How much to charge for deep cleaning: price it from your own time and costs

A deep clean is one of the easiest jobs to underprice. It takes longer than a regular visit, the home's condition varies more, and clients often compare it with your recurring price. This guide shows a simple way to work out what to charge for a deep clean from your own numbers. It doesn't give you a going rate, because what a deep clean is worth depends on your area, your costs and how fast you work.

Start with what a deep clean includes

You can't price a job you haven't defined. Write down what your deep clean covers (for example baseboards, inside the microwave, cabinet fronts, light switches and door frames, behind and under furniture you can move) and what it doesn't, such as wall washing, carpet shampooing or exterior windows. Our deep cleaning checklist guide walks through the detail tasks room by room. The list matters for pricing because every task on it adds time, and time is what you are really selling.

Step 1: estimate the hours

The most reliable way to price a deep clean is to estimate how long it will take, in cleaner-hours, then multiply by your rate. Two ways to get the estimate:

• From your own records: if you've done deep cleans before, look at how long they took compared with a standard clean of a similar home. This is the best number you have.
• From your standard-clean time: if you're just starting, estimate the standard clean first, then scale it up. Our free cleaning quote calculator uses 1.6 times the standard-clean hours as a starting assumption for a deep clean. That is a simple weight we chose, not industry data, so replace it with your own times as soon as you have them.

Count cleaner-hours, not clock time. Two cleaners working three hours is six cleaner-hours.

Step 2: set your hourly rate

Your rate per cleaner-hour should cover labor, overhead and profit. Labor is what you pay per hour (or what your own time is worth if you work alone). Overhead is insurance, vehicle and fuel, supplies, phone, software and marketing, spread over the hours you bill. Profit is what the business keeps after everyone is paid. Our guide on how to price house cleaning covers building that rate step by step. Many cleaners use the same hourly rate for deep cleans as for standard visits and let the extra hours raise the price; others charge a higher rate because the work is harder. Either is fine as long as you decide on purpose.

Step 3: adjust for condition, pets and add-ons

• Condition: a home that hasn't been cleaned in months takes longer than one that was cleaned recently. Ask for photos or do a walk-through, and add time when the build-up is heavy.
• Pets: pet hair adds time. Our calculator adds 10% to the hours when there are pets, again as a starting assumption.
• Add-ons: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows and laundry are often priced as separate line items so the client can choose. Put a price next to each one on your price list.

Step 4: turn it into a flat quote

Most clients want a single number, not an open-ended hourly bill. Multiply your estimated hours by your rate, add any add-ons, and round to a tidy figure. Say clearly what the price includes and that it is based on the photos or walk-through, so you can revisit it if the home turns out to be very different. Many cleaners also set a minimum charge for deep cleans so that small homes still cover travel and setup time.

Worked example

Here is the free calculator's formula applied to one home. The $50 rate is only an example input, not a recommended price; use your own.

• Home: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,800 sq ft, no pets.
• Standard-clean estimate: 0.5 + 0.3 × 3 + 0.5 × 2 + 0.5 × 1.8 = 3.3 hours.
• Deep clean at 1.6 times: about 5.3 hours.
• Labor at $50 per cleaner-hour: $264, which rounds to a $265 estimate.
• With pets (10% more time) the same home comes to about 5.8 hours and a $290 estimate.

Deep cleans are one-time jobs, so no recurring discount applies. Move-out cleans work the same way but usually take longer still; see how to price move-out cleaning. If the client then books regular visits, quote those separately at your recurring price; our weekly cleaning checklist guide covers what those visits usually include.

Mistakes to avoid

• Quoting a deep clean at your recurring price. It takes longer, so it needs its own price.
• Quoting without seeing the home. Photos or a walk-through protect you from surprises.
• Leaving scope vague. If "deep clean" isn't defined in writing, the client's idea of it will be bigger than yours.
• Never checking your estimates. Time your deep cleans and compare them with what you quoted. Adjust your hours or rate when they don't match.

The Cleaning Business Starter Kit is a spreadsheet for quoting jobs the same way every time. You enter your own rates per square foot, room and bathroom, add-ons, hourly labor cost, supply cost and frequency discount, and it works out the quote, profit and margin %. It also includes a job tracker and an income and expense tracker, plus a getting-started guide, for Excel or Google Sheets. The calculator doesn't suggest prices; it calculates from the numbers you enter. Want a quick estimate first? Try the free cleaning quote calculator.

Get the Cleaning Business Starter Kit - $29

FAQ

How much should I charge for a deep clean?

There is no single right number. Estimate how many cleaner-hours the deep clean will take, multiply by an hourly rate that covers your labor, overhead and profit, then add any add-ons and round to a flat quote.

How much longer does a deep clean take than a standard clean?

It depends on the home and its condition, so track your own times. Our free quote calculator uses 1.6 times the standard-clean hours as a starting assumption, not as industry data.

Should I charge hourly or a flat rate for deep cleaning?

Many cleaners work out the price from hours but quote the client a flat rate based on photos or a walk-through, and state that the price covers the scope written in the quote.

Do recurring discounts apply to deep cleans?

Usually not. A deep clean is a one-time job. If the client books regular visits afterwards, quote those separately at your recurring price.