How much should you charge for office cleaning?

Standard office cleaning rates range from £8 to £15 per hour. But how much to charge for office cleaning in the UK can vary based on the office location, area size, type of cleaning service, and your specific business needs. 

Below are factors to consider when setting your office cleaning rates. 

How to estimate your office cleaning rates

Step 1: Consider the office size and transportation costs. 

As much as possible, take a look at the office space before giving a quote. 

Office size

Check the size of the office to estimate how long it will take you and your team to clean. With a proper estimate, you can prevent the customer from making any assumptions on the costs and working time. 

Travel time 

It may seem like a no-brainer to calculate how many square feet you’ll mop, scrub, and dust. But check the office’s location too. An office that takes you five minutes to get to will cost differently from an office that will take you 30 minutes to an hour to visit. You’ll need to allot extra time and transportation costs for the latter. 

Step 2: Estimate your working time. 

As a general rule, 1,000 square feet of office space can take around one hour to clean. When you visit the space, check if the office needs a deep clean or general cleaning. Deep cleaning tends to take longer and will cost more. If you can, try to find out which areas need a deep clean to make your cost computation easier.

Overcommunicate and be transparent.

When estimating the time to do a job, don’t be afraid to be frank with your client. By being honest and accurate with how long it will take to clean the office, you can avoid miscommunications and misunderstandings down the road.

Step 3: Compute labour costs.

Establish an hourly rate per person, whether it will only be you doing the cleaning or you’ll have a team of three or five. This way, you can ensure everyone gets paid enough.  

As mentioned above, the average cost for office cleaning is £8 to £15 per hour. If you (and only you) are going to clean a 2,000-square-foot office, and it will take you two hours, here’s a sample computation:

• £15 x 2 hours = £30 

But let’s say the project is for a 6,000-square-foot office that needs a deep cleaning. We can estimate your working time to be around six hours, plus you may need two more people to help you.

• £15 x 6 hours = £90
• £90 x 3 people (including you) = £270 

Step 4: Factor in taxes, benefits, supplies, and overhead.

If you have people working with you (or for you) and you’re in charge of payroll, consider taxes in your business costs. It’s best to hire a tax accountant so you know how to properly compute taxes.You’ll also have to factor in additional costs like health insurance, dental, and paid vacation leaves. 

Supply costs 

Cleaning equipment may take up a huge part of your service costs. You can estimate these expenses for now and try to stick with your budget. Once you see your actual expenses on tools and materials, you can modify your pricing as needed. Supply costs will vary depending on the type of cleaning materials, how often you replenish, and maintenance costs. 

Overhead costs

Don’t forget to add an allowance for overhead in your fee. Overhead refers to tasks not directly related to office cleaning but are crucial to your overall business—e.g., marketing, transportation fees, office rent, and the like. 

Consider your profit. 

Keeping your profit margin in mind is essential to sustain your office cleaning business. Combine the costs of labour, materials, and overhead. Then, apply a markup percentage to figure out your net profit. According to Entrepreneur.com, cleaning service providers usually expect to earn a net profit of 10 to 28 per cent of gross income.

Find office cleaning jobs on Airtasker. 

Knowing how much to charge for office cleaning ensures you get paid the right amount instead of undercharging or overcharging. Before you say yes to any cleaning job, make sure to see the office space, estimate all your costs, and consider your profit margin.