Figuring out what to charge for house cleaning is harder than it looks. Price too low and you're grinding hours for nothing. Price too high without the reputation to back it up and customers go elsewhere. This guide gives you real 2026 rates so you can set prices that actually keep the lights on.

The Quick Answer: House Cleaning Rates for 2026

Most residential cleaning companies price jobs one of three ways: hourly, per room, or by square footage. Here's what the market looks like right now:

Hourly rate (per cleaner): $35 - $75/hr
Per room: $30 - $50 per room
Per square foot (standard clean): $0.06 - $0.15/sq ft
Per square foot (deep clean): $0.20+/sq ft
Flat rate for a 2-3 bedroom home: $120 - $280/visit
Average 2,000 sq ft home (standard clean): $110 - $320

Independent cleaners typically charge on the lower end ($25-$45/hr). Established companies with branded vans and trained staff charge $50-$75/hr. If you're somewhere in the middle, price yourself accordingly.

How to Calculate Your Rate

The fastest method is square footage divided by your production rate, then multiplied by your hourly cost.

Example: A 2,000 sq ft home cleaned at 500 sq ft/hour = 4 hours. At $50/hr = $200 base labor. Add $15 for supplies, $30 for overhead, $40 profit = $285 total quote.

Production rates matter a lot here. A standard clean averages about 500 sq ft/hour. Deep cleaning drops to around 300 sq ft/hour because you're scrubbing baseboards, cleaning inside appliances, and doing work a routine visit skips entirely.

The Full Pricing Formula

Base labor: (sq ft / production rate) x hourly cost
Supplies: $10-$25 per job (cleaning products, cloths, mop pads)
Overhead (15-25% of revenue): insurance, vehicle, software, admin
Target profit: 15-30% net, 50-70% gross

Gross margins look high for cleaning because materials are cheap -- you'll rarely spend more than $25 in supplies per job. Net margin after overhead and labor is what actually matters.

Pricing by Service Type

Standard Regular Cleaning

This is the bread and butter -- weekly or biweekly visits for recurring customers. Typically runs $0.06-$0.10/sq ft, or $120-$200 flat for a standard 3-bedroom home. Recurring clients are easier work per visit (the house never gets too far gone) and you spend less time marketing to replace them. Most established companies charge regulars 15-25% less than one-time clients.

Deep Cleaning

First-time clients or homes that haven't been professionally cleaned in a while. Budget 2-3x your standard clean time. Charge $0.20+/sq ft or $250-$450 for a 2,000 sq ft home. Never quote a first-time client at your regular maintenance rate -- you'll lose money on almost every job.

Move-In and Move-Out Cleaning

These are premium jobs. Empty homes make some rooms easier (no furniture to work around) but require full appliance interiors, inside cabinets, walls, and sometimes windows. Average quote: $200-$500 for a standard home, $400-$800 for larger properties. Real estate agents and property managers are the best sources of this work -- build those relationships.

Post-Construction Cleaning

High-effort, high-pay. Dust, debris, and leftover materials everywhere. Most cleaners charge $0.25-$0.50/sq ft for post-construction work. It's slower, harder on equipment, and needs HEPA vacuums and heavy-duty cleaners. Price it that way and don't undercut yourself.

Flat-Rate Pricing vs Hourly: Which One Wins

Hourly pricing makes customers nervous. They watch the clock and start asking questions. Flat rate removes that anxiety and rewards your efficiency as you get faster.

Here's the thing: a slow cleaner charging hourly earns the same as a fast one. Flat rate means the more efficient your team gets, the more you make per hour on every job. Once you know your production rates, flat rate almost always puts more money in your pocket.

The downside: if you underestimate a new job, you eat the loss. Most experienced cleaners add 20-30% to their time estimate for new clients until they've cleaned the property at least once.

Common Pricing Mistakes to Avoid

Same price for first-time and regular clients. First visits always take longer. Quote a deep clean for new clients every time.
No add-on menu. Inside ovens, inside fridges, laundry, interior windows -- these add real time. Write out a clear add-on list with a price for each item.
No minimum charge. Small apartments still take drive time and setup. Set a minimum of $100-$125 per visit and hold it.
Underpricing to build a client base. Cheap prices attract the most demanding customers and train your market to expect discounts. Price where you want to be, not where you are today.
Forgetting supply costs. Cleaning products, microfiber cloths, and mop pads are real costs. Budget $10-$25 per job and bake it into every quote.

Bottom Line

Standard house cleaning runs $35-$75/hr or $120-$280 flat for a typical home. Deep cleaning and move-outs are 2-3x that. Flat-rate pricing works better for most businesses once you know your production rates. Set a minimum, build in your supply costs, and always charge more for first-time cleans -- they take longer, every time.

If you want customers to get an instant price right on your website before they call someone else, try QuoteSnap for free. You set your rates, they enter their home size, and they get a quote in 30 seconds.

House Cleaning Pricing Guide: What to Charge Per Job in 2026