Deep cleaning vs routine cleaning is the first decision to make when an office move is on the calendar, because the two are different jobs bought on different timetables. In this guide, routine cleaning means the standing clean of an occupied office: floors, desks, kitchens and bathrooms, scheduled around the people working there. Office deep cleaning is a one-off job on a space with nobody in it. Treating the two as interchangeable is an easy planning mistake, and in a move it costs you a fixed date.
Think of the clean as a vendor job inside your move plan, with a scope, a window, a sign-off and a price. This guide walks through writing that job, using McKleenz, a Dubai cleaning and maintenance company serving Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, as a worked example of a provider that sets out its office scope in detail. The steps apply to any provider in any city.
Disclosure: McKleenz did not write, commission or review this guide and does not endorse it. Our account of its services is drawn from its own website, read in October 2026. The guide is not a review of the company.
Two cleans, two jobs
McKleenz describes deep cleaning as "also called move-in or move-out cleaning," and it draws a line between that and a spring clean: "spring cleaning usually means detailed cleaning of an occupied space; deep cleaning is commonly for a vacant place before moving in or after moving out."
That gives you a working split for the move:
- Routine cleaning keeps the occupied office usable and runs on a standing schedule.
- Deep cleaning is commonly the job for a space with nobody in it: the old office after move-out, or the new office before move-in.
On frequency, the company recommends deep cleaning "once or twice a year, depending on use and occupancy." For a company that is moving, the move is the trigger, and the calendar matters less. Whatever the provider, and whether you rent or own the space, ask how often it suggests repeating the deep clean after you settle, and fold that answer into your routine schedule.
What McKleenz offers, and who it suits
McKleenz Technical & Cleaning Services is a Dubai company whose range runs from cleaning to AC, plumbing, electrical, handyman and painting work, pest control and annual maintenance contracts. Its website says it serves homes and offices, including apartments, villas, offices, schools, restaurants and retail shops. For a company in the middle of a move, that mix matters because one provider can sometimes cover the clean and the small fix-ups, and you can ask for both in one written quote.
Its deep cleaning page lists what a standard clean includes: dusting and vacuuming, internal windows and frames, grease removal from kitchen walls, counters and floors, cabinetry and wardrobes, balconies and rails, all floors, scale removal in bathrooms, dust and grime around appliances, socket and switch faceplates, and steam sanitising of bathrooms and kitchens. The site says the benefits include better air quality and fewer allergens, which is useful to people with allergies or respiratory problems. A tenant or office manager choosing a provider can use that list as a reference for what "deep" should mean on the quote.
Plan the clean into the move
A short sequence keeps each clean where it belongs:
- Fix the move date first. Everything else hangs from it.
- Book the move-out deep clean for the old office once it is empty, so the cleaners are not working around furniture that is still leaving.
- Book the move-in clean for the new office before the team arrives, if the space needs it.
- Leave a gap between the two, so a slipped date in one place does not push the other.
A practical test: if the calendar still holds with a two-day slip in the move, the gap is wide enough. If it does not, widen the gap before you sign anything with a provider.
If the new office has just been fitted out, ask whether post-construction cleaning is needed. McKleenz lists post-construction cleaning as a chargeable add-on, so price it on its own line.
For the wider process around a move, see the operations guide. If the clean is one of several recurring tasks you want written down once, the standard operating procedures guide covers how to document it so the next move is easier.
What an office deep clean covers
Writing the scope is the step most teams skip, and it is where quotes diverge. McKleenz's office list names "tables, chairs, conference tables, shelves, workstations, laptops and PCs, decorative items, sofas, kitchen, bathrooms, LED lights, AC vents," and it applies to small and large offices.
Do not copy that list as a promise about any other provider. Use it as a template for your own: walk the old and new space, list every surface and fixture type, and send the same list to every provider you ask. When all quotes are against one list, the differences between them become visible.
Read the list against your real space. Some items, such as laptops and PCs, mean something different in an empty office. Ask each provider to confirm what it does with equipment still in place on the day, and whether your team moves it or the cleaners work around it.
What costs extra
Separate the standard scope from the add-ons when you compare quotes. McKleenz lists these as chargeable: machine scrubbing of floors, pressure washing of paved areas, steam cleaning of walls and floors, marble polishing, post-construction cleaning, terraces or balconies over 10% of internal space, and scaffolding.
Check each one against your space. A ground-floor suite with a paved entrance and a marble reception desk may trigger two of these; a plain open-plan floor may trigger none. Get a written quote for each one and compare the quotes line by line. A quote with no add-on lines is not necessarily cheaper. It may be leaving out work the office actually needs.
Who supervises the work
The company says "dedicated cleaning supervisors inspect and guide the team," and that its teams arrive "with equipment, detergents and colour-coded hygiene towels." Those are useful questions for any provider. Ask who the supervisor is on your job, when they inspect, and whether they sign off the finished rooms before the team leaves.
For a move, sign-off matters. The deep clean is the last thing before a new team starts in a fresh space, so a visual check at the end of the job helps avoid a second visit.
FAQ
Does the quote cover the full office list, or only some rooms? Ask for it in writing, against your own list. McKleenz's office scope names tables, chairs, conference tables, shelves, workstations, laptops and PCs, decorative items, sofas, kitchen, bathrooms, LED lights and AC vents; whichever provider you choose, every item on your list should appear in the quote or be marked as excluded.
Can the work fit between move-out and move-in? That depends on the size of the space and the team, so ask the provider to state the time it needs and who is on site. Then test it against the gap in your calendar. If the move slips by two days, ask what happens to the booking.
Which parts of the job are extra? Anything outside the standard scope. McKleenz lists floor scrubbing, steam cleaning, marble polishing and post-construction cleaning among its chargeable add-ons, so ask every provider for its own list and have each add-on quoted on a separate line.
Is it safe for the office and the people in it? This guide makes no safety claim for any provider. Ask which products and equipment the team will use, request the safety information for them in writing, and keep the space closed to staff until the work is signed off. If anyone on your team has allergies or breathing problems, tell the provider before the booking, not on the day.
Get the quotes comparable
Keep one owner for the whole job, usually the operations lead, and keep every quote, date and sign-off in one shared document so the decision can be reviewed later.
Ask every provider for the same written office scope and the add-ons priced separately, then choose on scope, supervision and fit with your dates rather than on the headline figure. McKleenz's published office scope is one example to compare against, nothing more.
If the move needs an outside adviser to plan it, compare consulting firms at Consulting Firm USA.