How to Raise Your Cleaning Prices Without Losing Good Clients

By Constance Beebe, former hotel general manager with more than 20 years in hospitality

If your cleaning prices haven’t changed in a while, every rise in products, gas, and insurance comes straight out of your pay. Raising your cleaning prices is a normal part of running a healthy business, and with a little planning most good clients take it in stride. Here is how to decide on a new rate, tell your clients, and make the change stick.

From my experience

In my years in hotels, from night auditor to executive housekeeper to general manager, every room rate had to cover what it really took to turn that room: the time, the products, the linens, and the people. Your cleaning prices work the same way. A rate that only covers your hours isn’t a fair rate, and asking to be paid for the full value of your work is simply good business.

Signs it’s time to raise your cleaning prices

Your products, gas, or insurance cost more than when you set your rates.
Your schedule is full and new inquiries keep coming.
You haven’t changed your prices in more than a year.
Some homes now take longer than the time you quoted.
You finish certain jobs tired and barely ahead.

8 steps to raise your cleaning prices

Add up what each job really costs. Include your time, products, equipment wear, travel, insurance, admin time, and overhead, then add profit. Our guide to pricing a cleaning job without forgetting your overhead walks through all nine costs.
Set your new rate. Decide whether you charge per visit, per hour, or by the size of the home, and apply the new rate the same way for every client.
Choose a start date and give notice. Thirty days’ notice is a common courtesy. Pick a date, such as the first of next month, and write it down.
Start with new clients first. Quote every new client at the new rate right away. It builds your confidence before you talk with long-time clients.
Tell current clients before the invoice does. A short, personal message or letter is far better than a surprise on a bill.
Explain briefly, without apologizing. One or two sentences about rising costs and your commitment to quality work is enough.
Offer a choice where it helps. A client on a tight budget may prefer cleaning every other week, or a smaller scope, rather than leaving.
Update your prices everywhere. Change your price list, quote template, invoices, website, and any booking or scheduling software.

A simple cleaning price increase letter

Keep your price increase letter short, warm, and clear. You can adapt this one:

Hi [Client name], thank you for trusting me with your home. The cost of the products, equipment, and travel that go into every visit has gone up, so beginning [date], your cleaning rate will be [new price] per [visit or hour]. I’m committed to the same careful work you’re used to. If you have any questions, or would like to talk about a different schedule, just let me know. — [Your name]

How much should you raise your cleaning prices?

Let your numbers decide. Recalculate the full cost of a typical job, add the profit margin you need, and compare the result with what you charge now. The gap is your increase. Many cleaners find that a smaller increase each year is easier for clients to accept than a large jump after several years with no change. Put a yearly price review on your calendar so it never sneaks up on you again.

Questions cleaners ask

How much notice should I give before raising cleaning prices?

Thirty days is a common courtesy. It gives clients time to plan and makes the change feel fair.

Will I lose clients if I raise my prices?

You may lose a few price-focused clients, but a fair increase explained clearly usually keeps the clients who value your work, and it frees time for new clients at the new rate.

Should long-time clients get a lower rate?

That is your choice. Some cleaners give loyal clients a later start date or a smaller first increase, then bring everyone to the same rate over time.

The Cleaning Budget & Quote Planner shows the break-even price and your profit on every job, so you can see what your new rate needs to be before you send a single letter.

See the Cleaning Budget & Quote Planner

Keep reading

About the author

Constance Beebe spent more than 20 years in hotel operations. She started as a night auditor and worked her way up to executive housekeeper, front office manager, assistant general manager, and general manager, later managing 4- and 5-star hotels. She was Front Office Manager at the Best Western King Charles in Charleston during Hurricane Hugo, and a London newspaper wrote about her team. She never asked her staff to do anything she wasn’t willing to do herself, from cooking when cooks didn’t show up to cleaning rooms when housekeeping was short.