15/08/2026
Let’s talk about what actually goes into the price of a clean… 👀
I think it’s time for a little transparency about what actually happens behind the scenes of a cleaning business.
Because I know it can be easy to look at an hourly rate and think:
“That’s a lot. Surely most of that goes straight into the cleaner’s pocket?”
The reality? Absolutely not.
Your cleaning rate is the amount the business charges for providing the service — it is not my hourly wage.
🧼 NOT ALL CLEANING IS THE SAME
Our rates differ depending on the service.
Regular domestic maintenance is charged at our standard hourly rate.
Deep cleans are priced higher because they require considerably more time, physical effort, products and equipment. They often involve significant buildup, moving furniture and much more intensive work.
Commercial cleaning carries additional responsibility, including key holding, access to premises, security, increased risks and specific insurance considerations. That is reflected in the rate.
💷 WHAT DOES THE HOURLY RATE ACTUALLY COVER?
A LOT more than the cleaning itself.
Our rates contribute towards:
• Products and specialist cleaning products
• Equipment and replacing worn/broken equipment
• PPE and sanitising equipment between jobs
• Fuel, mileage, parking and vehicle wear & tear
• Business and liability insurance
• Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions
• Holiday and sickness provisions
• Uniforms, training and professional expenses
• Stationery, printing and welcome packs
• Advertising, marketing and software
• Accounting and other business costs
• Paying the cleaners who actually carry out the work
And then there is everything I do as the business owner.
👩🏼💼 THE PART YOU DON'T SEE
I'm not just running the business when I'm physically at a property.
Every day there is administration, invoicing, emails, client messages, scheduling, organising the team's availability, filling gaps, advertising, social media, before & after photos, stock shopping, equipment maintenance, consultations, property walkthroughs, quotes, task sheets, welcome packs, dealing with anything that happens throughout the day and ALWAYS being on call for my team.
And I never send my team into a property blind.
I make sure they have the information they need, understand the client's priorities and know what they're walking into so they can do the job properly.
All of that takes time — and my time has value too.
When I first started the business, I sacrificed a huge amount of my own time because that's what you have to do when you're building something from scratch.
But I have now built a professional business with a team, systems, responsibilities and overheads.
I'm not prepared to work for free.
📊 SO PLEASE DON'T COMPARE A BUSINESS RATE TO SOMEONE'S HOURLY WAGE.
A £15-an-hour cleaner working independently and charging £15 directly to a client isn't necessarily operating under the same cost structure as an established cleaning business.
Our hourly rate has to account for everything required to provide a professional, insured, organised and reliable service.
And once you actually add everything up, the amount that remains for me is nowhere near the figure you see on the invoice.
In fact, when you factor in all of the unpaid hours that went into building the business, there are times I could probably still argue that I don't charge enough. 😂
So no…
The money doesn't just go straight into my pocket.
It goes towards paying the team, running the business, covering the costs, providing the service and, finally, allowing me to earn a fair wage for the business I've worked incredibly hard to build.
And I'm proud of that.
Professional cleaning is a luxury service — and there is a LOT that goes on behind the scenes to make it look effortless. 🤍
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those who support us ✨️
