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Commercial cleaning glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms used in commercial cleaning contracts, specifications and regulations.
- Audit score
- The percentage of inspected cleaning elements that meet the specification in a quality audit.
- BICSc
- The British Institute of Cleaning Science, a professional body for the cleaning industry that publishes training standards and a widely used colour-coding scheme.
- BS 7858
- The British Standard code of practice for screening individuals who work in a secure environment, often used to vet cleaning staff.
- Colour coding
- Assigning red, blue, green and yellow equipment to different areas so cloths and mops are never moved between washrooms, general areas, kitchens and clinical rooms.
- Common parts
- Areas of a multi-let building shared by occupiers, such as receptions, lifts, stairs and shared washrooms.
- Consumables
- Items used up in a building and replenished by cleaners, such as toilet paper, hand towels, soap and bin liners.
- COSHH
- The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, which require employers to control risks from hazardous substances including many cleaning chemicals.
- Deep clean
- A one-off, top-to-bottom clean covering tasks that regular cleaning does rarely or not at all.
- Demised area
- The part of a building let exclusively to a tenant under its lease, as opposed to common parts.
- Dilapidations
- Breaches of a tenant's lease obligations on repair, decoration, reinstatement or cleaning, usually assessed at the end of a lease.
- Dilution control
- Equipment that mixes concentrated cleaning chemicals with water at the correct ratio, reducing waste and exposure.
- Employers' liability insurance
- Insurance covering claims from employees injured or made ill at work. A legal requirement for employers in the UK, with a minimum of £5 million cover.
- Encapsulation
- A low-moisture carpet cleaning method where a polymer solution surrounds soil so it can be vacuumed away once dry.
- Functional risk category
- A category in the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 that sets cleaning frequency and audit requirements by the risk of an area.
- Hot water extraction
- A deep carpet cleaning method that injects hot water and solution into the carpet and extracts it with strong suction.
- HTM 01-05
- Health Technical Memorandum 01-05, guidance on decontamination in primary care dental practices in England.
- Input specification
- A cleaning specification that lists tasks and frequencies, such as 'vacuum carpets daily'.
- Janitorial cover
- An on-site cleaner during working hours who maintains washrooms, kitchens and public areas between main cleans.
- KPI
- Key performance indicator. In cleaning, measures such as audit score, fault response time and missed cleans.
- Microfibre
- Cloths and mop heads made from very fine synthetic fibres that pick up more dirt with less chemical and water.
- Mobilisation
- The period at the start of a cleaning contract when staff are inducted, equipment delivered and procedures set up.
- National Living Wage
- The statutory minimum hourly wage for workers aged 21 and over in the UK, £12.71 from 1 April 2026.
- Output specification
- A cleaning specification that defines the result required, such as 'no visible dust on surfaces below two metres', rather than the tasks.
- Periodic cleaning
- Tasks done less often than every visit, such as carpet extraction, high-level dusting or window cleaning.
- pH-neutral cleaner
- A cleaning product that is neither acidic nor alkaline, used on sensitive surfaces such as natural stone and LVT.
- Public liability insurance
- Insurance covering injury to third parties or damage to their property caused by a business's work.
- Real Living Wage
- A voluntary hourly rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation: £14.10 across the UK and £15.45 in London from the October 2026 announcement.
- Safety data sheet
- A document from a chemical supplier describing a product's hazards and how to use, store and dispose of it safely.
- Scrubber-dryer
- A machine that scrubs a hard floor and vacuums up the dirty water in one pass.
- Service charge
- The charge a landlord makes to tenants of a multi-let building to recover the costs of services such as cleaning of common parts.
- Specification
- The written schedule of areas, tasks, frequencies and standards that defines a cleaning contract.
- Strip and seal
- Removing old polish or sealant from a hard floor and applying fresh coats to protect it.
- Touchpoint
- A surface touched often by many people, such as a door handle, light switch, lift button or handrail.
- TUPE
- The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, which usually transfer cleaning staff to a new contractor when a contract changes hands.