Office cleaning rates: how to price commercial cleaning
Office cleaning rates in the US run from about $20 to $80 an hour, or $0.07 to $0.20 per square foot, according to the 2026 price guides from HomeAdvisor and Housecall Pro. HomeAdvisor puts the average commercial clean at $390 a visit. Those ranges are wide because every building, schedule and region is different. This guide shows what offices are being quoted, what an hour of cleaning actually costs you, and how to turn the two into a bid you can win and still make money on.
Typical office cleaning rates in 2026
These are national figures from two consumer price guides, so they show what an office manager expects to see when they ask around.
| How it's priced | HomeAdvisor | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour, office | $20 to $80 | $30 to $75 (commercial cleaning in general) |
| Per square foot, office | $0.10 to $0.20 | $0.07 to $0.20 |
| Medical office | $35 to $80 an hour | $0.12 to $0.30 per sq ft |
| Retail | $20 to $50 an hour | $0.08 to $0.18 per sq ft |
HomeAdvisor also breaks the cost of one commercial clean down by building size:
| Building size | Per visit |
|---|---|
| Under 1,000 sq ft | $70 to $250 |
| 1,000 to 5,000 sq ft | $150 to $600 |
| 5,000 to 20,000 sq ft | $400 to $2,000 |
| 20,000 sq ft and up | $1,000 to $2,500 or more |
Sources: HomeAdvisor (updated June 2026) and Housecall Pro (updated October 2026).
Use these ranges to check a bid, and build the price itself from your own time and costs. A per-square-foot rate doesn't know whether the office is mostly open carpet or has six restrooms and a kitchen, and neither guide says how long a crew takes.
What an hour of commercial cleaning costs you
Start with labor, because it's most of the cost. The median wage for janitors and cleaners is $17.71 an hour, or $36,840 a year, and the average is $18.64, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). Check your own state's figure there, because it can be several dollars higher or lower.
Commercial cleaning usually runs on fixed evening shifts at the same sites every week, which is the kind of control that points toward employees rather than contractors. Read the IRS guidance and ask an accountant before you decide. Here's an example cost per labor hour with an employee (your numbers will be different):
- Pay: $20 an hour, a little above the median so cleaners stay.
- Payroll taxes and workers' compensation: roughly 20% on top, so $4.
- Supplies: products, liners and pads spread across your hours, $2.
- Overhead: insurance, gas, software, phone, marketing and your admin time divided by your billable hours, $6.
That's about $32 for every hour of cleaning, your break-even point. If you use contractors and pay per job the way many residential companies do, the same sum comes to about $43 an hour, as in our house cleaning price guide.
How to price commercial cleaning: a worked bid
- Walk the building with the client and list every task by area and how often it's done: nightly, weekly or monthly.
- Estimate the time each visit takes. If you're unsure, clean a similar space and time yourself. Add the drive there and back.
- Multiply the hours by your cost per labor hour.
- Divide by 0.7 to leave 30% of the price as profit. Add any bond or extra insurance the client requires.
- Multiply by visits per month. Three visits a week is 13 a month (3 × 52 ÷ 12).
- Compare the result with the market ranges above.
An example with made-up numbers: a 4,000 sq ft office with two restrooms and a break room, cleaned three evenings a week. You time a visit at 2.5 hours, plus half an hour of travel.
| Step | Result |
|---|---|
| 3 hours × $32 cost per labor hour | $96 cost per visit |
| $96 ÷ 0.7 for a 30% margin | $137, rounded to $140 per visit |
| $140 × 13 visits | $1,820 a month |
| Per hour on site and travelling | about $47 |
| Per square foot, per visit | $0.035 |
Now the check. $47 an hour sits inside the $20 to $80 range. But HomeAdvisor's range for a 1,000 to 5,000 sq ft building is $150 to $600 a visit, and $140 falls just under it. Either your time estimate is optimistic, or you have room to charge more. Walk the building again before you send the bid. If the time holds, $150 to $175 a visit is still at the low end of that range and leaves you more margin.
Quote the client one number: $1,820 a month, or wherever you land. If they ask for a per-square-foot rate, divide after you've done the math.
Charge more for these
- Medical offices, dental practices and clinics. HomeAdvisor puts them about $10 an hour above a standard office because of sanitation protocols and waste handling.
- More restrooms and kitchens. They take far longer per square foot than open office space.
- Fewer visits. A space cleaned once a week has more to clean each time than one cleaned nightly.
- Tight time windows, weekend work, or a requirement for background-checked or bonded cleaners.
- Short contracts. A one-month trial costs you the same setup as a year.
Add-ons to price separately
Keep periodic work out of the monthly price and quote it as an extra. HomeAdvisor's ranges:
| Add-on | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Carpet cleaning | $0.10 to $0.40 per sq ft |
| Floor waxing | $0.10 to $0.40 per sq ft |
| Surface disinfection | $0.05 to $0.15 per sq ft |
| Interior window washing | $2 to $10 per window |
| Upholstery cleaning | $25 to $55 per item |
| Pressure washing | $25 to $100 an hour |
Put these in the contract
- The scope by area and frequency, so "clean the office" means the same thing to both of you.
- Who supplies paper towels, toilet paper, soap and liners. If you do, bill them at cost plus a handling fee, or build them into the price.
- Payment terms, such as monthly in advance or net 15, and a late fee.
- A yearly price increase, so rising wages don't eat your margin.
- How either side can end the agreement, and with how much notice.
How to start a commercial cleaning business covers the walkthrough, insurance and finding your first contracts. Our cleaning service contract template is written for house cleaning clients, but its clauses on payment, cancellation and hiring your cleaners are a useful starting point.
Running commercial and residential work together
Many companies take a few office contracts alongside house cleaning. BookedEZ handles the residential side: instant prices, online booking, card on file and reminders. Recurring weekly, every-two-weeks and monthly jobs are booked ahead, and you can send each job to your cleaners by text. From $29 a month for your whole team, and the first 14 days are free.
Common questions
What is the going rate for office cleaning?
HomeAdvisor puts office cleaning at $20 to $80 an hour, or $0.10 to $0.20 per square foot, with an average of $390 per visit for commercial cleaning. Housecall Pro gives $30 to $75 an hour and $0.07 to $0.20 per square foot for recurring office cleaning. Rates vary by region, building and how often you clean, so build your own bid from your costs and use these ranges as a check.
How do you price commercial cleaning?
Walk the building and time how long each visit will take, including travel. Multiply the hours by your cost per labor hour (pay, payroll costs, supplies and overhead), then divide by 0.7 to leave 30% of the price as profit. Multiply the price per visit by visits per month to get the monthly contract price, and compare the result with the market ranges.
Should I charge by the hour or by the square foot for office cleaning?
Quote a flat price per visit or per month, worked out from the hours the job takes. HomeAdvisor notes that hourly billing is typical for one or two cleanings a week and per-square-foot billing for three or more. Either way the client sees one number, and you've priced it from your own time and costs.
How much do medical office cleaning rates cost?
HomeAdvisor puts medical office cleaning at $35 to $80 an hour, about $10 an hour more than a standard office, because of sanitation protocols and medical waste handling. Housecall Pro gives $0.12 to $0.30 per square foot.
What do commercial cleaners get paid?
The median wage for janitors and cleaners in the US is $17.71 an hour, or $36,840 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The average is $18.64 an hour.
Pricing homes as well? Read how much to charge for house cleaning, or see how the two compare in types of cleaning services.