Guides
Worked examples on production rates, loaded labor cost, contract frequency and renewal repricing — for janitorial owner-operators.
The published cleaning rate benchmarks don't reconcile. Here's the arithmetic.
Every page that publishes a rate per square foot also publishes one per hour. We tested them against each other, using only the numbers on each page. The gap runs to 13×.
How to quote your first commercial cleaning job
One building worked end to end — hours, loaded cost, floor, price. Including what the round number you were about to say would have cost you over a year.
The five pricing mistakes that cost commercial cleaners the most
Ranked by what they actually cost, with the arithmetic. The first one is worth more than the other four put together.
What does it actually cost to clean a 10,000 sq ft medical office?
Not what to charge — what it costs you. The two numbers are different, and confusing them is how operators lose a year.
How to calculate your true loaded labor cost
The wage is maybe 70% of what an hour costs you. Here's the rest of it, line by line.
Why your 3×/week contract is less profitable than your 5×
Same building, same crew, worse economics. Two structural reasons, and one of them is entirely inside your control.
Cleaning production rates: what the numbers mean and where they break
Square feet per hour is a useful abstraction right up until it isn't. Knowing which is which is most of the skill.
How to reprice a contract at renewal without losing the account
You need more money from a client who is currently happy. That's a specific conversation with a specific structure.