The average national hourly rate for house cleaning services is $25 to $90 per individual, or $50 to $90 per hour. The size and condition of your home will strongly impact the price of these services. Residential cleaning service prices depend on the extent of the cleaning job and any specialized services. In this guide, you'll find helpful information on typical house cleaning services and rates.
Published December 31, 2020
Reviewed by Asya Biddle, Cleaning Services Professional & Owner of The Dust Busters, Williamsport, PAA professional should be able to give you an accurate cleaning quote by knowing the size of your home and HVAC system. Hiring a home cleaning service is a great way to take some everyday chores off your to-do list and give yourself a stress-saving gift. By doing your homework ahead of time, you'll know what to expect and how to make sure you get what you want from the service you work with. Once you try it, you'll find that a thorough, professional home cleaning is an investment well worth the time and money you put into it.
| Portland, OR | $120-$300 |
| Seattle, WA | $120-$240 |
| Trenton, NJ | $125-$260 |
| Houston, TX | $115-$220 |
| New York City, NY | $115-$300 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $100-$200 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $110-$235 |
| Raleigh, NC | $105-$175 |
| San Francisco, CA | $125-$260 |
| Denver, CO | $120-$225 |
| Chicago, Il | $90-$190 |
General housecleaning prices vary by location but typically fall in the $100 to $200 range. For deeper cleans or one time visits you might hit $400 or more. You might pay slightly less for different services or based on who you get to clean your home:
Housekeeper costs $75 to $250 on average. They often take care of more than just cleaning, including other chores like cooking, laundry and shopping.
Maid service costs $125 to $240 on average. They usually focus exclusively on cleaning tasks.
Live in and full time maid or housekeepers run $1,200 to $2,500 per week. You’ll negotiate services and fees individually but expect them to take care of all household chores, cooking, shopping and cleaning.
Junk removal service costs $130 to $350 on average. They don’t normally do in house cleaning, but instead remove any junk you’ve identified and had piled up. It’s often a great addition to home cleaning services when doing a one-off clean or to help with move out or hoarding situations.
| Bedrooms | Average Cost* |
|---|---|
| 1 | $75-$130 |
| 2 | $100-$180 |
| 3 | $130-$220 |
| 4 | $200-$225 |
| 5 | $200+ |
*For basic services. Add ons and upgrades increase the price range regardless of size.
| Single-Family Homes | $120-$150 |
| Window Treatments | $100-$200 |
| Walls & Ceilings | $150-$300 |
| Furniture & Upholstery | $100-$150 |
| Move Out Cleaning | $175-$500 |
| Deep Cleaning | $200-$400 |
There are various chores you can have a professional do around your home. To ensure a good deal, get quotes from several services, as some might offer package deals or special rates depending on the season and other factors.
A few questions to ask yourself before deciding on a service:
Are you hiring one person or a service?
How often are you hiring them to clean your house?
Are you supplying specialized cleaning chemicals?
How large is your home?
On average, you’ll pay anywhere from $25 to $90 per hour for house cleaning service. The size, location and condition of your home strongly impacts the price.
While you can calculate an average hourly rate, it's good know what you might be paying on a weekly or monthly basis, just in case. Prices for a cleaning service versus an individual vary widely.
Some rates you could be looking at for the standard two hour cleaning include:
$50 to $90 for an individual for two hours.
$100 to $180 for a professional cleaning company for two hours.
You’ll spend $75 to $250 per visit for weekly cleaning or $300 to $700 per month total. You get a slight discount on weekly visits for both volume of service and because it’ll require less cleaning with each visit.
On average, you’ll spend $0.05 to $0.10 per square foot for house cleaning. For one time cleanings, like cleaning after hoarding and move outs, you might spend as much as $0.20 per square foot. The best way to estimate your per visit cost comes from square footage.
Average House Cleaning Fees per Square Feet
| Home Size in Square Feet | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | $75-$125 |
| 2,000 | $100-$200 |
| 2,500 | $125-$250 |
| 3,000 | $150-$300 |
| 4,000 | $200-$400 |
| 5,000 | $250-$500 |
| 6,000 | $300-$600 |
A one-time cleaning costs anywhere from $100 to $400. They’re slightly more expensive than a weekly or monthly plan, but come in handy for post hoarding, moving out or in, and pre and post events – like weddings and birthdays.
A "ceiling-to-floor" whole house cleaning ranges between $350 and $700, depending on the size and condition of the house. This is a service performed yearly that can includes:
Extensive dusting of all ceilings
Washing walls
Dusting window treatments
Cleaning various types of flooring
| Furniture | $165 |
| Carpet | $175 |
| Fireplace & Chimney | $240 |
| Siding | $280 |
| Windows | $210 |
| Gutter | $160 |
| Roof | $420 |
| Ducts | $370 |
| Molds | $2,300 |
Some factors that may affect your rate include:
Cleaning frequency
Pets in the house
Variety of surfaces to clean
Specialty cleaning (windows, furniture)
Number of people cleaning
Sometimes, you can negotiate with residential cleaning services to reach a fair price. But don't focus so much on money that you sacrifice service quality.
Cleaning furniture costs $120 to $220 per visit. Most cleaners add this charge onto any standard rates. It requires extra time, specialized equipment and cleaning products to keep from harming your upholstery.
Carpet cleaning costs $120 to $230 on average. Get your carpet deep cleaned at least once a year, more if you have heavy foot traffic. You can do this task yourself to save some money, but avoid these carpet cleaning mistakes. If you hire, mark out problem areas like pet stains, coffee spots and blotches with tape. Remove anything that's fragile in case the cleaners need to move furniture.
Some housekeepers, maid services and home cleaners offer this as an add on, but it’s usually best to hire a local carpet cleaning company that specializes in steaming and shampooing floors and drapes.
Chimney sweeps cost $125 to $350 per visit on average. To prevent fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, have your chimney cleaned on a regular basis. You should get this done at least once a year, twice if you burn through more than a cord of wood in a season.
It needs to have leaves, debris and creosote removed before you spark a fire in the fireplace. Most cleaning companies do not offer this as a service, instead, you’ll need to find a local chimney sweep.
Home exterior pressure washing costs anywhere from $175 to $400. It keeps them looking good and helps prevent rust and mold growth. Always have a professional do this as the powerful stream of water can damage trim, wood, windows and fixtures if not used properly. Find a local pressure washing company for quotes and inspections.
Cleaning windows costs $150 to $300 on average. Have this done at least once a year to avoid dirt, dust and grime build up. A window-cleaning service will charge depending on factors like:
Number of windows
Equipment required
Number of stories
Cleaning gutters costs $275 to $500 on average. The total linear feet and condition of your gutters dictate the overall price. Over time, especially in the fall and winter, your gutters and downspouts gather leaves and debris that prevent them from draining moisture away from the roof. Pros also look for cracks and damage and may offer to install mesh to keep your gutters clear.
Cleaning a roof costs $300 to $600. It requires specialized cleaning and safety gear but doesn’t take long. Not all roof types need cleaning. Contact a local roof cleaning professional for quotes and an inspection.
Duct and vent cleaning costs $100 to $500. Rates vary, either by the number of vents you have or the total linear feet of ductwork. Over time, dust builds in your HVAC system that requires specialized cleaners and high powered vacuums to remove. If you’re worried about air quality, consider installing a whole-house air cleaner.
Duct & vent cleaning costs $275-$500.
Dryer vent cleaning costs $100-$175.
Whole-home air cleaner installation costs $500-$3,700.
Mold remediation costs $1,100 to $3,500 on average. If you have mold, you’ll want to get this taken care of before you have the rest of your home cleaned. Not all mold is toxic! Have it tested by a local mold inspector.
Most national cleaning companies don’t advertise their rates since each job requires a visual inspection before a quote. You may have a home that only needs a light cleaning, or it might be a disaster zone worthy of an afternoon of hard labor. It’s unreasonable to expect both to cost the same. However, you can expect your homes needs to fall in the following ranges.
Cleaning Company Pricing
| The Cleaning Authority | $75 - $95 per hour* |
| COIT (Carpet & Hard Surface) | $180 - $480 total |
| Merry Maids | hourly cost dependent on scope of work |
| Molly Maid | $75 - $100 per hour* |
*Includes 2 workers
Hiring a home cleaning service is a great way to take some everyday chores off your to-do list and give yourself a stress-saving gift. By doing your homework ahead of time, you'll know what to expect and how to make sure you get what you want from the service you work with. Once you try it, you'll find that a thorough, professional home cleaning is an investment well worth the time and money.
There can be significant differences when you hire an individual rather than a professional cleaning company. These include the cost to hire, potential legal issues and availability. In either case, it's important to ask a lot of questions, so you know exactly what you're getting for your money.
Individual housekeepers can offer specific services beyond just cleaning, like folding clothes, cooking meals, childcare and so on. However, if they get sick or must go on vacation, you won't have a replacement. There may also be legal issues involved, so if you're not working with a licensed and bonded company, it's best to take a few extra steps to protect yourself:
Contact the IRS for an employer ID
Verify that they can work in the United States
Verify that your insurance covers people working in your home
Pay additional costs -- insurance, for example -- if you pay them more than $1,700 per year
Cleaning services have advantages and drawbacks as well. A cleaning service has a whole team of people at its disposal, so there are usually backups available. They can be more thorough because they may send a team rather than an individual. However, they try to cover many homes in a day, so they may be in a hurry and offer less individualized service.
Most services let you customize what individual services you need. However, expect a basic house cleaning to involve:
Disinfecting surfaces for bacteria and virus removal.
Mopping hard flooring.
Bathroom cleaning and disinfecting.
Trash removal.
Replace bed linens.
Total kitchen surface cleaning.
If you want to save money on professional home cleaning services, here are some steps you can take:
Stay on Budget Choose a company that provides all the services you need at the right price.
Do Small Cleaning Tasks Yourself. Do small tasks like quickly dusting open surfaces or taking out the trash.
Choose What They Clean. Choose certain rooms to clean. Pick the rooms that need the most work or get a lot of foot traffic.
Have Supplies Handy. You should always have cleaning supplies available for the professionals.
Deep cleaning costs $200 to $400. A deep clean usually requires more time and chemicals and hits more areas than a routine maid service.
A cleaning lady, housekeeper or maid all cost roughly the same, or about $25 to $80 per hour on average, depending on the types of chores you need to be done.
House cleaners average $12 per hour nationally, with wages increasing to match your area's cost of living.
You should charge anywhere from $75 to $300 to clean a house. Most cleaning jobs should take 1.5 to 3 hours and your rates will vary from $25 to $50 an hour for most independent contracts.
Commercial cleaning rates run $150 to $350. The overall prices reflect different types of businesses, location, cleaning requirements and overall size.
Move-out or Move-in cleaning costs $200 to $400. You’ll pay more for large spaces and it’s considered a deep clean, meaning it’ll take longer and use more chemicals.
Apartment cleaning costs $50 to $150 on average. Apartments, generally a third the size of a home, requires about a third the price and time to clean.
