How Much to Charge for Commercial Cleaning (2026 Pricing Guide)
Pricing a cleaning job too high loses you the bid. Pricing it too low means working for less than it's worth. Here's what commercial cleaning actually charges in 2026, broken down by facility type, plus how to turn a rate into a bid that actually wins.
Standard Rates by Facility Type
| Facility type | Per sq ft | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Standard office | $0.07 – $0.20 | $25 – $50 |
| Retail store | $0.05 – $0.20 | $20 – $50 |
| Medical / healthcare facility | $0.10 – $0.40 | $40 – $150 |
| Restaurant / kitchen | $0.10 – $0.30 | $20 – $150 |
| Industrial / warehouse | $0.05 – $0.15 | $30 – $60 |
Labor typically makes up 50-70% of the total job cost, so the machine you clean with directly affects your margin — an auto-scrubber covering a large floor in a fraction of the time a mop-and-bucket crew would take changes the math on what you can profitably bid.
What Actually Moves the Price
- Frequency — daily service typically costs less per visit than infrequent deep cleans, since crews build efficiency with repetition.
- Facility risk level — medical and food-service spaces command higher rates due to sanitation requirements and liability exposure.
- Time of day — daytime cleaning (around occupied staff) usually costs more than overnight service.
- Add-ons — carpet cleaning, window washing, and disinfection are typically priced separately rather than folded into the base rate.
- Location — high-cost metro areas (NYC, LA, Chicago, Seattle) run meaningfully above these national averages.
Turning a Rate Into a Bid
Knowing the rate is only half the job — the other half is presenting it professionally and quickly enough to actually win the contract before a competitor does. This is exactly the gap BeGreenClean was built to close: professional bid and proposal software built specifically for cleaning companies, so a rate calculation turns into a polished, sendable proposal in minutes instead of hours.
Win More Bids, Faster
Stop guessing on pricing — BeGreenClean helps you build professional cleaning proposals fast.
Try BeGreenClean Free →Frequently Asked Questions
Per square foot works well for recurring, predictable jobs like standard office cleaning. Per hour is often better for one-time or variable-scope jobs where the time required is harder to estimate in advance.
Higher sanitation standards, specialized disinfection protocols, and greater liability exposure all add cost — medical cleaning rates commonly run $40-$150/hour versus $25-$50/hour for standard office cleaning.
Be cautious with this — underbidding to win business is one of the most common ways new cleaning companies end up working at a loss. It's usually better to price accurately and compete on service quality and reliability instead.
Both, indirectly — equipment like auto-scrubbers reduces labor time per visit, which improves your margin at the same price point, and can also support premium pricing for facilities that expect a faster, more thorough clean.
Related Guides
Pricing figures reflect published 2026 industry benchmarks and will vary by region, facility condition, and service scope. This is general guidance, not a quote for any specific job.