How to use the calculator
- Pick a method. Price by square feet if you know the size, by rooms if clients tell you bedrooms and bathrooms, or by the hour if you already know how long the job takes.
- Choose the type of cleaning and frequency. Deep, move-out and post-construction jobs take longer, so the time estimate goes up. Recurring clients get a discount you can see the effect of.
- Enter your real costs. What you pay cleaners per hour, how many go to the job, supplies, travel and overhead. The labor hours are estimated for you — change them if your crew is faster or slower.
- Set your target margin. The price updates instantly. Use Copy result to paste the numbers into a quote, a message or your notes.
How the price is calculated
The calculator uses cost-plus pricing: it adds up everything a visit costs you, then sets a price that leaves your target margin on top.
Labor = labor hours × hourly payDirect cost = labor + supplies + travelTotal cost = direct cost × (1 + overhead %)Price = total cost ÷ (1 − target margin %) × (1 − frequency discount)
Labor hours are estimated from the size of the job. For a standard clean the calculator assumes about 550 sq ft per labor-hour, or roughly 1 hour for the kitchen and living areas plus 0.5 hours per bedroom and 0.75 hours per bathroom. In hourly mode, labor hours are simply hours on site × cleaners.
Each type of cleaning multiplies the time (and supplies) of a standard clean:
| Type of cleaning | Time factor | Supplies factor |
|---|---|---|
| Standard / regular | 1.0× | 1.0× |
| Deep cleaning | 1.5× | 1.5× |
| Move-in / move-out | 1.75× | 1.5× |
| Post-construction | 2.25× | 2.0× |
| Office / commercial | 0.7× | 1.0× |
The low and premium prices use your target margin minus and plus 10 points. Low is the floor you shouldn't go under; premium fits clients who want a fixed crew, flexible times or extra care. Recurring discounts are 5% monthly, 10% bi-weekly and 15% weekly.
Margin is not markup. A 30% margin means $30 of every $100 you charge is profit. To get there, the price must be cost ÷ 0.70 — that's a 43% markup on cost, not 30%.
Typical cleaning prices in the US and Canada
Use these typical ranges as a sanity check, not as a price list. Rates vary a lot by city, wages, competition and how much the client expects. Your own costs should always set the floor.
| Pricing basis | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Standard house cleaning, per sq ft | about $0.08–$0.20 |
| Deep cleaning, per sq ft | about $0.15–$0.35 |
| Move-in / move-out, per sq ft | about $0.20–$0.45 |
| Post-construction, per sq ft | about $0.25–$0.60 and up |
| Office / commercial, per sq ft per visit | about $0.05–$0.20 |
| Per cleaner-hour, cleaning company | about $40–$75 |
| Per hour, independent cleaner | about $25–$50 |
| By rooms, standard clean | often $100–$160 for 1 bed / 1 bath, plus roughly $20–$40 per extra bedroom and $25–$50 per extra bathroom |
Typical surcharges over a standard clean:
- Deep cleaning: often 30–100% more, around 1.5× is common.
- Move-in / move-out: often 50–100% more — empty homes, inside cabinets, appliances.
- Post-construction: often 2–3× a standard clean because of dust, debris and extra passes.
- First visit for a new recurring client: usually priced as a deep clean.
- Recurring discounts: commonly 5–20%, biggest for weekly service.
- Add-ons: inside the oven or fridge, interior windows, laundry, pets — usually charged per item.
Worked example
A 2,000 sq ft, 3-bedroom house wants a standard clean every two weeks. Two cleaners, each paid $20 an hour. Supplies $10, travel $15, overhead 20%, target margin 30%.
- Labor hours: 2,000 ÷ 550 ≈ 3.6 hours (about 1 h 50 min on site with two cleaners).
- Labor: 3.6 × $20 = $72.
- Direct cost: $72 + $10 + $15 = $97.
- Overhead: $97 × 20% = $19.40, so total cost = $116.40.
- One-time price at 30% margin: $116.40 ÷ 0.70 ≈ $166.
- Bi-weekly price after a 10% discount: ≈ $150 per visit, about $325 a month.
At $150 the margin drops to about 22%, because the discount comes out of profit. That's fine only if recurring visits are faster. If the crew finishes in 3.0 labor-hours once the house is on a schedule, the cost falls to $102 and the margin climbs back to 32%. This is why tracking actual time per job matters as much as the price itself.
5 common cleaning pricing mistakes
- Copying a competitor's priceTheir wages, crew speed and overhead are not yours. Matching a price you can't afford just means losing money more politely.
- Pricing on wages alonePayroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, supplies, drive time, software and marketing are real costs. Leave them out and a "profitable" job can lose money.
- Confusing markup with marginAdding 30% to your cost gives you a 23% margin, not 30%. Decide on the margin you want and divide cost by (1 − margin).
- Discounting recurring clients blindlyA 15% weekly discount on a thin margin can leave almost nothing. Discount only when recurring visits really take less time.
- Never checking estimates against realityIf jobs keep running long, your price is wrong. Compare estimated and actual hours regularly and raise prices at least once a year.