How to set your cleaning price
When it is time to quote, you name a number off the top of your head and then hope you got it right. Sometimes you undercharge, sometimes you lose the client — and you are rarely sure why. The problem is not a lack of experience: it is not having a way to reach the price.
Who this is for: For the solo cleaner who sets her own price and wants to stop guessing.
Why this happens
Pricing is learned by word of mouth and feels personal, so it gets anchored to a feeling — or to the old number a colleague gave you — instead of to the job in front of you.
When the number has no basis, you cannot defend it. So at the first "that is expensive," the reflex discount kicks in.
The CleanerFlow method
The CleanerFlow method is to build the price from three things you can see — size, condition, and frequency — add the agreed scope, and then say the number as a fact. It is not a guess: it is a small, repeatable calculation you control.
Step by step
- 1Read the size: the number of rooms and bathrooms, or a rough sense of the square footage.
- 2Read the condition: a well-kept home takes less time than one with built-up dirt, clutter, or pets.
- 3Factor the frequency: a one-time job costs more per visit than a recurring one.
- 4Set the scope: what is included and what is an extra (oven, fridge, windows). The price follows the scope.
- 5Turn that into your number, using your own time and cost — and decide the price before the conversation, not in front of the client.
- 6Write the price together with what is included, so it becomes a clear quote, and say the number calmly, as a fact.
What to say to the client
How much to clean my home?
For a home this size and in this condition, the service is [your price]. It includes [the agreed scope]. Want me to send it in writing with everything that is included?
Common mistakes
- Quoting by text before assessing the home’s size and condition.
- Copying a colleague’s number without doing your own math.
- Charging the same flat price for very different homes.
- Calculating in front of the client and dropping the price at the first sign of hesitation.
Quick checklist
- Size and condition assessed.
- Frequency and scope set.
- Number decided before the conversation.
- What is included, in writing.
- Price said calmly, followed by a pause.
Keep your pricing private
Your pricing notes — who you charge what, addresses, client names — are yours and should stay private. Do not post a rate sheet or client details; your Skills Passport is private by default.
Related guides
This guide can become a short video, a WhatsApp script, a Facebook-group post, an email lesson, and a module reminder inside CleanerFlow Academy.
This guide is part of the CleanerFlow Academy foundation. Complete the Pricing & boundaries module, unlock your medal, and organize this skill inside your private Skills Passport.
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