How to Raise Your Cleaning Service Prices (Without Losing Your Best Clients)
For cleaning business owners, the toughest pricing choice isn't setting your first rate. It's raising it. Many wait too long, warn clients too early, or talk too much. This guide shows you exactly when to raise your cleaning service prices and how to do it. You'll keep your best clients (residential, Airbnb, commercial) and let go of the jobs that hold your cleaning business back.
READY TO TAKE ACTION?
Use the free LaunchAdvisor checklist to track every step in this guide.
The quick answer
Your cleaning business is likely underpriced if you're winning over 80% of your cleaning quotes without a fuss. Another sign is if your schedule is booked solid for more than 4 weeks out for residential clients, or if commercial contracts never haggle on price. Plan to raise your cleaning service rates every year. Give clients 60 days' notice, with a clear, short reason like "to cover rising supply costs" or "to invest in better cleaning tech and staff."
Side-by-side breakdown
**Gradual Increase (10-20% annually)**: This works best for most cleaning businesses. Apply it when residential cleaning agreements renew, or at the start of the new year for all clients. It’s less likely to upset your regular house cleaning or commercial accounts. Small increases add up fast over time, especially for weekly or bi-weekly cleaning schedules.
**Immediate Reposition (50-100% or more)**: This is a big jump. Use it if you’re adding new premium services (like deep carpet cleaning with an extractor, specialized sanitization with electrostatic sprayers, or switching to all-green, certified products). You might lose some clients, but usually, these are the residential clients with heavy pet hair, the demanding Airbnb hosts with quick turnovers and low rates, or commercial clients who require too much time for too little pay. This move helps you focus on high-value cleaning jobs.
When you should raise prices now
It’s time to raise your cleaning rates right away if:
* You’re winning over 80% of all house cleaning or commercial cleaning bids. * Your cleaning teams are fully booked, and you’re turning away new clients for regular service or deep cleans. * You or your staff have earned new certifications (like IICRC for floor care, or advanced sanitization training) or invested in high-tech equipment like a commercial-grade steam cleaner. * Your costs have gone up significantly—think higher prices for eco-friendly cleaning supplies, fuel for your cleaning vehicles, or paying your skilled cleaning staff better wages. * You remember setting your first prices too low because you were nervous about getting your first few residential or commercial cleaning jobs.
When to wait
Hold off on raising your cleaning prices if:
* You’re currently finishing up a big job, like a large post-construction clean-up or a multi-unit Airbnb turnover project, and you really need a good review or referral from that client. * You’re just starting to offer your cleaning services in a new town or targeting a new type of client (e.g., medical offices). Building a reputation and getting those first few trusted cleaning accounts is more important than getting the absolute top rate right now. * You've lost three or more potential residential or commercial cleaning contracts back-to-back because your prices were too high. In this case, raising rates now would only hurt your business.
The verdict
Make it a rule to review and plan a cleaning price increase every January 1st. Set your new rates for all services, from basic house cleaning to deep cleans and commercial contracts. For your loyal existing residential and commercial clients on annual agreements, keep their current rate until their renewal date. Any new cleaning proposals or clients inquiring for service immediately get the new, higher rate. This strategy quickly boosts your income for recurring cleaning services, and you’ll find fewer clients leave than you expect.
How to get started
Start by writing the email you’d send to your residential, Airbnb, or commercial cleaning clients about a rate increase. Even if you don't send it yet, putting your new rate and the reason (e.g., rising cost of eco-friendly supplies, higher staff wages, new equipment like a HEPA-filtered vacuum) in writing helps clarify if the increase is fair and how to explain it. Then, apply these new rates to your next three new cleaning proposals—not your existing clients yet. This lets you test the market response before affecting current relationships.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
HoneyBook
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FreshBooks
Update recurring invoices and billing rates across active clients
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much notice should I give clients before a price increase?
60 days is the standard for ongoing retainer clients. 30 days for project-based clients. New pricing applies to all new proposals immediately — you do not need to notify prospects, only existing clients mid-engagement.
What do I say when a client says the new price is too high?
Say: 'I understand. My new rate reflects the scope and value we have been delivering together. If the new rate does not work, I am happy to help with a transition plan.' Do not negotiate unless you have a specific structural reason to. The clients who leave on a price increase are usually the ones taking the most of your time for the least margin.
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