How Much to Charge for House Cleaning

How to Do Estimates for House Cleaning: 5 Easy Steps

To help your cleaning business gain clients and increase revenue, it’s best to have a solid pricing strategy in place from the get-go. Below, learn five steps to keep in mind when estimating how to charge for cleaning houses in your area.

1. Know the Rates of Your Competitors

Knowing the average cleaning rates for your area will not only give you a better idea of how much to charge for your own home cleaning services, but you will also be able to stay competitive and profitable in the growing industry.

Call and ask three to five different house cleaning businesses in your area to get estimates on how much they would charge you to come and clean your home and how long it would take them to do so. Then, divide their quote by the total hours to get the job done, and you’ll know their approximate hourly rate.

This will help you get an idea of what clients near you are willing to pay for house cleaning services. Keep in mind, however, that home cleaning costs will depend on your location.

2. Determine the Services You Plan to Offer

There are several different types of house cleaning services out there, and your rate should reflect the extra work required to cover every aspect of what a house needs. Below are some options of house cleaning services you may plan to offer.

• Basic/Routine Cleaning: This type of cleaning involves basic cleaning tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, and wiping down counters. It doesn’t take as much time to complete and, therefore, costs less than a deep cleaning.
• Deep Cleaning: This involves extra cleaning tasks such as scrubbing off stubborn stains; cleaning blinds, baseboards, and door frames; and sanitizing trash cans and other surfaces. Cleaning a space that hasn’t been serviced in a while may require more labor and cleaning supplies — hence a higher rate for this service.
• Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning: Typically, clients who need this type of cleaning want to ensure they get their full security deposit back, or they simply need their old or new house deep cleaned for a fresh start. This service requires more thorough work, especially to tackle hard-to-reach areas such as ceilings, air vents, and cabinets.

3. Calculate Your Cleaning Time

It is critical that you know how long it takes to clean an entire house from start to finish.

To best determine your cleaning time, you can test clean your home or a family member’s or friend’s house. Along with your cleaning supplies, bring a timer or simply use your phone’s stopwatch to record how long the entire cleaning process takes. It is highly recommended to use a cleaning checklist to ensure optimal cleaning productivity.

Don’t forget to also record the square footage and the number of rooms there are in the house. This will give you the most accurate pricing estimate for when you clean other people’s houses.

4. Price by Number of Rooms and Bathrooms

A popular method to calculate the total cost of cleaning a house is to charge by the number of rooms and bathrooms, especially since many clients don’t know the exact square footage of their house.

Knowing the number of rooms in a house can provide an idea of how many people live in the home — giving you a better sense of how relatively clean or dirty it might be.

According to Thimble, many house cleaning companies add at least $25 per additional room and $10 for each bathroom. If the base rate in your area ranges from $50 to $100, those figures for each number of bedrooms might look like this:

• 1 Bedroom: $50-$100
• 2 Bedrooms: $75-$150
• 3 Bedrooms: $125-$200
• 4 Bedrooms: $160-$300+

5. Price Per Square Foot

Many house cleaners estimate their house cleaning prices based on square footage, as this gives a precise idea of how big or small the space is. According to Fast Maid Cleaning Services, “the average price for a standard house cleaning is from $0.10 per square foot to $0.17 per square foot.”

In computation, those numbers look like:

• 1,000 square feet: $100-$170
• 2,000 square feet: $200-$340
• 2,500 square feet: $250-$425
• 3,000 square feet: $300-$510
• 4,000 square feet: $400-$680
• 5,000 square feet: $500-$850

How Many Square Feet Can One Person Clean Per Hour?

Badian Hotel reported that, on average, a person can clean 2,000 to 2,500 square feet per hour.

Still, the amount of time it takes to clean a home is largely dependent on how clean or dirty it is. For homes that need a lot of elbow grease, charging by the square footage may not be the most appropriate option for professional cleaning services. This is why many cleaning companies charge by the hour.

How to Charge for Other Types of Cleaning Services

There are numerous other cleaning services you as a business owner can offer if you plan to expand long-term. Discover these other types of cleaning services below and learn how much you can charge for each.

How Much to Charge for Office Cleaning

For office cleaning, cleaners typically charge as little as $25 hourly for smaller facilities (less than 2,000 square feet) and $80 hourly for bigger offices (more than 2,100 square feet).

According to HomeAdvisor, cleaning a medical office involves more sanitizing and handling certain wastes and hazardous materials. Therefore, cleaning services typically charge more for these types of facilities, with an average rate of $40 per hour.

How to Charge for Construction Cleaning

Construction cleaning requires more than just vacuuming and sweeping — it involves handling large objects and tough debris. Thus, prices are priced slightly higher, from $0.10 to $0.50 per square foot.

There are different types of construction cleaning. As reported by Angi, below is the breakdown of each type:

• Rough Interior Cleaning Cost: $0.10 to $0.15 per square foot. This cleaning is usually when construction workers are preparing to add flooring. Your cleaning job would include vacuuming, dusting, and removing dirt and debris.
• Interior Cleaning Cost: $0.15 to $0.50 per square foot. Interior cleaning involves more work than rough interior cleaning as it includes cleaning windows, walls, doors, tracks, trims, and more.

How Much to Charge for Disinfecting Services

Cleaning service companies like Shiny charge as little as $0.30 per square foot for disinfecting services.

As businesses have begun reopening, the “new normal” for offices, warehouse centers, retail establishments, healthcare facilities, and other businesses is to include disinfecting services in their routine cleaning. This is to ensure the safety of visitors, customers, and employees.

How Much to Charge for Wall Washing

Wall washing typically costs between $0.50 to $0.60 per square foot depending on the wall materials: drywall, plaster, wood, or wallpaper. You can increase your price by $0.10 for walls with painted or wallpapered surfaces, as they are most likely oil-based and harder to clean.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Price Cleaning Jobs

How much does a house cleaner make?

The average house cleaner salary is $12.61 hourly, with wages increasing to match your area’s cost of living. Salaries also depend on skill level and experience. When you’re starting your business, you also have to secure clients to drive the most revenue.

How much should I charge to clean a 5-bedroom house?

As we have calculated above per square foot and number of rooms, you can charge around $260 to $400+ to clean a 5-bedroom house. If the house needs more work and extra helpers, you can charge a higher cost so you’re compensated suitably.

How much should I charge for deep cleaning a house?

According to Safe and Sanitary Homes, deep cleaning a house costs about $400 nationally. Keep in mind that deep cleaning an entire house is commonly done by a team of cleaners to tackle more spaces and ensure the entire home is covered.

Since a deep cleaning involves more work, you can charge more than you would for a routine cleaning service.

What are questions to ask when quoting a cleaning job?

It is important to ask clients the right questions when figuring out their quotes. Asking relevant questions can help the client better understand all the work that will go into cleaning their home, justifying your price.

For example, say you find out that your client needs a move-out cleaning. By asking questions, you help them realize that it’s a much bigger job than just dusting and vacuuming — their full security deposit check depends on it.

In addition to asking what type of cleaning they need, you can also ask:

• What part of the city do you live in?
• How big is your home? How many square feet and/or rooms?
• Do you have any pets?
• How often do you clean your home?
• Do you have hardwood floors and/or carpets?
• How soon do you need a cleaning service?
• Do you want to provide any special cleaning products?

Automate Your Cleaning Business to Effectively Manage Team

It’s clear there are multiple variables involved when estimating how much you should charge for your cleaning business. Whether you stick to one pricing model or try out different options, you’ll be sure to learn what works best for your business and enables you to reach more clients.

Download the Taskbird app now to maximize your cleaning productivity and increase your overall profit. By automating your cleaning business to manage schedules, cleaning projects, and teams, you can grow your business in no time.