Cleaning Estimate Template
The short answer
A standard house cleaning in the US bills $120–$250 per visit in 2026, a deep clean $200–$400, and a move-in or move-out clean $250–$500. Where a given house lands inside those bands comes down to labor hours: square footage, the bathroom count, pets, clutter, and how long it has been since anyone cleaned it properly. Build the number from time, then quote it flat. A 2,000 square foot home takes roughly 3–4 solo hours for a standard clean and 6–8 for a deep clean, and at $40–$75 per cleaner hour the price follows. Charge the first visit as a deep clean even when the customer wants biweekly service, since catch-up work runs 1.5 to 2 times as long as maintenance. Recurring visits then sit 10–20% below your one-time rate. Inside ovens, inside fridges, interior windows and laundry carry their own prices rather than being folded into the visit for free.
A cleaning estimate answers the customer's first question, roughly what will this cost, with enough detail that the answer holds up. Use this template for a quick number with a validity date, send it for online approval, and convert the approved estimate to an invoice with the next number. When the job has options or needs a signature and a deposit, use a proposal instead.
What belongs in a cleaning estimate
Cleaning proposals win recurring contracts, so the document has to define the visit, not just the price. List rooms and tasks per visit, the frequency, how many cleaners for how long, and what is excluded (inside ovens, windows, laundry). Deep-clean and move-out services are natural optional items on a recurring proposal, as are add-ons like fridge interior or window tracks. Access, pets, supplies, and cancellation notice all belong in the terms.
Typical cleaning prices in 2026
What cleaning jobs commonly cost in the US. Your market, your costs and the job in front of you decide your number; use these ranges to check it.
| Job | Typical price | Unit | Usually includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard house clean | $120–$250 | per visit | Kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming and mopping throughout the home |
| Deep clean or first visit | $200–$400 | per visit | Baseboards, doors, inside microwave, detailed bathrooms and built-up grime |
| Move-in or move-out clean | $250–$500 | per job | Empty home, inside cabinets, oven and refrigerator, all floors |
| Inside oven | $25–$50 | per visit | Racks, walls and door glass degreased, added to a scheduled visit |
| Inside refrigerator | $25–$50 | per visit | Shelves and drawers removed, washed and wiped, food handled by customer |
| Interior window cleaning | $5–$15 | per window | Inside glass, sills and tracks wiped down |
| Carpet cleaning | $25–$75 | per room | Spot treatment and machine cleaning of one standard room |
| Laundry add-on | $20–$35 | per load | Wash, dry and fold one load during the visit |
| Hourly cleaning (walkthrough first) | $40–$75 | per hour | One cleaner's time on post-construction or severe catch-up jobs |
Typical ranges as of September 2026 · US national. Editorial ranges for typical US residential cleaning jobs, checked against Numulo's published cleaning pricing guide. Sources: Numulo: what to charge for cleaning work in 2026, Numulo 2026 trade pricing report.
Sample line items
Realistic 2026 US pricing for a typical job. Every number is editable; optional items are the ones the customer decides on.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial deep clean: 3 bed, 2 bath, all rooms, kitchen appliances exterior | 1 | $320.00 | $320.00 |
| Recurring biweekly standard clean, 2 cleaners, first 3 months (6 visits) | 6 | $145.00 | $870.00 |
| Supplies and eco-friendly products | 1 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Inside oven and refrigerator, per visit optional | 6 | $35.00 | $210.00 |
| Interior windows and tracks, quarterly optional | 2 | $120.00 | $240.00 |
| Laundry: wash, dry, fold, one load per visit optional | 6 | $25.00 | $150.00 |
Required items: $1,190.00. Optional items if all are chosen: $600.00. Rate ranges for this trade are in what to charge for cleaning work. Price the job first with the free house cleaning estimate calculator or the cleaning price list template.
Terms that belong in a cleaning estimate
Promise extended coverage on the bid: saying how long you stand behind cleaning work separates your number from a cheaper one, and it costs nothing on the day you offer it. Put the terms on the estimate and they carry through to the invoice when the customer approves, then start counting down once that invoice is paid. From there warranty tracking keeps the coverage dates, an estimate of the labor and parts you could still owe, and any callback filed against the job.
Bigger job with options and a deposit? Use the cleaning proposal template. Work already done? The cleaning invoice template is free too.
Once the work is invoiced, getting paid is handled too: your pay instructions print on the invoice, part payments are tracked, and reminders go out on their own.
How the estimate gets approved
Send the link. The customer sees the items, the total, and the validity date, types their name, and approves. You get an email, and the estimate converts to an invoice with the next invoice number in one click, carrying the same client, items, and any deposit.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge to clean a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
For a home around 2,000 square feet, a standard recurring clean commonly lands at $160–$250 and a first deep clean at $250–$400. Check the number against your hours: about 3–4 solo hours for maintenance and 6–8 for a deep clean, multiplied by your rate per cleaner hour. Local labor cost moves it more than anything else.
Should I price cleaning by square foot or by room?
Use square footage and room count to work out labor hours, then quote one flat price per visit. Square footage sets the baseline, and each bathroom adds more time than a bedroom. Customers compare a single visit price, so show that figure and keep the per-foot arithmetic on your side of the quote.
How much extra should I charge for pets or clutter?
Add 10 to 25 percent for heavy pet hair, clutter, homes over two stories, or a house that has gone a year without a professional clean. Name the reason on the estimate so the customer knows why their price differs from a neighbor's, and drop the surcharge once the house is on a maintained schedule.
What should a move-out clean cost?
Move-in and move-out cleans commonly bill $250–$500. The home is empty, so you reach everything: inside cabinets and drawers, the oven, the refrigerator, baseboards and closets. Price above your deep-clean rate, and quote wall washing, carpet cleaning and garage sweeping as separate lines since landlords ask for them.
How do I price office or commercial cleaning?
Bid it per visit from square footage, visits per week and the number of restrooms, then sell it as a monthly contract. Work out the labor hours for one visit, multiply by your rate, and check the monthly total. State who supplies paper goods and trash liners, because that line changes the margin more than the floor area.
What is the difference between an estimate and a proposal?
An estimate is a priced list with a validity date that the customer approves with a typed name. A proposal adds a written scope, optional items the customer can pick, terms, an electronic signature record, and automatic invoicing with a deposit on acceptance.
More for cleaning jobs
- Cleaning proposal template
- Cleaning invoice template
- House cleaning estimate calculator
- Cleaning price list template
- What to charge for cleaning work in 2026
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