How to Price Deep Cleaning and Move-Out Cleaning

Deep cleans and move-outs are the best one-time jobs in a cleaning business. They pay two to three times a standard visit, and many of them turn into recurring clients. They are also where new owners lose the most money, because they take far longer than they look. Here is how to price them.

What is the difference?

A standard cleaning keeps a home clean: dust, vacuum, mop, kitchen counters and appliances outside, bathrooms, beds, trash.

A deep cleaning brings a home back to clean. Everything in a standard cleaning, plus:

• Baseboards, door frames, doors and light switches
• Ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures
• Behind and under furniture you can move
• Grout and soap scum in showers and tubs
• Kitchen backsplash, range hood and cabinet fronts
• Window sills and tracks

A move-in or move-out cleaning is a deep clean of an empty home, plus the inside of everything:

• Inside all cabinets and drawers
• Inside the fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher
• Closets, shelves and inside windows
• Wall spot cleaning
• Garage sweep if the client asks

How long they take

For one experienced cleaner, roughly:

• Deep cleaning: 1.5 to 2 times a standard cleaning. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath that takes 3 hours standard takes 4.5 to 6 hours deep.
• Move-out, empty home: 2 to 2.5 times a standard cleaning, 6 to 8 hours for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath.

Homes that have not been cleaned in months, or move-outs after a tenant who left in a hurry, can take more. That is why you price as a range and confirm at arrival.

Typical prices

For an insured company in most US markets:

• Deep cleaning: 2 bedrooms $200 to $300, 3 bedrooms $250 to $400, 4 bedrooms $350 to $500
• Move-in or move-out: 2 bedrooms $250 to $375, 3 bedrooms $325 to $500, 4 bedrooms $425 to $650
• Extras: inside the fridge $30 to $50, inside the oven $30 to $50, interior windows $40 to $80, wall washing $50 to $100

A simple formula works well: a base price plus a price per bedroom, with bathrooms and extras on top. For example, deep cleaning at $240 plus $55 per bedroom, and move-out at $300 plus $70 per bedroom. That is how our house cleaning cost calculator prices them.

Do not quote without the details

Before you give a price, ask:

1. How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
2. When was it last cleaned professionally?
3. Pets? How many?
4. Is the home empty (move-out) or furnished?
5. Which extras: inside the oven, fridge, cabinets, windows?

A calculator on your website asks all of that for you, so the client sees a fair range and you get the details before you drive out. See how to give cleaning estimates without a walkthrough.

Protect yourself on move-outs

• Require the utilities to be on. You cannot clean an oven without power or mop without water.
• Take before and after photos of every room. Landlords and property managers will ask.
• Agree on a deposit for large jobs, for example 25 percent when they book.
• Write what is not included: carpet shampoo, trash haul-away, mold, biohazard, walls that need paint.

Who buys them and when

• Spring: deep cleans, windows and baseboards
• Summer: move-outs and move-ins, because most leases end between May and August
• Fall: deep cleans before Thanksgiving and the holidays
• Winter: after-party cleanings and January resets

Realtors and property managers send steady move-out work all year. Drop off a card with your move-out prices at three local offices and follow up after the first job.

Holiday and party cleanings

Before Thanksgiving and in the weeks around Christmas, many clients want a one-time deep clean before guests arrive, and some want a cleaning the morning after a party. Price them like a deep clean, ask for the date early, and offer them to your recurring clients first. A full calendar in late November and December is common for companies that announce it in October.

Turn one-time jobs into recurring clients

After every deep clean, make the offer: "Now that it is at our standard, every two weeks keeps it there for $165." A deep clean client who sees the result is your easiest recurring sale. For move-ins, ask the new owner, not the old one. See how to sell weekly and biweekly cleaning plans.