Cleaning business guide
How to price house cleaning
Price house cleaning from labor hours, not from a competitor's flyer. Estimate how many cleaner-hours the home takes, multiply by a rate that covers wages, taxes, supplies and drive time, then set a separate, higher price for the first clean. Recurring biweekly cleans for a typical 3 bedroom home commonly land around $130 to $200, varying by market.
Most new cleaning owners price the way the last company they worked for did, or they undercut the biggest name in town by twenty bucks. Both roads end in the same place: a full calendar that barely pays. A good house cleaning price starts with one question: how many cleaner-hours does this home really take, and what does one of those hours cost you?
Start with the cost of a cleaner-hour
Your billing rate per cleaner-hour has to carry a lot more than the wage. Before you look at any range, add up what one hour of cleaning costs your business:
- The cleaner's hourly pay, plus payroll taxes and workers' comp if they're employees.
- Supplies and equipment wear: chemicals, microfiber, vacuum bags, filters and the vacuum itself.
- Drive time between homes. Nobody pays you for the 20 minutes on the highway, so every clean has to cover it.
- Overhead: insurance, bonding, software, phone, marketing and your own time on the schedule.
Then add profit. If you skip that line, one sick day or one bad month wipes out the quarter.
Rule of thumb: many owners find their billing rate per cleaner-hour lands at roughly two to three times what they pay the cleaner per hour. If yours is under two, look hard at your numbers.
Common price ranges by home size
These are ranges owners commonly see for residential cleaning, not a price list. Big metros and high-cost suburbs run above them, and small towns often run below. Call three local companies as a shopper before you settle on your own numbers.
| Home | Recurring biweekly | First or deep clean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 bed, 1 bath apartment | $90 to $140 | $160 to $260 |
| 3 bed, 2 bath, around 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft | $130 to $200 | $230 to $400 |
| 4 bed, 3 bath, 2,500 sq ft and up | $180 to $280 | $320 to $600 |
| Weekly service | Often a bit less per visit | n/a |
| Monthly service | Often a bit more per visit | n/a |
Ranges are general observations, not market data. They vary by region, year, and what your standard clean includes.
Why the first clean gets its own price
The first time you walk into a home, you're cleaning months of buildup: soap scum on the tub, grease on the range hood, dust on every baseboard and ceiling fan blade. That visit can take close to double a regular clean. If you quote it at your recurring price, you lose money on the visit that's supposed to win the client.
So quote the first clean as its own job, then set a recurring price for the caught-up home. We walk through the reasoning, and how to explain it so clients see it as fair, in why the first clean costs more.
What pushes a quote up or down
Bedrooms and bathrooms get you in the ballpark. These are what actually move the hours:
- Bathrooms more than bedrooms. A bathroom takes far longer than a bedroom. A 3 bed with 3.5 baths is a bigger job than a 4 bed with 2.
- Pets. Shedding dogs mean a second vacuum pass on every floor and hair in every corner. Many owners add a per-visit pet charge.
- Clutter. You can't wipe a counter covered in mail. Decide now whether your team picks up, and charge for it if so.
- Frequency. Weekly homes stay close to clean. Monthly homes slide back toward a deep clean each time.
- Flooring and finishes. Lots of glass, stainless and natural stone takes more time and the right products.
- Extras. Ovens, fridges, interior windows and inside cabinets belong on a separate menu. See how to price cleaning add-ons.
Flat rate, hourly or square footage?
There are three common ways to turn hours into a price. Most residential companies land on the first.
- Flat rate by home size and frequency. Easy for clients to say yes to. You carry the risk if a home runs long, so adjust after the first two or three visits.
- Hourly per cleaner. Protects you on unpredictable homes, but clients get nervous about open-ended bills. Common for organizing work and heavy cleans.
- Per square foot. Useful for move-outs and empty homes, where condition is more predictable. Less reliable for lived-in homes, where clutter and pets matter more than size. Move-outs have their own math, covered in pricing move-out cleanings.
The mistake to fix this month
Pull your last month of cleans and write the actual time on site next to each price. Divide price by cleaner-hours. Any home coming in well under your target rate is either quoted too low or has crept in scope (the "could you also just" requests). Fix those first, with notice, before you touch your prices for new clients. More on running the business side is on our cleaning companies page.
Questions owners ask
Should I charge by the hour or a flat rate for house cleaning?
Most residential clients prefer a flat price per visit because they know what the bill will be. Hourly pricing protects you on messy homes but invites clients to watch the clock and question every extra ten minutes. Many owners track hours internally and quote flat, then adjust the flat price if a home keeps running long.
How do I price a house I haven't seen?
Give a starting price based on bedrooms, bathrooms and rough square footage, and say clearly that the first visit confirms it. Ask about pets, the last professional cleaning and clutter before you name a number. If the home turns out to be a much bigger job, call the client before you go over, not after.
Should weekly clients pay less per visit than monthly clients?
Usually, yes. A weekly home never builds up much grime, so each visit is shorter and your cleaners move faster. Monthly homes behave more like a light deep clean every time. Pricing by frequency rewards the clients who fill your calendar most reliably.
What hourly rate should my price be built on?
Build it from your own costs, not a number you heard. Add the cleaner's wage, payroll taxes, workers' comp, supplies, drive time between homes and your overhead, then add profit. Owners are often surprised that a fair billing rate per cleaner-hour ends up well above double the cleaner's pay.
Is it okay to post my prices online?
Posting starting prices by home size filters out people shopping for the cheapest option and shortens your phone calls. Keep it to starting prices with the key conditions spelled out, like pets, first clean pricing and add-ons, so nobody treats the number as a final quote.