How to Fire a Cleaning Company and Switch Without a Gap
How to fire a cleaning company for your office: notice periods, keys and alarm codes, the new vendor's first visit, no gap. Text for a written price.
By Yuri and Tatiana, owners of Shining Cleanse LLC, a family cleaning company based in Everett, WA and licensed in 10 cities across Snohomish and King County.
To fire a cleaning company without a gap, line up the new vendor first, then give written notice under your contract’s termination clause, usually 30 days. Set the old company’s last night and the new company’s first night back to back, collect every key and fob against a list, and change alarm codes the morning after the handover.
Most offices put this off for months because it feels awkward and messy. It does not have to be either. Below is the order we suggest to office managers who switch to us for after-hours office cleaning, and it works the same if you are switching to someone else.
What are the signs your office cleaner is slipping?
One bad night happens to everyone. A pattern is different. These are the signs that usually come before a switch:
- Restroom supplies run out between visits and nobody told you stock was low.
- The same miss repeats after you have reported it, such as a full break room bin or dust on the same conference table.
- Different people show up each week, and none of them know your alarm procedure.
- Visits get shorter. The checklist says “vacuum all carpet” and the edges have not seen a vacuum in a month.
- Invoices arrive late, or with charges nobody agreed to.
- Messages take days to answer.
Before you fire anyone, write the problems down with dates and photos, and send them once to the company owner, not only the crew. Some vendors fix things fast when the person who signs the contract finally hears about it. If they do not, you now have a dated record, which helps if the contract allows termination for cause.
How do you end a commercial cleaning contract?
Start with the contract itself. Find three things:
- The notice period and how notice must be given (email, letter, a named person).
- Whether the agreement renews automatically, and on what date.
- Any early-termination fee, or a “for cause” clause that shortens the notice when service falls below the written scope.
Then send a short, neutral written notice. Something like: “Per section 8 of our agreement, this is our 30-day notice to end service. The final visit will be on Friday, November 20. Please return all keys and access cards by that date.” No speech about what went wrong is needed. If you already sent dated complaints, they stand on their own.
If the clause wording is unclear or there is money at stake, ask your attorney before you send anything. This is general information, not legal advice.
Our job
Our jobWhat notice period is normal for office cleaning?
Thirty days is common for small and mid-size offices, and it is what we use: our office clients can cancel with 30 days notice. Some larger janitorial contracts ask for 60 or 90 days, or only allow ending the contract on the anniversary date. That is why the auto-renewal date matters. Miss it by a week and you may owe another year.
Notice is also why the order of steps matters. Give notice before you have a replacement and you can end up with a month of a vendor who knows they are leaving, then a gap.
How do you switch cleaners without a gap in service?
Work backward from the old vendor’s last night.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 5–6 weeks before | Ask 2–3 companies for quotes. Give each the same square footage, restroom count, frequency and checklist. |
| 4–5 weeks before | Send photos and a floor plan to the vendor you like. Get the per-visit price, the checklist and the COI in writing. |
| 30+ days before | Sign with the new vendor, with a start date. Then give the old vendor written notice. |
| Last week | Confirm the key and fob count with both vendors. Order paper and soap so the new vendor starts with stock. |
| Handover night | Old vendor’s final visit. New vendor’s first visit the next scheduled night. |
| Next morning | Change alarm codes and door codes. Check the space. |
When we take over an office, we price it from your photos and floor plan, ask any questions by text, send a written per-visit price and checklist, and agree the start date in writing. Prices for our weekly service start at $180 per visit for offices under 1,000 sq ft, $250 for 1,000–2,500 sq ft and $380 for 2,500–5,000 sq ft. The full table is on our pricing page.
How do you hand over keys, fobs and alarm codes?
This is the step offices skip, and it is the one that matters most after the switch.
- Make a list of every key, fob, access card and garage remote the old vendor holds. If you do not know, ask them in writing to list what they have.
- Collect them on or before the last visit, and sign off the list.
- Change alarm user codes and any door keypad codes the morning after. People copy codes onto phones and sticky notes, even when they should not.
- If a physical key cannot be accounted for, consider rekeying that door. A locksmith visit costs less than wondering.
- Give the new vendor their own alarm code, so the alarm log shows who came and when.
We memorize alarm codes rather than writing them down, and we keep access details private. If your building manager wants a Certificate of Insurance with the building named as additional insured, we send it before the first visit.
What should the new cleaner’s first visit include?
The first visit should be deeper than a normal one. A space that has been under-cleaned for months has buildup that a maintenance visit will not catch: restroom grout, the tops of partitions, the fridge, the edges of every carpet. We price a first visit at our one-time rate ($300, $447 or $697 by size) for that reason, then move to the weekly rate.
What to agree before that night:
- A shared checklist by zone, with what happens every visit and what rotates. Our article on office cleaning zones shows how we split a floor.
- Do-not-touch areas: server rooms, desks with papers, labs.
- Who gets the morning-after report and how (a text with photos works for most offices).
- How supplies are handled. We restock from your stock and tell you when it runs low.
- Billing: we invoice monthly, Net 15.
After the first week, walk the space with the checklist in hand and send one message with anything missed. That first round of feedback is what turns a new vendor into one you stop thinking about. For more questions to ask a new vendor, see our commercial cleaning guide for Kirkland, Mukilteo and Lynnwood and office cleaning in Snohomish and King County.
Our jobFAQ
Should I tell the old company why we are leaving?
You do not have to. If you already sent dated complaints, the notice can stay neutral. If they ask, one or two specific sentences are fair and may help their next client. Keep it about what happened, not about the people.
Can we cancel mid-contract if service is bad?
Only if the contract allows it, for example a “for cause” or cure clause. Those often require written notice of the problem and a period to fix it. That is why dated complaints with photos matter. Check the wording with your attorney before relying on it.
Do you clean offices in Kirkland after hours?
Yes. We are licensed in Kirkland and nine other cities in Snohomish and King County, and we clean after you close, overnight or on your day off. Weekday evenings are included in the price; Saturday visits add 15%.
Who will actually come to clean?
The two owners, Yuri and Tatiana, every visit. We have no crews or subcontractors, so the people who wrote your quote are the people with your key. Because we are two people, we take on the number of after-hours contracts we can do well.
Get a written price for your office
Text 2–4 photos of the space to (425) 539-5492 or request a written quote. Include the square footage, restroom count, how often you want service and the old vendor’s last night. We reply with a written price the same business day (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm). If we need more detail, we ask by text before confirming the price in writing.
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