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Guide · House cleaners

How much to charge for house cleaning

Two homes can pay the same flat rate and earn you very different money. This guide shows typical 2026 rates, the trade-off between hourly and flat pricing, and the one number every cleaner should know for each client: real dollars per hour.

Typical rates in 2026

Measure	Typical range (US)
Independent cleaner, per hour	about $35–$45
Cleaning company, per cleaner-hour	about $50–$65
Standard clean, per visit	$118–$238 (avg about $176)
Per square foot, standard clean	$0.10–$0.20
Deep clean, flat	roughly $200–$400

Sources: Bark 2026 price guide (hourly rates); HomeAdvisor 2026 cost guide, as summarized by Maidstaff (per visit, per square foot, deep clean). Published guides disagree, and local prices vary a lot, so use these as a sanity check rather than a price list.

Why do companies charge more? Their rate covers wages, payroll taxes, insurance, supplies, scheduling and backup cleaners. As an independent you cover the same costs yourself. Your rate still has to pay for them even if nobody sends you an invoice for them.

Hourly vs flat rate

	Hourly	Flat rate per visit
Best for	First cleans, deep cleans, unknown condition	Recurring clients once you know the home
Client sees	Uncertain total	A clear, predictable price
Risk to you	Low, but working faster earns you less	If the job takes longer, you absorb it
Reward for efficiency	None	Get faster and keep the difference

Many cleaners use both: hourly (or a padded estimate) for the first clean, then a flat rate for recurring visits once they've timed the home two or three times.

The number that matters: real $/hour per home

Real $/hour = (price − supplies) ÷ (time on site + round-trip travel)

Supplies means the chemicals, cloths, bags and vacuum wear used on that job. A few dollars per visit is typical for a standard clean. Travel counts because you can't book another client while you're driving.

Worked example: two homes at $150

	Home A	Home B
Flat price	$150	$150
Supplies	$6	$6
Time on site	2 h 30 min	3 h 30 min
Round-trip travel	30 min	40 min
Total hours	3.0	4.17
Real $/hour	$48.00	$34.56

Home B looks the same on your calendar and your bank statement, but it pays almost $14/hour less. Over a year of biweekly cleans, that gap is about 26 visits × 4.17 hours × $13.44, or roughly $1,450 of unpaid time on one client. The fix is a price change on that home, not working faster everywhere.

How to set a price for a new home

1. Pick a target real $/hour. Start from your local market and what you need to earn after taxes and costs.
2. Estimate the minutes. Do a walkthrough (in person or by video) room by room, and rate the condition. See our walkthrough and estimate guide.
3. Add travel and supplies.
4. Price = (on-site hours + travel hours) × target rate + supplies. At $45/hour, 2.5 hours on site with 30 minutes of travel and $6 of supplies comes to 3 × $45 + $6 = $141. Rounded, that's $145.
5. Charge a first-clean premium. First cleans almost always take longer. Quote them separately, or hourly, and set the recurring price after you've timed the home.

Common pricing mistakes

• Square footage alone. A tidy 2,400 sq ft home can be quicker than a cluttered 1,200 sq ft one with three dogs. Use square footage as a cross-check, not the method.
• No minimum. Set a minimum visit charge so small jobs still cover the drive.
• Same price forever. Re-time recurring homes once or twice a year. Homes change: new baby, new pet, renovation.
• Extras for free. Inside the fridge, oven, windows and laundry are add-ons. List them with prices.
• No cancellation policy. A same-day cancellation is an unpaid gap you usually can't fill.

Raising prices on existing clients

Give at least 30 days' notice in writing. Be specific: "From March 1, your biweekly clean will be $165." You don't need to apologise. Rising supply costs and your time are reason enough. Start with the clients whose real $/hour is lowest; those are the ones costing you most.

Frequently asked questions

Should I post my prices on my website?

Many cleaners post "starting at" prices by home size, then confirm after a walkthrough. A starting price filters out bargain hunters and saves you quoting jobs you'll never get, while the walkthrough protects you from surprise build-up.

Should recurring clients get a discount?

Recurring homes are faster to clean and easier to schedule, so a lower per-visit price than a one-time clean is common. Base it on the shorter time you've actually measured, not on a percentage off.

How do I price add-ons?

Time each one the first few times you do it (inside the oven, inside the fridge, a load of laundry) and price it at your target hourly rate, rounded up. Publish them as a short list so clients can choose.

What if a client says I'm too expensive?

Offer to reduce the scope rather than the rate. For example, alternate bathrooms one visit and kitchen detail the next. Your hourly rate is what keeps your business going; the checklist is what you can flex.

Going further

The Cleaning Business Tracker (Excel + Google Sheets) calculates real $/hour for every home automatically, including travel, and has a quote calculator, job log, unpaid list and profit dashboard.

Disclosure: the templates linked here are made and sold by this site's shop. Rates quoted are published figures for reference only; this isn't financial or tax advice.