House cleaning prices in 2026: what to charge and why

Typical US price ranges

These are national residential ranges. Dense coastal metros run at the top or above it; smaller markets run at the bottom. Use them as a sanity check against your own market, not as gospel.

• •Standard clean, 1,000–1,500 sq ft: $120–$180
• •Standard clean, 2,000–2,500 sq ft: $160–$260
• •Standard clean, 3,000+ sq ft: $250–$400
• •Deep clean: 1.5×–2× the standard rate
• •Move-in / move-out: 2×–2.5×, quoted after photos
• •Post-construction: $0.25–$0.50 per sq ft, always inspected first

The three pricing models

Hourly is the easiest to start with and the hardest to grow on: you're punished for getting faster, and the client watches the clock. Flat-rate per job is where most successful residential companies land — the client knows the number, and your efficiency becomes profit instead of lost revenue. Per-square-foot works well for move-outs and post-construction where scope tracks floor area closely.

If you're on hourly today, convert by tracking your actual times for a month, then pricing the flat rate at your target hourly plus a 15% buffer.

What actually moves the price

Square footage is the starting point, not the answer. The variables that blow up a job's time are the ones new owners forget to ask about.

• •Number of bathrooms — the single biggest time driver after square footage
• •Pets, and how many (shedding adds 20–30 minutes)
• •How long since the last professional clean
• •Clutter level — you are paid to clean, not to tidy
• •Frequency — weekly clients should pay less per visit than one-off deep cleans

Recurring discounts that don't eat your margin

A recurring home genuinely takes less time each visit, so a discount is honest, not a giveaway. The standard ladder is roughly 20% off for weekly, 15% for bi-weekly, and 10% for monthly, measured against your one-off rate.

Monthly cleans are the trap: a month of buildup means the job is nearly a deep clean, but the discount says otherwise. Price monthly closer to your one-off rate.

Should you publish your prices?

Yes — publish ranges, not exact numbers. 'Standard cleans typically run $160–$260 depending on size and condition' filters out bargain hunters before they occupy an hour of your day, and it builds trust with the clients you do want.

Companies that hide pricing entirely spend enormous time quoting people who were never going to book.

The quote conversation is worth more than the quote

Cleaning is bought on trust and speed, not price. Studies of home-services buying behaviour keep landing in the same place: the company that responds first wins a disproportionate share, even when it isn't the cheapest.

This is why an unanswered phone is a pricing problem in disguise. You can raise your rates 15% and still grow, if you're the one who picks up. You can be the cheapest in town and still lose, if you call back at 7pm.

How to raise prices on existing clients

Once a year, in writing, 30 days ahead, with no apology and no lengthy justification. A 5–8% increase almost never causes cancellations for clients who like your work. Frame it as a rate adjustment effective on a specific date.

If you have not raised prices in two years, you have taken a real pay cut. Do it this quarter.