Pricing janitorial work is the make-or-break skill for cleaning businesses. Too low and you bleed money; too high and you lose the contract. Here's the data-driven approach used by top cleaning companies.
According to ISSA industry data, nearly 40% of cleaning businesses underbid their first year of contracts. The root cause? Guessing instead of calculating. Most new janitorial businesses price based on what competitors charge or what "feels right" — rather than using production rates, labor costs, and overhead percentages to arrive at a defensible number.
The consequences of wrong pricing compound quickly: a $500/month underbid on a 10,000 sqft office means $6,000 lost per year in profit. Multiply that across 5–10 contracts and you're looking at tens of thousands in lost revenue.
The most reliable pricing method for janitorial contracts is the square footage method. Here's how it works:
1. Determine production rate: This is how many square feet one cleaner can service per hour. The ISSA 612 Cleaning Times standard provides benchmarks: general office space is roughly 4,200 sqft/hour, while medical facilities average 2,200 sqft/hour due to higher complexity.
2. Calculate labor hours: Divide the total cleanable area by the production rate. A 10,000 sqft office at 4,200 sqft/hour = 2.38 hours per cleaning visit.
3. Factor in frequency: A 5x/week contract means roughly 20 visits per month, so 2.38 × 20 = 47.6 labor hours per month.
4. Apply costs: Multiply hours by your fully-loaded labor rate (wage + payroll taxes + workers' comp), then add overhead (supplies, equipment, insurance) and your profit margin.
This method removes emotion from pricing and gives you a number you can defend to any client.
Not all buildings are created equal. Here are approximate ISSA production rates (sqft/hour) by building type:
→ Office Building — 3,500–5,000 sqft/hr
→ Medical / Clinic — 1,800–2,500 sqft/hr
→ School / University — 3,200–4,500 sqft/hr
→ Retail / Storefront — 4,000–5,500 sqft/hr
→ Restaurant — 2,500–3,200 sqft/hr
→ Warehouse / Industrial — 5,000–7,000 sqft/hr
→ Church / Worship — 3,500–4,500 sqft/hr
→ Residential Home — 1,500–2,500 sqft/hr
Medical and restaurant facilities have lower production rates due to specialized cleaning requirements (infection control, grease removal). Warehouses are high because they're mostly open floor space.
A profitable cleaning bid includes four cost layers:
Labor Cost: Base wage × hours. The national median janitor wage is $15–18/hour, but varies significantly by state. California averages $17.50, while Mississippi averages $12.50.
Payroll Burden: Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), FUTA, SUTA, and workers' compensation typically add 12–20% on top of the base wage.
Overhead: Insurance, supplies, equipment depreciation, vehicle costs, uniforms, and administrative time. A typical overhead rate is 8–15% of total revenue.
Profit Margin: What you actually take home. Industry standard is 10–20%. Below 10% leaves no room for error; above 20% risks losing bids to competitors.
Forgetting restroom time: Restrooms take 3–5× longer per square foot than general areas. A 10,000 sqft office with 6 restrooms adds 30–50 minutes per visit.
Ignoring frequency impact: A 3x/week customer paying $3,000/month is very different from a 5x/week customer paying $3,000/month. Always price per-visit, then multiply.
Not accounting for carpet vs. hard floor: Vacuuming carpet takes roughly 2× longer than mopping hard floor. Building type matters — offices are 60–70% carpet, restaurants are 95% hard floor.
Skipping the walk-through: Never bid a job you haven't walked. Photos miss details like floor condition, fixture count, and obstruction density.
The fastest way to get an accurate janitorial bid is to use a purpose-built calculator that factors in building type, square footage, cleaning frequency, labor rates, and overhead — automatically.
xiriOS offers a free janitorial bid calculator that uses ISSA production rates and lets you customize every variable. No sign-up required.
Try the Free Janitorial Bid Calculator →If you're just getting started, check out our complete startup guide. It covers LLC registration, insurance, data-backed pricing, finding your first clients, and scaling from solo operator to team — with BLS wage data for your specific city.
We also have a detailed cost breakdown and a 30-day launch checklist.
Read the Complete Startup Guide →Our free janitorial bid calculator uses real ISSA production rates. No sign-up required.