Let’s get straight to the point: there is no single commercial strata cleaning schedule that suits every strata property.
A busy building may need cleaning several times a week or even daily in its most-used areas. A smaller property with fewer occupants may need less frequent servicing, with some tasks handled weekly or monthly.
For commercial strata cleaning in Newcastle NSW, the right schedule comes down to how the property is used, which areas see the most traffic, and how quickly those areas need attention between visits.
How Often Should You Do Commercial Strata Cleaning?
Most strata properties work better with a combination of regular and periodic cleaning rather than one frequency for the entire building.
Entrances, lobbies, lifts and shared bathrooms generally need the most regular attention because they are used throughout the day. Depending on the building, that might mean daily cleaning or several visits each week.
Hallways, stairwells and common levels may be cleaned weekly or several times a week depending on foot traffic. Other jobs, such as common-area window cleaning, detailed car park sweeping and deeper cleaning of waste areas, can often sit on a monthly or periodic schedule.
After cleaning commercial strata properties across Newcastle and the surrounding region for about 15 years, Lifestyle Cleaning Services has found that the most practical approach is to look at how each area is actually being used.
A multi-tenant property with people coming and going throughout the day will usually need a different schedule from a smaller building with limited visitor traffic.
That is why commercial strata cleaning frequency should be based on the property rather than an arbitrary number of visits per week.
What Affects Your Commercial Strata Cleaning Schedule?
Foot traffic is one of the first things to consider.
A lobby used by hundreds of people throughout the week will show dirt, marks and fingerprints much faster than a stairwell that is rarely used. The number of tenants also matters because more occupants generally means more activity through shared entrances, lifts, bathrooms and hallways.
Shared facilities can increase the workload too. Bathrooms, kitchens and waste areas tend to need regular attention because they are used by multiple people and can become noticeably untidy between services.
The type of businesses occupying the property can also change what is required. An office complex may have very different traffic patterns from a building containing retail businesses, consulting rooms or other customer-facing tenants.
Then there is the building itself. Multiple floors, lifts, external courtyards, fire stairs, car parks and several entrances all need to be considered when developing the cleaning scope.
Weather can play a part as well. Rain can leave water and dirt around entrances, while wind can bring leaves and debris into external areas. A cleaning schedule sometimes needs to allow for those changes instead of remaining exactly the same throughout the year.
This is why we assess how a commercial property is actually used when establishing a cleaning scope rather than relying on a generic checklist. Our commercial cleaning services in Newcastle can be scheduled around the requirements of the individual site.
Which Strata Areas Need Cleaning More Often?
The areas that receive the most traffic usually need the most attention.
Entrances and Lobbies
Entrances collect dirt from outside while also being one of the first things tenants, visitors and customers see.
Floors, glass doors, intercoms, keypads, handrails and other frequently touched surfaces can start showing marks quickly, particularly in a busy building.
Lobbies have similar pressure points. Floors may need regular vacuuming or mopping, while internal glass, doors and skirting boards can require attention as marks build up.
Lifts
Lifts put a lot of traffic through a relatively small space.
Buttons, mirrors, doors and metal surfaces can quickly collect fingerprints, while floors and lift tracks need regular cleaning to prevent dirt and debris from building up.
Shared Bathrooms
Bathrooms are usually one of the highest-priority areas in strata common area cleaning in Newcastle.
How often they need cleaning depends on the number of people using them. In a busy property, toilets, basins, mirrors, handles, dispensers and floors may need attention several times a week or daily.
Hallways, Shared Levels and Fire Stairs
Main hallways and shared levels can accumulate dust, scuff marks and dirt brought in from outside. The busier the area, the more regularly it is likely to need vacuuming or mopping.
Fire stairs may have lower foot traffic, but they should not be forgotten. Rubbish, leaves, cobwebs and dirt can still accumulate on steps, landings and around fire doors.
Car Parks and External Areas
Car parks have different cleaning needs from internal common areas.
Rubbish and leaves may need routine removal, while a more thorough industrial sweep can be scheduled periodically.
External courtyards, walkways and entrances may also need more attention at certain times because they are exposed to weather and surrounding landscaping.
Windows and Common-Area Glass
Windows generally do not need to be cleaned as often as bathrooms or entrances.
Common-area windows, doors, balustrade glass and similar surfaces can usually be incorporated into a separate periodic cleaning rotation based on the building and how quickly marks develop.
For a more detailed breakdown of what can fall within a strata scope, our strata cleaning checklist for Newcastle property managers covers common areas including lifts, stairwells, car parks, entry glass and bin rooms.
Signs Your Strata Property Needs More Frequent Cleaning
Even a well-planned commercial strata cleaning schedule may need adjusting over time. Changes in foot traffic, tenant numbers or how shared areas are used can all affect how quickly a property starts to look untidy between visits.
- Bathrooms become untidy before the next service. If shared bathrooms regularly need attention well before the next clean, the current frequency may be too low.
- Bins fill up too quickly. Overflowing or overfilled bins between visits can mean waste areas need more regular servicing.
- Entrances start looking dirty midweek. Dirt, leaves, marks or debris building up around entry points can be a sign that those areas need more attention.
- Fingerprints build up on lifts and glass. Lift doors, buttons, mirrors and entry glass often show heavy use quickly.
- Scuff marks and dust keep returning. If common areas start looking worn or dusty soon after a clean, the schedule may no longer match the traffic level.
- Tenants keep raising the same concerns. Repeated complaints about the same areas can point to a frequency issue.
- Cleaners spend too much time catching up. If each visit is mostly about removing accumulated dirt, increasing the frequency may work better than simply extending the clean.
That does not necessarily mean the whole property needs more cleaning. In many cases, increasing the frequency for one or two high-use areas is enough.
Commercial Strata Cleaning by Lifestyle Cleaning Services
Lifestyle Cleaning Services has been providing commercial cleaning across Newcastle and surrounding areas for 15 years, including commercial strata cleaning for shared properties.
That experience has shown us that strata properties rarely need every area cleaned at exactly the same frequency.
One of the strata cleaning scopes we work with, for example, covers external entrances, the lobby, lifts, shared levels, external courtyards, fire stairs, car parks, shared bathrooms, waste areas and common-area windows.
The work within those spaces varies as well.
At an entrance, the scope can include cleaning and sanitising intercoms and keypads, sweeping and mopping tiled areas, cleaning handrails, removing cobwebs and keeping building signage presentable.
Inside the building, lift cleaning can include buttons, metal surfaces, mirrors, floors and tracks. Shared bathroom cleaning can include toilets, basins, mirrors, handles, dispensers, railings and floors, along with restocking consumables where that forms part of the agreed service.
Other jobs do not necessarily need to happen during every visit.
In the strata scope provided, common-area window cleaning and an industrial car park sweep are scheduled monthly. That is a good example of why one cleaning frequency does not have to apply to an entire property.
The regular commercial strata cleaning schedule can concentrate on the areas that need ongoing attention, while less frequent tasks are built into the year at appropriate intervals.
We take the same approach when preparing a commercial cleaning scope and checklist. The areas, tasks and cleaning frequency should reflect how the premises are actually used rather than forcing every property into the same package.
For property and strata managers looking for strata cleaning services in Newcastle, we can develop a schedule around the building’s common areas, traffic levels and day-to-day cleaning requirements.
If you manage a commercial strata property in Newcastle and are unsure whether your current cleaning schedule is still working, Lifestyle Cleaning Services can help review the property and build a cleaning plan around how the shared areas are actually used.
Contact Lifestyle Cleaning Services for a commercial cleaning quote and talk to our team about a cleaning plan for your Newcastle strata property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should strata cleaning be done?
Commercial strata cleaning may be needed daily, several times a week, weekly or periodically depending on the property.
High-traffic areas such as entrances, lifts and shared bathrooms generally need attention more often than windows, car parks and quieter common areas.
What is the best strata cleaning frequency?
There is no single frequency that works for every strata property.
The right schedule depends on foot traffic, the number of tenants, shared facilities, the building layout and how quickly individual areas become dirty between visits.
Does every strata common area need to be cleaned at the same frequency?
No. In most buildings, it makes more sense to use different frequencies for different areas.
A busy shared bathroom may need cleaning several times a week or daily, while common-area windows or a detailed car park sweep may only be required periodically.
What does commercial strata cleaning include?
The exact scope depends on the property, but it can include entrances, lobbies, lifts, hallways, stairwells, bathrooms, common floors, windows, car parks, waste areas and other shared spaces.
Individual tasks should be agreed as part of the commercial strata cleaning scope.
How do I know if my strata property needs more frequent cleaning?
Look at what happens between scheduled services.
If entrances, bathrooms, lifts or other common areas regularly become dirty before the next clean, or the same cleaning complaints keep coming up, the frequency for those areas may need to be reviewed.
Do you provide commercial strata cleaning in Newcastle NSW?
Yes. Lifestyle Cleaning Services provides commercial strata cleaning across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Hunter Valley and surrounding areas.
We can tailor the cleaning scope and frequency around the property, its shared areas and how those spaces are used.