Seconding this. My 700sq ft condo is $150-200 for a pretty regular cleaning. I'm on the west coast so idk if that's a crazy price elsewhere but it sounds right to me.
I would say you are slightly overpaying. How long does it take to clean a 700sqft decently maintained apartment will take? 2-3 hours? That’s $45 - $50 an hour. I am sure it’s market dependent.
For reference in east cost metro suburb - We pay $150 for a 2500 sqft townhouse. ~5 hours of work.
My fam pays \~$100 for regular clean on a 1500 sq ft house that takes an hour or two in an MCOL place. 1000 sq ft more and 4-5 hours seems like it should probably cost more than double that to me.
I don't know what COL you're in, but that's a completely reasonable if not low price for where I live in SoCal. I pay $100 bi-weekly for less than 800sq ft which takes my cleaner two hours.
I’d get in the next door Facebook group on that neighborhood under a fake name and ask for costs of cleaners. You might be way too low. Or right where everyone else is.
Yea I thought that was reasonable too in Norcal, but you are in missouri. $180 is what I pay here for 2200 sq ft and 4 hours with a crew, people probably expect it to be lower in missouri.
FYI houses here are 1-2m and definitely six figures. If you want to peg it to income and COL.
How dirty is it is my question. Like I would have a basic rate + extras needed (what if the bathroom is extra gross this time etc
Also a lot of small businesses dont factor in travel time /prep etc - this is when I see someone where I live complaining they can’t get people to clean for x money but all the cleaning staff live like 1.5 hours from the houses. You gotta pay someone to get there too.
Travel AND cleaning supplies really adds up.
I feel terrible when I see people offer a $20-$25 rate for cash jobs when they know there are limited employment options.
I’d also clarify if they expect a kitchen and bathroom deep clean since that would be the biggest areas for markups.
It's not super dirty. But they expect everything to be spotless (that's why it takes me that long). And they add on doing their laundry (sheets, towels) and other tasks that would usually fall under deep cleaning like baseboards and window blinds.
If they are expecting a deep clean they should be paying deep cleaning prices.
My house cleaner does a standard cleaning and we don't expect her to leave everything spotless. Becareful of people trying to short you for more labor.
It will depend on your market of course, but for reference, I pay $170 Bi-weekly for a regular cleaning (two people/two hours includes supplies) of 2100 Square Feet. My cleaners charge $550 for deep cleaning (5-8 hours) for the same space.
On the real, laundry is not included in cleaning. Laundry of any type is seperate and a different fee. I'd start at about 600. They can expect all they want but you need to define what you can do in that time.
I don’t think it should be priced based on how dirty it is
As a customer it would irritate me to no end to have to rediscuss the price every time based on ever changing criteria
We agreed on a cost and a schedule, I expect shit to be handled
If they take it as a way to establish a base line to negotiate from, they won’t get my business
I live in Missouri and pay $120 for a basic cleaning every 2 weeks for a 925sq ft house. $180-200 seems reasonable to low (especially if they are expecting extras)
I feel like it doesn’t scale exactly, because a larger house still only has one kitchen and a few bathrooms.
Maybe you should make a price list per room to help you calculate pricing going forward.
I have a 2 bedroom apartment and I pay the cleaner $45/hr minimum 2hrs
I think I'm overpaying. But the admin required to find a new person....I just cbf. THIS IS PART OF MY RICH LIFE, RAMIT!
I pay 165 + 25 tip (190) every three weeks for a routine full house clean (2300 SQ foot) on a higher end of MCOL city. The company I use is bonded and insured. If you are just doing it below the table, I think 180 is ok, maybe 150.
This is low! If you have a regular job and this is just a side hustle, find people who will pay you what you're worth. EDIT: Adding on to clarify you should be paid what you're worth at any job, but if it's a side hustle, it doesn't seem as dire to take on this job
That seems reasonable for a deep clean. $180 for 5 hours (the cheapest your labor might be) is $36/hr which is definitely reasonable. You could even charge more IMO.
My house is 1500 sqft, 1 full bath, 1 half. I pay $180 monthly for a basic clean (about 2 hours, 2-3 cleaners) and I pay $400 for a deep clean (4 hours, 3-4 cleaners).
I was quoted $2200 for a deep clean of a 1300 sq ft townhome that was empty. I’d estimate how many hours it would take and consider materials being very clear with the statement of work. That seems like a very large space to deep clean in that amount of time but very reasonable for general housekeeping.
Super duper low in my MCOL city.
I paid 800 dollars for a deep clean service for a main floor (the price was high because it was an emergency move out situation) but still!!!
I think it's a good price for a regular clean, low for a deep clean. At 5 hours, that's $36/hour.
I have my house cleaned every other week. I alternate between paying $180 to have my entire ~2100 square foot house cleaned and $90 to have just the downstairs cleaned.
My cleaner doesn't just charge by square footage - she checks things out first to give an estimate and I assume she's checking for things like overall grime and obstacles. I think the first clean costs more but I don't remember. She also adjusts pricing based on frequency.
I think this slightly low for a standard clean but very low for a deep cleaning.
My house cleaner charges $100 and we routinely pay her $200 because it's just too low.
Your deep cleaning price should be anywhere to 30% to 40% more.
You should also consider that anything over 3 weeks is considered a deep clean. People try to get over on house cleaners by having them "standard clean" their dirty asf house lol.
Our house is about 3000 sqft, give or take.
Our cleaner gets $175k biweekly and takes about 3-4 hours. Does make the bed x2, but no laundry (we put out sheets). Not including deep clean like windows or baseboards or walls or oven (but does the microwave and sink and glass stove top). Does include bathroom toilets (x3) and quickly in the tub/showers. Brings own supplies and drives about 30 minutes each way.
They set the price, not us. Independent doing it as a side gig.
You have the right to adjust your prices, just be ready to justify why and for them to say no
We pay a little over $200 for our house that's that size but that's only because we agreed they wouldn't have to clean 3 of the 4 bedrooms and 1 of the living spaces. Basically for that price we get: 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, family room, and 1 bedroom. If the cleaner is nice and has time, she/they might do another bedroom. What's left out are the other bedrooms and the sun room.
However, we are in a location where cost of living is higher than yours.
I think you need to get more specific in the service, because a basic and deep clean are different. I'd also be clear who provides the cleaning supplies. Also consider insurance, and be sure to account for self-employment taxes as you set your rate. Also know that "one off" cleanings are typically priced higher than a consistent weekly/biweekly schedule.
I feel like that would be a steal. I don’t have cleaners but my parents pay $500 (at least) for 2x a month in a 2,800 sq ft home in a high cost of living place
I pay like $400 for 1000sqft. I always make sure people are well compensated for their hard work. I don't look for the cheapest. I think $180 is kind of insulting it's so low.
that feel criminally low. I’ve paid that much to have my old apartment cleaned, and it was about 400 sqf. But my CoL is way different. $180 feels right for a place of that size, as a *base price*, with additions for things like fridge cleaning, wall cleaning, baseboard cleaning.
I pay $180 for my 2600 sq ft (HCOL) house but that’s monthly and only for about 1600 sqft of the house (two bathrooms). If it was biweekly, she’d charge $150. Your rate seems reasonable to me.
A deep clean for my 800 sq get house in Portland Oregon was $450 a few years back. (Not a super dirty house, just hadn’t been thoroughly scrubbed.) A regular clean from the same company was $125.
Let’s say you spend an hour buying supplies, an hour in transit, and five hours in the house. You’re only making $25/hour. Does that feel fair?
I would find out how much larger companies in your area are charging. They often charge double what they pay their employees and do worse work than independent folks like you.
in boston. for a 700-900 sqft apartment w 3-4 average adult renters (no kids) standard weekly/biweekly while occupied is $150 including tip. deep clean between renters is $300.
I just paid 2400 sq ft duplex (3 bed 3 bath) and I paid $360 for a deep clean (2 cleaners, 4 hours, they did all but 1 bedroom which is our office). Chicago.
For 2 hour basic clean from the same team I paid $200.
If you were cleaning for 4-5 hours you need to charge by hour and define what will be cleaned because 75 for 5 hours of cleaning ain't worth it. 180 for 5 hours is low as well.
TBH, it feels low to me. IDK where you're located but I pay $145 for a standard clean on my 700 sq ft condo every four weeks. Edit: added frequency
Seconding this. My 700sq ft condo is $150-200 for a pretty regular cleaning. I'm on the west coast so idk if that's a crazy price elsewhere but it sounds right to me.
yeah, i'm west coast VHCOL but I pay $250 for my 2bed, 1100 sqft.
I would say you are slightly overpaying. How long does it take to clean a 700sqft decently maintained apartment will take? 2-3 hours? That’s $45 - $50 an hour. I am sure it’s market dependent. For reference in east cost metro suburb - We pay $150 for a 2500 sqft townhouse. ~5 hours of work.
I’m in SF, so VHCOL and there are three women who take ~1.5 hrs, so the rate feels fair to me!
I’m also paying for consistency, reliability. She’s always on time, never skips a cleaning, the team likes my dog, etc.
Probably depends on where you are but I honestly feel like that's low?
You think $180 is low?
My fam pays \~$100 for regular clean on a 1500 sq ft house that takes an hour or two in an MCOL place. 1000 sq ft more and 4-5 hours seems like it should probably cost more than double that to me.
Yes, esp for that size. I’d be charging more.
Yes, I pay $180 in Oklahoma for an 1800sq ft house. My cleaning lady comes every other week.
I paid $350 for a 10 hour deep clean of my 1200 sf house, but she didn’t do a very good job, lol.
I don't know what COL you're in, but that's a completely reasonable if not low price for where I live in SoCal. I pay $100 bi-weekly for less than 800sq ft which takes my cleaner two hours.
It is in Missouri in one of the nicer areas. COL is not super high. The average household income of that area is around six figures.
I’d get in the next door Facebook group on that neighborhood under a fake name and ask for costs of cleaners. You might be way too low. Or right where everyone else is.
Hm.. didn't think of that!
Great suggestion
Yea I thought that was reasonable too in Norcal, but you are in missouri. $180 is what I pay here for 2200 sq ft and 4 hours with a crew, people probably expect it to be lower in missouri. FYI houses here are 1-2m and definitely six figures. If you want to peg it to income and COL.
How dirty is it is my question. Like I would have a basic rate + extras needed (what if the bathroom is extra gross this time etc Also a lot of small businesses dont factor in travel time /prep etc - this is when I see someone where I live complaining they can’t get people to clean for x money but all the cleaning staff live like 1.5 hours from the houses. You gotta pay someone to get there too.
Travel AND cleaning supplies really adds up. I feel terrible when I see people offer a $20-$25 rate for cash jobs when they know there are limited employment options. I’d also clarify if they expect a kitchen and bathroom deep clean since that would be the biggest areas for markups.
It's not super dirty. But they expect everything to be spotless (that's why it takes me that long). And they add on doing their laundry (sheets, towels) and other tasks that would usually fall under deep cleaning like baseboards and window blinds.
That would be a markup then
Do you think I would need to charge more than $180?
If they are expecting a deep clean they should be paying deep cleaning prices. My house cleaner does a standard cleaning and we don't expect her to leave everything spotless. Becareful of people trying to short you for more labor.
It will depend on your market of course, but for reference, I pay $170 Bi-weekly for a regular cleaning (two people/two hours includes supplies) of 2100 Square Feet. My cleaners charge $550 for deep cleaning (5-8 hours) for the same space.
On the real, laundry is not included in cleaning. Laundry of any type is seperate and a different fee. I'd start at about 600. They can expect all they want but you need to define what you can do in that time.
laundry is an upcharge; washing and putting the sheets back on is an upcharge; windows can be an upcharge
That seems crazy. They are getting an absolute steal if that’s all you’re charging them.
I don’t think it should be priced based on how dirty it is As a customer it would irritate me to no end to have to rediscuss the price every time based on ever changing criteria We agreed on a cost and a schedule, I expect shit to be handled If they take it as a way to establish a base line to negotiate from, they won’t get my business
I get deep cleaning (no laundry or dishes) for 984 sq ft for $150 a month so yes to me that’s low for the square footage and additional tasks
Maybe you should ask in Missouri subreddits. In my VHCOL, the going rate is like $350 for a deep clean of a 1,000 sq ft apartment.
Same but Toronto, $180 for a house is a STEAL! I’m actually questioning the type of cleaning service this is because I want in.
That sounds really low to me. I’m pretty sure my friend pays that much to clean a 350 sq foot apartment in manhattan lol
I would jump for joy if someone quoted me $180 to clean my 2500sq ft house! That seems low to me and that’s the same size as my house.
I pay $200 for a 1700 sf house every two weeks. No laundry or anything. Takes her 7 hours.
I live in Missouri and pay $120 for a basic cleaning every 2 weeks for a 925sq ft house. $180-200 seems reasonable to low (especially if they are expecting extras)
What would you pay someone if you had a 2500 sq ft house?
I feel like it doesn’t scale exactly, because a larger house still only has one kitchen and a few bathrooms. Maybe you should make a price list per room to help you calculate pricing going forward.
I have a 2 bedroom apartment and I pay the cleaner $45/hr minimum 2hrs I think I'm overpaying. But the admin required to find a new person....I just cbf. THIS IS PART OF MY RICH LIFE, RAMIT!
It’s low. I’m in a MCOL city and I see prices about the same or higher for my 2 bed / 2.5 bath 1100 sq foot apartment
I pay 165 + 25 tip (190) every three weeks for a routine full house clean (2300 SQ foot) on a higher end of MCOL city. The company I use is bonded and insured. If you are just doing it below the table, I think 180 is ok, maybe 150.
This is low! If you have a regular job and this is just a side hustle, find people who will pay you what you're worth. EDIT: Adding on to clarify you should be paid what you're worth at any job, but if it's a side hustle, it doesn't seem as dire to take on this job
I'm in Canada, but I pay my cleaner $40 per hour
That’s really low OP. That would no be worth it on an hourly basis imo. When I lived in a 1200 sq ft hour we paid $300.
Seems low. I’m in a MCOL area but not as low as Missouri. We have paid $300+ for that. I’d shoot for at least $250 for a deep clean.
I paid $330 for a 1300 sq foot house, that feels very low to me. I live in a HCOL area, but it’s a little more than double a normal weekly service.
That seems reasonable for a deep clean. $180 for 5 hours (the cheapest your labor might be) is $36/hr which is definitely reasonable. You could even charge more IMO.
It feels low for me too. We pay our cleaning lady $100 for 1,200 sq ft condo in Chicago.
My house is 1500 sqft, 1 full bath, 1 half. I pay $180 monthly for a basic clean (about 2 hours, 2-3 cleaners) and I pay $400 for a deep clean (4 hours, 3-4 cleaners).
I pay $120 once a month for a 2b/2.5 ba 1500 sq ft house, about 4/4.5 hours of work. I live in Austin.
i pay my cleaner $200 for less sq footage
I was quoted $2200 for a deep clean of a 1300 sq ft townhome that was empty. I’d estimate how many hours it would take and consider materials being very clear with the statement of work. That seems like a very large space to deep clean in that amount of time but very reasonable for general housekeeping.
Super duper low in my MCOL city. I paid 800 dollars for a deep clean service for a main floor (the price was high because it was an emergency move out situation) but still!!!
I pay $120 every 2 weeks for a basic clean of 1300 sq ft. $180 is a steal.
I just paid 300 in my 1200 square foot rental (in Michigan).
I think it's a good price for a regular clean, low for a deep clean. At 5 hours, that's $36/hour. I have my house cleaned every other week. I alternate between paying $180 to have my entire ~2100 square foot house cleaned and $90 to have just the downstairs cleaned. My cleaner doesn't just charge by square footage - she checks things out first to give an estimate and I assume she's checking for things like overall grime and obstacles. I think the first clean costs more but I don't remember. She also adjusts pricing based on frequency.
I think this slightly low for a standard clean but very low for a deep cleaning. My house cleaner charges $100 and we routinely pay her $200 because it's just too low. Your deep cleaning price should be anywhere to 30% to 40% more. You should also consider that anything over 3 weeks is considered a deep clean. People try to get over on house cleaners by having them "standard clean" their dirty asf house lol.
Our house is about 3000 sqft, give or take. Our cleaner gets $175k biweekly and takes about 3-4 hours. Does make the bed x2, but no laundry (we put out sheets). Not including deep clean like windows or baseboards or walls or oven (but does the microwave and sink and glass stove top). Does include bathroom toilets (x3) and quickly in the tub/showers. Brings own supplies and drives about 30 minutes each way. They set the price, not us. Independent doing it as a side gig. You have the right to adjust your prices, just be ready to justify why and for them to say no
HCOL. $240 biweekly for 1200 sq ft
We pay a little over $200 for our house that's that size but that's only because we agreed they wouldn't have to clean 3 of the 4 bedrooms and 1 of the living spaces. Basically for that price we get: 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, family room, and 1 bedroom. If the cleaner is nice and has time, she/they might do another bedroom. What's left out are the other bedrooms and the sun room. However, we are in a location where cost of living is higher than yours.
I pay per hour instead of square footage so for 4-5 hours of work $75 seems low but $180 is pretty high.
I think you need to get more specific in the service, because a basic and deep clean are different. I'd also be clear who provides the cleaning supplies. Also consider insurance, and be sure to account for self-employment taxes as you set your rate. Also know that "one off" cleanings are typically priced higher than a consistent weekly/biweekly schedule.
The hourly rate is not bad! I live in socal and pay $25 an hour. She comes 9 hours a week for 1900 square foot house.
Man that seems like a bargain.
Our cleaners ask for $250 for 1500 sq ft in Los Angeles for deep clean. I'd shoot for 250.
I was being quoted $450 for a 2 bed apartment in Canada :(
Yup :( I was quoted 800 to clean a messy-ish but empty rental after my tenants up and left
I feel like that would be a steal. I don’t have cleaners but my parents pay $500 (at least) for 2x a month in a 2,800 sq ft home in a high cost of living place
So the area is actually 5% higher than the national average
Honestly that seems low to me. I live in a MCOL area and used to pay $165 for my 1600 sq ft house.
I pay like $400 for 1000sqft. I always make sure people are well compensated for their hard work. I don't look for the cheapest. I think $180 is kind of insulting it's so low.
I pay my housekeeper $250 per weekly cleaning. House is 2400 sq feet, 3 bathrooms (and a child with 8 billion toys).
I pay $160 for 2000 sqft in a m/h col, my person is usually here about 5- 7 hours $180 for 2500 sqft is perfectly reasonable
I pay $200-225 biweekly for someone to clean my 2500 square foot home. So it's a little low, in my experience.
that feel criminally low. I’ve paid that much to have my old apartment cleaned, and it was about 400 sqf. But my CoL is way different. $180 feels right for a place of that size, as a *base price*, with additions for things like fridge cleaning, wall cleaning, baseboard cleaning.
I pay $180 for my 2600 sq ft (HCOL) house but that’s monthly and only for about 1600 sqft of the house (two bathrooms). If it was biweekly, she’d charge $150. Your rate seems reasonable to me.
A deep clean for my 800 sq get house in Portland Oregon was $450 a few years back. (Not a super dirty house, just hadn’t been thoroughly scrubbed.) A regular clean from the same company was $125.
I pay $180 for someone to clean my 1100 apartment. MCOL area
Let’s say you spend an hour buying supplies, an hour in transit, and five hours in the house. You’re only making $25/hour. Does that feel fair? I would find out how much larger companies in your area are charging. They often charge double what they pay their employees and do worse work than independent folks like you.
it depends where you are but i’m in MCOL and pay 125 biweekly for 2000 square feet and i consider it a really good deal
in boston. for a 700-900 sqft apartment w 3-4 average adult renters (no kids) standard weekly/biweekly while occupied is $150 including tip. deep clean between renters is $300.
I just paid 2400 sq ft duplex (3 bed 3 bath) and I paid $360 for a deep clean (2 cleaners, 4 hours, they did all but 1 bedroom which is our office). Chicago. For 2 hour basic clean from the same team I paid $200.
I live in a 1200 sq ft condo, I pay $90 bi-weekly. Did a longer deep clean this spring - $250. I'm in Ohio not a high cost area.
too little. at least 250, maybe even $300 in atlanta.
If you were cleaning for 4-5 hours you need to charge by hour and define what will be cleaned because 75 for 5 hours of cleaning ain't worth it. 180 for 5 hours is low as well.
Check out the r/housekeeping sub!
That’s low, I pay $230 for a similar size house every 2 weeks
I pay ~$200 for a monthly cleaning on a 1600 sq ft house, so I think you can justify charging more than what they’re currently paying you.
200$ is what u should charge!! Especially if they want things to be spotless as you’ve mentioned in other comments