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How to Give a House Cleaning Estimate

How to Give a House Cleaning Estimate

Before you can schedule your first cleaning you need to know how to give a house cleaning estimate. Once you know what your hourly rate is going to be (how much you will charge per hour) and you have a pricing sheet or cost calculator, you are now ready to give estimates.

There are three types of estimates that you can give your customer. You can give them an over-the-phone estimate, an in-home estimate, or a website or email estimate.

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Types of House Cleaning Estimates

Over the Phone Estimate

The over the phone estimate is where the customer calls you and you give them a price over the phone. Once you get used to cleaning and know how long each area will take to clean, there will be little time difference between the phone estimate and actually seeing the home before you clean it.

I have come to find that it really doesn’t matter if I look at the house before I clean it or not. You will not know how long it’s going to take until you actually start cleaning.

To deliver the phone estimate, make sure you have your pricing sheet on hand along with the questions you will ask to get the times you need to give them a price. The questions will basically correspond with the areas of the home you will clean. For example, “How many bathrooms do you have?”

As you’re asking the questions, write down the times on your pricing sheet. Once you have all the areas and times of the home you can give them their estimate. After giving the estimate, ask if they would like to schedule the cleaning.

If they are hesitant, you can ask if they have any questions.

In-Home Estimate

The in-home estimate is basically the same thing as the over-the-phone estimate, but you are actually giving the estimate in person at the customer’s home. To give the estimate, make sure you bring your pricing sheet or a cost calculator.

Have the customer take you on a tour of the house, or you can walk through it yourself. As you go throughout the home, write down the areas and times on your pricing sheet.

Calculate the estimate and give it to the customer. Finally, ask if they would like to schedule the cleaning or if they have any questions.

Website or Email Estimate

For the website estimate or email estimate, you can set up an estimate request form on your website or have customers email you for an estimate. I have a “Request an Estimate” form on my website where I ask the customer to provide their contact information if they want an estimate.

You can also set up a form that asks the questions you need in order to give an estimate. I like just asking for the contact information because it makes it easier for the customer to submit a request.

This method also allows me to ask more thorough questions.

Once I receive their information through email, I email them back with a list of questions about their home.

These are the same questions I would ask on a phone estimate or in-home estimate. After calculating their estimate I will email it to them or call them based on how they want to be contacted.

Which One Should I Use

Which type of estimate you use is up to you. There are pros and cons for each one. I mostly use the over-the-phone estimate and the website request estimate.

I like not having to spend my evenings driving all across town doing in-home estimates when I could be home with my family. I will go on an in-home estimate if the customer asks and they are requesting a bi-weekly service.

The phone estimate is beneficial for customers because they can get a price right away and they don’t have to wait for you to set up an appointment to meet them. It also keeps you from having to spend your time going out to the in-home estimates that might not even turn into a sale.

However, the in-home estimate can be beneficial if you are just starting your cleaning business up and have the time because you might be able to impress the customer and make them feel more comfortable with you. Although, some customers might feel that it is a waste of their time and would rather not have to meet with you in person to get a price.

The website or email request estimate helps you to get those customers that don’t like calling or would prefer to communicate with you through email. Also, if you are not able to take their call it can be difficult to get a hold of them.

I have found that it is easier for a customer to get back to me through email rather than picking up the phone and calling. It also helps you to avoid playing phone tag or not being able to get a hold of them.

In conclusion, the estimate method that brings you the most customers should probably be the one you consider using.

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About the Author
Josh Winningham

Josh Winningham

Josh is the founder of Cleaning Business Academy and All Clean Home.
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