Checklist: what a cleaning app must be able to do

The cleaning system lives in the office, but the work happens in the building. It is the cleaner with a phone in their pocket who decides whether the plan is followed, whether the deviation is reported, and whether the time is logged. Still, most systems are built for the office screen first, and the app comes as an afterthought.

If you are choosing a system, start with the app. Here are ten things it must do, why they matter, and what to ask the vendor. We use the CleanFlow app as the example, since it is the one we know best.

1. It runs on the phones your cleaners already have

Cleaners have iPhones and Android phones in equal measure, and team leaders want tablets. An app that only exists on one kind of device means you either buy devices for everyone, or half the team is left out.

The CleanFlow app is in the App Store for iPhone and iPad, in Google Play for Android, and as a web app you open in the browser and add to the home screen. Same features, same data, whatever the device. All three are collected on our app page.

Ask: Is the app on both iOS and Android? Does it work on tablets? Can it be used in a browser without installing?

2. It works without coverage

Basements, plant rooms, lifts and hospital wings have poor or no coverage. An app that needs a connection to show today's tasks stops where the work is.

In CleanFlow today's plan is stored locally on the phone. The cleaner sees tasks, completes them, reports deviations with photos, clocks in and out and checks rooms out with QR, all without a connection. When coverage returns, everything is sent in the right order.

Ask: What happens if I complete a task without coverage? Does the photo on the deviation come along?

3. The floor plan is in your pocket

A task list says "Room 214". The floor plan shows where room 214 is, and which rooms around it are done. For temps and new hires it is the difference between finding the way alone and calling the team leader.

In the app every floor is a drawing with rooms coloured by status: waiting, in progress, completed, or a sensor alert from dispensers and sensors in the building. Tap a room and its tasks open. From there you complete, report a deviation or add extra work.

Ask: Does the cleaner see the floor plan in the app, or just a list?

4. QR check-out, with position and time

Tapping "done" on a list proves nothing. A QR code on the wall in the room proves someone was there. That is the documentation the client asks for when there is doubt, and it is the basis for the reports.

In CleanFlow you decide per building how check-out works: one QR code per room, one per floor, or one for the whole building. If the cleaner scans the code for the floor, all of that floor's tasks are checked out at once. Every scan stores the time and the position from the phone's GPS, so the report shows where and when. Buildings with NFC tags work the same way.

Ask: Can I check out a whole room or a whole floor with one scan? Are position and time stored?

5. Time tracking where the work is done

Paper timesheets are filled in on Friday afternoon, from memory. Then they are neither right for payroll nor useful for the estimate.

The app has "Clock in" and "Clock out" that find the building you are standing in, with position as a check. If a QR code hangs by the entrance, the cleaner scans it and is clocked in at the right building with one tap. On every task the cleaner can start and stop a timer, so actual time per task is stored with the completion. The team leader sees hours per person and per building, without collecting slips.

Ask: Is time recorded per task, or only per day?

6. It learns how long things actually take

This is where most systems stop: time is logged, but not used for anything. The estimate in the cost model is still the number someone set three years ago.

When actual time is stored per task and the room's area is known, the system can calculate actual minutes per m² for each task type, across all buildings. In CleanFlow it is shown right next to the estimate in the task template: green when you are under, red when you are over, with the number of data points behind the figure. If the difference is more than ten percent, the template offers "Update estimate", and the next quote is priced with that number.

Ask: Does the system use actual time to improve estimates, or only to report?

7. Deviations are reported from the room, with a photo

A deviation reported in the office afterwards lacks the photo, the room and the time. One reported from the room has all three.

In the app the cleaner reports a deviation directly from the room, takes a photo, and picks a type. The deviation gets room, time and person automatically, and the team leader is notified. It works without coverage too. Your client can see the deviations in the client portal, if you choose.

Ask: Can the cleaner report a deviation with a photo from the app, offline as well?

8. Checklists and quality control in the same app

Tasks with checklist items are one thing. Quality control under INSTA 800 is another, and it is often done in a separate form or a separate system.

In CleanFlow both are in the app: checklists on the tasks, and INSTA 800 inspections and self-checks carried out room by room. See how an INSTA 800 inspection is carried out.

Ask: Can quality control be done in the same app as the tasks?

9. Site surveys straight from the phone

Sales happen in the building, not in the office. An app that is only for the cleaners does not help the person doing the site visit.

In the CleanFlow app you start the survey on site: take a photo of the floor plan on the wall and let the rooms be detected, or draw them. If you have an iPhone or iPad Pro with LiDAR, you walk through the floor and scan the rooms, and the app builds the floor plan with accurate square metres. Set room type and floor type on each room as you go, and see the price estimate before you leave the building. The office finishes the quote on desktop. The whole flow is in From floor plan to price.

Ask: Can I register rooms and get a price estimate during the site visit?

10. Chemical register and safety data sheets in your pocket

The Labour Inspection Authority requires that cleaners have access to safety data sheets for the chemicals they use. A binder in the storeroom meets the requirement on paper, not in practice.

In the app the building's chemicals are listed with safety data sheets, so the cleaner can look up hazard symbols and first aid where the chemical is used. The building's emergency plan, with emergency numbers and procedures per chemical, is in the app without coverage too. How chemicals are linked to tasks is covered in the article on the chemical register.

Ask: Does the cleaner have access to safety data sheets in the app?

And three more

Three points that did not get their own number, but that teams use every day:

• Chat with the team in the app. Team and direct messages, without mixing work into private messaging apps. Messages written without coverage are sent when the network is back.
• Hygiene measurements in the same app. For health and school buildings with NS 6600 requirements, ATP measurements are recorded per room in the app, alongside the tasks and the INSTA 800 inspections.
• Three languages. The app is available in Norwegian, English and Swedish. Each cleaner picks their own, and the plan is the same.

The checklist, in short

Frequently asked questions

Do the cleaners need to install anything? Not necessarily. The CleanFlow app can be opened in the browser and added to the home screen. The App Store and Google Play versions add LiDAR scanning and NFC.

What happens to data recorded offline? It is stored on the phone until coverage returns, and then sent in the same order it was recorded. Completions, deviations with photos, time tracking and QR scans are all handled the same way.

Can the client see what has been done? Yes, in the client portal: completed tasks per room, deviations and reports, and for buildings with QR check-out also the time. The client can order extra cleaning from there too.

Does LiDAR scanning work on Android? No. LiDAR scanning requires an iPhone or iPad Pro with iOS 17 or newer. Room detection from a photo and manual drawing work on every device.

Want to see the app in use? See how CleanFlow works for cleaners, or try it free for 14 days.