Cleaning Service Price Calculator
Pricing is where most cleaning businesses leave money on the table (literally). Charge too little and you can't cover overhead, charge too much and clients walk to a competitor. Most owners pick a number that feels right, then spend years wondering whether they're actually underpriced.
Use this free pricing calculator to skip the guesswork. Enter your hourly rate, your team's production speed (square feet cleaned per hour), the home size, and the cleaning type. You'll get a price you can quote with confidence in under 60 seconds.
How to Price a House Cleaning Job
Start With Your True Hourly Rate
Your hourly rate has to cover more than just your cleaner's wage. Load in payroll taxes (15–20%), supplies, insurance, vehicle costs, software, marketing, admin time, and your target profit margin. The formula: (Labor cost + Overhead) ÷ (1 – desired profit margin).
For a cleaner earning $18/hour with $20/hour in overhead and a 25% target margin, that comes out to $50.67/hour. Most professional residential cleaning businesses land between $40 and $60 per hour per cleaner.
Calculate Your Production Rate
Production rate is how many square feet your team cleans per hour. The industry average sits between 400 and 600 sq ft/hour. To find yours, pull your last 10 standard cleans (skip the messy outliers) and divide total square footage by total cleaner-hours. A solo cleaner running 500 sq ft/hour will be slower than a two-person team running 800–1,000 sq ft/hour combined.
Apply the Pricing Formula
The math is simple: (Square footage ÷ Production rate) × Hourly rate = Base price.
A 2,000 sq ft home at 500 sq ft/hour and $50/hour comes out to $200 for a standard one-time clean. That's your floor. Adjust up for deep cleans, move-in/move-outs, clutter, pets, or accessibility issues.
Adjust for Cleaning Type and Frequency
Deep cleans should cost 50–100% more than standard because they take 1.5–2x longer. Move-in/move-out cleans typically run $300–$400 for a 2,000 sq ft home. For recurring clients, the industry standard is a 10% discount for weekly service, 5% for bi-weekly, and a 50% premium for monthly (because monthly homes accumulate more buildup between visits).
Set a Minimum and Protect Your Margins
Always set a minimum job price (typically $100–$150) so small homes don't become unprofitable after travel and admin time. Add contract language that protects you when jobs run long: "Quoted prices assume average-sized rooms in average condition. Additional time will be billed at $50/hour." Communicate overages to the client mid-job so there are no surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this house cleaning pricing calculator free?
Yes, completely free! Run as many price scenarios as you need.
How much should I charge to clean a house?
Most professional cleaning businesses charge $160–$200 for a standard cleaning of a 2,000 sq ft home, $80–$110 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $300–$400 for move-in/move-out service. Per-hour rates typically fall between $40 and $60 per cleaner. The exact number depends on your local market, your overhead, and the type of cleaning. Use the calculator above to build your number from the ground up rather than guessing.
Should I price by the hour, flat rate, per room, or per square foot?
Calculate your hourly rate first regardless — that tells you what you actually need to charge to stay profitable. Then convert to flat rates for quoting. Flat-rate pricing rewards efficient teams (they finish faster but get paid the same), gives clients price confidence at booking, and is what most successful residential cleaning businesses use. Hourly billing makes sense for one-off jobs with unpredictable scope like post-construction or hoarding situations.
How much more should I charge for a deep clean versus a standard clean?
50–100% more. Deep cleans take 1.5–2x longer than standard recurring cleans because they include baseboards, inside fridge, inside oven, blinds, ceiling fans, and other detail work that recurring service doesn't touch. If your standard clean is $200, your deep clean should be $300–$400.
How often should I raise my prices?
Review pricing every 6–12 months and plan for 5–10% annual increases to keep up with inflation and wage growth. If your profit margins drop below 20%, raise rates immediately. Give existing clients 30–60 days' notice and explain the increase briefly. Most won't churn if you've been delivering consistent quality, and the price increase is marginal in comparison to the cost of the service anyway!
What's the most common pricing mistake cleaning businesses make?
Forgetting hidden overhead. Owners calculate "wages + supplies" and call it a day, missing payroll taxes (15–20%), insurance, vehicle costs, software, marketing, unpaid admin time, equipment depreciation, and the cost of estimates that don't convert. A cleaner earning $18/hour actually costs the business closer to $25–$30/hour when you load in everything.
I'm starting a cleaning business — what else do I need?
Beyond a great name, you'll need business insurance, cleaning supplies, a way to manage your schedule and customers, and a plan to get your first clients. ZenMaid has a free, dedicated resource hub with articles and educational materials about starting and growing a cleaning business, from pricing your services to hiring your first employee.
Then, once you're off the ground, ZenMaid's scheduling software handles the day-to-day operations so you can focus on growth.