How commercial cleaning insurance helps business owners manage risks.

The commercial cleaning industry is booming. That’s no surprise. Everyone appreciates a clean space, whether it's an office, restaurant, or retail store. But running a cleaning business isn't all about gleaming floors and happy customers. Like every small business, cleaning companies face risks that come with financial consequences. That's where commercial cleaning insurance comes in. It acts like a financial safety net for your business, paying costs related to covered events so you can stay focused on doing your best work.

This article details how commercial cleaning insurance protects businesses, including why having coverage is essential, examples of common cleaning hazards and claims, and how the claims process works.

Let’s get into the critical topic of insurance for a small cleaning business.

Is insurance really needed for a cleaning company?

If you’ve always worked carefully and have never caused property damage, been sued, or had any other type of incident, it would be fair to wonder, “Is insurance needed for a cleaning company like mine?” The answer to that question is yes, your business should have coverage.

The fact that you’ve gotten by without business insurance for your cleaning company until now doesn’t mean you’ll continue to operate incident-free. Your first issue might occur next month, next week, or tomorrow. We hope it doesn’t, but there’s simply no way to know.

What you can be sure of is that just one incident (even a seemingly minor one) that isn’t covered by commercial cleaning insurance can produce a significant expense. Sadly, uninsured businesses can be forced to shut down by the high cost of lawsuits, property damage, and other events.

But it’s a different story if you have business insurance for your cleaning company. When a covered incident occurs, your policy can pay the associated costs, meaning the money doesn’t have to come out of your savings or revenues, enabling you to get past the incident without it harming your business.

What kinds of risks do cleaning companies face?

Each cleaning company’s “exposures” are unique and based on factors like the services they offer, their clientele, and others. But generally speaking, as a business owner, you should be aware of cleaning hazards like these:

Property damage
Fire damage, water damage, accidentally knocking expensive equipment off a desk – these things can happen to anyone, and they can wreak havoc on your client’s property or yours.

Liability claims
Liability insurance can help cover the costs of lawsuits, from damages and settlements to your legal defense expenses.

Employee injuries
Cleaning can be physically demanding work. If an employee gets hurt on the job, Workers' Compensation insurance helps cover their medical expenses and lost wages.

Cyberattacks
Hackers don’t discriminate. They’ll attack any company’s computer networks or devices if they think they contain valuable information. (It’s not just big companies with deep pockets that are at risk.) Cyber insurance helps you recover if your business data gets compromised.

What does it look like when these risks turn into real-world insurance claims? Here are a few examples:

• A client trips over a cleaning bucket your team left at the worksite and sprains their ankle.

• A cleaning solution damages a client's expensive carpet.

• An employee suffers a back injury while lifting heavy equipment.

• Your team member causes a client's property to flood and suffer water damage.

• An employee driving a company van runs a stop sign and causes an accident.

• A data breach exposes client information stored on your company's computer.

Any of these incidents could easily cost a business tens of thousands of dollars or more. That’s why, for cleaners, insurance is essential.

What happens when you file a business insurance claim?

If you don’t have insurance for your small cleaning business, you’ll probably spend lots of time after an incident scrambling to figure out how you’ll pay the costs and worrying about the impact on your business and its finances. On the other hand, if you have cleaners insurance, your provider will do much of the work for you - and you’ll do a lot less worrying.

After the incident, you should contact your insurance company as soon as possible. They'll guide you through the necessary steps and provide the required claim forms. You'll need to gather documentation to support your claim, including communications from the other party if someone sues you, photos or videos in cases of property damage, police reports (if applicable), and any relevant invoices or receipts.

Once you've submitted your claim, the insurance company will assign an adjuster to investigate the incident and assess the damage. It’s essential to work closely with them and provide any additional details they request. The adjuster will review the information in light of your insurance policy’s provisions and coordinate compensation as appropriate.

It’s a straightforward process, and having your insurance company take the lead in resolving the issue is a huge relief.

Many types of cleaning professionals rely on THREE.

We work with cleaning business owners and decision-makers of all kinds. Small business owners look to us for protection from the high cost of liability claims. Those with employees appreciate that a THREE policy can include Workers’ Compensation insurance to cover costs related to injuries, illnesses, or fatalities. The fact that we help ensure business continuity in the face of serious incidents is also important to them. In addition, they know that having insurance makes their businesses more attractive to potential clients.

Sometimes, cleaning business managers are tasked with researching and buying business insurance. Like owners, they’re very aware of the many legal liabilities cleaning companies face and appreciate that THREE’s all-in-one policy is designed to address them. They also tend to focus on operations and are glad to learn that damage to company equipment can be covered.

Some owners operate multiple distinct cleaning businesses. Dealing with one insurance company and just one policy per business is great for them. It saves them a lot of time and headaches over interacting with several providers and keeping track of multiple policies.

Get commercial cleaning insurance for your business.

Running a successful cleaning business takes more than just cleaning supplies, hard work, and a can-do attitude. It requires a proactive approach to risk management and reliable financial protection.

Having the insurance needed for a cleaning company lets you focus on your work without worrying about what-if scenarios. You’ve still got to do excellent work, train your people well, follow safety protocols, and maintain positive relationships with your clients, of course. But if you make a mistake or your business is affected by conditions outside your control, knowing that an incident doesn’t have to create a huge expense for your company is reassuring.

It’s also comforting to know that when you buy your commercial cleaning insurance from THREE, you get more than just an insurance policy. As our customer, you get attentive service from small business advisors and claims adjusters who understand the challenges owners face and are committed to helping you protect your company and achieve your business goals.

If you have questions about business insurance for your cleaning company, contact us at 1-800-507-4495, Mon.–Fri. 8am–9pm ET.