Going "Rate" - Cleaning Talk - Professional Cleaning and Restoration Forum

bluehawaii07 · 02-14-2010, 04:34 PM

One thing I learned very quickly about "going rate". The going rate I started going with was "going" to run me out of business!

I began going to each bidding site and then determine how much I am "going" to make.

My first contract was a retirement community/apts, 1 and 2 br's. I started off at 60/75 each. They took one person, me about 4-5 hours to completely clean.

After my 2d cleaning, I went to the property manager and I told her I have to charge more and if not agreeable, then we part ways. I began charging 80/95. Needless to say, they fired me after a month. I guess Corporate felt I was too high and the painters came in after my last cleaning and messed things up and I got blamed for not cleaning, etc...

Since then, I've done better and still adjusting my rate with more experience to best reflect my profit gain.

I say "screw" the "going rate". Just my humbled bitter opinion.

Leatherneck Construction Cleanup and www.MarineCleaningCo.com

CleaningConciergeLLC · 02-16-2010, 05:07 PM

I definitely understand your growing pains in the "going rate" department. I am learning on the fly myself. It's one thing to charge a certain rate if you are doing the work but if you add in employees to the mix then things have to change. You go from working for x amount of $/hr to x-y amount of $/hr when you add employees. Say for instance you make $28.50/hr with you doing the work...add employees and you may go down to $6 or 7/hr to the same work (company profit) ...that's not good.

I would typically charge 65-75 for apartment cleanings depending on the frequency usually 1/wk contract for multiple units. I would say no less than 85 for a 1-bed 1-bath.For example, if you had a worker with you that would be 8-10 man hours per unit. Say your hourly wage is 10.50. Your minimum payroll costs for the day would be $84-105 per unit (assuming you are paying yourself in the early stages). You would be definitely losing money on that deal.

If you had a system where you could increase the volume of units and lower the time in each unit then you might be able to charge close to your initial rate but in the end you still may feel cheated.

Had a similar situation happen to me. Got a call from a client that needed a last minute cleaning. Gave me the sq ft. I gave a quote. Not knowing it was a move-out cleaning of a corporate apartment. Sent a crew out. Was told that it was a doozy. 2 people and a dog...never been cleaned in 2 months. I called back and had to reneogiate my rate for any future cleanings.