How Much To Charge To Clean A Bar

You've bought all your cleaning supplies and equipment, told everyone that you have started a cleaning business and now you are ready to start bidding on jobs and getting down to work. You're about ready to jump out of your shoes with excitement. But hold on, do you know what to charge for your cleaning services? What is a fair price and a fair profit? Pricing too high or too low are both "no win" situations.

Are you pricing your cleaning services to win the bid and be profitable?

So how do I know what to charge for cleaning services?

From our experience, pricing facilities and cleaning services is one of the most problematic questions cleaning business owners ask themselves. The goal is to find a reasonable price with profit built in. And pricing for profit in your cleaning business will constantly be shifting and fluctuating.

Your pre-determined profit margins from years ago will not necessarily reflect the needs of your business today. As your business costs, expenses, overhead, and labor increase, so should your prices. Competition and current market situations will also play a part in determining a price.

Remember, you are in business to make a profit and earn a living. There are cleaning companies that charge more than others and have all the work they can handle. There are also companies that have lower prices, yet struggle to find work. Don't sell yourself and your business short or you will not be able to earn a living.

The rates for commercial cleaning services vary greatly

Although you won't be charging an hourly rate, when you break it down they can range from $20 to $45+ per hour depending on the type of services you provide, whether or not you're doing the work yourself, and your company's "numbers".

Monthly square footage rates can run anywhere from $.05 to $.25 per square foot depending on the type of building and the frequency of the service. You'll be able to bid a higher square footage price for medical facilities versus office buildings due to more specialized cleaning needs. You'll likely bid a lower square footage price for large buildings versus small buildings. For example, you may bid $.08 per square foot for a 50,000 square foot building versus $.12 per square foot for an 8,000 square foot building.

You will most likely be charging your customers a monthly price and you will need to figure that price by estimating how long it will take to perform the services that your customer has requested. The more productive you are, the higher the hourly production rate. If you're able to clean 5,000 square feet per hour, your profit will be higher than if you're only able to clean 3,500 square feet per hour, so workload the space and adjust your price according to the facility and situation.

How does the competition factor into pricing?

It's a good idea to find out what the competition is doing as well as charging for cleaning services in your area. You can start by asking the prospect every time you lose a bid, where you fell in comparison to the competition. Sometimes they'll let you know if you were high or low, other times they'll let you know how the pricing came in. Start keeping track of this so you can see if there's a pattern developing for your company.

Other ways of monitoring the competition is to check out their website and/or any social media platforms they may have such as Facebook. Are they offering discounts or coupons? How many employees do they have? How long have they been in business? Do they offer the same services as you? Are you competing for the same businesses in the same market?

Answering these questions will help you get an overall understanding of what and whom you are up against. Allowing you to strengthen weak areas of your business and possibly create new services and opportunities for your cleaning business.

To estimate what you should charge for cleaning a building, start by doing a building walk-through with the building owner or manager. Keep track of the following:

Frequency of cleaning (once a week, three times a week, five times a week). If frequency is one or two times per week, it's best to estimate your time and multiply by your hourly rate. If cleaning 3 or more times per week you can estimate your time by the square foot.
Overall square feet.
Types of floor surfaces and square footage of each (carpet, vinyl flooring, ceramic tile).
Types of rooms - general office, break room, restrooms. Also note the number of toilets/stalls and fixtures in each restroom, as well as the types of restroom supplies used.
Any special considerations - heavy traffic areas, elevators, unusual requests, etc.
Density of office furniture. Is it very tight with a lot of partitions and office, or are there more wide open spaces?
Make note of the specific services the client is seeking and frequency of each. For example, some buildings may need dusting done more frequently than others.

The following services are specialized services and you should bid them separately, and list a per-service charge on your bid:

Stripping and Waxing (.30¢ - .50¢ +per square foot)
Buffing/Burnishing (.04¢ - .12¢+ per square foot)
Machine Cleaning of Ceramic Tile floors (.12¢ - .21¢+ per square foot)
Carpet Cleaning (.08¢ - .25¢ per square foot)
Carpet Spotting ($25 - $40 per hour)
Cleaning appliances (microwave, refrigerator) - $10 - $35 per appliance
Window Washing ($2.00 - $5.00+ per pane)

Make sure you take enough notes so you can put together a realistic price that is fair to the client and one in which you will make a profit

After your first meeting with the customer, go back to your office, look through your notes, and decide what it will cost you to clean the building. You may have to consult a production cleaning rate chart to determine how long it will take you and your staff to clean the building. Once you have an idea of how long it will take to clean the building you can put your cost estimate together:

Estimate the time it will take by using a production cleaning rate chart or calculator.
Determine your labor cost for cleaning the building one time.
Determine your monthly labor cost to clean the building.
Estimate a monthly cost for supplies. This will be a fairly low figure, perhaps 2 - 3% of monthly sales.
Be sure to add in a profit margin!

Add up the numbers to come up with your monthly price.

If you have access to a bidding calculator you will be able to punch in YOUR numbers and come up with a price. These particulars would include such things as cleanable square footage, production rate, hourly or sq. rate, frequency of service, labor, expenses, and equipment/supply costs. A bidding calculator will also show what profit you can expect to make.

It is also advisable to add a first time cleaning charge since it can be expected to take a little longer to get the building up to quality standards. Buildings normally take longer to clean the first time around since departing cleaning companies usually provide less then acceptable cleaning toward the end.

Once you have your price established, put your bid packet together

Your bid packet should specify what you are responsible for and what the client is responsible for (buying their own trash can liners, restrooms supplies, etc.). It should also include the monthly charge for cleaning services, how long the agreement is for, and the procedure to cancel the contract if either party is unhappy.

It is important to learn how to price your cleaning services so your customers know you are providing a quality and professional service at a realistic and fair price. After all, if you do not make a profit you won't stay in business very long!

In 2021, thejanitorialstore.com was part of an acquisition by Armando Bello, Ricardo Regalado, John Disselkamp, Michael Dahlke, Saul Marchan, and Juan Padilla. Comrades in the cleaning industry. Their goal is to continue to expand on the resources accessible to its members, provide a personalized roadmap for sustainable growth, and make a positive impact in the cleaning industry.

About Us -Vision - Mission - Story.

Click below to share with friends and colleagues!

How Much Should I Charge For My Commercial Cleaning Services?

Go Premium!
Premium Membership with access to Clean Smart University

Watch the video tour by clicking on the image below

Premium Membership with access to Clean Smart University

Visit this page for a complete list of member benefits