A cleaning budget can appear to be about bottles, cloths and equipment. In practice, the largest pressures often sit elsewhere: the paid time required to complete each task, the way shifts are planned, and the cost of maintaining consistent service as wages and employment obligations change.
That distinction matters for businesses buying cleaning services, facilities teams managing in house staff, and households choosing commercial grade cleaning supplies. A lower price per litre can help, but it may have little effect on the total cost if labour remains the largest and fastest growing expense.
The latest five year forecast from BCIS sets out the scale of the issue. It expects UK building cleaning costs to increase by 23.6 per cent between the second quarter of 2026 and the second quarter of 2031. Within that forecast, labour costs rise by 24.4 per cent, while cleaning materials rise by 7.6 per cent. BCIS also expects annual cleaning cost inflation to remain around 4 per cent or above through to the second quarter of 2031.
These figures are a forecast of cost changes, not a statement that labour makes up 24.4 per cent of every cleaning budget. They do, however, show why procurement decisions should look beyond chemical prices.
Why labour leads the cost picture
Cleaning is a people intensive service. Someone needs to travel to the site, prepare equipment, clean the required areas, deal with waste and check that the agreed standard has been met. On larger sites, time is also needed for supervision, training, stock checks and cover for absence.
The cost of those hours is shaped by more than the hourly wage. Employers need to account for employer National Insurance, paid leave, recruitment, induction, payroll and the practical time lost when a shift or site visit is poorly arranged. The precise cost varies with the employer’s circumstances, workforce and payroll.
The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rose by 4.1 per cent on 1 April 2026, from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour. The Low Pay Commission announcement on GOV.UK confirms the new rate. For cleaning providers and other employers whose staff are paid near the statutory minimum, this change feeds directly into the cost of delivering a service.
Employer National Insurance also changed from 6 April 2025. The secondary Class 1 rate increased from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, and the annual secondary threshold fell from £9,100 to £5,000. At the same time, the maximum Employment Allowance increased from £5,000 to £10,500, and the previous £100,000 eligibility restriction was removed for eligible employers. The GOV.UK overview of the changes explains both the cost changes and the allowance. The allowance can offset some liability for eligible employers, so the actual impact depends on the organisation.
The practical point for a buyer is that staffing costs cannot be assessed by looking at wages alone. For an in house team, these expenses appear across payroll and operating budgets. In a contracted cleaning service, they are reflected in the price charged to the client.
The sector is large, but many providers are small
The British Cleaning Council’s 2026 research describes a large and varied sector. It reported that the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry contributed almost £72 billion to the UK economy in 2023, up from £67.7 billion in 2022. The report also counted 1.51 million people working in the industry, around 5 per cent of the UK workforce, and 78,915 businesses in 2025, up from 77,535 the previous year.
The business landscape is notably fragmented. According to the British Cleaning Council’s summary of its 2026 research, 83 per cent of businesses are micro businesses employing fewer than 10 people. Close to 46 per cent of industry turnover comes from facilities management, 26 per cent from waste and resource management, 18 per cent from cleaning activities, and almost 10 per cent from landscape services.
For smaller cleaning businesses, a rise in payroll or administrative costs may be harder to absorb than it is for a large organisation. For clients, this makes transparent service specifications and regular contract reviews important. A price that does not reflect realistic labour requirements may put pressure on reliability, staff continuity or the agreed cleaning standard.
Measure the cost of a clean, not just the cost of a bottle
A useful way to assess value is to consider the full cost of completing a task to the required standard. That includes paid labour time, cleaning supplies, equipment use, water or energy where relevant, waste handling and the cost of repeat work when a task is not completed properly.
For example, a lower priced cleaner supply may not be the least costly choice if staff need extra time to apply it, make repeated passes or return to the same area. Conversely, a suitable product that makes a task quicker and more consistent may improve value even if its purchase price is higher. This is a question to test in the actual workplace, rather than assume from the label or unit price.
A straightforward comparison can begin with a short, controlled trial. Select a recurring task, such as cleaning a washroom, wiping glass or removing kitchen grease. Record the time required, the amount of product used, whether the result meets the specified standard and whether any repeat work is needed. Compare products under the same conditions and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
This approach works for both a professional cleaning operation and a household. A professional bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, heavy duty degreaser or all purpose cleaner should be judged in context: which surfaces need cleaning, how often the task occurs, and what level of finish is required. The same principle applies when comparing an All Purpose Cleaner Spray, a heavy duty cleaner or an all purpose floor cleaner. Product choice is one part of the equation; the result and time involved complete it.
Where operational decisions can make a difference
When labour is the main cost driver, improvements often come from reducing avoidable time without lowering the required standard. Start by mapping the work as it is actually done. A written schedule may describe a task clearly while missing delays caused by long routes between areas, waiting for rooms to become available, missing supplies or equipment that is not ready.
A few practical checks can help identify the cause:
- Compare planned hours with the time tasks take in practice.
- Check whether the same area is being revisited because the first clean was incomplete.
- Review whether cleaning equipment and materials are stored near the work.
- Look for tasks that could be grouped by location or carried out at a more suitable time.
- Confirm that staff understand the required result and product directions.
- Review absences, cover arrangements and travel between sites.
These checks are not a call to rush staff or cut necessary work. They are a way to find friction in the process. A clear sequence, reliable access to supplies and consistent task instructions can help teams spend more of their paid time doing the work itself.
Training matters too. Staff who know which product to use, how much to apply and what result to check are less likely to waste time through guesswork or repeat cleaning. This is particularly relevant when a site uses several professional cleaning products for different rooms and surfaces. Clear labels, straightforward instructions and routine stock control can help maintain consistency.
Plan for employment changes as well as wage changes
The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes provisions concerning guaranteed hours, notice of shifts and payment when shifts are cancelled, moved or curtailed at short notice. The detail depends on regulations, and the provisions are not yet in force. The Government’s implementation roadmap anticipates implementation in 2027 for the guaranteed hours and shift notice measures.
The Act provides for guaranteed hours offers to reflect hours worked over a reference period. The Government has indicated a preference for an initial 12 week reference period, while the final duration is to be set in regulations. The Act also provides for reasonable notice of shifts and for payment in certain cases involving changes or cancellations at short notice. The exact arrangements will depend on the final rules.
For cleaning operations that rely on variable hours, short notice changes and cover shifts, these provisions are worth monitoring. They may affect how rotas are planned, how changes are communicated and how managers record hours and cancellations. Employers can prepare by keeping accurate shift records, reviewing scheduling processes and checking that contracts and payroll systems can accommodate the final requirements. This is sensible preparation, rather than an assumption about costs before the detail is confirmed.
A more predictable rota can also support continuity. When teams know their work pattern and sites have stable staffing, it may be easier to maintain familiarity with the premises and the required standard. The operational goal is not simply to minimise hours on paper, but to schedule the right people and time for the work that has been agreed.
Include waste handling in the operating budget
Waste arrangements can create another source of avoidable cost if responsibilities are unclear. In England, workplace recycling rules require businesses to separate dry recyclables, food waste and residual waste before collection. Micro firms with fewer than 10 full time equivalent employees have until 31 March 2027 to comply.
The GOV.UK guidance on Simpler Recycling in England explains the requirements, the micro firm timescale and the need to arrange suitable collections. It also notes that significant contamination can lead to additional charges under a waste collection contract.
For cleaning teams, the routine may involve emptying bins, moving waste to collection points and keeping recycling streams separate. The time required depends on the site layout, bin locations and the clarity of instructions for staff, visitors and customers. Businesses should establish who provides containers and signage, who arranges collections and who is responsible for dealing with contaminated recycling. In a contracted service, these duties should be clear in the service specification.
A practical way to review the budget
A useful budget review separates the factors you can influence from those you need to plan for. Wage rates, employer National Insurance and employment rules may be outside a buyer’s direct control. Work design, scheduling, product use, staff training, equipment readiness and responsibility for waste handling are more open to review.
For a facilities team, start with the tasks and service levels that must be delivered. Estimate the labour time needed, then account for staffing overheads, products, equipment and waste arrangements. For a cleaning contractor, use the same logic when preparing a quote or reviewing a contract. A price based only on last year’s chemical spend will not capture the full cost of current service delivery.
For a homeowner, the same reasoning is useful on a smaller scale. Consider how frequently a product is needed, how much is used, and whether it is suitable for the surface and task. Comparing cleaning supplies by purchase price alone can miss the value of a product that completes the job with less repeat effort. A cleaning supplies shop may offer a broad range of options, but selection should follow the cleaning need rather than a label that promises a general solution.
Search terms such as professional cleaning supplies uk, trade cleaning supplies and janitorial supplies describe different ways people look for supplies. Regardless of where a purchase is made, the useful comparison is what it costs to achieve the required clean safely and consistently. A drain cleaner unblocker, for example, is a task specific category and should not be treated as interchangeable with a general surface cleaner.
Practical takeaway
BCIS forecasts that UK building cleaning costs will keep rising, with labour increasing faster than cleaning materials over the next five years. Reviewing hours, shift planning, task routes, training, product use and waste responsibilities gives buyers a fuller picture than comparing chemical prices alone.
For a neutral reference point on cleaning supply categories, see the KleanPro Supplies shop.
References
- BCIS, Facilities management forecast, published 8 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Low Pay Commission recommendations for the National Living Wage in April 2026
- GOV.UK, Employer National Insurance contributions and Employment Allowance changes
- British Cleaning Council, 2026 cleaning, hygiene and waste industry research summary
- Employment Rights Act 2025
- GOV.UK, Employment Rights Act implementation roadmap
- GOV.UK, Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England
