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If you’re gearing up to open a cleaning business, pricing your services is a top priority. But creating a uniform price list is difficult since housecleaning rates are usually customized to a specific client and space. So instead of trying to come up with a one-size-fits-all pricing plan for your housekeeping services, here’s a method you can use to come up with pricing that is fair for your customers and supports your bottom line.
The formula for housecleaning rates
The US Department of Labor found that maids and housekeeping cleaners make $11.46 per hour on average, but there are many additional factors that can fluctuate this price.
In order to determine what to charge for housecleaning, you need you compute an hourly rate, factor in additional requests, consider business frequency, and assess competitor prices.
Compute an hourly rate
Most cleaning businesses have an hourly rate for their housekeeping services. While it sounds simple, your housecleaning rate per hour can vary by client, depending on the home or office. Here are some things to consider:
- Home size. The size of a home plays a big part of housecleaning rates. While you may not need to assign a specific cost per square foot, you can set a base rate based on the number of rooms in a home.
- Surface space. Similar to the actual size of a house, surface space — like tables and counters — should also be considered when you determine an hourly rate.
- Cleaning supplies. You should include the equipment and cleaning products used for a job in the hourly rate. Calculate the per-project cost by taking the total cost of a product and divide that by the approximated lifetime.
- Logistics. Many housecleaners forget to bill for the logistics of a job. Think about how you get to your client’s location and how long it takes you, and then add that into your hourly rate.
Factor in additional client requests
In addition to the hourly rate, you can charge an additional fee for housecleaning services that are requested by the client. You might charge extra for the following types of things:
- Window treatments
- Refrigerators
- High ceilings
- Deep carpet cleanings
By adding your hourly rate and these add-on services, you’ll create custom quotes for each client.
Consider business frequency
How often you clean a client’s home or office should influence the overall price of your housecleaning services for that client.
You may want to reward loyal customers who set up frequent cleanings, so create a customer loyalty program or offer discounts for clients who agree to recurring housecleanings.
You can also increase housekeeping frequency by getting customer cleaning contracts. Cleaning contracts are an effective way to guarantee work for an extended period of time and create a steady flow of revenue. Square has a suite of free contract templates you can customize for your cleaning business.
Competitor prices
You need to be mindful of industry prices to remain competitive. So before you begin computing a housecleaning rate for your client, be sure to check competitors’ cleaning prices in your area.
Research the top 10 cleaning businesses that you directly compete with and get a sense of their housecleaning rates. While you don’t need to match their price points, you do need to know why prices in the industry may vary, especially when you are pitching to a prospective client.
Taking payments for your housecleaning services
After you decide on a housecleaning rate for your services, you need to think about how to take payments (you want to make money, after all). Customers can pay in a variety of ways, so you want to be sure to invest in a payments system that accepts traditional magstripe cards, EMV chip cards, and mobile payments like Apple Pay.
Many cleaning businesses also use invoicing software to bill clients for housekeeping. This kind of software allows you to quickly create an invoice on your computer and email it directly to your customer. If you rely on mobile invoicing, it’s important to invest in an invoices app that allows you to send invoices and collect payments all in one place.
How much does a housekeeper make?
If you’re just getting into the housecleaning industry, you might wonder how much a housekeeper can make.
According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for a housekeeper is around $25,000. But this can vary based on your location, services offered, and your skill level. Aside from becoming an expert in the industry and perfecting your cleaning services, you can implement various sales strategies to generate sales and increase your profit.
