Northmark provides janitorial service designed for small businesses in Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead: professional offices, clinics, agencies, studios, storefronts and service businesses with roughly 5 to 40 people. Most small business clients are cleaned one to three times a week on a split plan that puts the effort into restrooms, kitchens, trash and entries. You get the same written scope, background-checked staff, access control and supervisor checks as a large account, sized to your space.
Why small businesses struggle with cleaning
Small businesses usually handle cleaning in one of three ways, and each has problems:
- Staff do it themselves. Someone empties trash on Friday, nobody cleans the restroom properly, and the office slowly gets grimy. It also takes paid time away from the work the business exists to do.
- A friend-of-a-friend cleaner. Cheap and personal until they get sick, take a vacation, raise prices or stop showing up, with no insurance and no backup.
- A big cleaning company. Reliable on paper, but small accounts can get the least attention: rotating crews, slow responses and a minimum price built for larger buildings.
Small businesses dominate the local economy. Census County Business Patterns counted about 7,300 employer establishments across Cass and Clay counties in 2023, and the SBA's Office of Advocacy reports that the great majority of U.S. employer firms are small. These businesses need cleaning that is professional and accountable but proportionate.
How we size janitorial for small businesses
Right frequency
Most small offices do not need five nights a week. Common plans:
| Business size and type | Typical plan |
|---|---|
| 5–10 people, few visitors | One visit a week, with an optional mid-week restroom and trash visit |
| 10–25 people, some visitors | Two visits a week |
| 25–40 people or customer-facing | Three visits a week, sometimes with restroom-only visits in between |
| Clinics and food-handling businesses | Usually more frequent because of hygiene expectations |
See recurring janitorial schedules and our guide to how often an office should be cleaned.
Focused scope
In a small office, a few areas matter most:
- Restroom: cleaned thoroughly every visit
- Kitchen or coffee area: counters, sink, table, appliance exteriors, floor
- Trash and recycling: emptied every visit
- Entry and reception: glass, floor, mats and the counter visitors see
- Floors: vacuumed and mopped in traffic areas every visit, detailed weekly or monthly
Workstation dusting and detailed vacuuming can rotate through the month. Our office cleaning checklist shows how to split tasks.
No big-building overhead
We do not force small accounts into a large-building pricing model. The price follows the labor your space actually needs, based on a walkthrough.
The same standards as large accounts
Size does not change the basics:
- Background-checked, assigned staff: the same people each visit
- Insurance and bonding, with certificates available to your landlord
- Logged keys and codes, with lock-up checks every visit
- Written scope, so everyone knows what is included
- Supervisor QA walkthroughs, so quality is checked, not assumed
- One contact, who answers when you call
Keeping a small office clean between visits
A few habits stretch the effect of weekly or twice-weekly service:
- Put lidded bins in the kitchen and restroom and empty food waste daily
- Keep a basic supply of disinfecting wipes for shared equipment
- Ask staff to clear desks before cleaning nights
- Place good walk-off mats at the entry, especially in winter
- Tell your cleaner about busy weeks or events so a visit can be added
Is outsourcing worth it for a small business?
Compare the hours staff spend cleaning, at their pay rate, with a professional quote, then add the value of a cleaner building. Our guide to in-house vs outsourced janitorial walks through the math. For most small offices, a professional who cleans once or twice a week costs less than the staff time it replaces, and does a better job.
Small businesses we serve
- Professional offices: accounting, insurance, real estate, law, consulting
- Healthcare practices: chiropractors, counselors, small clinics
- Retail storefronts, restaurants and service businesses
- Studios and creative agencies
- Nonprofits and community organizations
- Small offices attached to trades and contractor shops
For office-specific detail, see office cleaning. Moorhead businesses can also see office cleaning in Moorhead, where many of our clients are small firms.
Getting started
Schedule a facility walkthrough. For a small office it usually takes under half an hour. You will get a written scope and a proposal sized to your space. If you are comparing other providers, use our questions to ask a janitorial company.
Frequently asked questions
Do you clean small offices once a week?
Yes. Many small offices use weekly service, sometimes with a short mid-week visit for restrooms and trash.
Is there a minimum size?
We price small accounts by the work involved rather than forcing a large-building minimum. Contact us and we will tell you honestly whether we are a good fit.
Will the same person clean our office each time?
Yes. Small business accounts have assigned, background-checked team members.
Can you provide a certificate of insurance for our landlord?
Yes. Certificates of insurance are available on request, including additional insured wording if your lease requires it.
Sources
Published · Northmark Facility Services.