How to Charge for Home Cleaning Services

Charging for your services can be tricky

You work hard for your money. Putting a value on your time when outsourcing your cleaning services can be tricky. Charging the right price can mean the difference between earning a decent living and working your fingers to the bone for little of nothing. The key is to strike a balance between charging your customers a fair price, and charging enough to make a decent profit.

Things You'll Need

• Phone
• Pen and Paper
• Calculator
• Determination

Instructions

Estimates

1. 

   Include detailed estimates in your business plan

   Much of what you charge will depend on what services you offer. Costhelper.com quotes the average price for a one-time cleaning of a 900 square foot two-bedroom apartment from $74 to $200. Small business consultant, Brett Krkosska, says charging customers a rate for the whole job is often the best way to go. "Doing so places a premium on your professional expertise. Charging by the hour puts undo emphasis on your labor and will not reflect your worth as your skills and efficiency increases."

2. 

   Check out the competition

   Check out your competition. Is your market area flooded with cleaning services? Can you charge premium prices because you offer specialized cleaning services? According to the Business and Maintenance Service Business and Industry Report commissioned by the US Chamber of Commerce, a city with a population of 20,000 is likely to have one or two business cleaning and maintenance firms. The same city can probably also support one or two residential cleaning businesses.

3. 

   What services will you offer

   Make a detailed list of the services you'll offer to clients. To get a better idea of the comprehensive cleaning involved, call cleaning services in your area and ask for estimates and find out what type of cleaning is involved in each estimate.

4. 

   Find out what is takes to have a profitable business

   Visit a local janitorial service. Price supplies and ask questions. They'll probably be supplying you so don't hesitate to pick their brains. They can let you in on unforeseen problems or maintenance issues you may not have thought of. Ask them what they think the key is to having a profitable cleaning business.

5. 

   Charge for everything you have to pay for--don't sell yourself short

   Cost in all your expenses. Transportation, payroll (even if it's just your salary), cleaning supplies, taxes, insurance, office supplies. Make a detailed list of all of your expenses--down to the paper clips. Krkosska says that as a general rule of thumb in a service business, charging a minimum of 2.5 to 3 times your expenses will give you a decent profit. If you offer specialized services such as carpet cleaning or window washing, make sure to tally the charges for renting or buying special equipment. Businesses that don't charge enough usually shut their doors because of a lack of funds. That's doesn't help the business, or the customer.

Tips & Warnings

• After you price your services, you'll need clients. Here's some advice on getting clients on a shoestring budget:

• Pass out business cards

• Advertise online

• Advertise in local weeklies

• Hand-out coupons

• Exchange coupons with

• non-competing businesses

• Offer coupons to businesses/social organizations in your area

References

• Costhelper; Home-garden
• Home Biz Tools: How to Start a Residential Cleaning Service
• US Chamber of Commerce; Business and Maintenance Service Business and Industry Report