Contracts5 questions to ask before you sign a cleaning contract
Most cleaning contracts look the same on paper. The difference shows up three months in. These five questions sort the reliable operators from the rest.
1. Who actually turns up?
The person who quotes is rarely the person who cleans. Ask who will be on your site, whether it is the same crew every visit, and what happens when they are on leave. "We'll allocate a team" is a red flag.
2. Can I see the scope in writing?
A real scope lists every area, every task and how often it happens: nightly, weekly, monthly. If the quote just says "office clean, 3 nights", you have nothing to hold anyone to.
3. How will I know it was done?
Ask how visits are recorded. Sign-off sheets, time logs or photos all work. "Just let us know if there's a problem" means you become the quality control.
4. Who do I call when something is missed?
You want one named person who knows your site, not a call centre or a shared inbox.
5. What are the notice terms?
Check the minimum term and notice period. A provider confident in their work does not need to lock you in for years.
At Keystone, every one of these is answered before you sign: a walkthrough, a written scope, an assigned crew, a sign-off every visit and one point of contact.
HygieneThe 10 most-touched surfaces in your workplace
Floors look dirty; touch points make people sick. These are the surfaces that get touched dozens or hundreds of times a day and should be on every nightly scope.
- Entry and internal door handles
- Lift call and floor buttons
- Light switches
- Kitchen tap handles
- Fridge and microwave handles
- Kettle and coffee machine controls
- Toilet flush buttons and cubicle locks
- Shared desk phones and keyboards (on clear desks)
- Handrails and stair rails
- Printer and photocopier panels
If your current scope just says "wipe surfaces", ask whether these are covered by name. If they are not listed, they are probably being missed.
Keystone scopes list high-touch points by name, so you can see they are done every visit.
Brisbane conditionsBrisbane humidity, mould and your building
Brisbane's summer brings heat, storms and humidity, and with them, mould in washrooms, air-con vents and anywhere air does not move.
Where it shows up first
Shower and washroom grout, around air-conditioning vents, behind fridges, in storerooms with no airflow and under sinks.
What helps
- Regular high dusting and vent cleaning, so spores have less to grow on.
- Weekly grout and wet-area detail cleaning through summer, not just monthly.
- Reporting early: cleaners are the first to see mould coming back, and should tell you.
Persistent or spreading mould usually points to a ventilation or leak issue that needs a building or HVAC professional, not just more cleaning.
Keystone adjusts wet-area routines for the Brisbane wet season and reports early signs of mould to your contact.
