How this calculator prices a clean
Most underpriced cleaning jobs have the same cause: the price was guessed, not worked out from what the job costs. This calculator starts from your time and costs and builds the price up.
- Cleaning time. Each room gets a time in minutes (a kitchen, each bathroom, each bedroom and so on). The total is adjusted for the type of clean, the condition of the home and pets. Extras such as an inside oven or interior windows add their own minutes, plus a fixed setup and walk-through time.
- Labor. Cleaning time plus travel time, for every cleaner on the job, multiplied by your labor rate. If you clean alone, your labor rate is the hourly pay you want for yourself.
- Other costs. Vehicle cost (miles × your cost per mile), supplies, any other job costs, and a share of your overhead such as insurance, software and phone.
- Profit. The total cost is divided by (1 − your target margin) and rounded up. With a 25% margin, a job that costs you $120 is priced at $160, so $40 of every $160 is profit.
- Schedule. Your discount for weekly, every-2-weeks or monthly service comes off that price, and the result is never lower than your minimum charge.
Open “See the math” under the quote to check every line.
How to find your own numbers
Your labor rate
This is what an hour of cleaning work should pay, before profit. For a solo cleaner, pick the hourly pay you want to take home before tax. If you employ cleaners, use their wage plus payroll costs such as employer taxes.
Your cleaning times
The starting room times are a rough guide. The best numbers are your own: time your next few cleans room by room, then update the minutes under “Your cleaning times”. Ticking “Remember my numbers” keeps them on this device for next time.
Supplies, vehicle and overhead
Add up a month of supplies and divide by the number of jobs to get a per-job figure. Do the same with monthly overhead (insurance, software, phone, marketing, bank fees). For the vehicle, use your own cost per mile for fuel, maintenance and wear.
Margin versus markup
A 25% margin and a 25% markup are not the same. Adding 25% to a $100 cost gives $125, but only $25 of that $125 is profit, which is a 20% margin. A true 25% margin needs a price of $133.34 ($100 ÷ 0.75). This calculator uses true margin.
Minimum charge
Small jobs still cost you travel, setup and an open slot in your day. A minimum charge makes sure a one-bathroom job is still worth the trip.
Deep cleans, move-outs and recurring clients
A deep clean goes further than a standard clean in every room: built-up grime, light fixtures, door frames, vents and corners that usually get skipped. The calculator allows for that by multiplying room times by 1.6 for a deep or first-time clean and by 1.8 for a move-in or move-out clean of an empty home. These are starting points.
Inside the oven, inside the fridge, inside cabinets, hand-wiped baseboards and the other extras are priced separately. They are only included when you select them under Extras, and the client quote lists exactly which extras are included. If a deep or move-out clean should cover cupboards or appliances, select those extras so they are priced and written into the quote.
Recurring clients are easier to clean for because the home never gets far behind, and they fill your schedule without new marketing. Many cleaners charge a deep or first-time clean on the first visit, then a lower standard price for each weekly or every-2-weeks visit. The discounts here start at 10% for weekly, 5% for every 2 weeks and 2% for monthly. Set your own.
What other cleaners charge
Prices depend heavily on where you work, so treat published figures as a sanity check, not a target. Housecall Pro’s 2026 pricing guide lists about $30 to $75 per cleaner per hour, $120 to $280 for a standard clean of a 2,000 sq ft home, and 2 to 4 hours for that standard clean. ZenMaid gives typical production rates of 400 to 600 square feet per hour for a standard clean. If you enter square feet, the calculator shows your rate so you can compare.
Check a few local cleaning companies’ websites too. If your price comes out far below theirs, you may be underpricing your time.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge to clean a house?
Enough to cover your labor, travel, supplies and overhead, plus profit. Enter the home and your own costs above and the calculator works it out. Then compare the result with local competitors before you send it.
Should I charge by the hour or a flat rate?
Many clients prefer a flat price because they know the cost up front. Flat rates also reward you for getting faster. Hourly pricing is safer when you can’t see the home first. This calculator gives a flat price that is built from your hours, so you get both.
How much more should a deep clean cost?
It depends on how much extra work the home needs. Published guides commonly put deep cleans at roughly 30% to 100% more than a standard clean (for example InvoiceFly says 30% to 50%, ZenMaid 50% to 100%). This calculator uses 1.6 times the room time as a starting point. Adjust the condition after a walk-through, and select any extras, such as inside appliances, that the deep clean should include.
Should weekly clients pay less?
Often, yes. A home cleaned weekly stays in better shape, so each visit takes less time, and a steady client is worth a lot to a small business. Set your discount for each schedule under “Your cleaning times and recurring discounts”.
Does the quote include sales tax?
No. Prices here are before tax. Whether cleaning services are taxed depends on where you work, so check your state or local rules.
Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. If you tick “Remember my numbers on this device”, your business numbers are stored in this browser only, and you can clear them at any time by unticking the box. See the privacy page.
Can I use this for office or commercial cleaning?
It is built for homes. Commercial jobs are usually priced by square footage and the number of visits per week, with different production rates, so the room-based times here may not fit.