Cleaning production rate references
These are the industry approximations used in BidLoom’s task catalog. Choose a task, check its units and review the range against your equipment, site conditions and measured productivity.
The official ISSA Cleaning Times publication is a separate licensed reference. This table identifies BidLoom’s approximation catalog and does not reproduce that publication. ISSA’s general calculation guide explains using task quantities and production rates as a starting point for workloading.
Read the units before calculating hours
- Square feet per hour: divide cleanable square footage by the selected hourly rate.
- Minutes per unit: multiply the unit count by minutes per unit, then divide by 60.
- Units per hour: divide the unit count by the hourly rate.
Review task frequency and transition time separately. A productive task estimate is not a guarantee of elapsed time for a team.
| Task | Category | Low | High | Unit | Scope notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum carpet (upright) | vacuum | 3,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Standard commercial carpet |
| Vacuum carpet (wide-area) | vacuum | 5,000 | 7,000 | sq ft/hour | Wide-area vacuum, open spaces |
| Vacuum hard floor | vacuum | 4,500 | 5,500 | sq ft/hour | Using backpack or upright with hard floor setting |
| Vacuum edges and corners | vacuum | 1,500 | 2,000 | sq ft/hour | Detail work along baseboards |
| Spot vacuum (traffic areas) | vacuum | 4,000 | 5,000 | sq ft/hour | Quick pass on high-traffic areas only |
| Backpack vacuum | vacuum | 3,500 | 5,000 | sq ft/hour | Backpack vacuum for open areas and corridors |
| Damp mop (flat mop) | mop | 4,000 | 5,500 | sq ft/hour | Standard damp mopping |
| Wet mop (string mop) | mop | 3,000 | 4,500 | sq ft/hour | Traditional wet mopping |
| Auto scrub (walk-behind) | mop | 8,000 | 15,000 | sq ft/hour | Machine scrubbing for large areas |
| Dust mop (dry) | mop | 6,000 | 10,000 | sq ft/hour | Dry dust mopping large areas |
| Spray mop (microfiber) | mop | 5,000 | 7,000 | sq ft/hour | Spray mop with microfiber pad |
| Medical-grade floor disinfection | mop | 2,500 | 4,000 | sq ft/hour | Hospital-grade disinfectant mopping with dwell time |
| Full restroom clean | restroom | 8 | 15 | minutes/unit | Complete clean: fixtures, floor, restock |
| Quick restroom touch-up | restroom | 4 | 8 | minutes/unit | Spot clean, restock only |
| Restroom deep clean | restroom | 20 | 30 | minutes/unit | Includes walls, grout, fixtures |
| Shower/locker room clean | restroom | 15 | 25 | minutes/unit | Shower stalls, benches, drains, restock |
| Empty trash can | trash | 2 | 3 | minutes/unit | Reline with new bag |
| Empty recycling bin | trash | 1 | 2 | minutes/unit | Sort if required |
| Trash removal to dumpster | trash | 5 | 10 | minutes/unit | Walking to exterior dumpster |
| Dumpster area cleanup | trash | 10 | 20 | minutes/unit | Sweep, pick up debris around dumpster pad |
| High dusting | dust | 4,000 | 6,000 | sq ft/hour | Vents, ledges, top of partitions |
| Low dusting (surfaces) | dust | 6,000 | 8,000 | sq ft/hour | Desks, tables, windowsills |
| Detail dusting | dust | 2,000 | 3,000 | sq ft/hour | Individual items, electronics, frames |
| Blind/shutter dusting | dust | 60 | 100 | units/hour | Individual blinds or shutter panels |
| Ceiling vent/diffuser cleaning | dust | 4 | 8 | minutes/unit | Remove and wipe or vacuum in place |
| High dusting warehouse | dust | 2,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Rafters, beams, high shelving with extension tools |
| Interior glass (partition) | glass | 200 | 400 | sq ft/hour | Glass partitions, interior windows |
| Exterior windows (ground) | glass | 100 | 200 | sq ft/hour | Ground floor exterior |
| Mirrors | glass | 100 | 150 | units/hour | Standard bathroom mirrors |
| Glass entrance doors | glass | 3 | 5 | minutes/unit | Both sides |
| High interior glass with ladder | glass | 100 | 200 | sq ft/hour | Interior glass above 8 ft requiring ladder or pole |
| Strip and wax (VCT) | floor | 500 | 1,000 | sq ft/hour | Full strip, apply 3-5 coats |
| Buff/burnish | floor | 5,000 | 8,000 | sq ft/hour | High-speed burnishing |
| Carpet extraction | floor | 1,000 | 2,000 | sq ft/hour | Hot water extraction |
| Tile and grout cleaning | floor | 300 | 600 | sq ft/hour | Specialized cleaning |
| Gymnasium floor clean | floor | 4,000 | 6,000 | sq ft/hour | Dust mop and damp mop gym hardwood |
| Gymnasium floor refinish | floor | 800 | 1,200 | sq ft/hour | Screen, clean, and recoat gym floor |
| Carpet bonnet cleaning | floor | 2,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Low-moisture bonnet/pad cleaning for interim maintenance |
| Hardwood floor polish | floor | 2,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Apply floor polish to sealed hardwood |
| VCT spray buff | floor | 4,000 | 6,000 | sq ft/hour | Spray buff to restore VCT floor shine |
| Concrete floor scrub (walk-behind) | floor | 6,000 | 10,000 | sq ft/hour | Walk-behind scrubber on sealed concrete |
| Kitchen/break room clean | kitchen | 15 | 25 | minutes/unit | Counters, sink, appliance exterior, floor |
| Kitchen floor degreasing | kitchen | 1,500 | 2,500 | sq ft/hour | Degreaser application and scrub on commercial kitchen floors |
| Kitchen hood/vent wipe | kitchen | 15 | 25 | minutes/unit | Exterior wipe-down of hood and vent surfaces |
| Refrigerator clean (interior) | kitchen | 10 | 20 | minutes/unit | Clean shelves, drawers, interior walls |
| Microwave clean | kitchen | 3 | 5 | minutes/unit | Interior and exterior wipe-down |
| Dining area clean | kitchen | 3,000 | 5,000 | sq ft/hour | Tables, chairs, sweep/mop dining floor |
| Patient room discharge clean | specialty | 20 | 35 | minutes/unit | Full discharge clean per patient room |
| Terminal cleaning (OR) | specialty | 30 | 60 | minutes/unit | Operating room terminal disinfection |
| Exam room clean | specialty | 8 | 15 | minutes/unit | Clean and disinfect exam room between patients |
| Sharps container check | specialty | 2 | 3 | minutes/unit | Inspect fill level, replace if needed |
| Biohazard waste removal | specialty | 5 | 10 | minutes/unit | Bag and transport regulated medical waste |
| Waiting room sanitize | specialty | 2,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Wipe seats, tables, high-touch surfaces in waiting areas |
| Cafeteria clean after service | specialty | 15 | 30 | minutes/unit | Post-meal cleaning: tables, counters, floors |
| Classroom clean | specialty | 8 | 15 | minutes/unit | Desks, board, trash, spot mop per classroom |
| Locker room clean | specialty | 15 | 25 | minutes/unit | Benches, lockers exterior, floor, drains |
| Whiteboard cleaning | specialty | 1 | 2 | minutes/unit | Erase and wipe clean per board |
| High-touch surface disinfection | specialty | 3,000 | 5,000 | sq ft/hour | Door handles, light switches, railings, elevator buttons |
| Loading dock sweep | specialty | 3,000 | 5,000 | sq ft/hour | Broom sweep loading dock and staging area |
| Warehouse aisle sweep | specialty | 5,000 | 8,000 | sq ft/hour | Wide push broom or ride-on sweeper in aisles |
| Fitting room cleanup | specialty | 5 | 10 | minutes/unit | Straighten, wipe mirrors, vacuum per room |
| Display/shelf dusting | specialty | 2,000 | 3,500 | sq ft/hour | Dust retail displays, shelving, merchandise areas |
| Elevator cab clean | specialty | 5 | 10 | minutes/unit | Walls, doors, tracks, floor per cab |
| Stairwell clean (per flight) | specialty | 5 | 10 | minutes/unit | Sweep/mop stairs, wipe handrails per flight |
| Pressure washing exterior | specialty | 1,000 | 2,000 | sq ft/hour | Pressure wash sidewalks, building exterior, parking areas |
For context, read the cleaning times guide and the scope and pricing glossary. Enter specialist or periodic work as an explicitly reviewed scope.