Operator Grid / Cleaning quote calculator
Cleaning quote calculator: price cleaning jobs from your real costs
Guessing a price, or copying a competitor, is how cleaning businesses end up busy and broke. Price each job from what it costs you to deliver, then add the margin you want to keep.
The pricing formula
Job cost = (estimated hours × cleaners × hourly labor cost) + supplies + travel + overhead share
Quote = job cost ÷ (1 − target profit margin)
Dividing by (1 − margin) is different from adding a markup. A 40% markup on a $100 cost gives $140, which is only a 28.6% margin. To keep a true 40% margin, divide: $100 ÷ 0.60 = $166.67.
Try it
How to estimate hours accurately
- Track actual vs. quoted hours on every job. After 20–30 jobs you'll know your real speed per bedroom, bathroom and square foot.
- Adjust for condition. First cleans, move-outs and homes that haven't been cleaned in months take much longer than maintenance visits.
- Price recurring work separately. Weekly and biweekly homes stay cleaner, so they often take less time per visit than one-time cleans. Discount only by the time you actually save.
- Add-ons such as inside the oven, the fridge, windows or laundry should be priced as their own line items.
Common pricing mistakes
- Forgetting payroll taxes, insurance and travel time in labor cost.
- Confusing markup with margin.
- Never raising prices for long-term recurring clients as costs go up.
- Quoting over the phone without asking about size, condition, pets and access.
Keep every quote in one place
A calculator gives you one price. The Operator Grid Cleaning Business AI Growth OS includes a quote and pricing system built on your own costs and assumptions, saved alongside your leads, clients, jobs and profit tracking, so you can see which quotes close and which jobs are underpriced.