Supplemental Guarantor Information - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	May 31, 2016	May 31, 2015	May 31, 2014	May 31, 2013
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 139,357	$ 417,073
Marketable securities	70,405	16,081
Accounts receivable, net	563,178	496,130
Inventories, net	249,362	226,211
Uniforms and other rental items in service	539,956	534,005
Income taxes, current	1,712	936
Assets held for sale	0	21,341
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	26,065	24,030
Total current assets	1,590,035	1,735,807
Property and equipment, at cost, net	994,237	871,421
Investments	124,952	329,692
Goodwill	1,291,593	1,195,612	$ 1,267,411
Service contracts, net	83,715	42,434
Other assets, net	19,861	17,494
Total assets	4,104,393	4,192,460	4,462,452
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	114,514	109,607
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	101,976	88,423
Accrued liabilities	349,065	309,935
Liabilities held for sale	0	704
Long-term debt due within one year	250,000	0
Total current liabilities	815,555	508,669
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	1,050,000	1,300,000
Deferred income taxes	259,475	339,327
Accrued liabilities	136,704	112,009
Total long-term liabilities	1,446,179	1,751,336
Total shareholders' equity	1,842,659	1,932,455	$ 2,192,858	$ 2,201,492
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	4,104,393	4,192,460
Eliminations
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	0	0
Inventories, net	(3,845)	2,598
Uniforms and other rental items in service	(19,722)	(18,963)
Income taxes, current	0	0
Assets held for sale		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	(23,567)	(16,365)
Property and equipment, at cost, net	0	0
Investments	(3,809,602)	(3,799,565)
Goodwill	(112)	(112)
Service contracts, net	0	0
Other assets, net	(4,601,168)	(3,894,997)
Total assets	(8,434,449)	(7,711,039)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	38,005	38,021
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	0	0
Accrued liabilities	0	(724)
Liabilities held for sale		0
Long-term debt due within one year	0	0
Total current liabilities	38,005	37,297
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	0	724
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Accrued liabilities	0	0
Total long-term liabilities	0	724
Total shareholders' equity	(8,472,454)	(7,749,060)
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	(8,434,449)	(7,711,039)
Cintas Corporation
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	0	0
Inventories, net	0	0
Uniforms and other rental items in service	0	0
Income taxes, current	0	0
Assets held for sale		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Property and equipment, at cost, net	0	0
Investments	321,083	321,083
Goodwill	0	0
Service contracts, net	0	0
Other assets, net	1,081,203	1,154,596
Total assets	1,402,286	1,475,679
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	(465,247)	(465,247)
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	0	0
Accrued liabilities	0	0
Liabilities held for sale		0
Long-term debt due within one year	0	0
Total current liabilities	(465,247)	(465,247)
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	0	0
Deferred income taxes	0	0
Accrued liabilities	0	0
Total long-term liabilities	0	0
Total shareholders' equity	1,867,533	1,940,926
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	1,402,286	1,475,679
Corp. 2
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	55,821	74,145
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	402,846	358,560
Inventories, net	222,822	193,594
Uniforms and other rental items in service	410,696	399,017
Income taxes, current	(151)	1,191
Assets held for sale		21,341
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	6,668	5,514
Total current assets	1,098,702	1,053,362
Property and equipment, at cost, net	577,936	523,690
Investments	1,770,303	1,956,320
Goodwill	0	0
Service contracts, net	81,462	42,400
Other assets, net	4,665	12,373
Total assets	3,533,068	3,588,145
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	(1,408,002)	(877,042)
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	70,045	59,752
Accrued liabilities	82,770	65,022
Liabilities held for sale		704
Long-term debt due within one year	250,000	293
Total current liabilities	(1,005,187)	(751,271)
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	1,049,610	1,308,452
Deferred income taxes	(427)	(304)
Accrued liabilities	19,628	0
Total long-term liabilities	1,068,811	1,308,148
Total shareholders' equity	3,469,444	3,031,268
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	3,533,068	3,588,145
Subsidiary Guarantors
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	57,464	249,203
Marketable securities	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	125,005	104,964
Inventories, net	19,150	21,149
Uniforms and other rental items in service	112,370	117,473
Income taxes, current	1,215	(339)
Assets held for sale		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	18,435	17,492
Total current assets	333,639	509,942
Property and equipment, at cost, net	342,356	275,072
Investments	901,772	895,393
Goodwill	1,256,662	1,180,527
Service contracts, net	13	34
Other assets, net	3,526,051	2,741,950
Total assets	6,360,493	5,602,918
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	1,932,977	1,391,999
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	26,551	23,989
Accrued liabilities	252,717	232,500
Liabilities held for sale		0
Long-term debt due within one year	0	(293)
Total current liabilities	2,212,245	1,648,195
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	0	(9,766)
Deferred income taxes	252,149	333,929
Accrued liabilities	116,091	111,105
Total long-term liabilities	368,240	435,268
Total shareholders' equity	3,780,008	3,519,455
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	6,360,493	5,602,918
Non- Guarantors
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	26,072	93,725
Marketable securities	70,405	16,081
Accounts receivable, net	35,327	32,606
Inventories, net	11,235	8,870
Uniforms and other rental items in service	36,612	36,478
Income taxes, current	648	84
Assets held for sale		0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	962	1,024
Total current assets	181,261	188,868
Property and equipment, at cost, net	73,945	72,659
Investments	941,396	956,461
Goodwill	35,043	15,197
Service contracts, net	2,240	0
Other assets, net	9,110	3,572
Total assets	1,242,995	1,236,757
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	16,781	21,876
Accrued compensation and related liabilities	5,380	4,682
Accrued liabilities	13,578	13,137
Liabilities held for sale		0
Long-term debt due within one year	0	0
Total current liabilities	35,739	39,695
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt due after one year	390	590
Deferred income taxes	7,753	5,702
Accrued liabilities	985	904
Total long-term liabilities	9,128	7,196
Total shareholders' equity	1,198,128	1,189,866
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 1,242,995	$ 1,236,757