How to automate your cleaning team

#1 - Cleaning site survey

When in the day: Before a contract starts, on the quoting visit.

Who runs it: The estimator, owner, or operations manager pricing the work.

What it is: A room-by-room walk of a prospect building that captures what it takes to clean each space. For every area the surveyor records the floor type, the rough size, the fixtures, and any access constraints, then photographs it. The result is a priced quote backed by evidence, and a scope both sides agreed before anyone signed.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: An estimator walks a four-floor office a contractor wants to win. In each room they log the floor, pace out the size, note the glass and the washrooms, and photograph it. Back at the office the bid is built from the survey, not from memory, and when the client queries what was included, the photographed survey settles it.

Why it works for your cleaning team: A quote built from a real survey is a quote that holds. The photos and measurements stop the job being underpriced and stop the client claiming work was promised that never was. It is the difference between winning a contract you can deliver profitably and winning one that bleeds.

Steps included:

• 1 area name and 1 floor-type choice per space
• 1 size estimate and 1 fixtures note
• 1 access and constraints note
• 1 photo of each area
• 1 estimator signature

More variations: Show more cleaning site survey templates →

#2 - Cleaning site induction

When in the day: A cleaner's first time on a new site, before their first shift.

Who runs it: The supervisor, walking the operative round.

What it is: A stamped record of the walk-round that shows a new cleaner the risks, the access, the chemical store, and the emergency plan for this specific site. The supervisor ticks each item as they cover it and the operative signs to confirm they understood. The aim is that the cleaner could work safely here on their own from day one.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A supervisor meets a new evening cleaner at a city-centre office. As they walk the floor they tick the list: the method statement, the key fob and parking, the fire exits and assembly point, the chemical store. They note that the lift is out after 8pm and to use the rear stairwell. The cleaner signs, and the record is stored before they work a shift alone.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Every site is different, so a general training certificate does not prove a cleaner knew the exits at this building. The induction does, with a date and a signature. If a question is ever raised about whether someone was briefed before working alone, the answer is a record, not a memory.

Steps included:

• 1 operative and site name
• 1 checklist of 5 induction items walked round
• 1 free-text note for anything site-specific
• 1 photo of the hazards or access shown
• 1 operative signature

More variations: Show more cleaning site induction templates →

#3 - Proof of attendance

When in the day: On arrival at a site and again when leaving, every visit.

Who runs it: The cleaner.

What it is: A GPS and time-stamped clock-in and clock-out the cleaner fires at the start and end of each visit. Each completion captures the location and the time, with a selfie and an end-of-shift sign-off on the fuller version. The pair of stamps proves the cleaner was on site for the hours on the invoice.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A solo cleaner with eight contracts across town clocks in at each site by tapping a location step and naming the site, then clocks out on the way. When a client questions whether anyone attended on Tuesday, the answer is a pin on a map at a known time, plus a selfie, rather than a hand-written timesheet that could have been filled in anywhere.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Attendance disputes are the most common way a cleaning contract turns sour. A GPS-stamped clock-in settles them in a minute. It also protects honest cleaners, because the record shows exactly when they arrived and left, not what a suspicious client assumes.

Steps included:

• 1 clock-in or clock-out choice
• 1 location capture
• 1 site name
• 1 selfie photo
• 1 end-of-shift sign-off signature

More variations: Show more proof of attendance templates →

#4 - Key and alarm handover

When in the day: Opening up at the start and locking down at the end of a visit.

Who runs it: The key-holding cleaner.

What it is: A log of who holds a site key or fob, with a confirmation that the alarm was set and the building locked on the way out. The same workflow runs twice: once when the key is taken, once when it is returned. It turns key-holding from an informal arrangement into a dated, signed record.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: The last cleaner out of a retail unit works the close-down: windows, doors, alarm armed, then logs the key as returned with a photo of the set panel. If the alarm will not set, they call the duty manager before leaving rather than locking up on a fault. The record shows who held the key and that the site was left secure.

Why it works for your cleaning team: A building left unsecured, or an alarm left unset, is a client's worst case, and it traces straight back to whoever held the key. The log makes that responsibility explicit and gives you proof the site was secured, which matters the night something goes missing.

Steps included:

• 1 taking or returning choice
• 1 key or fob ID and 1 holder name
• 1 alarm-set and 1 building-locked confirmation
• 1 photo of the locked door or set panel
• 1 key-holder signature

More variations: Show more key and alarm handover templates →

#5 - Washroom checks

When in the day: On a timed round through opening hours, usually every hour or two.

Who runs it: The day cleaner or washroom attendant.

What it is: A timed sweep of each washroom: restock the consumables, empty the bins, wipe the touchpoints, flag anything broken, and leave a signed record. It is the most visible sign to a building's users that the cleaning is being done, and the signed slot on the door is what clients expect to see.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A cleaner in a shopping centre works the washrooms every hour. Each round they top up soap and paper, empty the bins, note a blocked cubicle for the maintenance team, photograph the serviced room, and initial the slot. When a tenant complains the washrooms were neglected, the timed record shows otherwise.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Washrooms are where a cleaning contract is judged. A timed, signed round proves the work was done on schedule and gives the client a record they can see. It also catches a broken fitting or a running-low consumable before a building user complains.

Steps included:

• 1 washroom ID
• 1 multi-choice of consumables restocked
• 1 bins-emptied confirmation and 1 issues note
• 1 photo of the serviced washroom
• 1 cleaner signature

More variations: Show more washroom check templates →

#6 - Defect reporting

When in the day: Any time a cleaner spots a building fault during a clean.

Who runs it: The cleaner.

What it is: A tagged, located report a cleaner fires the moment they spot a building problem, sent to the client's facilities team. They pick the type of fault, drop a pin on where it is, rate how serious it is, and photograph it. It turns the cleaning visit into a free pair of eyes on the building.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A cleaner doing an early-morning office turnaround finds a tap that will not shut off, with a puddle forming. They open the canvas, pick "Leak or water damage", drop a pin on the third-floor kitchen, mark it "Needs attention", and photograph it. The facilities manager has the report before the office opens, with the spot pinned.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Cleaners see more of a building than anyone, and catching a fault early saves the client money. Reporting it well is something the cleaning company can sell. This is a different job from an internal maintenance log: the cleaner is flagging a fault to the client, not booking work for themselves.

Steps included:

• 1 fault-type choice
• 1 location pin
• 1 severity choice and 1 description note
• 1 photo of the defect
• 1 operative signature

More variations: Show more defect reporting templates →

#7 - Biohazard clean-up

When in the day: On a biohazard, trauma, or sharps call-out.

Who runs it: A specialist biohazard technician.

What it is: A record of a specialist clean-up that documents the scope, the sharps and waste handling, and before and after proof. The technician notes what was found, ticks each step of the scope, counts the sharps into the container, records the waste consignment reference, and photographs the scene before and after. It is the evidence an insurer needs.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A technician attends a sharps clean-up in a stairwell. They isolate the area and get the PPE on, recover and count the sharps into a container, disinfect the surfaces, bag the waste with its consignment reference, and photograph the scene before and after. The signed record certifies the job was done to scope.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Biohazard work is high-consequence and insurer-scrutinised, and the record is part of the service. Documenting the scope, the sharps count, and the waste handling, with before and after photos, proves the job was done safely and properly, which is what protects the business if it is ever questioned.

Steps included:

• 1 contamination note
• 1 checklist of 5 scope steps
• 1 sharps count and 1 waste consignment reference
• 2 photos, before and after
• 1 technician signature

More variations: Show more biohazard clean-up templates →

#8 - Deep clean sign-off

When in the day: On the scheduled periodic deep clean, monthly or quarterly.

Who runs it: The operative or the periodic works team.

What it is: A run through the periodic tasks a daily clean does not reach: high dusting, behind units, descaling, machine-scrubbing floors. The operative ticks each task, photographs the completed areas, and signs off. It proves the extra work the client pays for on top of the daily clean actually happened.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A team does the quarterly deep clean of a shop parade after hours. They work the list: high dusting the vents, detailing the skirting, pulling out the units, descaling the washrooms, scrubbing the floors. Each area is photographed as it is finished, especially the parts the client never normally sees, and the sign-off goes to the contract manager.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Deep cleans are billed on top of the routine clean, so the client wants proof they got what they paid for. The photographed, area-by-area sign-off is that proof. It also stops a tired team skipping tasks at the end of a long job, because the missing ticks would show.

Steps included:

• 1 site and area name
• 1 checklist of 5 periodic tasks
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of each completed area
• 1 sign-off signature

More variations: Show more deep clean sign-off templates →

#9 - Disinfection certificate

When in the day: Per disinfection or fogging job, often after an outbreak.

Who runs it: The infection-control or specialist disinfection technician.

What it is: A record of a disinfection or fogging job that becomes the client's certificate. The technician logs the areas treated, the product and dilution, the touchpoints covered, and the dwell and re-entry time, with before and after photos. The signature turns the record into the dated certificate the client keeps.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A technician fogs an office floor after a norovirus scare. They record the rooms, the product, the touchpoints from door handles to shared keyboards, and the time the area must stay empty before anyone returns. Before and after photos go on the record, and the signed certificate is handed to the client as proof the floor was treated properly.

Why it works for your cleaning team: The dwell time and re-entry time are the part the client cannot see and most needs proof of. Recording them, with the product and the touchpoints, turns a job into a defensible certificate. That certificate is often the reason the client chose a professional over a mop and a spray bottle.

Steps included:

• 1 areas-treated note and 1 product note
• 1 multi-choice of touchpoints disinfected
• 1 dwell and re-entry time
• 2 photos, before and after
• 1 technician signature

More variations: Show more disinfection certificate templates →

#10 - Before and after cleaning photos

When in the day: On a job worth proving: one-off cleans, deep cleans, heavily soiled areas.

Who runs it: The cleaner.

What it is: A capture of the state of an area before and after a clean, so the client can see the result without being on site. The cleaner logs the area and the condition they found, then shoots the after from the same angle as the before. The contrast is the proof, and on the fullest version a signature confirms the record.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A crew tackles a heavily soiled flat after a tenant moved out. They photograph each room as found, do the clean, then shoot the same views once finished. The landlord, who was never on site, sees the difference at a glance and signs off the job. The before-and-after set is also what wins the next end-of-tenancy contract.

Why it works for your cleaning team: A result the client never sees is a result they do not value. Before and after photos make the work undeniable and double as marketing for the next job. Shooting the after from the same spot as the before is what makes the difference obvious in a second.

Steps included:

• 1 area name and 1 condition-found choice
• 1 note on what you found or did
• 2 photos, before and after
• 1 operative signature

More variations: Show more before and after photo templates →

#11 - Chemical store lock-up

When in the day: End of shift, as the cleaner leaves.

Who runs it: The last cleaner out.

What it is: An end-of-shift check that all cleaning chemicals are back in the store, capped, labelled, and locked away. The cleaner ticks each item, flags anything missing or running low, and photographs the locked store. It takes two minutes and removes the risk of a chemical being left where the wrong person could reach it.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A cleaner finishing in a school works the lock-up: every bottle back in the store, decanted sprays capped and labelled, nothing left out in a corridor, the cabinet locked and the key secured. They photograph the locked store and sign off. The next morning the caretaker opens to a site where no chemical is within a child's reach.

Why it works for your cleaning team: Cleaning chemicals left out are a genuine danger, especially where the public, children, or vulnerable people can reach them. The lock-up check removes that risk every night and gives you a dated record that the store was secured, which matters in any setting where access is sensitive.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist of 5 lock-up items
• 1 note for anything missing or low
• 1 photo of the locked store
• 1 signature

More variations: Show more chemical store lock-up templates →

#12 - Cleaning quality audit

When in the day: Weekly or monthly, on the schedule the contract sets.

Who runs it: The supervisor, contract manager, or quality auditor.

What it is: A walk of a cleaned site where a supervisor scores each area against an appearance standard, photographs anything that falls short, and shares the scored result with the client. The score is captured against the location, deficiencies are photographed, and the auditor signs. It is the formal quality record the client checks the contract against.

Available on: Standard.

In practice: A contract manager audits an office on the monthly visit. They walk the same route each time, scoring each area against the standard, photographing a dusty ledge and a smeared glass door, and noting what needs putting right. The scored, photographed audit goes to the client, and the cleaner sees exactly what pulled the score down.

Why it works for your cleaning team: A consistent, photographed audit is what keeps a contract honest and a client reassured. Scoring the same way every time means a 3 this month and a 3 next month mean the same thing, so a slipping site shows up early rather than at the point the client threatens to cancel.

Steps included:

• 1 site and area name
• 1 audit location capture
• 1 appearance score and 1 deficiencies note
• 1 photo of the deficiencies
• 1 auditor signature

More variations: Show more cleaning quality audit templates →