What UK cleaners actually charge
Most independent domestic cleaners we've seen are charging somewhere between £15 and £20 an hour, with London and the South East at the top end and parts of the Midlands and North lower down. Cleaners chatting on Mumsnet quoted £14 an hour in the East Midlands, £16.50 in Northamptonshire and £18 in Scotland.
Agencies are a useful benchmark too. Their adverts for self-employed cleaners currently pay roughly £13 to £16.50 an hour, and the agency charges the client more on top. If you're working for yourself, you should be charging at least what the client would pay an agency, not what the agency pays the cleaner.
Work out your floor before you look at anyone else
Your hourly rate isn't your take-home. Before settling on a number, add up everything you're not paid for:
- Travel time and fuel between jobs
- Products, cloths, hoover bags and wear on your kit
- Insurance (usually £55 to £160 a year for a domestic sole trader)
- Admin: messages, quotes, invoices, chasing payments
- Holidays and sick days, when you earn nothing
- Tax. Put a quarter to a third of your profit aside
A quick sense check: at £15 an hour and 25 paid hours a week, you're turning over £375. Take off fuel, products and insurance, then tax, and the real figure drops fast. If that number doesn't cover your bills, your rate is too low, whatever the cleaner down the road charges.
The most common mistake: copying the cheapest price in your local Facebook group. You don't know if that person has insurance, pays tax or will still be cleaning in six months. Price for a business you can keep running.
Hourly or fixed price?
Regular cleans: hourly works well. Clients understand it, and it's easy to add time if the house needs more.
One-offs, deep cleans and end of tenancy: quote a fixed price, but only after you've seen the property or photos of it. Never quote a deep clean blind. An oven that hasn't been touched in three years can add an hour on its own.
Set a minimum booking
A one-hour job 20 minutes away barely covers your fuel. Most cleaners set a minimum of two hours, or charge a bit more per hour for short visits. Some add a small travel charge for clients further out. One Northamptonshire cleaner adds £3 for anyone over five miles away.
Charge for the extras
- Your own products and kit: if you bring everything, your rate should reflect it
- Ovens, fridges, inside windows: price these separately or as add-ons
- Ironing and laundry: hourly, or per basket
- Errands: if a client asks you to pop to the shop, that's your time, charge for it
Putting your prices up
Review your rate once a year. When you put it up:
- Give at least four weeks' notice, in writing
- Keep it simple: the new rate, the date it starts, a thank you
- Don't over-explain or apologise. Fuel and products cost more every year and clients know it
- Charge new clients the new rate straight away
You might lose the odd client who was only with you for the price. That's usually fine. You'll replace them at the higher rate, and the ones who stay are the ones who value you.
Once your price is sorted, protect it with a cancellation policy. Otherwise a good rate means nothing when clients cancel on the morning.