Types of cleaning services and cleaning businesses: what to offer and what to charge
There are two questions behind "types of cleaning business." The first is what kind of company to run: residential, commercial, short-term rental, post-construction or a specialty like carpets or windows. The second, once you've picked, is which services to sell. Most house cleaning companies sell four: a standard clean, a deep clean, a move-in/move-out clean and a post-construction clean. This guide covers both, with the prices, add-ons and per-job margins we use.
Types of cleaning businesses
Each type of cleaning company has its own clients, equipment and way of getting paid.
| Type | Who pays you | What it takes to start |
|---|---|---|
| Residential (house cleaning) | Homeowners and renters, per visit or on a recurring plan | Supplies, a car and a checklist. The cheapest type to start |
| Commercial or janitorial | Offices, shops, clinics and other workplaces, usually on a monthly contract | The insurance commercial clients ask for, evening or weekend crews, and some larger equipment |
| Short-term rental (Airbnb) | Hosts and property managers, per turnover | Fast, reliable same-day turnovers, linen handling and a way to report damage |
| Post-construction | Contractors, builders and homeowners after a renovation | Heavier equipment such as HEPA vacuums, ladders and scrapers, and a crew for bigger jobs |
| Specialty and exterior | Homes and businesses, per job | Dedicated machines for carpets, windows or pressure washing, and training to use them |
Residential is where most owners start, because you can begin with the supplies in your car and your first clients are people you already know. It's also the type the rest of this guide covers. If you're leaning toward another type, we have full guides on starting a commercial cleaning business (and office cleaning rates for pricing it) and starting an Airbnb cleaning business. Many residential companies add post-construction and short-term rental work later, once they have a team.
The four types of cleaning services to offer
These four cover almost every booking a house cleaning company gets. The prices below are for a 1,500 sq ft home from our price table, which prices every job by square footage and service type. How much to charge for house cleaning has the full table and how it's built.
| Service | 1,500 sq ft home | Minimum price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard clean | $195 | $150 ($120 weekly) |
| Deep clean | $360 | $200 |
| Move-in / move-out clean | $420 | $250 |
| Post-construction clean | $630 | $400 |
Standard clean (recurring)
A top-to-bottom maintenance clean of kitchens, bathrooms, floors and surfaces, for a home that's already in good shape. Busy professionals, families with kids and older homeowners book it, and most of them book it on a schedule. We discount recurring plans by 5% for every four weeks, 15% for every other week and 20% for weekly. That takes the $195 clean to $165.75 every other week.
A standard clean earns less per visit than the other three, but it comes back without you having to sell it again. In one example from our Road to 10K guide, a client paying $250 a month for bathrooms only leaves the business $140 a month after paying the cleaner. Once your recurring clients cover your monthly costs, every job after that adds to profit.
Deep clean
A high-detail, one-time clean for a home that hasn't had a professional clean in six months or more. It covers everything in a standard clean plus the places a routine clean skips: baseboards, behind the toilet and the oven, the backsplash and built-up grime. People book it before a holiday or event, or as a reset.
A deep clean of a 2 bed, 2 bath, 1,500 sq ft home with the inside of the oven and fridge comes to $460 and takes about five hours. The cleaner is paid $175 and the business keeps $285. Use the deep clean as the first job with a new client, then offer to move them onto a recurring standard clean.
Move-in / move-out clean
A full clean of an empty home so it's ready for the next occupant: every room and surface, inside the cabinets, the fridge and the oven. Tenants book it to get their security deposit back. Landlords book it between tenants, and real estate agents book it before a showing.
Clients are on a deadline and the home has to pass an inspection, so move-out cleans are priced higher. In our guide's example, a move-out clean of an empty apartment was $515. The cleaner was paid $130, and the business kept $385. A landlord or agent who's happy with one move-out clean will usually call you for the next.
Post-construction clean
A clean after a renovation, remodel or new build: sawdust and fine dust, debris, paint splatter, leftover masking tape, fixtures, walls and the garage. Contractors, developers and homeowners book it.
It's the hardest work and your highest price. In the guide's example, a post-construction clean of a new build was $900, with $300 to the cleaner and $600 to the business. Construction dust keeps settling for days, so quote for the size of the job and agree in writing what "done" means before you start.
Add-ons that raise the price of any clean
Add-ons let a client pay for extra work without you writing a new quote each time. These are the add-ons and prices in our table:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Inside oven | $50 |
| Inside fridge | $50 |
| Inside dishwasher | $50 |
| Inside cabinets | $40 |
| Garage sweep | $35 |
| Wall washing | $35 |
| Extra pet hair | $25 per pet |
| Heavy duty (extra buildup) | $25 |
| Wash and fold laundry | $25 per load |
| Sink of dishes | $25 |
| Wet wipe window blinds | $10 each |
| Interior windows | $6 each |
Show them when the client books. Someone who's already booking will often tick the oven and fridge, which adds $100 for about an hour of work.
Which services to start with
- Start with standard and deep cleans. They need the same supplies, and every deep clean is a chance to win a recurring client.
- Add move-in/move-out cleans as soon as you can. Introduce yourself to local landlords, property managers and real estate agents, who need one every time a home changes hands.
- Leave post-construction until you have a second cleaner and the equipment. It pays the best of the four, but one person can't finish a large new build in a day.
- Write a checklist for each service so the client knows what they're paying for and every cleaner does the job the same way. Our free house cleaning checklist has one each for standard, deep and move-in/move-out cleans.
Whatever you offer, keep to your minimum prices. Below them you can't pay a cleaner well and still make a profit. To see what your own homes come to, run them through the cleaning price calculator.
Put your services on a booking form
New BookedEZ accounts start with these four services already set up, with the square-footage prices, minimums, add-ons and recurring discounts above. Change any number in your dashboard and clients see the new price when they book. They pick a service, enter the size of their home, tick their add-ons and see the price straight away, and their card is charged after the clean. Standard, deep and move-in/move-out cleans each come with a checklist in the cleaner app. From $29 a month for your whole team, and the first 14 days are free.
Common questions
What are the main types of cleaning businesses?
Residential cleaning (houses and apartments), commercial or janitorial cleaning (offices, shops and other workplaces), short-term rental cleaning (Airbnb turnovers), post-construction cleaning, and specialty or exterior cleaning such as carpets, windows and pressure washing. Residential is the cheapest to start because it needs little equipment.
What types of cleaning services should a house cleaning company offer?
Four cover almost every booking: a standard clean (often recurring), a deep clean, a move-in/move-out clean and a post-construction clean. Add-ons such as inside the oven, inside the fridge and interior windows raise the price of any of them.
What is the difference between a standard clean and a deep clean?
A standard clean keeps a home that's already in good shape clean: kitchens, bathrooms, floors and surfaces. A deep clean also covers the places a routine clean skips, such as baseboards, behind the toilet and oven, the backsplash and built-up grime. A deep clean of a 1,500 sq ft home is $360 in our price table against $195 for a standard clean.
What is included in a move-out clean?
Every room in an empty home, including inside the cabinets, fridge and oven, so the home is ready for the next occupant. Tenants book it to get their deposit back, and landlords and real estate agents book it between occupants.
Which cleaning service is the most profitable?
Per job, post-construction and move-out cleans. In the examples from our Road to 10K guide, the business keeps $600 on a $900 post-construction clean and $385 on a $515 move-out clean after paying the cleaner. Recurring cleans earn less per visit but repeat every week, two weeks or month, which makes them the steadiest income.
Still deciding what kind of business to start? Read how to start a cleaning business, or compare cleaning with other trades in the most profitable service businesses to start.