How much to charge for cleaning in the UK
There is no official rate card for cleaning. What there is: a fairly narrow band that customers expect, and a simple way to work out whether your number actually leaves you a wage. Here is both.
7 min read
Hourly or per job?
Hourly pricing is easier to quote and safer on unfamiliar properties, but it punishes you for getting faster and invites customers to watch the clock. Per-job pricing is what most established cleaners move to: you quote a number for a defined scope, and any speed you gain is yours to keep.
A practical middle ground is to price per job but calculate it from an hourly target. Estimate the hours, multiply by your target rate, then round to a tidy number. Quote the number, not the hours.
Typical UK rate bands
These are the ranges cleaning businesses commonly work within across the UK. London and the South East sit at the top of each band; much of the North, Wales and Northern Ireland sit at the bottom. Treat them as a sanity check on your own numbers, not as a fixed rate card.
| Service | Typical rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regular domestic clean | £15–£25 / hour | Weekly or fortnightly, customer supplies access |
| One-off deep clean | £20–£35 / hour | Higher because the work is heavier and non-repeating |
| End of tenancy | £150–£400 / job | Priced per property, not per hour — see the dedicated guide |
| Oven clean (single) | £45–£80 / job | Often sold as an add-on rather than standalone |
| Carpet cleaning | £25–£45 / room | Machine hire or ownership changes the maths |
| Office / commercial | £15–£30 / hour | Contracted hours, invoiced monthly, lower margin per hour |
| After-builders clean | £25–£40 / hour | Dust load and waste removal push this above deep cleaning |
Indicative UK market ranges for 2026. Always check what comparable local businesses advertise before setting yours.
Working out your own number
The rate a customer pays is not the rate you keep. Work backwards from what you need to earn:
- Start with your target take-home. Say £2,400 a month.
- Count billable hours honestly. Travel, quoting, admin and restocking are not billable. Most solo cleaners bill 20–25 hours in a 40-hour week.
- Add costs. Products, equipment replacement, fuel, insurance, phone, accounting. £150–£350 a month is common for a solo operator.
- Add tax. Set aside roughly 20–30% for income tax and National Insurance.
- Divide. Costs plus tax plus take-home, divided by billable hours, is your minimum hourly rate. Anything below it is a job you are subsidising.
Worked example: £2,400 take-home + £250 costs + £800 tax provision = £3,450 a month. At 22 billable hours a week (roughly 95 a month), that is about £36 an hour — which usually means the real answer is a mix of higher prices, more efficient jobs and fewer low-value bookings, not just working longer.
Charge more for these, always
- Properties that have not been cleaned in months — price the condition, not the square footage.
- Pets, especially shedding animals and litter trays.
- Parking that costs money or adds fifteen minutes each way.
- Same-week or weekend turnarounds.
- Stairs, three or more floors, and anything requiring a ladder.
- Jobs where you supply all products and equipment.
Build these into your price list as explicit surcharges rather than absorbing them. Customers accept a clearly labelled £20 pet surcharge far more readily than a vague price that feels high.
Common pricing mistakes
- Quoting before seeing the condition. Ask for photos or a dirt-level description on every enquiry.
- Undercutting to win the first jobs. The customers who choose you on price leave on price.
- Never raising prices. A yearly review, announced a month in advance, is normal and rarely loses good clients.
- Vague scope. Write down what is and is not included. Most disputes are scope disputes, not price disputes.