How to Price House Cleaning Jobs (With a Worked Example)
House cleaning typically runs $25 to $90 an hour per cleaner in the US. A standard visit often lands between $75 and $250 (HomeAdvisor, updated June 2026). Your own price should start from your hourly cost, then get checked against that range.
What house cleaning actually costs
Rates vary by region, home size, and whether it's an independent cleaner or a company with overhead. A national guide updated in June 2026 put rates at $25 to $90 an hour per cleaner. A standard visit often cost $75 to $250.
These figures are US averages; Canadian rates aren't broken out here, so treat them as a reference point, not a rule. Local cost of living moves the number more than almost anything else.
| Pricing model | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Per hour, independent cleaner | $25 to $90 |
| Per hour, cleaning company (two-person team) | $50 to $90 |
| Standard weekly visit, whole home | $75 to $250 |
| Monthly total for weekly service | $300 to $700 |
Hourly vs flat rate: which to quote
Hourly pricing is fair when a home's condition is unpredictable, like a first-time deep clean. Flat-rate pricing works once you know roughly how long a home takes, since the customer likes knowing the number up front.
Many cleaners quote flat for recurring visits and hourly for the first clean or a one-off deep clean. That way the unknown first visit doesn't set the price for every visit after it.
Worked example: pricing a 3-bedroom standard clean
Say a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home takes one cleaner about 3 hours for a standard visit. Here's one way that could price out, using example numbers to adapt to your own market.
That price sits comfortably inside the national range from the table above. If your real supply and travel costs run higher, the price should move with them, not stay fixed out of habit.
| Line item | Assumption | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 3 hours at a $35/hr loaded rate | $105.00 |
| Supplies | Cleaner-supplied products, flat charge | $15.00 |
| Subtotal | Labor plus supplies | $120.00 |
| Price charged | Rounded, sits inside the $75-$250 range above | $125.00 |
What changes the price: size, condition, and frequency
Price each add-on as its own line instead of folding it into a single number. That keeps the quote clear when a customer wants the oven done this one time but not every visit.
- Square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Condition of the home: first-time deep clean versus a maintained one
- Pets, since hair and dander add real time
- Frequency: weekly, biweekly, monthly, or one-time
- Extras like inside the oven, inside the fridge, or window interiors
Pricing a recurring client vs a one-time deep clean
A recurring weekly or biweekly client usually pays less per visit than a one-time deep clean, since the home stays more maintained between visits. Price the first clean on a maintained home higher if it's been a while since anyone cleaned it properly.
A true deep clean, like a move-out or post-construction job, should be priced separately and higher again. It takes longer and often needs different supplies than a weekly visit.
Mistakes that eat a cleaner's day
A full schedule doesn't always mean a profitable one. A few habits quietly turn a busy week into a break-even one.
- Quoting a flat rate without seeing the home first
- Charging the same price for a maintained home and a neglected one
- Not pricing pets, extra bathrooms, or add-ons separately
- Driving long distances between clients without pricing the travel time
- Never raising prices for long-time clients while new quotes go up
What goes on the invoice or receipt
A clean receipt lists the date, the service level (standard, deep, move-out), any extras, and the total. If cleaning services are taxable where you work, show tax as its own line; the rule differs by state and province.
For a recurring client, some cleaners send one monthly statement and others send a short receipt after each visit. Pick the one your client will actually keep track of.
Keeping a growing client list straight
A handful of recurring clients fits in a notebook. A few dozen, each on a different cycle with their own extras, gets hard to hold in your head.
Handro can create each recurring visit on its own once you set the cycle. It can also send the invoice from your phone right after the clean, or charge the card your client saved instead. Both run on iOS, Android and the web, with a free Starter plan to try on your own client list.
Written by the Handro team for owner-operators who price, quote and invoice their own work. Market figures come from the sources listed below, with the date each was published or updated. Worked examples use illustrative numbers, not a real customer's job.