How much should I charge per square foot to clean a house?

Published 2025–2026 norms are roughly $0.10–$0.17 per square foot for a standard clean, $0.11–$0.30 for a deep clean, and $0.22–$0.33 for a move-out clean. The calculator shows your effective price per square foot and flags it green or amber against those bands so you can sanity-check your quote.

Should I discount recurring (weekly or bi-weekly) cleans?

Most cleaners do. Recurring homes have less buildup so they clean faster, and they lock in revenue, so the industry typically discounts them 10–20%. This tool applies 10% for bi-weekly and 15% for weekly to the base price (never to add-ons). One-time and monthly cleans get no discount because buildup is the same as a one-off.

Why is the price a range instead of one number?

Because the real job time can swing 30% or more on things square footage can't see — clutter, pet hair, grime level, stairs, and parking. A range preserves negotiating room and reflects genuine uncertainty. Always confirm with an in-person or photo walkthrough before committing to a firm price.

Is the house cleaning pricing calculator free?

Yes — 100% free. Everything is calculated privately in your browser; nothing is stored or sold.

House Cleaning Pricing Calculator

Q: How do I price a house cleaning job?

Start from your fully-loaded cost: hourly wage plus payroll burden plus overhead per hour. Divide that by (1 minus your target margin) to get a billable rate, then multiply by the labor hours the job needs (square footage divided by your production rate, plus extra time for bathrooms). Apply a recurring-frequency discount, add flat add-on charges, and you get a defensible price range. This free calculator does all of that and shows the minimum you should never go below.

Q: Should I price by the hour or per job?

For recurring residential work, flat or range per-visit pricing is the industry standard. Charging by the hour penalizes a fast, experienced crew and invites the client to watch the clock. This calculator builds the price up from your hourly costs internally but outputs a per-visit price.

Stop undercharging — minimum & recommended price per job

The home

Home square footage

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

Cleaning type

Frequency

Your costs

Cleaner wage (loaded)

Payroll burden %

Overhead $/labor hour

Target profit margin %

Production rate (sq ft/hr)

Number of cleaners

Pros average 400–600 sq ft/hr on a standard clean. Wage is base pay; the calculator adds burden and overhead on top.

Add-ons (flat surcharge each)

Inside oven

Inside fridge

Interior windows

Laundry

Baseboards

Add-ons are flat charges (fixed time regardless of home size) and are never discounted. Edit any price to match your menu.

Recommended price — bi-weekly

min $0

House Cleaning Pricing Calculator — guide & how to use

What it does

This calculator tells you what to charge for a residential cleaning job so you actually make money. It builds the price up from your real costs — wage, payroll taxes, overhead, and your target profit margin — rather than guessing off square footage alone. You get a minimum defensible price (never go below this) and a recommended price range per visit, plus your profit, on-site time, price per square foot, and projected monthly recurring revenue. Everything is calculated privately in your browser, free.

How to use it

Enter the home's square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Pick the cleaning type (deep and move-out cleans are ~1.5–2× slower) and the frequency.
Enter your loaded wage, payroll burden, overhead per hour, and target margin. Tune the production rate to your real crew speed.
Tick any add-ons and adjust their flat prices to your menu.
Read the recommended range at the top, the minimum in the badge, and the full breakdown below.

Worked example

A 2,000 sq ft home, 3 bed / 2 bath, standard clean, bi-weekly, $20/hr wage, 18% burden, $20/hr overhead, 30% margin, 500 sq ft/hr, 1 cleaner, plus inside oven ($30) and interior windows ($50):

Loaded wage = 20 × 1.18 = $23.60. Cost rate = 23.60 + 20 = $43.60/hr.
Billable rate = 43.60 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $62.29/hr.
Standard multiplier 1.0 → effective rate 500 sq ft/hr. Sq ft hours = 2000 ÷ 500 = 4.0 hr.
Bathroom adder = (2 − 1) × 0.4 = 0.4 hr. Total labor = 4.4 hr.
Base price = 4.4 × 62.29 = $274.07. Bi-weekly −10% → $246.66.
Add-ons = 30 + 50 = $80. Recommended = $327; range high (×1.15) = $376.
Minimum = (4.4 × 43.60 × 1.10) + 80 = $291.

So you'd quote $327–$376 per bi-weekly visit, and never go below $291.

The formula

cost_rate    = wage × (1 + burden%) + overhead/hr
billable_rate = cost_rate ÷ (1 − margin%)
labor_hours  = sqft ÷ (production_rate × type_mult) + bath_adder
recommended  = labor_hours × billable_rate × (1 − freq_discount) + add-ons
minimum      = labor_hours × cost_rate × 1.10 + add-ons
range        = recommended  to  recommended × 1.15

Type multiplier: Standard 1.0, Deep 0.6, Move-out 0.5. Frequency discount: bi-weekly 10%, weekly 15%, one-time/monthly 0%.

Accuracy & disclaimers

This is an estimate, not a binding quote. Always verify with an in-person or photo walkthrough — clutter, pet hair, grime level, and access (stairs, parking) can swing actual time 30%+ and aren't captured by square footage.
Rates are 2025–2026 US national averages. Major metros run 20–50% above national; rural areas below. Tune wage, overhead, and production rate to your local market.
Production rate is the biggest source of error. 400–600 sq ft/hr is a published average; measure your real crew by timing actual jobs, then enter it here.
The minimum still bakes in a 10% floor margin on purpose — it is not break-even. Quoting at true cost is a common path to going out of business.
The frequency discount (10% bi-weekly / 15% weekly) is a market-typical convention, not a law. The output is a range, not one firm price, to preserve negotiating room.

Common mistakes this tool prevents

Pricing off raw wage and forgetting payroll taxes, insurance, and supplies — the loaded cost rate fixes this.
Treating overhead as zero because it's not a per-job invoice line — it's real and amortized per hour here.
Quoting deep or move-out cleans at standard speed — the type multiplier slows the rate accordingly.
Applying the frequency discount to add-ons — add-ons stay flat and undiscounted.
Solo operators using a 20–30% company margin and underpaying themselves — if you are the labor, target 40–50%.

How to embed this tool on your website

No account, no coding. Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to appear:

<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/house-cleaning-pricing-calculator/?embed=1"
  style="width:100%;max-width:560px;height:1180px;border:0;"
  title="House Cleaning Pricing Calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/house-cleaning-pricing-calculator/">House Cleaning Pricing Calculator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>

2 Paste it on your page

3 It just works

See it live: view a real embed example →

Frequently asked questions

How do I price a house cleaning job?

Start from your fully-loaded cost (wage + payroll burden + overhead per hour), divide by (1 − target margin) for a billable rate, then multiply by the labor hours the job needs. Apply a recurring discount, add flat add-on charges, and you get a defensible range. This tool also shows the minimum you should never go below.

How much should I charge per square foot?

2025–2026 norms are roughly $0.10–$0.17/sq ft standard, $0.11–$0.30 deep, $0.22–$0.33 move-out. The tool flags your effective price-per-sq-ft green or amber against those bands.

Should I discount recurring cleans?

Most cleaners discount recurring work 10–20% because it's faster (less buildup) and locks in revenue. This tool applies 10% bi-weekly and 15% weekly to the base only — never to add-ons. One-time and monthly get no discount.

Why is the price a range, not one number?

Real job time can swing 30%+ on clutter, pet hair, grime, stairs, and parking that square footage can't see. A range preserves negotiating room. Confirm with a walkthrough before committing.

Should I price by the hour or per job?

For recurring residential work, flat/range per-visit pricing is the standard. Hourly pricing penalizes a fast crew and invites clock-watching. This tool builds up from hourly costs internally but outputs a per-visit price.

Is it really free?

Yes. 100% free, everything runs in your browser.

Related tools

Put this calculator on your site

No account, no coding. Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to appear:

<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/house-cleaning-pricing-calculator/?embed=1"
  style="width:100%;max-width:560px;height:1180px;border:0;"
  title="House Cleaning Pricing Calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/house-cleaning-pricing-calculator/">House Cleaning Pricing Calculator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>

2 Paste it on your page

3 It just works

See it live: view a real embed example →

🔒 Everything is calculated in your browser. We don't store or sell your data.