What the state adds to the price, and what it lets you verify
Federal rules for cleaning contractors are thin; the expensive differences are state-level. What Michigan charges in sales tax, whether it licenses cleaning companies at all, and what its wage floor does to Onsted labor cost are below with official sources.
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account.
Michigan does not charge sales tax on commercial cleaning services, so a Onsted cleaning quote is the whole price. Michigan's 6% sales tax is remitted by individuals or businesses that sell tangible personal property to the final consumer.
Most states do not license commercial cleaning companies, which surprises buyers who assume a board exists to check - in Onsted that means insurance certificates, a written scope and real references do the verifying that a licence would elsewhere.
Michigan janitors and cleaners earn a median of $17.33 an hour per federal wage data, which is the labor floor under every Onsted cleaning quote - labor is roughly the whole cost structure in this trade.
Most states do not license commercial cleaning companies, which surprises buyers who assume there is a board to check. What Michigan does or does not require - and what that means for verifying a Onsted contractor - is set out below, with the state's own source next to it.
Cleaning is labor, and labor is priced locally. What Michigan sets as its wage floor, and what janitors in the state actually earn at the median, explain more of the spread between Onsted quotes than any vendor's sales pitch does.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
What Michigan adds to a cleaning contract
| Question | Michigan answer |
|---|---|
| Sales tax on commercial cleaning | No - not taxable - Michigan's 6% sales tax is remitted by individuals or businesses that sell tangible personal property to the final consumer; the Department of Treasury identifies only certain services - such as telecommunications and hotel/motel accommodations - as being taxed, and janitorial or building cleaning is not among them, so cleaning charges are not taxed for residential or commercial customers. Michigan does not allow city or local units to impose sales or use tax, so there is no local rate to add on top. (General Sales Tax Act, 1933 PA 167) |
| Median janitor wage (federal data) | $17.33 per hour |
| State minimum wage | $13.73 |
Michigan's minimum wage is on a legislated step-up, sitting at $13.73 in 2026 and scheduled to jump to $15.00 on January 1, 2027, so multi-year janitorial contracts priced on today's labor cost face a built-in increase.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Sales-tax treatment, licensing rules, wage floors and contract law vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's revenue and labor agencies, and have significant contracts reviewed by your own counsel or broker before signing.
Why Michigan rules move Onsted quotes
Two of the three state variables land directly on your invoice. Sales tax, where a state charges it on cleaning services, is added to every monthly bill - on a mid-size contract that is real money over a year. The wage floor sets the labor cost every bid is built on, which is why identical buildings in different states get materially different quotes. Licensing is the third and it works differently: it does not change the price, it changes what a Onsted buyer can verify before signing.
What this means in Onsted
'Bonded' sounds like protection and functions like credit: the bond pays only after an employee is criminally convicted, and the cleaning company repays the surety afterward. If theft protection is what a Onsted buyer actually wants, the thing to verify is the contractor's own crime coverage and hiring screening, not the word 'bonded' on a flyer.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Sales-tax treatment, licensing rules, wage floors and contract law vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's revenue and labor agencies, and have significant contracts reviewed by your own counsel or broker before signing.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Common questions
How much does office cleaning cost per month?
For a small office cleaned three times a week, published ranges start around $100-$250 a month at the smallest sizes and run to $250-$800 for a few thousand square feet, with larger spaces at $350-$1200 and up. Restroom count, floor type and whether consumables are included move these more than most buyers expect.
What does 'bonded and insured' actually mean?
They are two different things and only one behaves like protection. Insurance - general liability, typically $1 million per occurrence, plus workers' compensation - responds to covered claims. A janitorial surety bond covers employee theft but pays only after the employee is criminally convicted, and the cleaning company must reimburse the surety afterward. It is closer to a credit guarantee than to insurance.
How long are commercial cleaning contracts?
Twelve months is the private-sector norm, and automatic renewal is close to universal. The common evergreen wording continues the agreement for successive twelve-month periods without an 'unless you give notice' qualifier, so the exit depends entirely on a separate notice clause - commonly 30 days before the term ends. Calendar that date the day you sign.
Are commercial cleaning companies licensed?
In most states there is no cleaning-specific license to check, which surprises buyers who expect a board to verify. A few states do license or register cleaning contractors, and many cities require a general business license. Where there is no license, verification falls to insurance certificates, references and written scope - not to a registry.
Do I still need pandemic-level disinfection?
Federal guidance now tells buyers to determine whether disinfecting is necessary at all before purchasing disinfectants, and notes that disinfectants - which EPA regulates as pesticides - are more hazardous than plain cleaners. Routine whole-building fogging sold as standard is worth questioning; targeted disinfection of high-touch surfaces where circumstances warrant it is a different conversation.
Put a compliance check out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Prices in nearby cities
Ontonagon · Orchard Lake Village · Ortonville · Otisville · Otsego · Otter Lake · Ovid · Owendale · Owosso · Oxford · Parchment · Parma