What goes into the charge for house cleaning?

Here is a rough breakdown of what gets factored into the charge for house cleaning. This is based on a owner-operated business, and not a bigger company employing staff. 

Let’s start with the minimum award wage per hour for a house cleaner running their own business: $30.95. This is what they would legally have to be paid if working in a position of similar responsibility for someone else. Add to this amount 10.5% superannuation, the cost of insurance, products and equipment, vehicle expenses including fuel, wear & tear etc, and other miscellaneous business expenses, and you are looking at an amount that is going to be close to $40 an hour, if not more. This is the break-even amount. 

Then you can expect that every legitimate and business-savvy cleaning company owner will add a percentage amount to this figure for their profit margin, to ensure sustainability and longevity as a business. They will also take into account the current market rate, and what other comparable businesses charge. Then, if their services are in high demand, this will be reflected in their pricing as well. 

Just as a reference, I know a number of cleaning business owners who employ multiple staff, and the rate they charge their staff out at is around $65-$75/hr. Anything less than about $50/hour and they are not making any profit. 

Often a house cleaning company will have a minimum price their cleans start at. Our cleans start at $120. 

Just so you know too, many cleaners will charge by the job and not per hour. This creates budget certainty for people, and also ensures that costs will not blow out if the cleaner takes longer than expected because your house required more attention.