When starting a cleaning business, you need to know how much to charge for house cleaning services so as not to leave money on the table and your competitors surpass it. In this house cleaning price guide, I'll show you what you can do to clean houses and how to price your cleanings. If you don't want to take the time to create your own price list, I've created a price calculator that you can use to give estimates. To calculate your house cleaning rates, you must determine your hourly rate or how much you will charge per hour.
It's the same as when you work for someone else and get paid by the hour. It's the same here. You can do this by simply calling several reputable local cleaning services or franchise cleaning services in your area and asking how much they charge by the hour. If they don't give you that information, you can get an estimate of your home to find out how they charge.
Now that you know how much cleaning services charge in your area, you can average hourly rates to calculate how much you can charge to stay competitive. Add up all the hourly rates and divide by the number of rates you have. This is the average hourly rate in your area. You want your rate to be somewhere from the middle to the top of those rates.
Keep in mind that if you have or plan to hire employees, you should ensure that you charge an hourly rate high enough to cover your labor and overhead expenses with a net profit of at least 20% after all expenses. You must also include a salary for yourself within your overhead expenses. Now that you know your hourly rate, the next step is to figure out how long it will take you to clean each area of a house, apartment, townhouse, etc. Use a stopwatch or timer and measure your time in each area.
The areas on time are bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, extra room or loft, hallways, stairs, hall and living areas (living room, family room, study, sunroom, etc. You can do this by cleaning your own home or asking them to clean the houses of some friends or family if you can. Ft. When you've been cleaning for a while, you can go back and average all your cleanings to get your average square footage.
For the type of cleaning, you will need to determine how much time you should add or subtract based on the frequency or type of cleaning. My normal times in my estimate calculator are based on a biweekly cleaning. Once you know your hourly rate and cleaning times, you'll need to set up your price list. To give a customer an estimate, add up the times of the areas given by the customer, divide those times by 60 to find out how long it will take them to clean, and multiply that number by their hourly rate.
If you want to start giving accurate estimates right away, I created an estimate calculator that I use for my own business. We provide useful cleaning tips, software and courses to help those looking to start or grow their cleaning business. When you set your room averages and can reach that average every time, you're ready to decide on your optimal pricing model. The cleaning rate of your base home should (at a minimum) be higher than the money you will spend on gasoline, insurance, taxes, labor, equipment, etc.
Flat rates may be easier to sell to customers (because they know what they have to pay in advance), but if you don't know the house very well, or you don't clean it very often, this model can cost you. Many home cleaning companies provide services using environmentally friendly products that are easier on the environment and for humans. Certain areas of the country have a higher percentage of people seeking house cleaning services. Depending on what is happening in your life, you may need different types of house cleaning services at different times.
Before you can be a successful entrepreneur in the field of services, you need to know how to charge for cleaning the house. That said, by maintaining a reasonable and competitive price, you can convince customers that you are providing an all-in-one housekeeping service. Even if your place is only 800 square feet, your cleaning costs will vary depending on whether it's a studio apartment or a two-bedroom house. As your home cleaning business grows and you gain more experience under your belt, it's likely to become more efficient.
Some cleaning companies charge an hourly rate, which means that the price you pay for each visit can vary depending on how dirty your house is that week. Housekeeping in San Francisco, California, charges an hourly rate based on the number of cleaners required for their job. With Thimble's house cleaning insurance, you can operate with confidence knowing you're protected. If you have a sleek, modern home with few impediments to cleanliness, it's probably worth finding a cleaner that charges an hourly house cleaning fee, rather than the size of the space.
We've taken a look at the big picture and broken it down to help you determine how to charge for housekeeping services. Now she is looking for a new job and potential clients are asking about the price list for cleaning her house. . .
