For cleaning business owners setting rates for the first time or benchmarking against market rates, here is how profitable cleaning companies build their pricing.
Price residential cleaning at $25-$50 per hour or $100-$200 per standard home visit. Commercial cleaning runs $0.05-$0.20 per square foot. Calculate your true hourly cost (wages, insurance, supplies, vehicle), add a 20-30% margin, then convert to a flat rate per job type.
| Service Type | Typical Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard home clean (recurring) | $100-$175/visit | 3BR/2BA, biweekly |
| Deep clean / first-time | $200-$350/visit | 1.5-2x standard rate |
| Move-in / move-out clean | $250-$450/visit | Full appliances, cabinets |
| Studio or 1BR apartment | $80-$130/visit | Recurring rate |
| Commercial office (basic) | $0.05-$0.10/sq ft | Monthly contract typical |
| Medical / high-traffic commercial | $0.10-$0.20/sq ft | Disinfection protocols required |
| Post-construction cleanup | $0.15-$0.30/sq ft | Debris removal, detail work |
The most common pricing mistake in cleaning is setting rates based on what competitors charge rather than your own costs. Your wage, insurance, vehicle, and supply costs determine your floor. What competitors charge tells you the ceiling. Your price needs to be between those two numbers, not just below the ceiling.
Flat-rate pricing per job type almost always outperforms hourly billing for cleaning. Clients prefer knowing the price upfront and do not feel penalized for letting clutter accumulate. You benefit because your rate per hour increases as you build speed and efficiency. Quote a flat price based on home size and job type, and review it every 6 months as your times improve.
Commercial cleaning contracts are priced differently because frequency determines total monthly revenue. A 5,000 sq ft office at $0.07/sq ft cleaned 5 days per week generates $350/day or $7,000/month. Always quote commercial clients as a monthly total rather than a per-visit rate — it anchors the relationship to value delivered, not individual visits.
Recurring clients are worth more than one-time clients and should be priced to reflect that. A biweekly recurring client is 20-30% easier to clean than a one-time deep clean because maintenance cleaning is faster. Offer recurring clients a rate 10-15% below your one-time rate to build retention, but never so low that you are losing margin on the ongoing work.
Contribution margin is revenue minus direct job costs (cleaner wage, supplies, vehicle). For a $150 job with $65 in direct costs, contribution margin is $85 (57%). This is the money available to cover overhead and profit. Target 55-65% contribution margin on residential jobs. Below 50% usually means your pricing is too low or your direct costs are poorly controlled.
Calculate your exact cleaning rates based on your costs and target margin
Use the Free Cleaning Business Pricing Calculator →Calculate your true hourly cost (wages, taxes, insurance, supplies, vehicle), add your target margin, then multiply by estimated job time to get a flat rate per visit. Most residential cleaners charge $100-$200 per standard home and $25-$50 per hour for ad hoc work.
A standard 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom recurring clean runs $100-$175. A first-time or deep clean of the same home runs $200-$350. Adjust for your market — major metro areas support 20-40% higher rates than smaller markets.
By the hour ($25-$50/hr), flat rate per visit ($100-$300 depending on home size), or per square foot ($0.05-$0.20 for commercial). Flat-rate per-visit pricing is most common for residential because it prevents billing disputes and rewards efficiency.
15-25% net profit margin is the target range for a well-run cleaning business. Owner-operators with no employees can hit 30%+ because overhead is low. Companies with W-2 employees typically run 15-20% after wages, payroll taxes, and insurance.
Charge 1.5-2x your standard recurring rate. A home at $150/visit for recurring service should be $250-$350 for a first-time or deep clean. Budget extra time for appliance interiors, baseboards, and detailed scrubbing that standard cleans skip.
Per square foot is standard: $0.05-$0.10 for basic office cleaning, $0.10-$0.20 for medical or high-traffic facilities. Quote monthly contract totals rather than per-visit rates. A 3,000 sq ft office at $0.08/sq ft cleaned 3x per week = $720/month recurring revenue.
Yes. Always quote move-in and move-out cleans at 1.5-2.5x your standard rate. These take 4-8 hours, require full appliance and cabinet cleaning, and often involve heavy scrubbing. Minimum $250-$400 for a standard apartment.
Budget $5-$15 per residential job for standard supplies (chemicals, cloths, bags). That is roughly 5-8% of revenue. Mark up products sold to clients 30-50%. Track actual supply usage per job type for 4 weeks to get accurate numbers.
Price add-ons as separate line items: oven interior ($30-$60), refrigerator interior ($25-$45), interior windows ($5-$10 each), laundry ($25-$50 per load). Bundled add-on packages typically close at higher rates than individual pricing.
Compete on reliability and trust, not price. Use a branded checklist, send arrival confirmations, follow up after each visit, and offer a satisfaction guarantee. Clients pay premium rates for cleaners they trust with home access. Price is rarely the deciding factor for long-term retention.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.