Short answer
Common signs a cleaning company is cutting corners: trash emptied but nothing else touched, dust on desk edges and vents, restrooms running out of supplies, a smelly kitchen, a different crew every week, and complaints that never get resolved. Document problems with dates and photos, compare them to the written checklist, and raise them in writing.
The signs
- Trash is emptied but nothing else is touched. The fastest task gets done; the rest gets skipped.
- Dust in plain sight. Desk edges, sills, vents and baseboards collecting dust means detail work stopped.
- Restrooms run out of supplies. Refilling is on every checklist. Running out means it isn’t happening.
- The kitchen smells. Bins not relined, sinks not cleaned, spills left overnight.
- A different crew every week. New people don’t know your building or your checklist.
- You can’t tell whether they came. Some mornings look the same as the night before.
- Complaints go nowhere. You email, someone says they’ll “look into it,” nothing changes.
What to do about it
- Document it. Dates, photos and emails. It matters if you need to exit a contract.
- Compare against the written checklist. If there isn’t one, that’s part of the problem.
- Raise it once, clearly, in writing. Give them a fair chance to fix it.
- If it doesn’t change, plan your switch. Check your contract’s notice terms and line up walkthroughs.
How we prevent it
The same crew every visit, a written checklist, a text when we arrive and leave, and owner walkthroughs several times a week. Corners get cut when nobody is watching. We built the company so someone always is.