A standard contract in Melbourne typically costs $50 to $72 per hour in 2026. A small office cleaned 2 to 3 times a week runs $165 to $330 per week. CBD offices pay a 10 to 20 percent premium. This guide breaks down real 2026 prices, what a contract actually covers, and how often offices get cleaned. It also covers the contract terms to watch and the red flags Melbourne businesses report most.
Written by Metecan Kalkan, founder of OneDrop FM (ABN 74 499 285 939), a Melbourne cleaning company. We clean offices across Melbourne CBD, Bayswater, Dandenong and more than 20 other suburbs. Last updated: 17 October 2026.
The Short Answer: Melbourne Prices
These figures reflect published 2026 Melbourne price data, GST included:
- Standard recurring clean, per hour: $50 to $72
- Melbourne CBD, per hour: $53 to $66 (10 to 20 percent CBD premium)
- Outer suburbs, per hour: $46 to $61
- One-off clean, per hour: $55 to $77
- Premium / detailed clean, per hour: $61 to $83
- Medical office, per hour: $66 to $94
- Per square metre: $2.20 to $3.85
- Small office (up to 150 sqm, 2 to 3 times a week): $165 to $330 per week
- Medium office (150 to 500 sqm): $440 to $880 per week
- Large office (daily): $990 to $1,980+ per week
After-hours loadings: evenings around 15 percent extra, Saturday 1.5 times, Sunday 1.75 to 2 times, public holidays 2.5 times.
Contracts run 15 to 25 percent cheaper than one-off cleans, and 12-month terms save 10 to 20 percent against month-to-month. Minimum callouts of $66 to $99 are standard.
One warning on price: the casual award floor from 1 July 2026 is $33.85 per hour, plus 12 percent super. A quote under about $35 per hour ex GST cannot be paying legal wages. Cheap quotes mean corners cut somewhere.
What Is Included in the Contract?
A standard Melbourne contract covers these areas:
Workstations and desks. Surface wipes, dusting, phone and keyboard area wipedowns.
Kitchens and break rooms. Benches, sinks, microwaves, fridges (external), floors mopped.
Bathrooms and toilets. Full clean, mirrors, restocking (labour for restocking; consumables billed separately).
Floors. Vacuuming carpets, mopping hard floors.
Bins. Emptied and relined across the office.
High-touch points. Door handles, light switches, lift buttons sanitised.
Internal glass. Partition glass and internal windows.
If a quote does not list the areas covered, ask for the scope in writing before signing.
What Costs Extra?
Common add-ons with typical Melbourne prices:
- Carpet steam cleaning: from $3 per sqm (commercial rate). For wall-to-wall carpet, see our carpet cleaning cost guide.
- Window cleaning (external): $150 to $1,000+ per session, or about $9 to $23 per pane.
- Sanitary bins: from $25 per month per unit.
- Consumables: toilet paper, hand towels, soap billed monthly as used, itemised.
- Upholstery cleaning: office chairs and waiting-room seating. See our couch cleaning cost guide for what fabric cleaning costs.
Consumables are the most common source of billing disputes. Insist on itemised monthly billing, not a flat “supplies” line.
How Often Should an Office Be Cleaned?
Typical Melbourne schedules:
- Daily: 30+ staff, high foot traffic, medical offices, food businesses, client-facing premises.
- 2 to 3 times a week: 10 to 30 staff. The most common commercial schedule.
- Weekly: under 10 staff, low-traffic offices.
A 2026 trend: hybrid offices now clean on peak in-office days (Tuesday to Thursday) instead of a fixed daily schedule. That cuts cost without cutting standards. Match the schedule to foot traffic, not habit.
After-Hours Cleaning: What It Costs and How Security Works
Most of this work happens after hours, which is why after-hours loadings exist: around 15 percent extra for evenings, 1.5 times Saturday, 1.75 to 2 times Sunday, 2.5 times public holidays.
Security is the part businesses ask about most. A proper cleaner documents key and alarm handling in writing. That means who holds keys, how alarm codes are issued and changed, and what happens if a cleaner leaves the company. Police-checked staff and a Victorian Labour Hire Licence are the baseline to ask for. If a cleaner is vague about key control, that is a red flag.
Prices Across Melbourne Suburbs
OneDrop FM is based in Taylors Lakes, near Watergardens. These are the areas our commercial work concentrates in:
- Office cleaning Melbourne CBD: high-rise offices with after-hours access requirements. The 10 to 20 percent CBD premium reflects parking, access logistics and evening loadings. Security protocols matter most here.
- Commercial cleaning Bayswater: warehouses, trade counters and light industrial offices. Larger floor areas suit per-square-metre pricing, and early-morning cleans before shifts start are common.
- Office cleaning Dandenong: manufacturing and logistics offices alongside professional suites. Mixed premises need a scope that covers both office and industrial-adjacent areas.
- Across the west and north: Sunshine, Reservoir, Preston and Coburg offices, typically small to medium premises on 2 to 3 cleans a week.
We also cover more than 20 suburbs across Melbourne. Every quote starts with a site inspection, because no two offices clean the same.
Contract Terms: Lock-Ins, Cancellation and Guarantees
What is typical in Melbourne in 2026:
- Term: 6 to 12 months is common, but “no lock-in” deals are widespread. Do not sign a long term without a trial period.
- Cancellation: 30 days’ notice is standard. Single-visit cancellations usually need 24 to 48 hours’ notice.
- Minimum callout: $66 to $99.
- Re-clean guarantee: free re-cleans are standard with reputable operators, often within 24 hours of the clean.
- Trial periods: guides consistently advise starting with a trial before committing to a term.
Get the term, the notice period, the price, and the re-clean promise in one written agreement. Verbal promises do not survive staff changes.
Red Flags: How to Spot a Bad Office Cleaner
The complaints Melbourne businesses report most:
- Inconsistent quality. Bathrooms and kitchens missed on some visits. This is the number one complaint.
- No-show cleans with no communication. The office arrives dirty and nobody warned them.
- Revolving-door staff. New faces every week, no continuity, security risk.
- Hidden charges. Consumables, weekend loadings or “deep clean” fees appearing on the invoice unannounced.
- Rushed cleans. Timed visits so tight the work cannot be done properly.
- No quality control. No supervisor checks, no photo reporting, no way to verify the work.
- Resistance to feedback. Complaints met with excuses instead of fixes.
- Below-award pricing. Under about $35 per hour ex GST cannot be legal wages, as noted above.
What Melbourne Businesses Actually Pay
Public pricing and real task data tell the story:
- The standard recurring rate of $50 to $72 per hour holds across most Melbourne providers.
- The most repeated complaint: inconsistent quality, especially bathrooms and kitchens skipped on some visits.
- The second: no-show cleans and poor communication when things go wrong.
- The third: surprise billing, usually consumables or loadings that were never quoted.
How to Choose an Office Cleaner: The Checklist
Before you sign, check these:
- $10M+ public liability insurance and WorkCover.
- Victorian Labour Hire Licence.
- Police-checked cleaning staff.
- Award-compliant wages (ask directly).
- Written itemised quote after a site inspection, not a phone estimate.
- Local references you can call.
- A quality control system: supervisor audits or photo reporting.
- No long lock-in without a trial period.
- Documented key and alarm handling.
- Eco products if your business needs them (medical, childcare, food).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does office cleaning cost in Melbourne?
A: $50 to $72 per hour for a standard recurring contract in 2026. A small office cleaned 2 to 3 times a week runs $165 to $330 per week. CBD offices pay a 10 to 20 percent premium. One-off cleans run $55 to $77 per hour.
Q: What is included in a standard contract?
A: Desk and surface wipes, kitchen and bathroom cleans, vacuuming and mopping, bin emptying, high-touch-point sanitising, internal glass, and restocking labour. Consumables, carpet steam cleaning, external windows and sanitary bins are the usual add-ons.
Q: How often should an office be cleaned?
A: Daily for 30+ staff or high-traffic and medical premises, 2 to 3 times a week for 10 to 30 staff, weekly for under 10 staff. Hybrid offices increasingly clean on peak in-office days (Tuesday to Thursday) only.
Q: Is office cleaning tax deductible?
A: Yes. It is a standard business operating expense in Australia and is deductible. Keep itemised invoices from an ABN-registered cleaner.
Q: Do contracts have lock-ins?
A: 6 to 12 month terms are common, but no-lock-in deals are widespread. 30 days’ cancellation notice is standard. Never sign a long term without a trial period.
Q: How do after-hours cleaning and security work?
A: Most after-hours work comes with evening loadings of around 15 percent. A proper cleaner documents key and alarm handling in writing, uses police-checked staff, and holds a Victorian Labour Hire Licence.
Q: What should I check before hiring an office cleaner?
A: $10M+ public liability insurance, WorkCover, Victorian Labour Hire Licence, police-checked staff, award-compliant wages, a written itemised quote after a site inspection, local references, and a quality control system.
Q: What if I am not happy with a clean?
A: Reputable operators offer free re-cleans, often within 24 hours. Get the re-clean promise in writing in the contract, along with how to report issues.
Book Your Office Clean With OneDrop FM
Fixed written quotes after a site inspection. Police-checked staff, full insurance, and a Victorian Labour Hire Licence. Get in touch with OneDrop FM to get a fixed quote.
We are local. Based in Taylors Lakes, cleaning offices across more than 20 Melbourne suburbs.
Call 0402 160 946 for a fixed quote.