MaidBossPro Blog — Quotes & Pricing

Pricing the First-Time Deep Clean Before Recurring Service Starts

The first visit to a new home is almost never like the tenth. Baseboards have months of dust, the shower has soap scum the homeowner stopped seeing, and the top of the fridge has never been touched. If you price that first visit at the regular recurring rate, your team either rushes it and disappoints the customer, or does it properly and loses money. The first-time deep clean solves both problems.

Why the First Visit Is Different

The pricing methods behind a recurring rate are compared in Square Feet, Hourly or Flat Rate: Choosing a House Cleaning Pricing Method. Whatever method you use, the recurring rate assumes a home that is kept up between visits. A new customer's home usually is not, yet.

A recurring clean every two weeks works because the team is maintaining a home that was brought up to standard. The first visit is the one that brings it up to standard. It takes longer, uses more product, and touches things the recurring clean does not. Charging separately for it is not an upsell. It is pricing the actual work.

What a First-Time Deep Clean Includes

Write down exactly what your first-time deep clean covers, so the customer knows what they are buying and the team knows what to do. A typical list:

• Everything in a standard clean
• Baseboards wiped by hand
• Door frames, light switches and doors
• Window sills and tracks
• Tile and grout scrubbed in bathrooms
• Soap scum and hard-water buildup on showers and tubs
• Kitchen cabinet fronts
• Top of the fridge, range hood and ceiling fans

Some companies include inside the oven and fridge in the deep clean. Others keep them as add-ons. Either is fine as long as it is clear. If they are add-ons, list them separately on the estimate.

How to Price It

The simplest way to price a first-time deep clean is from time. If your recurring every-two-weeks clean for a 3 bed / 2 bath takes your team a certain number of hours, the deep clean will usually take noticeably longer, sometimes twice as long. Price it so that time is covered.

Example pricing for one company might look like this:

• 2 bed / 1 bath first-time deep clean: $245
• 3 bed / 2 bath: $325
• 4 bed / 3 bath: $410

Your own numbers will differ. Some companies use square feet for deep cleans, because size drives the work more than room count when everything needs scrubbing. Many also adjust for condition: a home that has not been cleaned in a year is not the same job as one that was cleaned last month by a previous company.

Putting It on the Estimate

On the estimate, the first-time deep clean and the recurring price should be separate lines with separate prices:

• First-Time Deep Clean, 3 bed / 2 bath: $325
• Every-Two-Weeks Clean, starting with the second visit: $155

That makes it obvious that the higher price is a one-time cost and the recurring price is what they will pay from then on. In MaidBossPro, both come from your service list, and the cleaning details, including cleaning type, bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet, pets and extras, go on the estimate and carry onto the job when it is approved. The team sees “Deep Clean” on the first visit and knows it is the long one.

How to show weekly, every-two-weeks and monthly options next to each other is covered in Weekly, Every-Two-Weeks and Monthly Cleaning Prices, Written as Separate Prices.

Explaining It to the Customer

Some customers balk at a first visit that costs more than the regular price. A short explanation usually does it: “The first visit gets your home to our standard, including baseboards, grout and buildup. After that, every visit keeps it there, which is why the regular price is lower.”

You can also offer a choice. If a customer really does not want the deep clean, some companies agree to start at the recurring price for two or three visits and catch up on deep-clean tasks over time. That works if the team knows the plan, so write it in the job notes.

When to Skip It

Not every new customer needs a deep clean. A home coming from another cleaning company that has been kept up, or a new build, may be ready for recurring service from day one. Ask on the phone when the home was last professionally cleaned. If the team finds otherwise on the first visit, they can note it, and the office can talk with the customer about the next step.

For how the first-time deep clean fits into the full quoting process, visit the house cleaning estimate software page.