Cleaning & janitorial
Commercial Cleaning Cost Calculator
Cost a commercial contract from production rates, staffing pattern and the consumables the site uses.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditWhat moves the number
- Production rates by area type across the site.
- Staffing pattern, since minimum shift lengths can exceed the work content.
- Consumables, which on a commercial site are supplied and are a real recurring cost.
Where this one goes wrong
Costing the work content and ignoring the minimum shift. A site needing ninety minutes of work may still require a two hour shift for a cleaner to attend, and the contract has to cover the shift rather than the task.
Questions
About this calculator
Why does the shift matter more than the task?
Because you pay for attendance rather than for output. A short task at a distant site can cost a full minimum shift plus travel, which a task-based cost will miss entirely.
Should consumables be included?
Either included with an allowance or billed at cost plus handling, but decided explicitly. Washroom consumables on a busy site are a significant recurring cost.
How do I cost periodic work?
Separately from the daily specification. Floor treatment, deep cleans and window work happen on a cycle and should be priced and scheduled as their own items.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $55.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $12.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $55 |
| Parts and materials | $12 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $272 |
| Labour | $165 |
| Before tax | $272 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $272: $165 of labour, $12 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $28 | $191 |
| $41 | $230 |
| $55 example above | $272 |
| $83 | $356 |
| $110 | $437 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $55.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $12.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Time is the variable that bites
Pricing that works out on paper fails when the job takes longer than quoted. First cleans, heavily soiled sites and access problems all run over, so it is worth pricing the first visit separately from the recurring one.
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.