The best way to charge for cleaning services is to calculate your real cost per job, add your desired profit, then give customers a flat price for predictable work. Use hourly pricing for uncertain jobs. Use per-square-foot pricing mainly as a check for large or commercial properties.
Use this formula:
Cleaning price = (labor cost + supplies + travel + overhead) ÷ (1 - target profit margin)
For most residential cleaning businesses, a flat price per visit is easier for customers to understand. It also lets you benefit when your team becomes more efficient.
Cleaning Service Pricing at a Glance
| Cleaning situation | Best pricing method | What to base the price on |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring residential cleaning | Flat rate per visit | Estimated labor time and home condition |
| First-time or deep cleaning | Hourly with a minimum, or fixed quote after inspection | Actual condition, buildup and required tasks |
| Move-in or move-out cleaning | Flat project price | Property size, condition, deadline and included tasks |
| Airbnb or vacation rental turnover | Flat rate per turnover | Cleaning, laundry, restocking and reset time |
| Commercial cleaning contract | Monthly recurring price | Labor hours, visit frequency, production rate and supplies |
| Post-construction or specialty cleaning | Custom project quote | Site inspection, equipment, debris and risk |
What Should You Charge for Cleaning Services?
For a general U.S. market reference in 2026, published residential cleaning ranges include:
| Service | Typical published range |
|---|---|
| Standard cleaning, around 2,000 square feet | $120 to $280 per visit |
| Deep cleaning | $240 to $500 per visit |
| Move-out cleaning | $250 to $600 per visit |
| Hourly residential cleaning | $30 to $75 per cleaner-hour |
| Broader individual cleaner range | $25 to $90 per hour |
These figures are market reference points, not fixed prices. Local wages, cost of living, cleaning standards, travel, property condition and staffing can all change the correct price.
Published guides also vary. HomeAdvisor lists general house cleaning at approximately $100 to $200 and deep cleaning at approximately $200 to $400. Housecall Pro publishes wider ranges for several service types.
Use your own costs to set the final price. A national average cannot account for your labor, travel time, overhead or service area.
How to Calculate Your Minimum Profitable Price
1. Estimate Total Labor Hours
Count every paid hour connected to the job, not only the time spent cleaning inside the property.
Include:
- Cleaning time
- Setup and packing
- Loading and unloading equipment
- Laundry or linen preparation
- Required inspection
- Travel between jobs when it cannot be scheduled efficiently
- Time spent purchasing or preparing supplies
For a team, multiply the number of cleaners by the time worked.
Example:
- Two cleaners
- Three hours at the property
- Total labor time: 6 labor-hours
2. Calculate Your Loaded Labor Cost
Loaded labor cost includes more than the cleaner's wage. Include payroll taxes, workers' compensation, benefits, paid administrative time and other employee-related expenses.
If you work alone, include the pay you need to earn, your taxes and unpaid business time.
Example:
- 6 labor-hours × $24 loaded labor cost = $144
3. Add Supplies, Travel and Overhead
Using the same job:
- Labor: $144
- Cleaning supplies: $12
- Travel: $18
- Insurance, software, equipment and administrative overhead: $26
Total job cost: $200
Travel is a real business cost. The IRS lists a 2026 business mileage rate of 76 cents per mile from July 1 through December 31, 2026. This is a tax and vehicle-cost reference, not an amount you must automatically invoice to customers.
4. Add Profit With a Margin Formula
If your target gross margin is 30%:
$200 ÷ (1 - 0.30) = $285.71
You could quote $285 to $290 for the job.
Do not multiply $200 by 1.30 if you want a 30% margin. That creates a 30% markup, which produces a lower margin.
When Should You Charge Hourly?
Hourly pricing works best when the amount of work is difficult to predict.
Use hourly pricing for:
- First-time visits when the property condition is unknown
- Hoarding or heavy-clutter situations
- Severe grease, mold or buildup
- Large properties that have not been inspected
- Cleaning, organizing or labor requests with changing scope
- Jobs where the customer wants to choose tasks during the visit
Set a minimum charge, such as a minimum number of labor-hours or a minimum visit price. Small jobs can become unprofitable after travel and preparation time.
For predictable recurring residential cleaning, hourly pricing can create problems. A fast cleaner may earn less for completing the same work efficiently, while the customer may worry about an open-ended bill.
When Should You Charge a Flat Rate?
Flat-rate pricing is usually the best model for recurring residential cleaning.
A flat rate gives the customer:
- A predictable invoice
- Easier budgeting
- Clear expectations
- No concern that the cleaner will work slowly
It gives you:
- More revenue when you improve efficiency
- Easier quoting
- Simpler recurring billing
- Clearer service packages
Calculate the price internally by labor-hour, then show the customer one fixed price.
For example, if a recurring home normally takes six labor-hours and your required customer revenue is $48 per labor-hour:
6 labor-hours × $48 = $288 per visit
You could quote $288 per visit, or round it to $290 per visit.
How Much More Should You Charge for a Deep Clean?
A deep clean should cost more than a maintenance clean because it takes additional labor. It may also include buildup removal, baseboards, vents, detailed bathroom work, appliance interiors or neglected areas.
Housecall Pro's 2026 pricing guide places deep cleaning approximately 50% to 100% above standard cleaning in many cases. Use that range as a starting point, then adjust it based on the property's condition.
A practical structure is:
- Recurring maintenance clean: base price
- First clean: higher price because it usually takes longer
- Deep clean: approximately 1.5 to 2 times the maintenance price when the scope supports it
- Future recurring visits: lower price only if the property will remain maintained
Do not offer a recurring discount before confirming how long the first clean takes.
Should You Charge by Square Foot?
Square-foot pricing is useful for large homes, offices, floor care and commercial work. It should not be your only pricing factor for residential cleaning.
Two homes with the same square footage may require very different amounts of labor because of:
- Number of bathrooms
- Kitchen condition
- Clutter
- Pets and pet hair
- Stairs
- Flooring types
- Furniture density
- Heavy soil or grease
- Accessibility and parking
Use square footage as a pricing check, then compare the result with your estimated labor hours. Current residential guides publish standard cleaning rates around $0.06 to $0.14 per square foot and deep-cleaning rates around $0.12 to $0.25 per square foot. These figures vary by market and scope.
How to Price Commercial Cleaning Services
Price a commercial cleaning contract from labor hours, visit frequency, supplies and your billable labor rate.
Monthly price = labor hours per visit × visits per month × billable labor rate + recurring supplies and other costs
Example:
- Two cleaners
- 2.5 hours per visit
- Three visits per week
- Approximately 13 visits per month
- 65 labor-hours per month
- Required billable rate: $55 per labor-hour
65 × $55 = $3,575
Add $150 for recurring supplies and travel:
Monthly contract price: $3,725
Inspect the site before quoting whenever possible. Check the building's layout, surfaces, soil level, obstacles, waste requirements, equipment needs and expected cleaning time.
Professional estimating guidance recommends considering labor, supplies, travel, overhead, client expectations and profit before producing a detailed quote.
Per-square-foot pricing can validate the quote, but production rates and actual labor hours should control the calculation.
What Should Be Included in a Cleaning Quote?
A cleaning quote should state:
- Property address and size
- Number of bedrooms, bathrooms or commercial areas
- Cleaning type
- Tasks included
- Tasks excluded
- Estimated crew size and duration
- Supplies included or supplied by the customer
- Add-on prices
- Total price
- Recurring schedule, if applicable
- Payment due date and accepted payment methods
- Cancellation and lockout policy
- Price-change or change-order terms
- Conditions that could require a revised quote
A clear scope protects both you and the customer. A commercial cleaning estimate should identify the work area, services, labor, materials, overhead and payment terms.
Common Cleaning Pricing Mistakes
Avoid these errors:
Charging only for cleaning time Travel, setup, administration and supplies reduce your real hourly earnings.
Using the customer's budget as your pricing formula Start with your costs and required margin. Then decide whether the job is worth accepting.
Charging the same price for every home of the same size Condition and bathroom count can affect labor more than square footage.
Offering unlimited tasks for one flat price Define the scope and price extras separately.
Confusing employee wages with your selling rate A customer-facing rate must cover labor burden, overhead, equipment, taxes and profit.
Failing to set a minimum charge Small jobs can lose money after travel and preparation.
Discounting recurring service before measuring the first clean Confirm the actual labor time before setting the ongoing price.
The Simplest Pricing System to Start With
Use this process:
- Inspect or qualify the property.
- Estimate total labor-hours.
- Multiply labor-hours by your required billable rate.
- Add supplies, travel and special equipment.
- Add your target profit margin.
- Present a flat price for predictable work.
- Use hourly pricing with a minimum for uncertain work.
- Track actual time and costs after every job.
- Adjust future quotes when the effective revenue per labor-hour misses your target.