A cleaning contractor usually suits a business that wants guaranteed cover, supplied equipment and someone else managing standards, while employing your own cleaners suits a business that needs a person on site all day for tasks beyond cleaning. The deciding questions are who covers sickness and holidays, who buys and maintains equipment, and who checks the work. This guide compares the two side by side.
In-house or contractor at a glance
In-house cleaning means employing cleaners directly, with your business handling recruitment, training, equipment, products, cover and supervision. Contract cleaning means a cleaning company supplies trained staff, equipment and management under a written specification. This guide is for office, facilities and operations managers deciding which model fits their premises.
- Who covers absence?
- With a contractor, covering sickness and holidays is the contractor’s job. In-house, it falls to you.
- Who supplies equipment?
- A contractor normally supplies machines and products. In-house, you buy, store and maintain them.
- Which gives more control?
- In-house gives direct day-to-day control. A contractor gives control through a written specification and regular checks.
How they compare
| Point | In-house cleaners | Cleaning contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and vetting | Your responsibility | Contractor recruits and vets |
| Sickness and holiday cover | You arrange it | Contractor arranges it |
| Equipment and products | You buy and maintain | Usually supplied |
| Specialist work | Often bought in separately | Can be added to the same contract |
| Day-to-day flexibility | High: staff can take on other tasks | Set by the specification |
When in-house makes sense
Employing your own cleaners can work well when you need someone on site throughout the day for a mix of jobs, such as caretaking, setting up rooms and responding to spills, and you have the management time to recruit, train and supervise them. It also suits sites where the same person needs deep local knowledge of the building.
When a contractor makes sense
A contractor usually suits businesses that want cleaning handled without adding staff to manage, need guaranteed cover, or want specialist services such as carpet cleaning, high-level cleaning or external cleaning under one agreement. Some businesses combine both: an in-house caretaker for daytime tasks and a contractor for the main clean.
Questions to ask a contractor
- Will your own staff clean our premises, or subcontractors?
- How are cleaners vetted? Ask about DBS and referenced background checks.
- How do you cover absence, and how quickly?
- Will we get a written specification, and how is it checked?
- Can we see your insurance certificates?
- What is the notice period, and can we book one-off cleans?
How DNA Cleaning Solutions works
Our own trained teams do the work, supported by an experienced management team, and we supply the equipment and products. Every cleaner is DBS checked and passes 5-year referenced background checks. Managers visit regularly to check the work against the written specification, and our quality process is ISO 9001 certified. We cover London and Greater London, including Heathrow.
Questions we are often asked
- Is a contractor more expensive than employing cleaners?
- It depends on the premises, hours and specification. Compare the full cost of employing staff, including cover, equipment, products and management time, against written contractor quotes.
- Can we switch from in-house to a contractor?
- Yes. We survey the site and agree a written specification before the contract starts.
- Do you offer short contracts?
- We offer daily, weekly and monthly contracts as well as one-off cleans with no contract.
- Are you insured?
- Yes. We hold public liability and employers liability insurance, and copies are available on request.
Get a free cleaning quote or call +44 20 3826 8555.
