it and when. Who bears the cost of replacing a locking system in the event of loss should be clarified before the contract begins. Where possible, we prefer to use a transponder from your system rather than a mechanical master key: it can be deactivated within minutes in the event of loss.

Cleaning outside working hours

In offices, cleaning outside working hours is the norm. Three time slots are common: early morning before the start of the working day, in the evening after the end of the working day, or on Saturday. Early morning means the rooms are fresh when staff arrive; in the evening no one is disturbed in their work and the floors can dry undisturbed. Which slot suits best is usually determined by access logistics.

The Working Hours Act sets two limits. Night time is defined as the period from 23:00 to 06:00 under § 2 Abs. 3 ArbZG, and for night work, appropriate surcharges or days off are provided for under § 6 Abs. 5 ArbZG, unless a collective agreement provides for compensatory arrangements. Assignments after 23:00 are therefore noticeably more expensive; we schedule them on the preceding evening where possible. Sunday work is in principle prohibited under § 9 ArbZG and is only permitted in the exceptional cases set out in § 10 ArbZG, which is why we generally clean on Saturdays at the weekend.

You should provide: access and alarm system details, a lockable cleaning supplies room with water and electricity supply, and an agreement on rooms that must not be entered, such as a server room or safe room. For everything else that belongs in a cleaning contract, from substitution to price adjustments, see our guide to the cleaning contract.

How we get access to your premises

The process is the same for every office. First, the enquiry: you tell us the floor area, number of workstations and desired frequency, and we get back to you within 48 hours on working days. Second, the site visit: floor coverings, special surfaces, access and key arrangements. Third, the quotation: in writing, with a schedule of services item by item. Fourth, the start: dedicated staff, induction on site, and a dedicated contact person for queries and complaints.

As an office cleaning company, we operate from Gladbeck across the entire central Ruhr area, including Essen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop and Dortmund. Typical clients include law firms, tax advisory offices, planning and engineering firms, car dealerships, office floors and business parks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should an office be cleaned?

It depends less on the floor area than on the number of occupants. For office areas, up to five employees usually require just one visit per week, two are standard for 6 to 15, and two to five from about 16 onwards. The sanitary areas are different: ASR A4.1 requires cleaning of toilets and washrooms on every working day; if the service provider visits less frequently, the employer must clean in between. In premises with public access, we clean the reception, waiting area and customer WC on every working day, and the remaining office areas according to occupancy.

What does office cleaning cost per square metre?

In 2026, market rates for once- to twice-weekly cleaning are typically around 1,80 to 4,20 euros per square metre per month, and for cleaning on every working day, usually three to five euros. Smaller premises carry a higher per-square-metre cost than larger ones, as travel time and setup time are spread over a smaller area. These are industry benchmarks, not fixed prices. Worked examples are available in our guide to office cleaning costs; we provide a binding quote after a free on-site visit.

Do we need a data processing agreement with the cleaning company?

According to the prevailing view of data protection authorities, no: cleaning staff do not process personal data on behalf of the client; they only come into incidental contact with it. A contract under Article 28 GDPR is therefore generally not required. The measures under Article 32 GDPR remain the responsibility of the data controller: lockable cabinets, locked screens, Clean Desk. If your data protection officer still requires a DPA, we will comply.

How do you handle keys and the alarm system?

In writing, with a receipt. Every key handed over is logged, assigned to a named individual, and returned with a signed receipt at the end of the contract. Alarm codes are shared only with those who need them; a dedicated user code for the cleaning team is advisable, as the system will then log who armed or disarmed it and when. Who bears the cost of a locking system in the event of loss should be clarified before the contract begins.

Do you also clean outside normal working hours?

Yes, that is the norm in an office: early in the morning, in the evening after work, or on Saturdays. Server rooms and executive offices are arranged separately. Work after 23:00 is classified as night work under § 2 para. 3 ArbZG and is significantly more expensive due to surcharges, so we schedule jobs before that time wherever possible. Sunday work is generally prohibited under § 9 ArbZG and is only permitted in the exceptional cases set out in § 10 ArbZG. You can reach your contacts Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00.

A quotation for your office

Tell us the floor area, number of employees and preferred frequency, and we will come for a free on-site appointment and prepare a written quotation with a schedule of services. Available Monday to Friday from 10 to 18. Alternatively, use the contact form on our homepage.

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