Keeping your workplace clean isn’t just about appearance—it also plays a role in employee wellbeing, hygiene, and how clients perceive your business. But when it comes time to hire a professional cleaning team, it’s easy to get confused by the different types of services offered. One of the most common questions business owners ask is: what’s the difference between standard cleaning and commercial cleaning? Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to different scopes of work. Here’s what sets them apart.
Janitorial Cleaning: The Day-to-Day Basics
Janitorial services focus on everyday cleaning tasks that help keep a space neat, functional, and presentable. This is the kind of cleaning that happens regularly—sometimes daily or several times a week—depending on how busy your workplace is. Common janitorial tasks include wiping down desks, mirrors, and high-touch surfaces, cleaning and restocking bathrooms, tidying shared spaces like kitchens and break rooms, emptying rubbish bins, spot cleaning marks from walls, and sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. These services are about routine upkeep. Whether you run a retail store, office, or small warehouse, janitorial cleaning helps ensure your space stays clean throughout the week.
Commercial Cleaning: Bigger Jobs, Done Periodically
Commercial cleaning covers deeper, more specialised work that isn’t needed on a daily basis. These tasks often involve advanced equipment or skills and are scheduled less frequently—such as monthly, quarterly, or annually. Examples of commercial cleaning include deep carpet cleaning or shampooing, steam cleaning and tile or grout restoration, high-pressure washing of building exteriors, strip and seal of vinyl or hard floors, upholstery cleaning for office chairs and furniture, and large-scale window cleaning. If janitorial cleaning is about the day-to-day, commercial cleaning is about long-term maintenance and restoring your space to peak condition.
Which Service Does Your Business Need?
That depends on your space and how it’s used. A busy office with lots of foot traffic might benefit from both: daily janitorial work to keep things fresh, and periodic commercial cleaning to handle deeper tasks. A showroom or medical clinic might need more intensive disinfecting and steam cleaning at regular intervals. A small business might start with janitorial help and schedule commercial cleans seasonally. Many cleaning companies, including ours, offer flexible plans that combine both types of services, so you don’t have to choose one or the other.
What It All Comes Down To
Not all cleaning services are created equal—and they don’t need to be. Janitorial cleaning keeps your space ticking along smoothly day to day. Commercial cleaning takes care of the bigger jobs that help maintain the integrity, hygiene, and professional appearance of your workplace over time. Understanding the difference means you can hire smarter, maintain standards, and get better value for your cleaning investment. At VDN Property Services, we work with businesses across Melbourne to deliver both routine and deep-clean services tailored to your exact needs—so your workplace always makes the right impression.