Cleaning schedules shouldn’t be stuck in the past. Hybrid work means every day looks different in your office. But many facilities still clean everything on the same old timetable. Fixed cleaning just isn’t efficient or cost-effective when people aren’t always in. You’re scrubbing empty conference rooms while busy lobbies get left waiting. There’s a better way. Occupancy detection, visitor analytics, and smart sensors show you where people actually go - and when. With this data, you can send cleaning crews right where they’re needed, reduce waste, and keep the workplace comfortable.
The old way assumed everyone was in every day. Crews came at set times, checked a list, and left. That worked when offices were full Monday to Friday, nine to five.
Now, hybrid work changed everything. Some teams prefer Tuesdays and Thursdays. Others have staggered or remote schedules. One day, a conference room’s busy all day. The next, it’s empty. Cleaning it nightly wastes time and supplies.
This approach also misses busy moments. Maybe there’s a big meeting and two hundred people fill the cafeteria. But your team cleaned it hours before. By next day, complaints pile up.
Occupancy detection fixes this. Sensors count how many people are in each area, all day long. If a space hits a certain number - maybe fifty visits since last cleaning - the system creates a task. Your crew goes when and where the data shows, not when a calendar says.
Monday and Friday? Usually quiet. Midweek? Busy - sometimes double the baseline. (Facilities Management Advisor) Within a single day, traffic shifts a lot. The café’s crowded at eight, near empty by two.
Visitor analytics tell that story.
This detail helps match cleaning with actual use.
For example, one company found its east wing was packed Tuesday and Wednesday, but traffic dropped to just 20% the rest of the week. They put more staff there midweek, and shifted hours out of slow zones. They saw fewer complaints and cut costs.
Occupancy detection tells you exactly how many people use each space, and for how long. Sensors use mmWave radar, passive infrared, Bluetooth and WiFi Signal sensing or thermal imaging - no cameras involved. That data feeds straight into your facilities system.
Visitor analytics add a campus-wide view. Wi-Fi scanning shows:
Combine this with room sensors for one clear picture.
With better data, you stop guessing. Clean restrooms based on visits, not schedules. Put crews in lobbies during peak hours. Skip cleaning floors that aren’t used. Labor costs drop, service gets better, and your team wins back time.
Start simple. Begin with data about room and zone presence. Occupancy sensors (mmWave, PIR, or thermal) count people every minute and track how long rooms are used.
Add Macro sensors that use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to estimate people counts across larger areas. These are quick to install and cover your whole property. They offer floor, zone, and room reports with little effort.
Then blend in visitor analytics from Wi-Fi presence. This shows trends like:
These insights help you predict staffing and spot underused areas.
Restrooms deserve special care:
Set simple rules. Clean after fifty visits or two hours - whichever comes first. Get alerts if supplies are low or air quality needs attention.
Turn these numbers into tasks your teams see in real time. For example, when a restroom hits fifty visits, your system creates a cleaning task and sends it to the nearest crew. The system timestamps it and waits for check-in.
Route by space type:
Set QR codes for proof of service - staff scan when they start and finish. The system logs the time and resets counters automatically.
Avoid over-cleaning. Set a minimum between tasks. If a restroom is visited fifty times twice in one hour, still wait at least ninety minutes before cleaning again.
Catch missed jobs with alerts. If an area triggers three times with no action, alert a supervisor. That way, high-traffic areas never go unchecked.
Industry benchmarks offer a place to start. APPA recommends one full-time staff for every 28,000-43,000 ft² (APPA). ISSA’s standards break down cleaning by minutes per task (ISSA).
ISSA’s task times get detailed. You’ll see exactly how long vacuuming, mopping, or restocking takes. Combine those times with occupancy and visit data to zero in on required labor.
Convert visits and dwell time to work estimates. For example:
Total it up for your true daily needs.
Run spot studies to validate your numbers. Have a supervisor time real tasks for a week. Adjust seasonally - interns or holidays shift the baseline. This keeps your staffing proactive and based on facts.
Your work order systems should be the first connection. Send occupancy events to IWMS or CMMS platforms. When a threshold hits, a new task routes to the right crew member. Crew checks in; the system resets the count and logs actions.
Building automation systems add energy savings:
Security integrations matter, especially after hours. Share live presence data with your security operations center. If sensors spot movement in a locked wing, they get an alert. Likewise, security badge data can inform cleaning - delay crews until people leave if teams are working late.
FEMP and Better Buildings programs have run these integrations in federal sites. The payoff? Faster response, happier teams, and measurable savings.
Go with anonymous presence data. Count people - don’t track them. Occupancy sensors (mmWave, PIR, thermal) spot bodies, not faces. They report: “twelve in the lobby, three in the restroom.”
Use camera-free sensors in private spaces. Think restrooms, prayer, or wellness rooms. mmWave and thermal give accurate counts with no images ever taken. PIR sensors just sense motion - no personal data, ever. Federal pilots confirm safe, anonymous counts work (GSA GPG).
Be transparent. Publish what you collect, why, and how long you keep it. Say sensors count traffic to improve service. No video. No identities. Delete data in ninety days. This open approach wins buy-in every time.
GSA and FEMP both support standardized structures for multi-site portfolios - use what’s proven to work.
Look at consistent weeks. Ignore holidays, big events, weather. Chart visitors, visits, time in spaces, and peak occupancy every hour. The pattern’s clear: mornings ramp up, midday peaks, afternoons slow down.
Match your crews and service windows to these curves. If traffic spikes Tuesday-Thursday, schedule deep cleans before or after. Use midday teams for on-demand cleaning in busy spots.
Keep an eye on the seasons. Summer interns or fresh hires change the curve. Year-over-year trends help you get ahead of changes.
Use occupancy sensors and visitor analytics to spot busy zones and peak hours. Route cleaning to those spots quickly. Restrooms, lobbies, and cafés stay fresh when people actually need them. Show “how busy” dashboards so everyone can pick their best times. Anonymous data means users are protected. Mix presence data with supply and air quality tracking to stay ahead of complaints.
Connect sensors to your IWMS or CMMS. When thresholds reach a set level, tasks are automatically routed. Share live presence data with your security team; they’ll know if after-hours movement is a cleaner, not an intruder. Require crew check-ins, and feed this data back to reset occupancy triggers.
Install overhead people counters - these see entries and exits, but never faces. Use door-based PIR or mmWave sensors. Set clear triggers for “clean after X visits or Y minutes.” Add supply sensors for soap and towels to catch empty stock before people complain. Post a clear policy - these sensors count traffic, store no images or identities, and delete data after ninety days.
Data-driven cleaning means better results for less money. Occupancy detection shows exactly where people are. Visitor analytics reveal patterns. Occupancy sensors give accurate counts so you set the right cleaning routes and thresholds. Stop cleaning empty spaces - start focusing where it matters.
Making the switch requires integration with your IWMS, CMMS, and automation systems. You'll need privacy-first sensors, clear KPIs, and regular checks. But you’ll see the results: lower costs, fewer complaints, and a workplace that feels responsive.
Start small. Try it in your busiest restroom or lobby. Set a threshold, create a work order, and measure response times. Roll out to meeting rooms and open zones as you refine what works. Check traffic patterns weekly. Adjust your team as traffic shifts.
Occuspace provides about 95% accuracy, up to five times lower cost than competitors, and works with certified HPE Aruba for easy, enterprise-wide rollout. Anonymous, plug-and-play, and easy to integrate - go live within days and see results in weeks. Explore Occuspace and see how smarter cleaning makes offices work better for everyone.
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