Pricing a cleaning job is arithmetic followed by a conversation, and the arithmetic exists to make the conversation survivable. An owner who knows a house costs them two hundred dollars can discuss two hundred and eighty with a straight face. An owner who picked two hundred and eighty because it sounded right will discount it the moment anyone pushes, because there is nothing underneath it to defend.
How to price house cleaning jobs: the arithmetic in four lines
Paid hours: cleaners multiplied by hours on site, plus the travel you pay for. Loaded labor: paid hours multiplied by the wage plus the employer's payroll tax and insurance. Job costs: supplies consumed, the trip, and overhead per paid hour. Price: the total divided by one minus your target margin. That is the whole calculation and the free sheet on this site performs it as you type.
How to quote cleaning jobs before you have cleaned the house
For a first quote, walk the property if you can and count what actually takes time: bathrooms, kitchen surfaces, floor area by type, clutter, pets, and how long since it was last cleaned properly. Square footage alone is a weak predictor; two identical houses can differ by an hour. Quote from your estimate, then record the actual hours on the first visit and correct the price if you were wrong, which is a normal conversation if you say in advance that you will have it.
Holding the price
When a customer asks for a discount, the useful answer is what would have to change: fewer rooms, a longer interval, no add-ons. Offering a lower price for the same work teaches the customer that your prices are opinions, and it is the beginning of the account that eventually costs you money. Knowing your cost is what makes that answer easy to give rather than a bluff.
Other questions people ask
How do I decide how much to charge for house cleaning?
Your cost divided by one minus your margin, then compared against your local market. National averages describe a market that is not yours.
Should I quote hourly or a flat rate?
Flat for recurring work. Hourly punishes you for getting faster, which is what happens on any house you clean regularly.
What if I quoted too low?
Correct it at the earliest honest moment with a reason and notice. Carrying a loss-making house for a year costs far more than one uncomfortable conversation.
Is how to bid on a cleaning job different from pricing one?
Only in the language and in what you are committing to. A bid is an offer at a price, usually with a validity period printed on it; a quote is indicative until the customer accepts. The arithmetic underneath is the same four lines, and the word changes mostly by market: commercial work calls it a bid, residential calls it a quote.
How much do cleaners charge per square foot?
There is no figure worth quoting, because the number is an output of your wage market and your production rates rather than a rate the trade agrees on. Work it out from a house you clean now: loaded labor plus job costs, divided by one minus your margin, then divided by the area. That gives you a comparison figure you can defend, which is the only kind worth having.