A walk-round and a quote tell you what a cleaning company wants you to see. The questions you ask tell you what you will actually get. These ten cut through the polish and surface the things that decide whether a contract is a relief or a running battle. We have included the answers worth listening for.
On reliability and cover
1. What happens when my regular cleaner is off sick? Listen for a clear commitment to arrange cover, not "we'll do our best". Absence is the single most common cause of a no-show, and how a supplier handles it tells you almost everything.
2. Will I have the same cleaner most of the time? Continuity means someone who learns your site and standards. A supplier who rotates strangers through your building will never hold a consistent standard.
On proof and accountability
3. How will I know a visit actually happened? The modern answer is photos, a ticked checklist and a time on site in a portal. A paper sign-in sheet you never read is not proof.
4. Who is my point of contact, and will they pick up? You want a named account manager who knows your sites — not a call centre that treats every call as a fresh start.
The questions a good supplier welcomes are the ones a poor one deflects. Watch which is which.
On people and compliance
5. Are your cleaners DBS-checked and how do you vet them? Essential anywhere with children, patients or vulnerable people — and reassuring everywhere else.
6. What insurance do you carry? Public liability cover is standard; ask for the figure and to see the certificate.
7. Do you use colour-coded equipment and infection-control method? Non-negotiable for clinical, care, childcare and food sites.
On price and commitment
8. How is the quote built — and why no published price list? Every site is different; a credible quote comes from a walk-round, not a rate card. Be wary of a number given before anyone has seen your building.
9. What is the guarantee if something isn't right? Look for a written re-clean guarantee with a timeframe and no extra cost.
10. What are the notice period and exit terms? Read these before the price. Long lock-ins and short notice windows favour the supplier, not you.
Ask us all ten
We would rather you asked these than skipped them — the answers are why clients switch to us and stay. Every Lume contract commits us to arranging cover, gives you photo proof of every visit, a named account manager, DBS-checked cleaners, and a written re-clean guarantee. If you are weighing up suppliers, get a free quote and put the ten questions to us at the walk-round.