How to Price a Move-Out Cleaning
Move-out cleans are some of the best-paying jobs a cleaning business can take, and some of the easiest to underprice. The home is empty, so it looks quick, but you'll be cleaning inside every cabinet, the oven, the fridge, baseboards and the dirt that was hidden behind furniture for years. This guide walks through a method you can use for any home, instead of guessing a flat price.
Why move-out jobs take longer than regular cleans
- Inside everything: cabinets, drawers, closets, the oven and the fridge are usually expected.
- Built-up grime: areas behind appliances and under beds may not have been cleaned in years.
- An inspection at the end: a landlord or buyer will check the work, and a deposit may depend on it.
- Fixed deadlines: keys are often handed over the same day, so there's little room to come back.
Treat a move-out like a deep clean plus the inside of every appliance and storage space.
Step 1: Get the facts before you quote
Ask for square footage, bedrooms and bathrooms, whether it's empty, how long since it was cleaned, pets, and which extras are expected (oven, fridge, inside windows, blinds, walls, garage). Ask for photos of the kitchen and bathrooms. Photos are the fastest way to spot a job that will take twice as long as it sounds.
Step 2: Estimate hours, not dollars
Price comes from time. Use your own past jobs: how long does a standard clean of a similar home take you? Many cleaners start from that baseline and multiply it for a move-out, because of the extra detail. Then add time for each extra:
- Inside oven
- Inside fridge and freezer
- Inside cabinets and drawers
- Interior windows and tracks
- Blinds, baseboards, light switches and doors
Time yourself on these tasks once and write the numbers down. Your own timings are far more reliable than any rule of thumb you'll read online, because they reflect your speed, your team and your equipment.
Step 3: Set an hourly target that covers the business
Your hourly target is not just your wage. It needs to cover the cleaner's pay, payroll costs or self-employment tax, supplies, travel time and fuel, insurance, the time you spend quoting and invoicing, and a profit margin. Work out your number once and use it for every quote. If you pay a cleaner, include their wage plus your costs per labor hour.
Step 4: Do the math
The basic formula is:
Price = (estimated labor hours × hourly target) + supplies + travel + extras
Example only, with made-up numbers: if a job is estimated at 7 labor hours, your hourly target is $X, supplies are $S and an extra trip fee is $T, your quote is 7 × X + S + T. Plug in your own figures. Prices for cleaning vary a lot by city and market, so check what local companies list publicly to make sure your result is in a sensible range.
Step 5: Protect yourself in the quote
- List exactly what's included, room by room.
- State that the price assumes the condition shown in photos, and that heavy build-up, mold, pet waste or trash removal may be extra.
- Ask that utilities (water and power) be on, and that the home be empty.
- Agree on whether you'll do a walk-through with the client at the end.
- Say how you'll handle re-cleans if an inspector flags something.
Step 6: Track your real time
After each move-out, record actual hours against your estimate. After five or six jobs you'll know whether your multiplier is right. This is the step most new cleaners skip, and it's the one that fixes underpricing for good.
Flat rate or hourly?
Clients usually prefer a flat price. Quoting flat is fine as long as your flat price is built from an hours estimate and protected by the condition clause above. Hourly billing is safer for very dirty homes where you can't predict the time.
Make quoting faster
Start with our free pricing calculator for a quick estimate. If you quote often, the Cleaning Pricing & Bid Calculator ($17, Excel or Google Sheets) prices residential and small commercial jobs by square feet, rooms, service type, frequency and add-ons, and builds a client quote summary you can send.
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