How to price a cleaning job
Start with the real work involved, then make room for the business around it. A sustainable quote connects scope, labor, expenses, and profit.
1. Define the scope before the price
Record the property size and condition, rooms, tasks, visit frequency, access arrangements, and exclusions. A deep clean and a recurring maintenance clean require different time estimates. Confirm assumptions with the customer.
2. Estimate total labor hours
Multiply cleaners by hours per cleaner. Include setup, travel time where paid, and pack-down. Use your own historical job times when available. Do not assume an owner’s labor is free.
3. Include the surrounding costs
Account for payroll burden, supplies, transportation, equipment, allocated overhead, and other costs. Decide consistently how overhead is allocated across jobs.
4. Calculate a margin, not just a markup
Selling price = cost ÷ (1 − desired margin). With illustrative costs of $140 and a 30% margin, the price is $200. Adding 30% to cost instead gives $182 and a lower margin.
5. Review before sending
Check the scope, taxes, market conditions, capacity, and customer expectations. Discounts reduce profit unless something else changes. State the validity period and what requires a revised estimate.