What Is The Average Price For Cleaning?

Huh? Average price? Seriously?

This is a question we get almost every week. Most people who ask, want to know what the average square foot price is or what the average hourly rate is. Or, they ask what the "going rate" is in their area.

I'm always amazed at how many people think there is a document or chart out there somewhere with all this information. Boy, a document like that would be worth a pretty penny! Sure, there are surveys done every year that the trade magazines publish, but they are nowhere near accurate. They simply give broad averages.

Think about all the different variables when it comes to cleaning:

• type of account (office, medical, educational, industrial, retail, etc, etc, etc.....)
• frequency of cleaning (monthly, bi-monthly, weekly, twice a week, three times a week, 5 times a week, 7 times a week)
• location
• specifications and level of cleanliness desired by the client
• employee productivity

I could go on and on with this list, but you get the point. When this question was recently posted in our discussion forum at The Janitorial Store, another business owner offered this advice:

My recommendation is to first know your real numbers; labor costs, productivity rate and overhead costs. Do you know exactly what it costs you every hour that an employee is on the clock? Do you know what every supply you use is costing you down to the cents per ounce? Do you know what it costs you per customer to get a new account? What does it cost you for every employee you lose? How fast or slow do your people move? Just a few  of the parts of the equation that affect what you will charge vs what someone else charges. There are industry averages for these catagories, but they are only averages of what others across the country are doing.  At the end of the day, its knowing your costs and charging what your market will bear to be competitive.

Research, practice, time and experience will help you learn what YOUR "going rate" should be. Don't rely on "averages". Do the work needed to price services at a profitable price for YOUR company.

If you'd like more help, read the Bidding & Estimating Ebook at The Janitorial Store (free for members in the Download Library)

Please share your thoughts on this topic by clicking on the Comments link below.

Comments

[Darryl Dyer]

yes i would like to know i have wheeled the carpet of 7 different restaraunts and explain the extraction method most of the carpets avg. 1000 to 1500 sqft. per store and i bid it at 1800.00 per quarter or .35 a square foot is this ok?

[Jean Hanson]

Darryl,
Carpet cleaning the same as any other kind of cleaning when it comes to pricing - there are all kinds of variables to consider. $.35 might be a good price in your area, it might be considered high in others. You may be able to get a higher price in restaurants because of food and grease stains.

[Los angeles maids]

Thank you for referring the Bidding & Estimating Ebook. I will be going over it.

[gemma kopecki]

hi jean, i purchased the book 2years ago, and i wonder if you guys update it or if their is like a part2 of it? please let me know. thank you.

[Jean Hanson]

Gemma,
We are actually in the middle of updating it.

[Office cleaning Schaumburg]

great article, like you guys say, there are no averages in this industry, each building and each customer requires individual approach. Being a member, I had a chance to read Bidding & Estimating Ebook and I think that it's the best book in cleaning industry that discusses pricing of cleaning services.

[Insulate Gable Walls]

While prices vary around the country, the typical rate for professional maid services ranges from $30 to $40 per labor hour. It would be best to visit the potential client's home and take a look at the work entailed.