Stop Guessing: Price Your House Cleaning Jobs with Real Business Math (2026)
- Jan 10
- 8 min read
Welcome, my Bonafide Peeps!
"You’re on a roll—full of fresh ideas to start your house cleaning business! But there’s still that big question on your mind: How do I price a house cleaning job?
In this video, I’m going to explain how I price my house cleaning jobs. I’ll break it down, step by step.
Now, I’ve seen some advice out there suggesting you call other cleaning businesses and pretend to be a potential client just to get their prices—so you can price your own services based on what the competition is charging. Honestly? To me, that’s a waste of their time and your time.
Please hear me out on why I feel this way. Yes, it’s helpful to have a general idea of what other cleaning
businesses in your area charge. But if you’re just starting out—with little to no experience—and you call, say, six cleaning businesses that have been around for over five years, with 5-star reviews, strong reputations, and a solid marketing budget… they might be charging anywhere from $40 to $90 per hour.
But here’s the real question: Can you charge that same amount when you’re just starting out and still learning the ropes?
You see, those businesses are charging correctly because they’ve built profitable, sustainable systems. They know their numbers. Before setting their prices, they understand their operating costs, which include things like:
Hourly wage (for yourself or any team members)
Supplies and equipment
Travel time and mileage
Insurance, licenses, and other overhead (like taxes)
And that is what I’ve learned to do too—price based on real business math, not just guessing or copying others.
Let’s Break Down the Real Costs of Running a House Cleaning Business in 2026
So, instead of calling other house cleaning businesses and pretending to be a potential client, let’s focus on understanding our own business and what it really takes to run a profitable and sustainable house cleaning business in 2026.
We’ll start with understanding operating costs, beginning with hourly wages. This doesn’t mean you will be charging hourly for your cleaning unless that’s what you want to do. You will see how I figure out my operating cost, turn that to a flat-rate and see why I prefer a flat-rate over charging clients by the hour, especially if you’re just getting started.
How Do You Figure Out an Hourly Wage for Yourself or for Independent Contractors?
Step 1: Figure Out Your Hourly Wage (For You or a Helper)
Here’s what I learned to do over 17 years ago:
I went to Google and searched “house cleaning hourly rate in California.”
Then I checked the current minimum wage in California.
You can do the same:
Search: “house cleaning hourly rate in [your area]”
Then search: “minimum wage in [your state]”
The results usually show rate ranges by county/city.
Example (2025 Google search):
In my area: about $20 to $50/hour
In bigger California cities: $35–$65+
As of 2025: California minimum wage is $16.50/hour for all workers.
With AI (ChatGPT gave me this example):
California + Antelope Valley (Lancaster / Palmdale)
California minimum wage: $16.90/hr starting January 1, 2026
Marketplace “starting rates” (useful as a floor, not perfect):
Local pay data (wages—not what a business should charge clients):
Lancaster “house cleaning” average wage example: $17.80/hr (ZipRecruiter)
Important: These are mostly wage listings or “starting rates.” They’re helpful for context, but they’re not the same as what a business must charge to stay profitable.
More local “pay data” examples (again: wages, not business pricing)
Indeed (Lancaster house cleaner): avg ~$26.56/hr
ZipRecruiter (Lancaster house cleaning job): avg ~$17.80/hr
👉 Stay tuned for the next blog with it's video where I show you what to clean in each area and how long it typically takes—so you can estimate time more accurately.
Step 2: Supplies and Equipment Costs
Supplies and equipment are usually on us—the service provider.
Here’s what I do (you can copy this or create your own version):
I estimate how many items I typically use per job and I charge $1 per item as my supplies/equipment cost.
Examples of what I bring:
Equipments: Vacuum, shark steamer, Floor Scrub Brush Mop, small Ladder, mop & bucket
Cleaning Supplies: Dish soap sponge, magic eraser sponge, little piece sandpaper, Steel Wool, small scrubbing brush
Cleaning Products: Ajax, Windex, stainless polish, granite polish, Lysol, Totally Awesome Cleaner, Degreasers, Dawn dishsoap, Lemon or Orange Oil, Pledge, Zep floor Products, etc.
Rags: Microfiber Clothes and magic streak free cloths
Things that are listed in the cleaning supplies list and rags I provide those (like free of charge). Those are things I wash and reuse several times before replacing them, so I only see it fit for me to provide these items.
But I typically use around 10 cleaning products and tools (equipment) per job. So, I charge $1.00 per item, which brings my total supply and equipment cost to $10.00 per cleaning.
This is part of my operating cost.
Step 3: Travel Time and Expenses
Travel is also on us—gas, time, mileage, wear-and-tear.
I learned to estimate this so I can include it in my operating costs.
For me, I usually spend around $6 to $12 a day on gas.
👉 Click the link to learn how to calculate miles driven and track business mileage correctly. Knowing your miles helps you budget gas and build travel costs into your pricing.
Pro Tip: Create Efficient Cleaning Routes
Let’s say I have two cleanings on Monday. I plan ahead and keep both jobs in the same area—like West Palmdale only.
Why? Because even going from East Palmdale to West Palmdale (like 70th Street West) can take 30 minutes and cost about $6 in gas.
Now imagine:
That’s $18 in gas in one day.
Work smarter as you grow: stack your jobs by area so you save time, money, and energy.
For example, if my car uses about $6 in gas to drive 30 miles to a job, then round trip is about $12, and that becomes part of my operating costs for the day.
Step 4: Insurance & Licenses
I choose to pay my insurance and licenses from my profits for now—knowing these are tax-deductible business expenses when filing my 1099.
Step 5: Other Overhead (Like Taxes)
In California (as of December 25, 2025), you generally do not charge your house-cleaning clients sales tax for cleaning their homes. House cleaning is a service, and California sales tax is mainly aimed at retail sales of tangible goods—not service labor.
But I’ve heard some states DO expect service businesses to charge sales tax, so:
✅ Please research your state rules and make sure you’re doing it correctly for your area.
A Rough Operating Cost Draft (2025 moving into 2026)
Here’s a simple starting draft based on what we just researched:
Hourly Cleaning Starting Wage (My Area): $20.00 (CA minimum wage Jan 1, 2026: $16.90)
Supplies + Equipment: $10.00 (about $1 per item used)
Travel Time + Expenses: $6–$12 (gas round trip / mileage used)
Insurance & Licenses: $0.00 (paid out of profit for now)
Sales Tax Charged to Client: 0% (not charging sales tax for house cleaning in CA)
Side Tip: Set Yourself Apart with High Standards
I service Antelope Valley / High Desert areas—dry, windy, dusty… and a lot of homes have pets.
Dust + pet hair can build allergies fast.
So I offer deep cleaning as my standard: Deep. Professional. Every time.
Here are examples of what I make sure clients know I clean thoroughly:
Hard-to-reach areas
Outside of all kitchen appliances (top of fridge)
Inside of some kitchen appliances (microwave / countertop oven toaster)
Ceiling fans and baseboards
Doors, window blinds, and window sills
Outside of cabinets throughout the house
Picture frames and cobwebs
Outside of washer and dryer
Trash cans—cleaned and disinfected
Promoting that level of detail helped me gain loyal repeat clients.
👉 Stay tuned for the next blog with it's video to learn what to clean in each area and how long it typically takes—so you can price even more accurately.
Example: Pricing Your First Jobs with Profit in Mind
Let’s say you’re new and you want a simple starting price:
$20/hour × 5 hours = $100 job price
Now here’s the strategy:
As you gain experience, you’ll get faster and more efficient.
If you quoted 5 hours ($100), but you finish in 4 hours with great quality:
$100 ÷ 4 hours = $25/hour actual hourly pay
That’s how your profit grows with efficiency.
Your First Estimate After Adding Operating Costs
Here’s a more complete example:
Wage target: $100 (based on $20/hr × 5 hours)
Supplies & equipment: $10
Travel time & expenses: $12
Insurance & licenses: $0
Sales tax charged to client: $0
Total estimate: $100 + $10 + $12 = $122
I like to round to the nearest $5, so I’d quote around $120 or $125, depending on the situation.
Then I tell the client something like: “This will be $125 every two weeks.”
That’s how I build my operating cost into a flat-rate estimate.
Important Note
This is your internal pricing draft. You don’t have to explain every detail to a client. This is for YOU—to make sure your pricing makes sense and you’re not working for free.
See Why You Don’t Need to Call Other Cleaning Businesses?
You just learned how to build a profitable estimate without pretending to be a customer.
And as you get better and faster, you’ll be in a great position to raise your prices—like an extra $10 per cleaning after 1–2 years of consistent quality service.
Example of a price increase
Original: $125
After 1 year: $135 for the same job
Many clients will even offer you a raise on their own when you consistently go above and beyond.
Negotiating Price on First-Time Cleanings
First-time cleanings usually take longer.
If a client tries to negotiate lower, here’s a simple trust-building approach:
✅ Let them know that if you go over your estimated time, you won’t charge extra—you’ll honor the price you quoted.
That shows professionalism and builds trust.
Optional Strategy: Offer a First-Time Discount, this is smart and doesn’t look desperate.
When I first started (with no prior cleaning experience), I put 10% off first-time cleaning on my first 500 business cards.
If they presented the card, I would honor it. Or if they ask me to lower my price, I would tell them that I do offer a 10% off first-time cleaning.
Example:
Estimate: $125
10% discount: $12.50 ($125 X 10%)
Final total: $112.50
In my mind, that discount mostly came out of the supplies cost—so I wasn’t losing the whole profit.
Tips and Cleaning Supplies Balance Each Other Out
A lot of clients tip—often around 10%.
When they do, I put the tip straight into supplies cost.
✅ Win-win:
Client gets a discount
You still stay profitable because of the tip
What if they don’t tip?
That’s okay too.
I tell myself: “The tip I take away is the valuable experience I just gained.”
Every cleaning helps you get better, build trust, and earn long-term clients.
Stay Humble, Work Hard
Staying humble while working hard is powerful. Hard work brings results, and humility keeps you learning and improving.
Alright Bonafide Fam—
This space is all about learning and growing together. And you already know I love ending with a quick Q&A section because sometimes seeing the answers laid out makes everything click.
If this topic sparked a question, drop it in the comments. I do read them—and your question might be the exact one someone else needed too.
We grow better together. 💛
FAQ
1) Should I charge hourly or flat-rate for house cleaning? Flat-rate is usually better once you can estimate time well—because efficiency increases your profit.
2) How do I estimate how long a house cleaning job will take? Use a room-by-room timing checklist, track your times for 10–20 jobs, then update your averages.
3) What operating costs should be included in my cleaning prices? At minimum: labor wage target, supplies, travel, and overhead (insurance, admin, tools replacement).
4) Do I charge sales tax for house cleaning in California? Typically, California sales tax focuses on tangible goods; services are generally not taxed unless tied to a taxable sale.
5) What’s a realistic starting wage target for a new solo cleaner? Start with local market context + minimum wage, then raise prices as your speed, quality, and reviews improve. In CA, minimum wage is $16.90/hr starting Jan 1, 2026.
I hope this gives you a clearer way to price your house cleaning jobs with confidence.
Please share this blog with someone you think it can help!
Stay Bonafide! ✨ Keep glowing and growing! 🌟 All best on your business journey! 🙏
Comments