How to price house cleaning so you actually get paid

If your calendar is full but your bank account doesn't show it, the problem is almost always pricing. Underpricing is the most common mistake I see in cleaning businesses, and it's the quickest road to burnout.

The fix isn't charging what the cheapest company in town charges. It's pricing from your own numbers.

Start with your real costs

Every clean has costs, whether you see them or not. List them out:

• Labor: what you pay yourself or your cleaner for the hours on the job
• Payroll costs: taxes and workers' comp if you have W2 employees
• Supplies and equipment
• Drive time and gas
• Overhead: insurance, software, phone, marketing
• Profit: yes, profit is a cost of staying in business

Use labor as your anchor

Labor is your biggest cost, so it makes a good anchor. A lot of cleaning business owners aim for labor to land somewhere around 40 to 50 percent of the price of a clean. The rest covers everything else and leaves you a profit.

Here's a simple example with made-up numbers:

Your numbers will be different, and that's the point. Plug in your own pay rate, your real time per home, and the percentage that works for your costs.

Flat rates beat hourly for most homes

Clients like knowing the price up front, and flat rates reward you for getting faster and better. Quote by home size and condition, then adjust after the first clean if you need to.

Charge more for the first clean

A first clean almost always takes longer. Price it as a deep clean, then offer your recurring rate for weekly or biweekly service. It's fair to the client, fair to your team, and it encourages the recurring clients you want.

Raise your prices on purpose

Your costs go up every year. Your prices should too. A small, planned increase each year with a friendly heads-up to clients is easier for everyone than a big jump after years of waiting.

Check your numbers every week

Pricing isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Track your revenue, labor cost, and profit per job so you can see what's working. My free KPI tracker is the exact sheet I use to watch these numbers.

Price for the business you're building

If you ever want to hire help, your prices need to cover someone else's pay, not just yours. Price like the business you want, not the one you have today.

Written by

Lauren Kern

Founder of Brightside Cleaning NWA and a cleaning business owner sharing what works as I learn it. I'm not a guru. I'm in it with you.