How to Price House Cleaning Jobs: Formula & Examples

2. Define the scope before estimating time

Ask for the home's size, bedroom and bathroom count, condition, service type and requested extras. A walkthrough or clear photos can help with an unfamiliar or heavily soiled home. Confirm:

• Which rooms and surfaces are included, and whether any areas are excluded.
• Build-up, clutter, pet hair, stairs and delicate surfaces that need extra care.
• Whether the home is occupied or empty, and whether water and power are available.
• Access, parking, travel distance and any tasks needing specialist equipment.

Use timed jobs of a similar scope to estimate labor, including setup and packing away. If you lack a history, make a cautious estimate and compare it with the actual time afterward. Record what caused any difference before quoting the next job.

3. Use a clear house cleaning pricing formula

Start with a labor-based check

Job price = estimated cleaner-hours × target hourly revenue + job-specific costs not already included.

At the example $42 target, a four-hour solo clean is $168. If that job needs $12 of unusually costly materials that are not covered by your regular allowance, the quote becomes $180 before any applicable tax. Do not add routine supplies or travel again if your hourly target already covers them.

Turn repeatable jobs into a size-based estimate

Once you know your cleaning times, a room-and-area formula can make quoting consistent. TidyQuote's free cleaning price calculator uses:

Base subtotal = base visit charge + (bedrooms × bedroom rate) + (bathrooms × bathroom rate) + (square feet × area rate).

Per-visit estimate = service-adjusted subtotal − recurring discount + add-ons. The service-adjusted subtotal is the base subtotal multiplied by the chosen cleaning type. Round to cents at each stage, as the calculator does. Any locally required tax is separate from these examples.

The calculator starts at $60 per visit, $15 per bedroom, $20 per bathroom and $0.04 per square foot. Its example service multipliers are 1 for standard cleaning, 1.6 for deep cleaning and 1.9 for move-in/move-out cleaning. These are quoting assumptions, not measured house cleaning rates. Adjust the base and room/area rates, then check the result against your labor target.

4. Compare examples by home size and cleaning type

The table uses those same calculator defaults with one-time frequency and no add-ons or tax. It shows how the formula changes, not what every home should cost.

A small home with heavy kitchen build-up may need more time than a larger, well-maintained home. Use the figures as an initial estimate and adjust for the agreed work. For move-outs, confirm appliance and cabinet interiors, utilities and access using our move-out cleaning checklist. If an interior task is already included in your quoted scope, do not charge for it again as an add-on.

Worked example: a recurring three-bedroom clean

1. Base subtotal: $60 + (3 × $15) + (2 × $20) + (1,600 × $0.04) = $209.00.
2. Standard service multiplier: $209.00 × 1 = $209.00.
3. Every-two-weeks discount at the calculator's 15% setting: $209.00 × 0.15 = $31.35.
4. Add inside-fridge cleaning at the calculator's example $30 amount: $209.00 − $31.35 + $30.00 = $207.65 per visit, before any applicable tax.

Reproduce it in the cleaning price calculator, then replace the rates with yours. If the whole visit takes four cleaner-hours, $207.65 ÷ 4 is about $51.91 of revenue per cleaner-hour. At five hours it is $41.53, below the earlier $42 target, so the rate or scope would need reviewing.

5. Choose hourly or flat-rate pricing

Hourly pricing: useful when the scope is uncertain

Hourly billing can suit variable tasks or a first visit where the condition is difficult to assess. State whether the rate is per cleaner-hour or for the entire team, give an estimated time range, and agree a spending cap or approval point. Explain what happens if more time is needed before continuing beyond that limit.

Flat-rate pricing: useful for clearly defined work

A flat per-visit price gives the client a known cost for an agreed checklist. It works best when you understand the scope and can estimate time reliably. You carry the risk of an underestimate, so document exclusions and agree any changes before doing additional work. You can still use an hourly target internally without billing the client by the hour.

For either method, set a minimum visit charge if needed to cover short jobs, travel and setup. Base it on your costs rather than copying a competitor's minimum.

6. Price the first-time deep clean separately

A first visit may need extra work to bring a home to a maintainable condition, but do not assume every new client needs the same deep clean. Inspect the condition and specify the additional tasks. Our standard vs. deep cleaning guide helps define the difference.

For the example three-bedroom home, a one-time deep clean is $209 × 1.6 = $334.40, while later standard visits every two weeks are $209 − $31.35 = $177.65, without extras. Show both prices and scopes in the quote. Do not automatically discount the initial intensive visit just because later appointments will be recurring.

7. Offer recurring discounts only when the numbers work

Regular visits can reduce build-up and make scheduling more predictable, but savings depend on the home and the work. TidyQuote's calculator applies example discounts of 10% monthly, 15% every two weeks and 20% weekly to the service subtotal, not the add-ons. These settings are not a requirement or a statement about the market.

Use your tracked times to decide whether a discount is sustainable. For example, a $209 standard subtotal becomes $167.20 with the calculator's weekly 20% discount. Check whether that still covers the cleaner-hours required. State what happens if a visit is skipped or the home's condition changes, and agree a revised price rather than adding surprise charges.

8. Quote add-ons with clear boundaries

List extras separately when they are outside the base checklist. Define the unit: per appliance, per load, a stated number of windows, or a specific task. The calculator includes illustrative charges of $35 for an oven, $30 for a fridge and $20 per laundry load; your prices should reflect time, materials and scope.

• Specify whether appliances must be emptied and whether laundry includes folding.
• Clarify the number and accessibility of windows; do not imply specialist or high-access work is included.
• Describe pet-hair removal or heavy build-up before agreeing any additional charge.
• Keep hazardous waste, mold remediation and other specialist tasks outside your ordinary service unless you are qualified and equipped for them.

9. Send a quote the client can understand

Include the service checklist, first-visit and recurring prices, extras, applicable taxes, access assumptions, payment terms and how long the estimate is valid. Review actual cleaning time after the job so your next quote is better informed. Check your rates when costs or scope change.

Once the price is ready, use our cleaning quote follow-up templates for a polite next step. The TidyQuote pricing page compares the app's Free and Pro plans for creating and managing quotes; those subscription prices are separate from the rates you charge clients.

House cleaning pricing FAQs

How much should I charge for cleaning a three-bedroom house?

Use bathrooms, floor area, condition and the checklist as well as bedrooms. In this guide's 3 bed / 2 bath / 1,600 sq ft example, the default formula gives $209 for a one-time standard clean before extras and tax. That is an illustration, not a local going rate. Confirm the labor needed and replace the rates with ones that cover your costs.

Should I charge by the hour or a flat rate?

Use hourly billing when the work is genuinely variable and you can agree a time limit. Use a flat price when the scope and expected labor are clear. Whichever you choose, explain how the client approves extra work and track cleaner-hours to check profitability.

How much more should I charge for a deep clean?

There is no universal percentage. Estimate the additional labor and tasks rather than adding a label alone. The calculator's 1.6 multiplier is a starting assumption for examples; if the actual work takes substantially longer, that estimate may not cover your costs. Price appliance interiors separately only when they are not already included.

Should recurring clients get a discount on their first clean?

Not automatically. The first clean may involve extra build-up and a different checklist. Quote that work separately, then offer a recurring rate only if the expected maintenance time supports it. Show the first and later visit prices before the client books.

How do I compare my rates with local cleaning businesses?

Compare publicly available prices for similar scope, home size, supplies, frequency and team arrangements. A per-cleaner hourly rate is not the same as a whole-team rate, and a starting price may exclude extras. Use comparisons as a sense-check, not a reason to quote below your own costs. Broad house cleaning rate averages cannot tell you what a specific job will take.