How to calculate profit margin on a cleaning job
Work through a cleaning-job example, see what an extra hour changes, and understand the difference between profit margin and markup.
Read the guide ↗FOR INDEPENDENT RESIDENTIAL CLEANERS
Clean homes.
Know your
numbers.
Price the job. Keep track of the extras. Know what’s left after the work is done.
A paid, downloadable workspace for quotes, actual visits and clearer price conversations. Preview the sample screens or try the free job check.
Business tools that keep you moving.
THE WORK / THE NUMBERS
RECURRING HOME CLEAN
Maple Street
Every week · one cleaner
Visit price$150/visit
Actual time4hours
Estimated
3 h
Actual
4 h
Estimated visit profitAfter $25/hour labor + $15 other costs$35
Explore the preview ONE MORE THING…
“Could you do the fridge?”
30 min extraNot yet agreed
The time changed.
The price didn’t.
Local app. Your records.01 / JOB ECONOMICS
LESS GUESSWORK.
MORE CLARITY.
MORE CLARITY.
Cost-based quotes
Visible extra work
Real visit history
One-time download
ONE JOB. THE WHOLE PICTURE.
A desk that follows
the work.
Explore five paid toolkit features through simplified examples. The separate product preview shows sample screens with the paid tools locked.
01/ 05Explore the product preview
Start with what the job really costs.
Allow for your own pay, crew time, supplies, travel, overhead and fees. Choose your margin and see the cost-based target before you quote.
The paid offline app includes payroll burden, paid travel and payment fees.
BUILD THE VISIT PRICE
Your time belongs in the quote.
On-site hours1 cleaner · editable example
Owner labor · $25 / hour$75.00
Supplies & other costs$15.00
Estimated visit cost$90.00
At 25% target margin$120.00cost-based price / visit
Before tax. Change the hours to see your target move.
Free example · the paid quote builder separates labor, travel, overhead and fees.
02/ 05Explore the product preview
The estimate is only the beginning.
Log the time and price of each completed visit. Every entry keeps its cost assumptions, so changing a quote later won’t rewrite your history.
First, deep and one-off cleans stay out of the recurring baseline.
COMPLETED, NOT JUST ESTIMATED
A record of the real work.
Visit 3 · Regular clean$35.00
estimated profit for this visit
Time on site4 hours
Price charged$150
Saved cost snapshot
Regular visit: included in the recurring baseline.03/ 05Explore the product preview
“One more thing” deserves its own line.
Record the extra task, time and proposed amount. Prepare a clear note, then record the customer’s actual reply alongside the job.
Drafts do not send themselves. Approval is a manual record, not a signature.
EXTRA WORK, MADE VISIBLE
Inside the refrigerator.
30 min extra time$25 proposed extra
CUSTOMER NOTE · PREVIEW
Hi! I can add the refrigerator interior for an additional $25 one time. We can also keep the original checklist, or swap another task to stay within your budget.
Let’s confirm the scope and price before the extra work begins.
Draft only. No message sent and no approval assumed.
04/ 05Explore the product preview
Let real visits inform the next price.
Use the median of comparable regular visits to review your costs. Choose a revised price and prepare a customer note in your own words.
A cost-based scenario helps you decide. It does not set a market rate.
A BASELINE FROM REAL VISITS
Review the recurring rate.
Cleaner-hoursMedian 4 h
First clean excluded
Cost-based price, rounded up$154/visit
Current visit price$150
Modeled cost at 4 hours$115
Use representative visits and current costs. The price you share is always your decision.
05/ 05Explore the product preview
Share the quote. Keep the workings.
Print a client-facing quote with selected scope and your chosen price. Keep internal costs private, and export a backup of your saved jobs.
The downloadable app saves locally. Export backups regularly; there is no cloud recovery.
SAMPLE CLEANING SERVICEQUOTE / 001
Recurring home clean.
$150per visit · weeklyIncluded
Kitchen surfaces
Bathrooms & floors
Accessible surface dusting
Quoted separately
Oven & fridge interiors
Interior windows
Scope and price for client review. Private costs, margins and internal notes stay off this document.
THE FREE RECURRING-JOB CHECK
Same price.
One more hour.
What changes?
Try your own numbers ↙
A small check with a useful answer. Compare the original estimate with actual time, and see what the difference costs over a month.
Inputs stay in your browser.Your job, in numbers.
Include your own pay in labor cost. Include supplies, travel, overhead and fees in other costs. This quick check assumes one cleaner.
THE TIME DIFFERENCE
$100/month
More labor cost at the same visit price.
Profit at original time$60/visit
Profit at actual time$35/visit
Price at your 25% target margin$153.33/visit
A cost-based scenario, not a market price or a promise the customer will accept. Estimated profit is before income tax and any costs you leave out.
THE MATH IS OPEN
(Actual hours × hourly labor cost + other costs) ÷ (1 − target margin)Read the field guidesA SMALL TOOL FOR THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE CLEAN
Keep the desk.
Skip the monthly bill.
The paid toolkit is one self-contained HTML app. After purchase, download the current version and open it in a modern desktop browser. No app account, monthly subscription or AI usage charges.
Saved on your deviceYour costs, your decisionsNo client data sent to us
Local storage needs your backup. Phone support varies; a desktop browser is recommended for the offline app and PDF printing.
ZELVARI FLOW / CLEANING TOOLKITV.01
$29USD
One-time introductory price
Applicable tax shown at checkout
Quote builder with your full cost inputs
Actual visits & recurring rate reviews
Scope-change register & message drafts
Client-facing quotes / PDF printing
Saved jobs & JSON backup / restore
Review what is included. Purchases are not open yet.
The work behind the clean
A little clarity for your next job.
How to handle extra cleaning requests without losing track of the scope
Turn “one more thing” into a clear task, price, and customer decision, with a practical request-and-response example.
Read the guide ↗How to review a recurring cleaning rate using actual visit time
Build a comparable visit baseline, use the median carefully, and prepare a rate discussion grounded in your own time and costs.
Read the guide ↗What can I use before purchasing?
The free job check and small interactive examples on this page work without payment. The product preview shows sample screens with paid menus and actions locked. A purchase provides the full offline toolkit; see the offer above for checkout availability.
Will this tell me the right price to charge?
It calculates scenarios from your own time, costs and target margin. It cannot know your local market, predict whether a client will accept a change, or guarantee profit.
Does it contact customers for me?
No. It prepares notes you can edit, copy and send yourself. Approvals are manually recorded by you. Nothing is automatically sent, signed or agreed.
Where do my client details go?
The downloaded app stores your records in that browser on that device. There is no cloud sync. Use client nicknames when possible and export a backup regularly; clearing browser data or moving the file can make records unavailable.
Can I use it on my phone?
This website and the product preview adapt to smaller screens. Opening a downloaded HTML app varies by phone and browser, so use a current desktop browser for the most reliable offline workflow and PDF printing.
Is this a full cleaning-business platform?
Zelvari Flow focuses on scope and job economics. It does not include team scheduling, payment collection from cleaning clients, verified signatures or cloud collaboration.
What will the purchase include?
The full offline toolkit for your own business: quote builder, actual visits, scope changes, rate reviews, client quotes and backups. No subscription is required for the downloaded file. Future versions and support terms will be described on the checkout page before purchase.