Event cleaning: compare quotes and prices

Separate preparation, ongoing care and final cleaning

You can request one phase or several visits. Cleaning the next morning does not automatically require staff during the event. Conversely, a final clean is insufficient if toilets and collection points need attention while the event is running.

Which tasks need a separate agreement?

Describe the areas actually used: hall, entrances, terrace, toilets, kitchen or outdoor paths. Collecting waste alone is a different job from washing floors or cleaning a used kitchen.

Washing dishes, returning furniture, removing decorations and dismantling stages or exhibition stands are not automatically part of event cleaning. Define responsibilities alongside catering, rental and technical teams. Hiring or emptying portable toilets is also a separate service.

For hired premises, the return conditions matter. A swept-clean handover does not automatically mean a full wet clean or deep clean. Specify the work expected before handover and what the venue already provides.

Consider attendance, area and working times together

Area helps estimate floor work; visitor numbers and their distribution particularly affect toilets, entrances and waste. For a multi-day exhibition, expected attendance per day is more useful than one combined total.

Set the earliest access time and latest completion time. Cleaning after midnight may fall on the day after the event. Also establish when catering and technical teams dismantle, so cleaners do not arrive to find areas still occupied.

For ongoing attendance, agree responsibilities, inspection intervals and a reachable contact. The company should plan staffing from that information. A fixed rule of one cleaner per number of guests does not suit every event.

What does event cleaning cost?

Individual published starting rates are around CHF 50 per hour including VAT after comparison on the same tax basis, as of October 2026. These are minimum prices from selected offers, not a Swiss average or an upper limit. Explicitly check whether an hourly rate covers one worker or a team.

The total depends on staff-hours, phases, areas, soiling and the support required. Night, weekend or short-notice work may be priced differently. Ask for materials, travel, minimum charges, coordination and disposal fees to be specified.

• An illustrative calculation. At an assumed CHF 60 per person per hour including tax, two people working three hours each cost CHF 360 in labour. Three hours on site means six billed staff-hours here. Transport, disposal and other extras still need checking.
• Fixed price or time worked. A fixed price needs a clearly defined scope. With hourly billing, agree how additional work is approved and whether a spending limit applies.
• Small and large events. A party at home, a hall and a multi-day festival cannot be compared using the same guest-based package price. Request the tasks actually needed.

Collecting waste is not the same as complete disposal

Decide who supplies bins and bags, empties collection points, separates recyclables and transports waste away. If the venue has containers, clarify their use and charges. Order additional collection only if needed.

Clearly marked collection points and assigned responsibilities help during the event. Reusable tableware needs its own return and washing arrangements; the cleaning team does not automatically take these over.

Local rules may require a waste plan for public events. Coordinate cleaning with the venue and responsible authority. Booking cleaners does not replace an event permit or a specifically required waste service.

Prepare for the cleaning team

A short written agreement helps avoid waiting time and services being booked twice.

At handover, check the agreed results: are the floors free of loose waste and sticky drink residue, the specified toilets cleaned and the bins emptied? Have bags and recyclables been taken to the agreed collection point? That alone does not confirm removal from the venue. Record any areas still drying or left inaccessible by late dismantling, who will finish outstanding work and when keys are returned. Existing stains or damaged flooring may need a separate treatment to be agreed.

1. Define areas and return conditions. Record venue requirements, spaces used and exclusions. Identify sensitive floors and existing damage.
2. Coordinate the timetable. Align setup, guest departure, dismantling and cleaning. Agree access, key handover and a contact person.
3. Assign supplies and infrastructure. Clarify water, electricity, equipment, toilet consumables and waste points. Do not assume existing equipment is suitable without checking.
4. Complete the handover. Inspect the agreed areas together. Distinguish unfinished work from damage and record the return accordingly.

Recognising a suitable offer

A good offer specifies phases, areas, tasks, times and included logistics. Larger events also need a responsible lead and coordination with other teams. Ask how staff absence would be covered without assuming an unverified availability guarantee.

The initial request needs event type and size, desired tasks, approximate areas and timing. Exact shifts, toilet numbers and handover records can be agreed afterwards. This keeps the request simple while the binding quote defines a clear job.

An enquiry might read: “We are holding a Saturday celebration for about 120 guests in a hall with 180 m² of hard flooring, a 30 m² foyer and two toilet blocks. The event ends on Sunday at 01:00; after dismantling, the rooms will be clear from 02:00. Handover is agreed for 08:00. The caterer handles dishes and the kitchen; our volunteers remove decorations and put the furniture back. We need floor and toilet cleaning and bins emptied into the venue’s containers approved for our use. Please quote for the final clean and separately for optional toilet attendance from Saturday 19:00 to Sunday 01:00.” You can attach the venue’s existing return requirements. The available time window is not an estimate of the staff-hours needed; the company must confirm that the work can fit the deadline.