How to Price House Cleaning

What should you charge for house cleaning? It is one of the hardest questions for a new cleaning business. Charge too much and you may lose jobs. Charge too little and you may stay busy but make no money. The goal is not to be the cheapest cleaner in town. The goal is to charge enough to cover your costs, pay your team, and make a profit. That starts with knowing what each job will cost you. Then you can choose a pricing method that works for your business. Three Common Ways to Price House Cleaning Most cleaning companies use one or more of these methods: 1. Hourly pricing 2. Flat-rate pricing 3. Square-foot pricing There is no one method that works for every company.

You can even use one method to work out your cost and another method to show the price

to the client. For example, you might use labor hours to work out a safe price. Then you give the client one flat price. Let's look at each method. 1. Hourly Cleaning Rates Hourly pricing is simple. You charge based on the time spent cleaning. For example: $50 per hour × 3 hours = $150 If two cleaners work for two hours, that is four labor hours. That point is important. 2 cleaners × 2 hours = 4 labor hours If your rate is $50 per labor hour: 4 × $50 = $200 Hourly pricing can work well when you do not know how long a job will take. It can also work for: First-time cleans Very dirty homes Custom work Small jobs Jobs with an unclear scope The problem is that the client may not know the final price before you start. That is one reason many cleaning companies prefer flat prices for repeat work. 2. Flat-Rate House Cleaning With flat-rate pricing, the client gets one set price. For example:

Standard cleaning: $175 The job may take a little more or less time than expected. The client still pays $175. Flat pricing is easy for clients to understand. It can also reward your company for becoming more efficient. Suppose a job used to take four labor hours. Your team gets better. Now it takes three. With hourly pricing, your sales may fall. With a flat price, your sales stay the same while your labor use goes down. But flat pricing has a risk. You must estimate the job well. If you price a five-hour job as a three-hour job, your profit can disappear. 3. Price Per Square Foot Some cleaning companies use the size of the home to help set the price. The basic formula is: Square feet × rate per square foot = price For example: 2,000 square feet × $0.10 = $200 This is easy to calculate. But square feet alone does not tell you how hard a home is to clean. Two homes can both be 2,000 square feet. One has: Two bathrooms No pets Two adults

Light use

The other has: Four bathrooms Three children Two dogs Heavy use They may take very different amounts of time. Square footage can be useful. It should not always be the only factor. What Should You Base Your Cleaning Price On? A good house cleaning price may use several facts. These can include: Home size Bedrooms Bathrooms Type of service Cleaning frequency Number of cleaners Expected labor time Pets Home condition Special requests Travel time You do not need to make pricing hard. But you do need enough facts to avoid guessing. Start With Labor Labor is often the largest cost in a cleaning business. That makes labor a good place to start. Suppose you pay a cleaner: $20 per hour That does not mean the cleaner costs your company only $20 per hour.

You may also have costs for:

Payroll taxes Workers' comp Training Paid time Payroll fees Other employee costs Your true labor cost may be higher. For this example, let's say your full labor cost is: $25 per hour A job needs four labor hours. Your labor cost is: 4 × $25 = $100 You now know the job must bring in more than $100. But labor is not your only cost. Add Your Other Costs Your cleaning company may also pay for: Cleaning products Fuel Insurance Software Phones Marketing Equipment Vehicle costs Office costs Bank fees Some costs belong to one job. Others support the whole business. Your prices need to help cover both. Let's say our sample job has:

Labor: $100 Supplies and travel: $15 That gives us: Direct job cost: $115 But we are still not done. The company also needs money for overhead and profit. Do Not Confuse Markup With Profit Margin This is a common pricing mistake. Suppose a job costs you $100. You add 20%. Your price becomes: $120 You made $20. But your profit margin is not 20%. It is: $20 ÷ $120 = 16.7% Markup and margin are different. If you want a 20% margin on a $100 cost, the calculation is: $100 ÷ 0.80 = $125 Now: $125 - $100 = $25 And: $25 ÷ $125 = 20% Knowing this difference can stop you from pricing jobs too low. A Simple House Cleaning Price Formula

Here is one simple way to build a price. First, estimate your job cost. Then choose the margin you need. Use: Price = Job Cost ÷ (1 - Target Margin) Let's use a simple example. Your job cost is: $120 You want a 25% margin. The calculation is: $120 ÷ 0.75 = $160 Your price would be: $160 That leaves: $40 after the $120 job cost. And: $40 ÷ $160 = 25% This is a much safer way to think about pricing than simply copying another cleaner's rates. Example: Pricing a Standard House Cleaning Let's price a sample home. The home has: 2,000 square feet 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms

You expect the job to take:

4 labor hours Your full labor cost is: $25 per labor hour Labor: 4 × $25 = $100 Supplies and travel: $15 Estimated job cost: $115 Let's say you want a 25% margin. Use: $115 ÷ 0.75 = $153.33 You may choose to quote: $155 or: $159 depending on your pricing model. The important part is that the price came from your costs. It was not a guess. One Cleaner vs. Two Cleaners Do not confuse clock time with labor time. Suppose one cleaner takes four hours. That is: 4 labor hours

Now suppose two cleaners complete the same job in two hours. That is still: 2 cleaners × 2 hours = 4 labor hours Your labor need did not change. The client sees a two-hour visit. Your business paid for four labor hours. Always price with total labor hours in mind. How to Price a First-Time Cleaning A first clean often takes longer than a repeat clean. Why? The home may have buildup. Your team does not know the property yet. There may be areas that have not been cleaned in some time. You may need more time for: Bathrooms Kitchen buildup Baseboards Dust Floors Detail work Do not assume the first clean will take the same time as a repeat visit. You can handle this in several ways. You may charge: A higher first-clean price or: A deep-clean rate or:

An hourly rate for the first visit

Then you can set a regular price once you know the home. How to Price Recurring Cleaning Repeat cleaning can be easier to plan. Your team knows the home. The home is also cleaned on a set schedule. This can lower the time needed per visit. You may offer different prices based on frequency. For example: Weekly: lowest price per visit Every two weeks: higher price per visit Every four weeks: higher again Why? A home cleaned every week usually has less buildup than one cleaned every four weeks. But do not give a discount just because repeat business sounds good. Make sure each price still works for your costs. How to Price Deep Cleaning A deep clean usually takes more time than a standard clean. It may include work that is not part of your normal visit. For example: Baseboards Doors Heavy buildup More detailed bathroom work More detailed kitchen work Extra dust removal Define what “deep clean” means for your company.

Do not leave it open to guesswork. Then estimate the added labor. If a standard clean takes four labor hours but a deep clean takes seven, the price should reflect that extra time. How to Price Move-Out Cleaning Move-out cleaning can be harder to predict. The home may be empty. That can make some work easier. But the client may expect a much more detailed clean. You may need to clean: Inside cabinets Inside drawers Inside appliances Baseboards Closets Doors Shelves Empty rooms The condition of the home also matters. Ask clear questions before you quote. A move-out clean should not be priced like a normal repeat visit. Should You Charge More for Pets? Pets can add cleaning time. You may have more: Hair Dander Floor work Furniture cleaning Vacuuming But you do not have to add a fixed “pet fee.”

You can instead use pets as one factor in your time estimate. The goal is to price the work. If pets add time, the price should account for that time. Should You Charge More for Bathrooms? Bathrooms can take a lot of cleaning time. A 2,500-square-foot home with two bathrooms may be easier than a smaller home with four. That is why many quote forms ask for both: Square feet + number of bathrooms Bathrooms can help you estimate the labor needed. You can do the same with bedrooms and other key rooms. Should You Charge for Travel? Travel costs your company money. It also uses time that cannot be sold to another client. You do not always need to show a separate travel fee. Instead, build normal travel into your prices. Then define a service area. If a client is far outside that area, you can: Charge more Add a travel fee Set a minimum job price Decline the job Good route planning can make a big difference to profit. Three jobs close together can be much better than three jobs spread across a large area. Set a Minimum Cleaning Price Small jobs can still take a lot of time. You may spend time on:

Driving

Parking Setup Loading supplies Client messages Payment Admin work A one-hour job can take much more than one hour of your company's day. A minimum price can help. For example, you may decide that no visit is priced below: $100 That is only an example. Your minimum should come from your own costs and market. Do Not Copy a Competitor's Price It is smart to know what other companies charge. But do not copy them. You do not know their: Labor cost Insurance cost Service scope Staff model Profit Quality level Travel time They may also be underpriced. If they are losing money at $120, copying their $120 price will not help you. Use market prices as a check. Build your own price from your own numbers. Should You Show Cleaning Prices on Your Website? There are good reasons to show prices.

There are also good reasons not to. You could show: Starting at $149 or: Typical cleaning: $150–$250 or: Get an instant estimate Showing some price information can help clients know whether your service fits their budget. But if your jobs vary a lot, one public price may cause confusion. Another option is an online estimate form. The client enters facts about the home. Your system then gives an estimate or sends the details to your team for review. What Information Should You Ask for Before Giving a Quote? Your quote form should collect enough information to estimate the work. Useful fields can include: Name Phone Email Service address ZIP code Home type Square feet Bedrooms Full bathrooms Half bathrooms Pets Service type Cleaning frequency

Requested date

You may also ask about the condition of the home. Keep the form simple. Every question should have a reason. Check Your Prices Against Real Job Time Your first price is not the end. After the job, compare your estimate with what happened. Suppose you expected: 4 labor hours The job actually took: 5.5 labor hours That matters. Ask why. Was the home larger than expected? Was there heavy buildup? Was your quote wrong? Was the team slow? Did the client add work? One job does not mean you need to change every price. But repeated differences show you where your pricing model needs work. Track Revenue Per Labor Hour One useful number is revenue per labor hour. The formula is: Job revenue ÷ Labor hours = Revenue per labor hour Suppose a job pays:

$180 It takes four labor hours. Your revenue per labor hour is: $180 ÷ 4 = $45 Now compare that with another job. It pays: $210 But it takes six labor hours. $210 ÷ 6 = $35 The second job brings in more sales. But it brings in less money for each labor hour. That can be an important clue. Track Job Profit Too Sales alone do not tell you whether a job is good. A $300 job may look great. But what if it costs $280 to complete? That is very different from a $200 job that costs $120. Track the cost of the work. Then look at what remains. This can help you find: Good clients Bad prices Slow jobs Strong service types Weak routes The goal is not just more jobs. The goal is good jobs.

When Should You Raise Your Cleaning Prices? Prices should not stay the same forever. Your costs can rise. Your staff wages may rise. Insurance may cost more. Supplies may cost more. Your service may also improve. Review your prices on a regular basis. You may need a price increase if: Labor costs rise Supply costs rise Jobs take longer than expected Your margin is too low Your schedule is full Your prices are far below your market Do not wait until every job loses money. Know your numbers. A Simple Pricing Process Here is a simple process you can use for each quote. Step 1: Gather property details. Know the size, rooms, service type, pets, and frequency. Step 2: Estimate labor hours. How many total labor hours should the work take? Step 3: Calculate labor cost. Use your true labor cost, not only the worker's wage. Step 4: Add other job costs. Include supplies, travel, and other direct costs.

Step 5: Account for overhead.

Your prices also need to support the cost of running the company. Step 6: Add room for profit. A business needs profit to stay healthy and grow. Step 7: Check the market. Make sure the result makes sense for the clients you serve. Step 8: Send the quote. Make the price and service clear. Step 9: Track the real job. Compare your estimate with the actual labor time and cost. Step 10: Improve your pricing. Use real job data to make future quotes better. House Cleaning Pricing Example Let's put it all together. A client requests biweekly cleaning. The home has: 2,200 square feet 3 bedrooms 2.5 bathrooms 1 dog You estimate: 4.5 labor hours Your full labor cost: $24 per hour Labor cost:

4.5 × $24 = $108 Other job costs: $12 Total direct cost: $120 Target margin: 25% Calculation: $120 ÷ 0.75 = $160 Your base price could be: $160 per visit You may then adjust the quote based on your overhead, local market, service scope, and other known costs. The key point is simple. You can explain why the price exists. You are not guessing. Build a Pricing System, Not a Price List When you have five clients, you may remember every quote. That gets harder at 50. It gets much harder at 500. Your pricing process should connect the information behind the job. That means knowing: Who is the lead? Which property needs cleaning? What service do they want?

What did you estimate? What did you quote? Did they accept? How long did the job really take? This creates a natural business flow: Lead → Property → Estimate → Client → Job → Team TidyOps was built around the way cleaning companies work. It helps keep the people, properties, estimates, and jobs behind the business organized. People. Jobs. Clients. Profits.

Put this into practice with TidyOps

build consistent estimates to keep this work connected to your day-to-day cleaning operations.