House Cleaning Prices per Hour: What to Charge and When

Ask ten cleaners what they charge per hour and you will hear ten numbers between $25 and $90. The range is wide because "per hour" means different things: per cleaner, per team, with or without supplies, with or without insurance. Here is how to think about house cleaning prices per hour and set your own.

Typical hourly rates in the US

• Independent cleaner, no insurance: $25 to $40 per hour
• Insured solo cleaner or small company: $35 to $60 per cleaner hour
• Company with employees, insurance and a bond: $50 to $90 per cleaner hour

In expensive metros, add 20 to 40 percent. A two-person team is usually quoted per cleaner hour, so a team that cleans for 2 hours at $50 is $200, the same as one cleaner for 4 hours.

Why your hourly rate has to be higher than you think

Your hourly rate is not your pay. Out of every hour you charge, you also pay for:

• Drive time between homes, which nobody pays you for
• Supplies, about 3 to 5 percent of what you charge
• Insurance, bond and licenses
• Self-employment tax, about 15.3 percent on your profit
• Phone, software, marketing and gas
• Days off, sick days and cancellations

A cleaner who charges $30 an hour and cleans 30 hours a week often takes home less than $18 an hour after all of that. That is why so many cleaners burn out in year two.

How to set your hourly rate

1. Decide the yearly income you need. Say $55,000.
2. Estimate the hours you will actually clean in a year. Thirty hours a week for 48 weeks is 1,440 hours.
3. Add your yearly costs: insurance $700, supplies $2,500, gas $3,500, phone and software $1,200, marketing $1,000, so about $8,900.
4. Add self-employment tax on the income, roughly $8,400.
5. Divide the total ($72,300) by the hours (1,440). You need about $50 an hour.

If you have employees, add their wage, about 10 to 12 percent for payroll taxes and workers' comp, and a margin of 15 to 25 percent for the business.

When hourly pricing makes sense

• Very dirty homes where you cannot predict the time
• Organizing or decluttering jobs
• Post-construction cleaning
• Clients who want a specific list that changes every visit

For these, give an estimate of hours ("about 4 to 5 hours for two cleaners") and a cap the client approves before you go over.

Why flat prices sell better

For regular homes, clients prefer a flat price. They do not want to watch the clock, and they cannot compare an hourly rate to the flat price on another company's website. Flat prices also reward you for getting faster: when your team cleans a home in 2.5 hours instead of 3, you keep the difference.

The trick is to build the flat price from your hourly target. Time the home, multiply by your rate and round: a home that takes 3 cleaner hours at $50 is $150. Then publish those flat prices by bedrooms, so clients see them without calling. Our guide on how much to charge for house cleaning shows the full method, and the house cleaning cost calculator shows typical prices by bedrooms and frequency.

Hourly rates and recurring clients

A biweekly home that takes 3 hours the first time often takes 2.5 hours by the third visit. If you price recurring visits 10 percent below one-time, your effective hourly rate still goes up, because you clean faster. That is the hidden value of recurring plans: steady income and a better hourly rate. See how to sell weekly and biweekly cleaning plans.

Supplies and hourly rates

Clients sometimes ask for a lower rate if they provide the supplies. Supplies are only 3 to 5 percent of your price, so a $2 or $3 discount per hour is the most it is worth. Some clients want you to use their products for allergies or pets; write it in their notes and keep your rate the same.

How to talk about it with clients

When someone asks "what do you charge per hour?", answer with the home: "For a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, a cleaning every two weeks is $165. The first visit is a deep clean at $295." You move the conversation from hourly rate, where you look expensive, to the result, where you look clear and professional.