Talk to different small cleaning businesses and each will have their own way of bidding cleaning jobs and leaving a cost estimate for prospects. That’s because there is no right or wrong way to estimate house cleaning jobs. You must also take into consideration the type of work you are estimating, such as 1) a first-time cleaning, 2) a one-off job with special considerations, and 3) an ongoing job with a specific schedule.
Table of Contents
Hourly Bidding
An hourly bid is usually used for a first-time cleaning and for one-off jobs. A first-time cleaning is usually for new clients and one-off jobs are for the customers who need a cleaning, but don’t want to book scheduled cleanings. Many new businesses or independent cleaners use this type of bid for each house they clean, not taking into consideration the benefits of using a flat rate. Determine how long it will take you to clean the home and multiply this by your hourly rate.
Flat Rate Bidding
A flat rate is used by most residential cleaning businesses to establish monthly income for the business and to establish a cleaning budget for the customer. Each time you clean the home, you will charge the flat rate. This rate should be based on square footage, contents of the home, and the average amount of time it will take you to clean the home. This rate is based on the knowledge that the actual cleaning time will vary throughout the year depending on what needs to be done on each appointment. This may vary by season or the activity of the homeowners.
Cleaning Margin
Once you are familiar with the homes in your cleaning area, you will be able to setup a standard price with the knowledge you have gained from cleaning the homes. Use a “cleaning margin” to increase the cost of cleaning the house to account for contents, pets, etc:
- Low-End 10%
- Mid-Range 20%
- High-End 40%
The cleaning margin can be set to whatever you want it to be in your business. It establishes a common percentage that you can add to cleaning baseline estimates.
Learn more about setting your hourly rate, pricing by number of rooms, and pricing and bidding residential cleaning jobs.
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