How to Price House Cleaning: Standard, Deep and Recurring

Guess the hours, then price them at your rate. Add the drive and your supplies. That is your price for the clean.

A count of rooms is a start, but it is not the job. Two homes with 3 bedrooms can take very different times. One is neat. The other has 2 dogs and a full sink.

So walk the house or ask for photos before you quote. Look at the size, the mess and what the customer wants done.

For a standard clean of a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home, many teams spend:

• 2 to 4 hours for one person.
• 1 to 2 hours for a team of 2.

Time a few of your own jobs. Your real times beat any chart.

Here is one way the numbers can add up. Every figure is an example. Use your own rate, your own times and your own drive.

• Time in the house: 2 people for 1.5 hours, so 3 hours of work.
• Drive: 15 minutes each way for the team, so about 1 more hour of paid time.
• Your rate: say $45 for each hour of work. It has to cover pay, supplies, gas, the car and insurance.
• The math: 4 hours at $45 is $180.

So this house is about $180 for a standard clean in this example. Many homes this size go for $120 to $280 a visit. If your price comes out far lower, check that your rate covers your costs.

Set a smallest job you will take, too. A small flat still costs you the drive and the setup.

A deep clean often takes 1.5 to 2.5 times the hours of a standard clean. Price it from those hours, not as a small add-on.

A deep clean gets the dirt a standard clean skips. It often adds:

• Baseboards, door frames and light switches, wiped by hand.
• Window sills and the tracks the windows slide in.
• Ceiling fans and the tops of tall shelves.
• Behind and under the furniture you can move.
• Grout lines and soap scum in the tubs and showers.

In the example, a deep clean of the same house might take 6 to 8 hours of work. At $45 an hour, that is $270 to $360.

Make the first visit a deep clean when a new customer wants repeat visits. It sets the house to a level you can keep up. It also shows them what you can do.

Price each repeat visit from the hours it takes. A house you clean every week stays cleaner, so each visit is shorter.

In the example, the same house might take:

• Every week: 2 to 2.5 hours of work.
• Every 2 weeks: 2.5 to 3 hours of work.
• Once a month: close to a full standard clean.

At $45 an hour, a weekly visit is about $90 to $115. Every 2 weeks is about $115 to $135. The customer pays less each time, and you get steady work on your schedule.

Write down the rules for repeat visits. Say how much notice they need to give to skip or move a visit. Some shops charge for a visit canceled with less than a day's notice. Say what happens if they skip for a month, too. The house may need a deep clean again.

Ask about these when you quote. Each one adds time, so each one is fair to price as its own line.

• Inside the oven: often 30 to 45 minutes.
• Inside the fridge: 20 to 30 minutes, more if it is full.
• Inside windows: priced by the window or by the hour.
• Pets: hair on floors and furniture can add an hour.
• Clutter: picking up before you can clean is slow work.
• Laundry and dishes: some customers want them, so price the time.
• Move-in or move-out: an empty house, plus the insides of cabinets and closets.

Most places do not ask for a trade license to clean homes. You will likely need a normal business license. Rules change by state and city, so check yours.

Give the customer 2 or 3 real choices, each with its own total. For example:

• Standard clean: one visit, with the rooms and tasks listed.
• Deep clean: one visit, with the extra tasks listed.
• Deep clean, then every 2 weeks: the first visit, then the price for each visit after it.

Then list what each choice covers. For example: kitchen, baths, dusting, floors and trash, in every room.

Then say what is not included. For example: outside windows, carpet shampoo, heavy furniture, mold and anything that needs a ladder over 6 feet. Each one can be its own job on its own quote.

Keep your standard clean, your deep clean and your extras in your price book. Then the next house takes a few minutes to quote, and it comes out the same every time.