One of our standard biweekly cleans at Oak Bay Clean books at $362.25. It is a flat price tied to the home, set once and charged after each visit. That is the single most important thing Jen and I can tell you about pricing: you charge for the house, not by the hour. It makes quoting fast, it protects your margin, and it is how a cleaning company gets to $2.8 million instead of trading hours for dollars.
This guide gives you the ranges to start from, a price table by home size and frequency, and the way owners actually set a number so you stop underpricing yourself.
How much should you charge for house cleaning in 2026?
Across most of the United States, a standard house cleaning runs about $120 to $280 per visit, with a national average near $180 to $200. Hourly service, when you offer it at all, is a premium custom option priced above your packages, often $50 to $90 an hour per cleaner. Deep cleans run 1.5 to 2 times a standard clean, and move-out cleans run from about $300 to $2,000 depending on size and condition.
Those are starting ranges to adjust to your own market. Here is the short version by situation:
- You are pricing a recurring client. Quote a flat rate by home size and offer a small discount for weekly or biweekly service. Predictable income is worth more than a few extra dollars per visit.
- You are pricing a first-time or deep clean. Charge 1.5 to 2 times your standard rate. The first clean always takes longer, so price it like the bigger job it is.
- You are pricing a move-out. Use a flat rate at the top of your range, because these are detailed and empty-home jobs. Here is how to price and win move-out cleans.
What is the average house cleaning price by home size?
Price by the home's size and number of bathrooms, then adjust for frequency. Bedroom count is a quick stand-in for square footage, so these typical US ranges are organized that way. Confirm against two or three local competitors before you set yours, which is Day 2 of the launch checklist.
| Home size | Weekly | Biweekly | Monthly | One-time / first clean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bed, 1 bath | $90–$110 | $100–$130 | $120–$150 | $150–$200 |
| 2 bed, 1 bath | $100–$130 | $110–$150 | $140–$175 | $175–$240 |
| 3 bed, 2 bath | $120–$160 | $135–$180 | $165–$210 | $220–$300 |
| 4 bed, 3 bath | $160–$210 | $180–$250 | $220–$290 | $300–$420 |
| 5+ bed, 3+ bath | $210–$300 | $250–$360 | $300–$420 | $420–$600+ |
Read the table this way: the more often you clean a home, the less each visit costs the client, because the home stays in better shape and the work goes faster. A weekly client pays less per visit than a one-time client for the same house, on purpose, because you are trading a lower price for predictable recurring income.
How should you set your prices when you are starting out?
Call about ten cleaning companies in your area, ask the price for the same size home, and set yours at 75% to 80% of the most expensive one. You are not racing to the bottom. This is a premium service with reminders, real communication, and a guaranteed clean, so price it like one. Kevin, who built his own company to $40K a month, puts it this way: if 10% of your callers are not telling you that you are too expensive, you are too cheap. You want to hear it from some people, not all of them. Being the cheapest in town attracts clients who nickel and dime you and leaves too little to pay good cleaners well. Being the most expensive when you have no reviews yet means no one books. Aim just below the top of your market, and raise your prices over time.
What does a $362.25 booking look like, broken down?
Take that $362.25 biweekly clean. It is a larger home on a recurring schedule, priced as a flat rate, with a card on file charged after each visit. The client never asks "how many hours did that take," because they are buying a clean home on a schedule, not an hourly babysitter. We set the price once, the contractor does the work, the card is charged, and the booking repeats every two weeks without a new negotiation.
That is the whole advantage of flat-rate pricing. The number is set against the home, so a fast contractor does not cost you margin and a slow day does not cost the client. Multiply one recurring booking like that across a full calendar and you can see how the math turns into a company. It is also why one relationship can be worth so much: a single Realtor named Danielle has booked 47 cleans with us since 2021, which is $16,718.34 from one outreach relationship.
Should you charge a flat rate or by the hour?
Charge a flat rate by the home for almost all of your work, and price your packages so a fast, experienced cleaner is never penalized for being efficient. A flat rate set against the home's size, bathrooms, and condition makes your quote fast, your income predictable, and your margin yours to keep. How quickly your cleaner works, and what they earn per hour, is their business, the same way a hair salon charges extra for highlights and never tells you the cost per hour.
Offer hourly only as a premium, custom service, and price it above your packages on purpose. We charge $75 an hour per cleaner with a three-hour minimum, and across the market hourly runs roughly $50 to $90 an hour per cleaner. Some companies charge $150 an hour for two cleaners with a two-hour minimum and will not send just one. Post-construction is the other time we go hourly, because you cannot estimate it in advance. If a client pushes back on flat pricing, explain it the way we do: a hairdresser charges by the job, not by the hour, because you are paying for skill, and good cleaners are hard to find. For everything recurring, flat rate is how owners price. Here is the full pricing walkthrough on video, which is Day 5 of the checklist.
How do you price hourly and custom requests?
Hourly clients usually want a custom service where they tell the cleaners what to do and how to do it, which is more demanding, not less. Professional cleaners would rather be left to clean the way they know works, so hourly is priced as a premium. Have these clients email their wish list ahead of time, then reply with anything that is beyond your scope before the job is booked. Ours includes climbing ladders, lifting anything over 25 pounds, and removing black mold, strong smells, or any feces, urine, or blood, whether animal or human. Setting that scope up front protects your cleaners and keeps a custom job from turning into a problem.
How much should you charge per square foot?
For homes, price in flat-rate bands by square footage and the home's details, not by the cent per square foot. A set rate per square foot is a commercial cleaning method. On the residential side, Jen and I set a flat rate from the home's square-footage range, then weigh the number of bathrooms and the kitchen, because those rooms take the most time and everything else is surfaces. You can see exactly how we set ours up, with the square-footage flat rates, on our own company's booking page at oakbayclean.com/book-now. One thing we keep separate: we price cleaning, not organizing. Decluttering and organizing a home is a different service, and we charge extra for it.
How do you price standard, deep, and move-out cleans?
Set your standard recurring price first, then multiply for the heavier jobs:
- Standard clean: your base flat rate by home size, from the table above.
- Deep clean or first clean: 1.5 to 2 times the standard rate. Baseboards, inside appliances, and built-up grime take real time, and the first clean on any home is always a deep clean whether the client calls it that or not.
- Move-out clean: a flat rate from about $300 to $2,000 depending on size and condition, because the home is empty and every surface is in play. Stack a first-time-clean fee on top when the home has not had professional cleaning in the last 30 days, since it will take far longer.
Quoting the first clean at your standard rate is the most common way new owners lose money. Price it like the bigger job it is.
What should you charge extra for?
Add-ons are where a flat-rate price turns into real margin, so charge separately for the work that takes real extra time. The ones we charge extra for are inside the oven, inside the fridge, and interior windows. We also split inside an empty fridge from inside a full one, because a full fridge means taking everything out and putting it back. Make add-ons quantity-based where it makes sense, since a home can have two fridges. Remember that this is cleaning, so anything that is really organizing or decluttering is a separate, higher-priced service, not a cheap add-on.
How do you price recurring clients and discounts?
Give a frequency-based discount to lock in recurring work. We take 10% off for monthly, 15% off for biweekly, and 20% off for weekly, because more frequent cleaning keeps the home easy and the visits quick. The discount buys you predictable income and a full calendar, which is worth far more than squeezing the maximum out of each single clean. One thing to watch: some people book a weekly clean to grab the 20% off, then cancel after the first visit, so set your booking system to remove the frequency discount on a first booking that does not continue. And do not run constant promotions that train clients to wait for a deal.
How do you handle last-minute and same-day jobs?
Charge more when a job forces you to scramble, because rearranging cleaners has a real cost. We add 50% for a same-day booking and a flat fee for a next-day one, and we charge a fee for cancellations inside 24 hours. Clients in a panic almost always expect to pay it, and your cleaners love the bonus on a scramble day. For your best clients and the Realtors who send you steady work, waive the fee and tell them you are doing it, which makes them feel looked after. Two habits protect the money: put a hold on the client's card the day before to confirm it will clear, and leave auto-charge off for first-time clients so you can check the clean went well before you charge.
What mistake do new cleaners make when setting prices?
Underpricing, almost every time. New owners quote low out of fear, win the client, and then resent the job because the margin is gone. Your price has to cover what you pay your contractor, your software and phone, your insurance, payment processing, and a profit that makes the business worth running. Look at your local competitors, price near the top of your market rather than the bottom, and let your reviews and reliability justify the number. People searching for a cleaner they will trust in their home are not hunting for the cheapest option, they are hunting for the one who answers the phone and shows up.
How do you quote a cleaning job in five minutes?
Ask three questions and price from the table. Get the bedrooms and bathrooms, ask whether it is a first or recurring clean, and ask the frequency they want. That gives you a flat rate in under five minutes, on the same call, while your competition is still promising to "send someone out to take a look." Quoting a clear price fast is one of the simplest ways to win the booking, and it pairs with the other free advantage most owners skip, which is actually answering the phone. For card-on-file billing so the price is charged automatically after each clean, Jen and I use ConvertLabs, free for 30 days at convertlabs.io/blueprint. (Disclosure: that is our affiliate link, and we earn a fee if you sign up through it at no extra cost to you. We only point people to tools we use ourselves.)
Pricing is Day 5 of the free 22-Day plan
The free Master Checklist walks you through setting your prices, building your booking site, and getting your first clients, with a video tutorial for every step.
Grab the free checklist →Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge per hour for house cleaning? Price hourly service above your flat packages, not below. We charge $75 an hour per cleaner with a three-hour minimum, and across the market hourly runs about $50 to $90 an hour per cleaner. Hourly is a custom service where the client directs the work, so it is priced as a premium, and most of your work should still be flat-rate packages.
How much do you charge to clean a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house? Typically $135 to $180 for a standard biweekly clean in most US markets, more for a first or deep clean, less per visit for weekly service. Adjust to your local market.
Is it better to charge flat rate or hourly for cleaning? Flat rate for almost everything, priced so efficient cleaners are not penalized. Offer hourly only as a premium custom service, or for jobs you cannot estimate like post-construction, and price it above your packages.
How much more should I charge for a deep clean? 1.5 to 2 times your standard rate. Deep cleans and first cleans take significantly longer, so price them as the bigger job they are.
How much should I charge for a move-out clean? Anywhere from about $300 to $2,000 depending on the home's size, condition, and number of kitchens and bathrooms. It is more than people expect, because every surface in an empty home is in play. We also add a first-time-clean fee on top whenever the home has not had professional cleaning in the last 30 days, since a neglected home takes much longer than one cleaned biweekly for years.
Should I charge more for the first clean? Yes. The first clean on any home is effectively a deep clean, so charge 1.5 to 2 times your standard rate. Pricing the first clean at your recurring rate is the most common way new owners lose money.
How do I price a recurring cleaning client? Set a flat rate by home size and offer a frequency discount: we use 10% off monthly, 15% off biweekly, and 20% off weekly. Predictable recurring income is worth more than maximizing a single visit.
How do I set my prices when I am just starting? Call about ten local companies, ask the price for the same size home, and set yours at 75% to 80% of the most expensive. Price near the top of your market, not the bottom, because you are offering a premium, guaranteed service.
Should I charge extra for cleaning inside the oven or fridge? Yes. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, and interior windows are add-ons priced on top of the base clean, and a full fridge costs more than an empty one because everything has to come out and go back.
What should I charge for a last-minute or same-day clean? Add a surcharge, around 50% for same-day, because you have to rearrange your cleaners. Most clients in a rush expect it, and you can waive it for your best regulars.
Your next step
Pick your home-size ranges from the table, check them against two or three local competitors, and write down your standard, deep, and move-out prices today. Then quote your next caller a flat rate in five minutes.
When you want the whole launch in order, the full guide on how to start a cleaning business covers all 22 days for free, and the 22-Day Cleaning Company Blueprint ebook lays out every step for $27. If you want other owners to pressure-test your prices before you send them, that is what the Inner Circle is for.
Get the weekly newsletter
Real stories and practical advice from two sisters who built a $2.8M cleaning business. Free every Monday.
Subscribe free →