No law says "clean your building." But if you have workers, a washroom, patients, food, or children, a specific law almost certainly creates a cleaning duty — and in some cases a duty to prove it with records. Since July 1, 2025, the washroom record-keeping rule (Bill 190) applies to virtually every Ontario employer.
Workplace washrooms — yes, and you must keep records
This is the clearest and newest rule. Under Ontario's Bill 190 (the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024), section 25.3 was added to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and came into force on July 1, 2025. It requires every employer who provides washrooms for workers to keep those washrooms clean and sanitary and to maintain records of when each washroom was last cleaned.
Two things make this stand out. First, there is no size threshold — a five-person office in Markham has the same obligation as a 500-person plant in Brampton. Second, it's not enough to actually clean; you have to be able to prove it. A Ministry of Labour inspector can ask to see your cleaning records during any workplace visit, with no advance notice. The record can be kept on paper or electronically.
The law doesn't set a fixed frequency — cleaning must simply match how heavily the washroom is used. What's mandatory is the log. You can build a free one with our washroom cleaning log template, read the full breakdown in our Bill 190 washroom cleaning logs guide, or have the cleaning and the signed records handled for you through our Bill 190 washroom cleaning service.
General workplace cleanliness — a duty, but no fixed schedule
Beyond washrooms, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations require employers to keep the workplace itself in a clean and sanitary condition. Regulations such as O. Reg. 851 (Industrial Establishments) address workplace cleanliness, waste, and the upkeep of facilities. The obligation is framed as a standard to meet — a reasonably clean, safe workplace — rather than a prescribed cleaning schedule.
In practice this means the law won't tell you "vacuum every night," but it does expect floors, surfaces and common areas to be kept clean enough that they don't create a health or safety hazard. For most offices, retail stores and warehouses, a regular commercial cleaning routine is how that duty is met — and, conveniently, the same visit produces the washroom record Bill 190 now requires.
Medical & dental offices — effectively required through IPAC
For healthcare settings, cleaning isn't governed by one cleaning statute — it's driven by infection prevention and control (IPAC) standards. Regulated health professionals (physicians, dentists, and others) must follow the IPAC requirements set by their regulatory college and by Public Health Ontario. For dentistry, that's the RCDSO IPAC Standard of Practice; for medical offices, IPAC expectations flow from the college and PHO guidance.
Those standards make environmental cleaning and its documentation effectively mandatory: clinical contact surfaces cleaned and disinfected between patients, housekeeping surfaces (floors, washrooms, common areas) cleaned on a documented schedule, and records that demonstrate it. Local public health units can assess IPAC compliance. So while no line in a statute says "clean your clinic daily," a medical or dental office that doesn't clean and document is out of step with the standards it's held to.
We cover this in depth in our guides to IPAC cleaning requirements for Ontario dental offices and medical offices, plus a free RCDSO IPAC records checklist. Practices that want the environmental side handled use our medical office cleaning service.
Restaurants & food premises — yes
Food service has the longest-standing cleaning duty. Under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and the Food Premises regulation (O. Reg. 493/17), food premises must be kept clean and sanitary. Equipment, food-contact surfaces, floors, and washrooms must be cleaned as often as necessary to prevent contamination — again a sanitary standard, not a fixed timetable.
Enforcement is visible and public: public health inspectors conduct unannounced inspections (Toronto's DineSafe program, and equivalents in Peel, York and Durham), and the result is posted where customers can see it. A documented cleaning routine is the difference between a pass and a conditional pass. Many operators use a professional restaurant cleaning contract precisely to keep that standard consistent and evidenced.
Daycares & child care — yes
Licensed child care is one of the most tightly regulated environments. Under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and O. Reg. 137/15, licensed centres must follow sanitary practices — cleaning and disinfecting toys, equipment, diapering and food areas, and washrooms on defined schedules. Ministry of Education inspectors and local public health both have oversight, and cleaning records are part of demonstrating compliance.
Our CCEYA cleaning requirements guide breaks down the schedules, and centres that outsource use our daycare cleaning service to keep the routine and records consistent.
So how often must you actually clean?
Here's the pattern across all of these laws: most of them set a sanitary standard ("keep it clean," "clean as often as necessary") rather than a fixed number of cleans per week. The big exception is the washroom record under Bill 190 — that's a hard, universal requirement to document. The table below summarizes where each duty comes from.
Do the cleaners themselves need to be covered?
A related question that comes up a lot: do commercial cleaners need WSIB coverage in Ontario? Generally, yes — a cleaning business must carry WSIB for its workers, and that coverage protects you too. If a cleaner is injured on your premises and the contractor isn't insured, the exposure can land on your business. Before signing with any cleaning company, ask for a current WSIB clearance certificate and a certificate of insurance. A reputable contractor provides both without hesitation; an uninsured "cash" cleaner is a risk transfer in the wrong direction.
For most of these duties, one properly-run cleaning contract covers the obligation and produces the paper trail — clean to a documented standard, keep the washroom log, and hold the WSIB/insurance certificates on file. That's how most Ontario businesses turn a patchwork of legal duties into a single line item. Get a free quote →
Frequently asked questions
Is it a legal requirement to clean an office in Ontario?
There's no single law that says "you must clean your office," but several duties add up to one. The OHSA requires employers to keep the workplace — including washrooms — clean and sanitary, and since July 1, 2025 (OHSA s.25.3, added by Bill 190) employers must also keep records of when workplace washrooms were last cleaned. So for any workplace with staff, cleaning washrooms and documenting it is effectively mandatory, even though the law doesn't set a fixed frequency for the rest of the office.
Are medical offices in Ontario required to be cleaned daily?
No statute names a fixed "daily" number, but regulated health professionals must follow IPAC standards set by their college and Public Health Ontario. In practice, clinical contact surfaces are cleaned and disinfected between patients, and housekeeping surfaces such as floors, washrooms and common areas are cleaned on a documented schedule that's usually daily. Public health units can inspect, so documented cleaning is effectively required.
How often must workplace washrooms be cleaned in Ontario?
Bill 190 (OHSA s.25.3) requires washrooms to be kept clean and that records of cleaning be maintained, but it doesn't set a minimum frequency — cleaning must match actual use. Most workplaces clean at least daily; high-traffic or shift-based sites clean more often. What's mandatory is the record: a dated log showing when each washroom was cleaned and by whom, available to a Ministry of Labour inspector on request.
Is a restaurant legally required to keep its premises clean in Ontario?
Yes. Food premises must be kept clean and sanitary under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and the Food Premises regulation (O. Reg. 493/17). Equipment, surfaces, floors and washrooms must be cleaned as often as necessary to prevent contamination, and public health inspectors assess this through unannounced inspections such as DineSafe. The regulation sets a sanitary standard rather than a fixed schedule.
Do commercial cleaners need WSIB coverage in Ontario?
A commercial cleaning business generally must carry WSIB coverage for its workers, and the risk it covers is the cleaner's, not the client's. If you hire a contractor, ask for a current WSIB clearance certificate and a certificate of insurance before work starts — that's what actually transfers the liability. An uninsured cash cleaner can leave the exposure with you if someone is injured on your premises.
This article is general information to help Ontario businesses understand their cleaning-related obligations. It is not legal advice. Statutes and regulations change and apply differently to different situations — confirm your specific requirements with the current text of the relevant law, your regulatory college or public health unit, or a qualified professional.