How to Price Office Cleaning From Your Costs

People search for office cleaning prices and commercial cleaning rates hoping for one number. There is not one. Rates vary by market and by building, and a number that fits one company's costs can be a loss for yours. This page shows how to build your own price. The margin is your call.

What drives time in an office

Two offices of the same size can take very different time. These are the things that move the hours:

• Square footage. A starting point, not the answer.
• Restrooms. Often the most time per square foot. Count them, and count fixtures in each.
• Kitchens and break rooms. Counters, sinks, appliances, tables, and dishes if the client asks.
• Floor types. Carpet, hard floor, and entry mats each take different tools and time.
• Desks and density. Many desks close together take longer than open space. Ask whether desks are cleared or cluttered.
• Trash points. Every bin is a stop. Count them, including recycling.
• Frequency. Daily cleaning is lighter per visit than weekly cleaning, where more builds up.
• After-hours access. Entry routines, elevators, and loading docks all take time.
• Security and alarm. Arming, disarming, and sign-in procedures add minutes to every visit.

Walkthrough questions

Ask these on site and write down the answers. They go straight into your hours and your proposal.

• How many people work here, and on which days?
• How many restrooms, and how many fixtures in each?
• Which rooms are in scope, and which are off limits?
• What floor types are there, and who handles deep floor care now?
• How many trash and recycling bins, and where does trash go?
• How often do you want each area cleaned?
• What hours can we be in the building? How do we get in?
• Is there an alarm? Who gives us codes and keys?
• Who supplies paper towels, toilet paper, soap, and liners?
• Is there storage on site for our equipment and chemicals?
• What did you like and not like about past cleaning?

The guide on how to bid commercial cleaning jobs covers the full walkthrough and how to write it up.

The production rate approach

A production rate is how much of an area your team cleans in an hour. The useful ones are your own. Time your team doing the actual tasks: a restroom, a break room, a set of desks, a run of carpet. Keep notes by area and by floor type. Over a few accounts, you build your own reference.

Use square footage as a sanity check, not as the price. If your hours look far off for the size of the building, walk it again and look for what you missed. Then price from hours.

If you use chemicals on site, keep the safety data sheets and check that containers are labeled. OSHA's Hazard Communication page explains labels, safety data sheets, and training at work.

The monthly formula

Here is the structure. Each line is your own number.

1. Hours per visit, from the walkthrough and your own production rates.
2. Times visits per month.
3. Times your loaded labor cost per hour: wage plus payroll costs.
4. Plus supplies per month.
5. Plus equipment wear: a share of what it costs to replace vacuums and other gear.
6. Plus an overhead share: insurance, vehicle, phone, software, and admin.
7. That is monthly break-even. Then add the margin you choose. That is your call.

The commercial cleaning calculator lays out the same math.

One labeled example

Example only, placeholder numbers, not market data or a suggested price.

Swap in your own numbers. The structure is what matters.

Per visit vs monthly pricing

• Per visit. Simple for one-off cleans and irregular schedules. Each visit stands on its own.
• Monthly. Common for recurring contracts. The client gets one steady number, and you get a predictable schedule. Work it out per visit first, then multiply.

Months are not all the same length. Some owners average visits over the year so the monthly number stays steady. Whatever you choose, write down how many visits the price covers and what happens on holidays.

Scope by area

Spell out the scope area by area. This is a layout to fill in, not a standard. Your walkthrough decides the tasks and the frequency.

Add-ons to price separately

Some work is not part of every visit. Price each as its own line, from its own hours and costs, so the base price stays clear.

• Floor care. Stripping, refinishing, or burnishing hard floors.
• Windows. Interior glass, and exterior glass if you do it.
• Carpet extraction. Deep cleaning carpet on a set schedule.
• Day porter. Someone on site during business hours to restock and tidy. Priced by the hour.

A cleaning service price list built from your costs keeps these add-ons consistent from bid to bid.

When to revisit the price

• Scope creep. Small extra tasks pile up. If the work grows, the price should be reviewed.
• Headcount changes. More people means more trash, more restroom use, and more desks.
• Added rooms or floors. Any new space gets walked and priced.
• Your costs change. Wages, supplies, insurance, or fuel.
• Renewal. Check your actual hours on the account against the hours you priced.

Put every change in writing, with the new price, before you do the added work.

Putting it in a proposal

The proposal turns your math into something the client can read and sign off on: the scope by area, the frequency, the schedule, what is excluded, the price per month, and the term. See the cleaning proposal template. Show the client the price and the scope. Your break-even and margin stay with you.

If you are still building your list of offices to bid, see how to get commercial cleaning contracts.

Run the cost side with your numbers

Binderlane organizes your pricing math: answer a few questions, see your break-even and your price, then text the client a branded quote with your logo. It was built around house jobs, so for a recurring office contract use the monthly steps above with your own walkthrough. It does not set or recommend rates. First 3 quotes are free to send, no card.