How Much to Charge for House Cleaning: A Pricing Guide

More than 836,000 house cleaners are working in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And those cleaners earn a mean hourly wage of $16.66. But this hourly wage doesn’t tell the whole story. Wages and rates vary by geographic location, experience, and the type of cleaning performed. 

Because rates and pricing vary, you need to know how much to charge for house cleaning services in your area to succeed in the industry. Benchmarking, or comparing rates to industry standards, can help if you’re trying to start a cleaning business. 

This guide explains the details of how to decide what to charge, including different approaches to setting rates for professional house cleaning.

Types of Professional House Cleaning Services

Professional house cleaners offer many different kinds of services. Before setting your own house cleaning rates, consider what you’ll do. 

Deciding on your scope of work makes developing a house cleaning estimate easier. That’s because you can better determine the time and equipment required to do the job. Here are some examples of what you could add to your services list:

• Standard Cleaning. A standard cleaning is typically routine cleaning like you’d do if you wanted to make your house look nice for visiting guests. It includes tasks like mopping, vacuuming, and dusting. 
• Deep Cleaning. Deep cleaning goes beyond a standard cleaning. It involves doing jobs you wouldn’t need to do on a regular basis. It can include scrubbing baseboards or cleaning inside refrigerators. The goal is to make the place as pristine as possible.
• Move-in and Move-out Cleaning. Move-in and move-out cleaning make a place sparkling clean for new owners or tenants. It’s often a more in-depth clean than when someone just has their own space tidied up. The goal is to eliminate all the dirt, germs, and particles past owners have left behind so new owners can start fresh.
• After-event Cleaning. Sometimes, property owners want to have big parties or events that generate a lot of mess. That’s where after-event cleaning comes in. A cleaner might be called in after a baby shower, home wedding, or family cookout. They’ll restore order, cleaning up where guests spent their time and any areas where food prep occurred. 
• Construction Cleaning. Construction can be very messy. Contractors don’t always leave a place tidy when doing electrical work, plumbing jobs, masonry jobs, or other tasks. There may be dirt and dust from hanging drywall or cutting tile. The floor may be filthy from many workers tracking in dirt. Or the walls may need special cleaning after a paint job. This is usually a deeper clean. 
• Bi-weekly Cleaning. Some people hire cleaners to come on a set schedule, such as cleaning bi-weekly. As a cleaner, these regular clients are great assets. They provide predictable cash flow. You’ll also maintain the space since you’re visiting regularly and can learn the property owner’s preferences. 
• Weekly Cleaning. Weekly cleaning takes a regular schedule to the next level. With such frequent visits, it’s often possible to complete routine cleaning and deep cleaning over time. 
• Daily Cleaning. Property owners may hire daily cleaners if they want someone to keep their space immaculate. Since they’re present so often, these cleaners may also do more tasks like laundry or dishes. They can become more like housekeepers and play a crucial role in household management.
• Extra Services. Some cleaners offer add-on services for additional fees. This could include doing laundry, making beds, loading and unloading the dishwasher, or making meals.

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Types of House Cleaning Professionals

Not all house cleaners work the same way. In fact, there are different kinds of professionals in the industry. Here are three main types. 

• Independent Cleaning Professional. Independent cleaning professionals run a one-person show. They find clients and provide services on their own. 
• Cleaning Services Company. Cleaning services companies are bigger businesses. They usually have managers or people who own and run the business. Those individuals market the company, interface with clients, and hire cleaning professionals. The cleaners work for the company, going to different houses and businesses that contact the company.
• Live-In Cleaning Service. Live-in cleaners reside in the space they clean. They typically provide a full array of services, which could include things like grocery shopping and cooking. They’ll receive free or discounted housing in the home they’re working in and usually a set wage.

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Setting Your Cleaning Prices

Since there are different types of cleaning work and different types of professionals working in the industry, there are many approaches to setting cleaning service prices. Here’s more about each method to help you choose.

Cleaning Services Prices per Square Foot

Pricing a job per square foot involves charging a set amount to clean properties within a size range. 

The benefit of this approach is that it’s easy. Clients can tell you how many square footage they need cleaned, and you can provide a quote. Here are the average costs cleaners charge based on square foot, according to research from Forbes Home. 

• Up to 999 square feet. $150–250.
• 1,000–1,499 square feet. $250–300.
• 1,500–1,999 square feet. $250–300. 
• 2,000–2,499 square feet. $300–350.
• 2,500–2,999 square feet. $325–375. 
• 3,000 square feet and up. $375 or custom pricing. 

House Cleaning Prices Based on Number of Rooms

Looking at square footage alone doesn’t always provide a complete picture, especially if there is a lot of space devoted to easy-to-clean areas. For example, if a property has a large courtyard in the middle, it might not have a lot of rooms to clean but it would have a lot of square footage. 

Pricing based on how many rooms there are provides a simple, accurate way of setting prices. You’ll have a better idea of the spaces you’ll be cleaning. Here are the average costs for how much cleaners typically charge based on room count, according to Forbes research. 

• One-bedroom home. $125–225.
• Two-bedroom home. $250–425,
• Three-bedroom home. $300–475.
• Four-bedroom home. $325–525.
• One-bathroom home. $180–250.
• Two-bathroom home. $275–450.
• Three-bathroom home. $325–525. 

House Cleaning Rates per Hour

If you know how much you want to earn per hour, you can simply charge that amount. Plus, since you’re paid based on time, you know you’ll get paid for all the different kinds of work you perform. 

For businesses with multiple employees or cleaners who work together, you can up the rate if several of you work the same job. Keep in mind that if you’re an employee, the hourly rate the customer pays won’t be your hourly wage. The business will need to deduct some of that rate to keep the business running. 

According to ThumbTack, these are the average hourly rates cleaners charge based on the number of professionals performing the job: 

• One Cleaner. $20–30 per hour.
• Two Cleaners. $20–50 per hour.
• Three or More Cleaners. Custom pricing.

Additional Services That Affect the Cost of Professional House Cleaning

When you provide extra services, you should charge for them. Here are some of the additional cleaning tasks many professionals in the industry regularly offer and the average rates for each one, according to Forbes research. 

• Cleaning Blinds. $10.
• Window Cleaning. $5–10 for each window.
• Heavy-duty Deep Cleaning. $200.
• Cleaning a Refrigerator. $30–50.
• Oven Cleaning.  $30.
• Laundry Folding. $30.
• Washing Dishes. $15.
• Sweeping a Garage. $30.
• Carpet Cleaning. $75–200.
• Polishing or Waxing Floors. $25–50.

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7 Steps to Create a House Cleaning Estimate

If a potential customer is considering hiring you, they might request a cleaning estimate. This will help the customer decide if your rates are fair and in their price range. Fortunately, determining how much you should charge and preparing an estimate doesn’t have to be difficult. 

Here are some steps you may want to take when you decide how much to quote someone for your work. 

1. Do a Walkthrough of the Place 

Walking through the space helps you understand how complicated the job is. You can focus on things like how many objects you’ll have to dust and how many bathrooms you’ll have to clean. 

You can also examine whether floors need polishing or faucets have many little crevices to trap dirt. Understanding the space is key to knowing the scope of the work.

2. Calculate Labor Costs

Your time has value. Consider how much you want to earn for each hour of work (if you’re working alone). 

If you’re managing others, you need to know how much their wages will cost you. That’s because your price needs to be high enough to cover their wages and earn you a profit. 

3. Estimate Time

Costs are directly impacted by the amount of time it takes to clean a property directly. If you or your team need more time to make a space pristine, build the cost of that time into your quote. Otherwise, you could work for too little money per hour to make a profit.

4. Calculate Taxes

If you’re self-employed, you need to deduct a certain amount from your earnings to pay taxes. Do some estimates of your earnings to see how much you’ll owe. 

As an employer, you’ll have to pay FICA taxes for your employees. FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Under this Act, employers pay for half of their employee’s Social Security and Medicare contributions. 

Some states may also require sales taxes on cleaning services. Research your local laws to see what taxes you’ll have to pay and the tax rates. Factor in these costs when setting prices.

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5. Calculate Supplies

Cleaners need supplies. You might need a vacuum or rags or a mop or cleaning sprays. You should factor in the cost because you’ll have to pay for these expenses out of what you collect from clients. 

Be sure you carefully consider the equipment you’ll need for each step of the job you saw during your walkthrough and research how much these items cost. 

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6. Calculate Overhead

Overhead refers to business expenses that aren’t directly related to providing your products or services. It can include things like marketing or paying for your office rent. Calculate these costs to make sure that you can make enough money to pay them.

7. Add Your Profit

Finally, you need prices high enough to profit. The amount you charge should cover all of your overhead, labor costs, and other expenses, with some leftover. The leftover money is your profit. 

4 Pro Tips for Adjusting Cleaning Services Prices

Over time, you may need to adjust your prices. You might need to make modifications due to changing market or economic conditions, such as inflation causing prices to rise. 

After time, you could decide you simply want to earn more and must charge more. Conversely, you may want to attract more clients and be willing to charge less to do it. 

To ensure you’re adjusting your prices properly, follow these four pro tips. 

• Track Business Expenses. Tracking expenses helps you see the cost of doing business. You can ensure that you’re charging enough to cover all your costs if you keep track of them. 
• Check Industry Pricing. Pay attention to what competitors charge. If your rates are far lower, you’re leaving profit on the table. If they’re too high, you might struggle to find customers. 
• Offer Deals for New Clients. Attracting new clients helps you get repeat business. Offer a special deal to get someone to try your services. If they’re satisfied, they’re more likely to become a steady client that provides regular income. 
• Develop Package Deals. Consider offering multiple services at a discounted rate. For example, if someone pays you for a standard cleaning job, you could offer window cleaning and laundry at a discounted rate if they add one or both options to their bill. With this strategy, you earn more while customers save money. 

Win more clients on the spot with quick and professional estimates

Now that you understand typical pricing, you’re ready to set your price list and create estimates for clients. 

The good news is that you can create and share estimates in just minutes with Joist’s easy-to-use mobile estimating tool. The tool is packed with powerful features built for contractors, including deposits, markups, contracts, and photos. 

You can create your invoices while on the job so customers don’t have to wait.  This method of invoicing is a breeze, and it makes bill collecting so much simpler.