Pricing is the decision new cleaning owners stress about most, and the one they most often get wrong by charging too little. Here is how to set a rate that is fair to your clients and actually pays you.
The short version
Most residential cleaners charge roughly $25 to $50 an hour, or a flat rate of about $100 to $200 for a standard cleaning of an average home. But those are just reference points. The right price is the one that covers your costs, pays you a wage worth your time, and matches the value you provide in your market.
Three ways to price
Flat rate per job (recommended)
You charge one price for the whole job. This is the easiest for clients to understand, and it rewards you for getting faster. The catch is that you need to estimate time well, so you do not underprice a big or messy home.
Hourly
You charge per hour worked. It feels safe when you are new and unsure how long jobs take, but it punishes you for getting efficient, and clients dislike open-ended bills. Many owners start hourly and switch to flat rates once they know their timing.
Per square foot
You charge a set amount per square foot, often a few cents to around 10 cents depending on the type of clean. This works well for larger or commercial jobs, and for giving fast estimates online.
How to calculate your own rate
Do not copy a number off the internet. Build your price from the ground up:
- Decide your target hourly pay. What does your time need to earn, after everything?
- Add your costs per hour. Supplies, gas, insurance, software, and the share of your marketing it takes to win a job.
- Account for unpaid time. Driving, quoting, scheduling, and admin are real hours you do not bill. A common rule is to assume only about 60 to 70 percent of your working hours are billable.
- Set a flat price per job. Estimate how long a job takes, multiply by your all-in hourly number, and round to a clean figure.
Then sanity-check it against what other cleaners in your area charge. If you are far below them, you are likely underpricing.
Adjust for the type of job
- Standard or recurring clean: your base rate.
- Deep clean: about 1.5 to 2 times the base, since it is slower and more detailed.
- Move-in or move-out: priced like a deep clean or quoted custom, because empty homes and turnovers vary a lot.
- Recurring discount: many owners give a small discount for weekly or biweekly clients, because steady work is worth more than one-off jobs.
Do not compete on being the cheapest
The cheapest cleaner attracts the most demanding, least loyal clients and burns out fastest. You are selling trust, reliability, and time. Price like it. A clear, confident price with great work beats a rock-bottom rate every time.
Raise your prices on a schedule
Review your prices at least once a year and whenever your costs climb or your calendar fills up. The easiest place to start is new clients: quote them at your new rate while keeping existing clients steady, then raise existing clients gradually with plenty of notice.
Let the tools do the math
Pricing gets a lot easier when your website quotes jobs for you. Clean Roost builds your pricing into an instant quote calculator on your site, so visitors get a price in seconds and you stop guessing. You can see our plans, read our guide on what it costs to start a cleaning business, or join the waitlist to get set up.
Frequently asked questions
- How much should I charge to clean a house?
- Most residential cleaners charge somewhere around $25 to $50 an hour, or a flat rate of roughly $100 to $200 for a standard cleaning of an average home. Your right number depends on your market, the type of cleaning, and your costs. Price for the value and trust you provide, not the lowest rate.
- Should I charge by the hour or a flat rate per job?
- A flat rate per job is usually better. Clients understand it, it rewards you for working efficiently, and it avoids awkward conversations about hours. Start by estimating how long a job takes, then set a flat price that hits your target hourly earnings.
- How do I price a deep clean or move-out clean?
- Deep cleans and move-out cleans take longer and involve more detail, so they are priced higher than a standard clean. A common approach is to charge 1.5 to 2 times your standard rate, or quote them as a custom job after a walkthrough.
- How often should I raise my prices?
- Review your prices at least once a year, and whenever your costs rise or you are consistently booked. Raising rates on new clients first is the easiest way to start. Most clients expect reasonable increases over time.
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Related guides
- How to Get Your First Cleaning ClientsPractical, proven ways to find your first cleaning clients in 2026: referrals, Google Business Profile, a simple website, local service ads, and turning happy clients into a steady pipeline.
- How to Start a Cleaning Business: A Step-by-Step GuideA plain, step-by-step guide to starting a cleaning business in 2026: picking a focus, pricing, registering the business, getting clients, and the tools you actually need.
- How Much Does It Cost to Start a Cleaning Business?A realistic breakdown of what it costs to start a cleaning business in 2026, from the bare minimum to a fully set-up operation, with a simple startup budget you can copy.
- Do You Need a License to Start a Cleaning Business?A clear answer on cleaning business license requirements in 2026: what licenses and registrations you actually need, what an LLC does, and how rules differ by state.
Or see our state-by-state guides to starting a cleaning business.