After getting quoted everything from $120 to $350 for the same cleaning job last year, I got frustrated and built this house cleaning cost calculator. It factors in all the things cleaning companies consider when pricing (square footage, pets, bathrooms, etc.) without the sales pitch. Not perfect, but definitely more transparent than most “starting at” quotes you’ll see! Enter your details below for a realistic estimate based on your specific home.
How Our Cleaning Calculator Works (& why I built it)
After getting ripped off by a cleaning service last year ($400 for what should’ve been a $200 job!), I spent way too many evenings researching how cleaning companies actually price their services. This calculator is the result of my obsession – use it to avoid my mistakes!
Square Footage: The Starting Point
Type in how big your place is.
Not sure? No worries – I wasn’t either when I first moved in. My lease said 1,200 sq ft but that seemed way off. Turns out my landlord was including the shared hallway and laundry room! 🙄
You can:
- Check property records
- Measure rooms yourself (I did this while binge-watching Breaking Bad one weekend)
- Use those laser measuring apps (though mine was off by like 200 sq ft)
- Just eyeball it based on similar apartments/homes
IMPORTANT: Only include spaces you actually want cleaned! I made the mistake of including my home office, then had to awkwardly ask the cleaner not to touch my “organized chaos” of papers.
Bedroom Count
Pick how many bedrooms need cleaning.
I’ve had debates with roommates about what counts as a bedroom. That sunroom with a futon? The office with a pullout couch? For this calculator, if someone sleeps there OR it has a bed, count it.
My sister tried to save money by not counting her guest room… then complained when the cleaner skipped it. Count it properly, folks!
Bathroom Drama
Select your bathroom count. I’m being super specific here because bathrooms are BRUTAL to clean:
- Full bath = 1 (toilet, sink, tub/shower)
- Half bath = 0.5 (just toilet & sink)
- That weird shower stall in your basement? = 0.5
True story: My first apartment had this ancient clawfoot tub that took my cleaner an extra 45 minutes because of all the nooks and crannies. If you have anything unusual like that, maybe bump up your count by 0.5.
I’ve learned that cleaning companies HATE cleaning bathrooms – they’re time-consuming and gross. That’s why each one significantly affects your quote.
The Fur Factor
Got pets? Check the box.
When I adopted my cats, Mochi and Boba, nobody warned me they’d shed their entire body weight in fur EVERY SINGLE DAY. My poor Roomba died trying to keep up.
Pet hair isn’t just on floors – it’s on furniture, curtains, somehow IN your fridge?? Cleaners need special equipment and extra time to deal with it.
BTW, if you have like 5+ pets or something unusual (my cousin’s pot-bellied pig destroyed her kitchen daily), mention that when booking because this calculator assumes normal pet scenarios.
Cleaning Intensity
What level of clean do you need? Be honest with yourself here:
- Standard Clean – What your mom would do if visiting with a day’s notice. Surface-level, looks good, smells nice.
- Deep Clean – What you need after having the flu for a week and letting everything go. OR what I needed after my college roommates moved out. Still have nightmares about that fridge…
- Move-In/Out Clean – The “I need my security deposit back” special. Every surface, inside appliances, baseboards, the works.
- Post-Construction – After my kitchen reno, there was this weird white dust EVERYWHERE. Like, I found it inside CLOSED drawers?? Normal cleaning just smeared it around.
My two cents: If it’s been more than 2 months since your last good cleaning, start with a deep clean. I tried to save $50 once by choosing standard when I needed deep, and ended up paying for another cleaning two weeks later.
How Often?
Frequency affects price because:
- Regular clients are more valuable
- Maintained homes are easier to clean
I started with monthly cleaning but realized stuff got too gross between visits. Bi-weekly has been my sweet spot – house stays decent and I get that 10% discount.
But honestly? Weekly cleaning is the dream. I splurged on it once after a bonus and it was LIFE-CHANGING. Everything was always clean? Magic.
A La Carte Options
These cost extra but are sometimes worth it:
- Fridge cleaning – Do this quarterly or after major food spills. (RIP to that container of curry I lost for 3 months)
- Oven cleaning – I only add this after major cooking disasters. Like when I tried to make lasagna and it exploded everywhere.
- Cabinet cleaning – The fronts get surprisingly gross! Especially around handles.
- Baseboards – These are dust magnets and a pain to clean yourself. I add this 2x yearly.
- Walls – Kid fingerprints? Red wine splatter? Mysterious marks from who-knows-what? Yeah, get the walls done.
- Windows – I HATE cleaning windows. Always end up with streaks. Worth the add-on.
- Blinds – Another dust trap! My allergies improved after having blinds professionally cleaned.
- Laundry – Honestly, this feels weirdly personal to me, but some people love this option.
FYI – I usually stick with standard cleaning + blinds because I’m not made of money, and I can handle most other stuff between visits.
When Your Estimate Seems Off
If it seems crazy expensive:
- Check for typos (I once accidentally put 4,000 sq ft instead of 1,400 and almost had a heart attack at the price)
- Remove some extra services (do you REALLY need the oven cleaned this time?)
- Consider more frequent service for better rates
If it seems suspiciously cheap:
- Did you forget some rooms?
- Are you being realistic about the cleaning type needed?
- Is your house unusually complicated? (Lots of knickknacks, glass surfaces, etc.)
Real Talk
This calculator was born from frustration after being quoted wildly different prices for the same service. One company wanted $350 for what another would do for $175! Makes no sense.
While nothing beats an in-person quote, this should give you a ballpark idea of what’s reasonable to pay.
Also – cleaning services are like haircuts. Cheaper isn’t always better. I went with the lowest quote once and they did such a rushed job that I had to reclean half my apartment myself. Sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more for quality.
“So… is your calculator actually accurate?”
Look, I wish I could say it’s perfect, but that would be a lie. Our calculator gives you a pretty solid ballpark figure, usually within 10-15% of what you’ll actually pay.
Why the wiggle room? Because cleaning companies are all over the place with their pricing! When I moved to Chicago last year, I got quotes ranging from $95 to $225 for literally the same service. Insanity.
The estimate gets wonky if you live somewhere super expensive (looking at you, San Francisco) or really rural. For dead-on accuracy, you’ll still want to call around – but at least you won’t be shocked when they give you a number.
“Why does my buddy in Nebraska pay half what I do in Boston?”
Location, location, location! I learned this the hard way when I moved from Omaha to Seattle and nearly fell over when I got my first cleaning quote.
It comes down to:
- What cleaners get paid in your area (minimum wage varies wildly)
- How fancy your neighborhood is (yes, cleaning companies charge more in affluent areas – they know their audience)
- How many cleaning companies compete for business
- How far cleaners have to drive between jobs
My sister in rural Wisconsin pays $18/hour for cleaning. My tiny NYC apartment? $50/hour. Same work, wildly different prices. That’s America for ya.
“What exactly am I getting with ‘deep cleaning’ vs. regular cleaning?”
Standard cleaning = what you’d do on a motivated Saturday. Surfaces get wiped, floors get vacuumed, bathrooms don’t look gross anymore. It’s maintenance.
Deep cleaning = what your place needs after hosting Thanksgiving for your entire extended family. Or before your in-laws visit. Or after a particularly rough flu season.
My personal deep cleaning horror story: I skipped the deep clean when moving into my current place. Three months later, I pulled the refrigerator out and found what I can only describe as a crime scene of spills and suspicious growths from the previous tenant. Learn from my mistakes!
Standard cleaning includes the obvious stuff:
- Dusting things you can see
- Vacuuming where you walk
- Making bathrooms presentable
- Kitchen counters that don’t stick to your elbow
Deep cleaning gets into the neglected zones:
- Inside that scary oven (how did so much cheese get in there?)
- Baseboards you forgot existed
- Under the bed where dust bunnies have formed governments
- That gunk in shower corners that’s possibly developing sentience
You’ll pay about 20-40% more for deep cleaning, but sometimes it’s necessary. I do it twice a year, usually after winter (closed windows = dust) and at the end of summer (open windows = pollen and leaves).
“How often should normal people get their house cleaned?”
Define “normal” 😂
Honestly, it depends on your mess tolerance and lifestyle. I’ve gone through all the frequencies:
- Weekly: Lived with three roommates and two dogs. The place was a DISASTER by day 7.
- Bi-weekly: My current sweet spot. House gets messy but not disgusting between cleanings.
- Monthly: Tried this to save money. Ended up doing too much cleaning myself between visits. Not worth it.
- Quarterly: Works if you’re super tidy and just need occasional help with the big stuff.
If you have kids or pets, weekly or bi-weekly is probably your reality. My friend with three boys under 5 gets cleaning twice a week and says it’s still not enough!
Budget is obviously a factor too. Start with monthly if you’re unsure – you can always increase frequency if needed.
“Why do you need to know about my pets? Are you judging me?”
No judgment here! I have two cats that shed enough to make a third cat every week.
We ask because pets change the cleaning equation:
- Dog/cat hair gets EVERYWHERE and requires special vacuum attachments
- Pet beds, toys, and feeding areas need attention
- Those nose smudges on windows at exact dog height
- Let’s not discuss the litter box area…
Most cleaners charge $15-30 extra for pet homes. Worth every penny, especially during shedding season. Last spring, my cleaner pulled enough golden retriever fur from under my couch to stuff a small pillow. I’m not even exaggerating!
“I’m not made of money. How can I get this cheaper?”
Been there! When I was fresh out of college with massive student loans, I still managed to afford occasional cleaning with these hacks:
- Regular scheduling = discounts (my company gives 15% off for weekly service)
- Do a quick pick-up before they arrive (cleaners aren’t paid to organize your stuff)
- Ask about focusing on specific areas (I sometimes just get bathrooms and kitchen done)
- Book mid-week instead of weekends (some companies offer weekday discounts)
- Split the cost with roommates (best decision we ever made)
- Check Groupon or local deal sites for intro offers
Word of warning from my nightmare experience: That suspiciously cheap company that charges half what everyone else does? They’re cutting corners somewhere. The $89 “special” I found on Facebook left my bathroom smelling like they cleaned it with old gym socks.
Quality matters. A good cleaning company is worth the extra money.
“What should I do before the cleaners show up?”
Please don’t be like my ex who thought cleaners would organize his massive collection of unsorted mail and random stuff!
Before my cleaner arrives, I:
- Pick up clutter (they’re there to clean, not organize your life)
- Put away anything valuable or super fragile (accidents happen)
- Make note of any trouble spots (“Could you please focus on the guest bathroom? My brother stayed over and… well… he’s not exactly tidy”)
- Secure my cats in a bedroom (otherwise they “help” the cleaner)
- Clear off countertops so they can actually clean them
One time I forgot to mention a wobbly shelf in my bathroom. The cleaner barely touched it and CRASH! Goodbye, fancy skincare products. Totally my fault for not warning them.
Oh, and don’t worry about cleaning before the cleaner comes. That’s weird and makes us both uncomfortable! A quick declutter is perfect – leave the actual cleaning to the professionals.
Questions? Issues with the calculator? Found a cleaning hack that’s changed your life?
I’m still tweaking this thing based on feedback.