How to Measure Cleanliness in Your Office: A Practical Guide for Facility Managers

Cleanliness isn’t just about appearances—it impacts health, productivity, and how people feel when they walk through the door. While visual cues like shiny floors and clean desks are a great start, they don’t always tell the whole story. Having spent years overseeing cleaning operations across healthcare offices, schools, and corporate buildings across New England, I’ve learned that intuition and surface-level impressions alone aren’t enough. You need concrete, data-driven ways to measure and verify how clean your space actually is—and to ensure nothing gets overlooked in the process.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to measure cleanliness in your office, from simple visual checks to high-tech solutions, and show you how facility managers can turn insights into action.

Why Measuring Cleanliness in Your Office Matters

Facility managers are tasked with more than just keeping things "looking clean."

• Health & Safety Compliance: Clean surfaces reduce the spread of germs, which is critical in healthcare, childcare, and shared workspaces. Consistent cleaning reduces illness-related absences and creates a healthier environment for all building occupants.

  
  

• Perception & Professionalism: Clients and employees judge a space within seconds. A visibly clean office signals credibility, care, and attention to detail. In sectors like healthcare and hospitality, perceived cleanliness often directly influences satisfaction scores.

  
  

• Maintenance Planning: Data helps identify patterns and prioritize deep cleaning, reducing wear and tear. Early detection of neglected areas helps prevent permanent damage or costly replacements.

  
  

• Accountability: Measurable cleanliness allows facility managers to hold janitorial vendors or in-house teams accountable to service-level agreements (SLAs).

  
  

Key Methods to Measure Cleanliness

1. Visual Inspection Checklists

Still one of the most used methods, visual inspections can be surprisingly effective when done consistently. Create detailed checklists by area and include standards for:

• Floor condition (e.g., debris, shine, stains)

• Surface dust levels

• Bathroom supply levels

• Restroom cleanliness (toilets, sinks, mirrors)

• Trash can emptiness and condition

  
  

Tip: Use a 5-point scale (e.g., 1 = unsatisfactory, 5 = excellent) and rotate who does the inspections to avoid bias. Digital tools like OrangeQC or CleanTelligent allow mobile tracking and photo documentation.

2. ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) Testing (Bet you haven't heard of this one!)

Used in hospitals and labs, ATP meters detect organic residue on surfaces. While they don’t identify specific pathogens, they provide a numeric score indicating how clean a surface is.

• Pros: Fast results (under 15 seconds), objective measurements, good for high-risk areas

• Cons: Equipment costs ($400-$1,000+), requires staff training

  
  

ATP scores are especially useful in kitchens, break rooms, and medical offices where cleanliness is non-negotiable. For reference, a score below 30 on most ATP meters is generally considered acceptable in non-critical environments, while healthcare settings may require even lower thresholds. These readings offer quick, objective insights into whether a surface is truly clean or needs further attention. Jan-Ex uses Hygiena ATP Monitoring Systems at both our Boston and Providence locations. Contact us today if you’d like to schedule ATP testing at your facility.

3. Employee Feedback Surveys

Your team is your eyes and ears. Staff may notice areas that are frequently missed or neglected by the cleaning crew. Quarterly surveys allow proactive adjustments before complaints escalate.

Sample questions:

• Are restrooms consistently clean and well-stocked?

• Are carpets and floors free of visible stains or debris?

• Are shared surfaces (desks, conference tables) wiped down regularly?

• Do you feel the current level of cleaning supports your health and productivity?

  
  

4. IoT-Enabled Cleaning Logs

IoT (Internet of Things) technology is slowly transforming how facility managers monitor cleaning effectiveness and identify gaps in service. Smart sensors can be installed in various areas of an office—such as restrooms, breakrooms, and entryways—to track real-time data on space usage, air quality, and even supply levels like soap or paper towels. This information can then be paired with cleaning logs to ensure that service levels match actual demand.

Use Case: Occupancy counters in a breakroom may record over 200 visits in a week, but the cleaning records show only one scheduled cleaning. That’s a clear service mismatch. This data helps identify high-traffic areas that may need more frequent attention, especially during flu season or in post-pandemic environments where sanitation expectations are higher.

5. Scent & Air Quality Monitors

Air quality can be a proxy for cleanliness, especially in facilities that use high volumes of chemicals or house sensitive populations.

Monitors can measure:

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – Often tied to cleaning products or poor ventilation

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – Indicates ventilation efficiency and space usage

• Relative Humidity – Impacts dust, mold growth, and overall comfort

  
  

Office odors can indicate organic buildup (e.g., food waste, bathroom neglect) and should trigger immediate spot cleaning.

Jan-Ex's Recommendation: For facilities looking to actively monitor indoor air quality, we recommend the Awair Element. It’s a portable, and user-friendly air quality monitor, we've successfully deployed in both office and healthcare environments. This thing tracks VOCs, CO₂, temperature, humidity, and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), and delivers real-time information/data through a mobile app.

Metrics Facility Managers Should Track

(in chart form below for your convenience)

Metric	What It Tells You	How to Measure
ATP Score	Residual contamination	Use ATP meter at regular intervals
Complaint Volume	Employee dissatisfaction	HR reports, feedback forms
Cleaning Frequency	If routines are being followed	Cleaning logs or QR check-ins
Inspection Score	Overall surface appearance	Visual checklist ratings
Indoor Air Quality	VOC, CO2, humidity levels	IoT sensors and smart monitors
Odor Complaints	Restroom or kitchen maintenance gaps	Staff feedback and scent logs

Tools That Help Track Cleanliness

• CleanTelligent or OrangeQC: Cloud-based inspection software for cleaning teams and FMs

• Honeywell Air Monitors: Provide real-time VOC and CO2 readings.

• Hygiena ATP Monitoring Systems: Portable and fast surface testing

• QR Code Check-In Systems: Verify when and where staff have cleaned

• EnviroSensor by Tork: Tracks restroom supply usage and traffic in real time

• SurveyMonkey or Typeform: Simple tools for employee feedback forms

  
  

Turning Insights Into Action

Collecting data is only half the job—what matters is obviously how you use it. Once you start tracking cleanliness:

• Identify Trends: Which areas are most frequently marked low in inspections? For example, one client discovered restrooms were consistently scoring low in afternoon evaluations. As a result, they added a second cleaning shift after lunch to keep things fresh and compliant.

  
  

• Adapt Cleaning Schedules: Shift staff to cover peak usage areas more often. Real-time data can help align cleaning with actual building usage rather than guesswork.

  
  

• Train Teams: Use inspection data to guide training efforts or corrective action. If certain surfaces or tasks are consistently missed, this points to a need for clarification or reinforcement during training.

  
  

• Communicate Results: Let stakeholders know about changes or improvements. When tenants see a visible response to their concerns, it builds trust and engagement.

  
  

Why Choose Jan-Ex for Measurable Cleanliness

At Jan-Ex, we believe great cleaning starts with accountability. That’s why we use measurable systems to ensure every service we provide is effective, so our services are built around results.

Facility managers deserve to know exactly what they’re getting—and when. With Jan-Ex, you’ll never be in the dark. Schedule a Free Walkthrough or email cstanza@jan-ex.com to discuss how we can bring data-driven cleanliness to your space.

Works Cited

1. ISSA. (2024). Measuring Cleaning Effectiveness. https://www.issa.com

2. EPA. (2023). Guide to Indoor Air Quality. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq

3. CDC. (2023). Environmental Cleaning Guidelines. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental

4. CleanLink. (2024). Benefits of ATP Monitoring in Commercial Cleaning. https://www.cleanlink.com

5. CMM Online. (2024). Cleaning Audits and Quality Control. https://www.cmmonline.com

6. Building Operating Management. (2023). Smart Cleaning Technology for Facility Managers. https://www.facilitiesnet.com

7. Honeywell. (2023). Indoor Air Quality Sensors for Commercial Buildings. https://buildings.honeywell.com

8. OrangeQC. (2024). Data-Driven Cleaning Inspections. https://www.orangeqc.com

9. Tork. (2024). Smart Hygiene Systems for Commercial Facilities. https://www.torkusa.com

10. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. (2023). Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Workplace Health. https://www.tandfonline.com