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Cleaning Quote Calculator

Build a cleaning quote from labor hours, supplies, travel (flat or mileage), add-on services, and markup. Designed for residential and small commercial cleaning businesses. Estimate only — confirm taxes and final pricing with your records.

Labor

Travel

Add-on services

$
$
$
Labor
$0.00
Supplies
$0.00
Travel (flat fee)
$0.00
Add-ons
$0.00
Direct cost
$0.00
Quote total
$0.00

Estimate only. Cleaning licensing, sales-tax treatment of cleaning services, insurance, and bonding requirements vary by state and locality. Verify your obligations with your state and your insurer before quoting paid work.

How this is calculated

Cost-plus pricing for cleaning quotes. Travel can be either a flat fee or computed from miles × rate — pick the mode that matches how you actually charge.

  1. 1.Labor

    estimated hours × hourly rate

  2. 2.Travel

    flat fee — or — miles × mileage rate

    Mode is set explicitly in the UI; the formula uses only the active mode.

  3. 3.Direct cost

    labor + supplies + travel + add-ons

  4. 4.Markup

    direct cost × ( markup % / 100 )

    Markup is % of cost. A 25% markup is a 20% gross margin on the final price.

  5. 5.Quote total

    direct cost + markup

The result is an estimate. Cleaning licensing, sales-tax treatment of cleaning services, insurance, and bonding requirements vary by state and locality. Verify your obligations with your state and insurer before quoting paid work.

A worked residential example

A standard 3-bedroom residential clean estimated at 4 hours, at $50/hour. $25 of supplies, flat $15 travel fee, $40 inside oven and $25 interior windows as add-ons, 20% markup:

Pricing levers cleaning businesses can pull

  1. Hourly rate. The single most-impactful variable. A $5 hourly rate change moves a 4-hour quote by $20 in labor alone (before markup).
  2. Add-on pricing. Inside oven, fridge, windows, baseboards — most cleaners under-price these. They take real time and most clients accept reasonable add-on charges without complaint.
  3. Travel. Free travel within a tight radius keeps you efficient. Outside that radius, charge — or decline the job. The 45-minute drive to a $200 clean is rarely profitable once overhead is included.
  4. Markup percentage. Markup covers everything direct cost does not: vehicle wear, insurance, your business administration time, equipment depreciation, marketing, taxes on net income, and your profit. 20% markup is a starting point; 30–40% is common for established cleaners with strong demand.

From quote to paperwork

The calculator handles the math. To send a real quote to a client, you still need a formatted document with your business name, the client's name and property address, the scope of work (what is and is not included), payment terms, and the quoted price. Service-business intake and quote templates can shortcut that document creation — see the service business category in the catalog.

Related calculators and resources

Cleaning quote FAQs

How do cleaning businesses typically price jobs?
Three common approaches: (1) hourly rate × estimated hours — works for one-off residential and deep cleans; (2) flat per-square-foot pricing — common for recurring commercial accounts; (3) flat per-job pricing — common for standardized residential service. This calculator uses the hourly approach because it generalizes to all three: once you know your typical hours-per-square-foot, you can convert.
What hourly rate should I charge?
Rates vary widely by region, service type, and target market. Residential one-time deep cleans often run higher per hour than recurring weekly service. Commercial after-hours can be higher still. The calculator does not set a rate for you — set it based on your local market and target margin. Research nearby cleaning businesses, calculate your real overhead, and aim for a rate that covers both with margin to spare.
Should I quote a flat price or hourly?
For one-off jobs, flat price is usually better — clients dislike open-ended hourly bills, and you keep the upside of finishing faster than estimated. For recurring service, flat-monthly is the strong standard. Hourly works when scope is genuinely unknown (post-construction cleans, hoarding situations, biohazard work). Use the calculator to derive a flat price from a realistic hours estimate.
What add-ons should I price separately?
Services that materially add time or supplies beyond a standard clean: inside oven, inside fridge, interior windows, post-pet deep clean, garage, basement, baseboards, ceiling fans, blinds. Pricing these separately makes the base quote competitive while giving you ways to upsell on the call.
How should I handle travel?
Two reasonable approaches: a flat travel fee (e.g., $15–$25) when the address is outside your normal service radius, or mileage at a standard rate (the IRS standard mileage rate is a defensible benchmark). Include travel only when the distance materially affects your day — within a 10–15 minute drive most cleaners absorb it into the hourly rate.
What markup percentage should I use?
Cleaning businesses typically aim for a 20–40% markup on direct cost, with the right number depending on your overhead structure and target margin. Note that markup is not the same as margin — a 25% markup is a 20% gross margin on the final price. The calculator applies markup as a percentage of direct cost; see the markup-vs-margin calculator if you want to convert.

Related searches

how much to charge for cleaningcleaning business templatesmarkup vs margin calculatorprofit margin calculatorbreak-even calculatorservice business templates

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