Carpet cleaning is usually priced per room, per square foot, per stair, or per visit with a minimum. Whichever way you quote, check it against the real cost of the job.
Per room, per square foot or a minimum: choose on purpose
There are three common ways to price a carpet job. Each has a weak spot.
- Per room. Easy to quote and easy to sell. The weak spot is that rooms differ in size. A large bedroom costs more than a small one.
- Per square foot. Fairer on big and small areas. The weak spot is that it ignores work that has nothing to do with size, like stairs, stains and furniture.
- Minimum charge. A floor under every visit, so a tiny job still pays for the truck and the drive.
A sound approach is to use square footage as the base, then add lines for stairs, heavy soil, pet treatment and furniture. Whatever you pick, work out the cost of a typical job first. Then make sure the rate covers it with room to spare.
Truck-mount or portable: know your cost per hour
Your equipment changes your cost. A truck-mount runs from the vehicle, heats water well and pulls out a lot of moisture. It also means a large van, fuel to run the engine and steady upkeep. A portable machine is cheaper to own and easier to carry upstairs, but it can be slower and may need more passes.
Do not treat the machine as free. Count:
- The purchase cost, spread over the jobs it will clean.
- Fuel to run the truck-mount engine, not only to drive.
- Hoses, wands, pumps and repairs.
- Set-up and pack-down time at each home.
Set-up time is paid time. If you spend, for example, twenty minutes laying hoses and protecting floors on every visit, it belongs in the price.
Stains, odours and moving furniture
Stain work is not part of a basic clean. Pet urine, wine, ink and heavy traffic lanes each need extra product and extra time, and some will not fully lift.
Handle it in three steps. Inspect the carpet before you quote. Price spot treatment as an add-on with its own line. Tell the customer in writing that some stains may not come out completely.
Furniture needs the same care. Moving beds, couches and bookcases takes labor, risks damage and slows the job. Either charge for it, or state that you clean only the open floor. Write on the quote what you will and will not move.
Water, chemicals and the small costs
Water and chemical cost on one job is small, but it adds up over a week. Measure it. Track how much product a typical room takes and what your mix costs per gallon. Include the pre-spray, the rinse and any deodoriser.
Do not forget the quiet costs:
- Drive time between homes.
- Fuel for the vehicle and the machine.
- Drying aids like fans, if you supply them.
- Pre-vacuuming and protecting corners and furniture legs.
- Insurance and equipment replacement.
Add them up per hour of work. Then your per-room or per-foot rate has a floor under it.
Mistakes that quietly cost you money
- Quoting by phone without asking about stairs, pets and stains.
- Setting a minimum that does not cover the drive and the set-up.
- Offering a free stain treatment that takes half an hour.
- Forgetting that the truck-mount burns fuel the whole time it runs.
- Skipping the pre-vacuum, then spending extra time on heavy soil.
- Redoing cleans for free without tracking how often it happens.
When to say no or raise the price
Some carpet jobs cost more than they look. Raise the price or pass when:
- The carpet is very old or worn and you cannot promise results.
- There is heavy pet damage that needs deep treatment or reaches the pad.
- The home is full of furniture and the customer expects you to move it all.
- The job is far away and the area is too small to cover the drive.
- The customer wants a guarantee that every stain will come out.
Explain the reason for the price. If they still want it for less, a polite pass protects your week.
Check your price against a real day
Try the example on this page with your own numbers. Time a typical job from arrival to pack-up, including the drive. Add chemicals, fuel and equipment use. Divide by the hours you spent to see what an hour of your van and crew really costs.
Then check your rate. Does a typical job at your per-room or per-foot price come out above that cost? If not, raise the rate or add a minimum. CrewBrain tracks the real cost of each job so you can see which jobs earn their price.
A worked example: three bedrooms and a hallway, with one spot treatment
| Item | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 1 people × 3 hours (including drive time) × $35 per hour | $105 |
| Materials | Supplies used on the job | $20 |
| Vehicle and fuel | Truck time and fuel for this job | $25 |
| Job costs | $150 | |
| Price at a 50% margin | $150 ÷ 0.50 | $300 |
| Left after job costs | $300 − $150 | $150 |
Where the price goes in this example
Every dollar of the price, split into the costs it covers and what is left over.
- Labor $105 (35%)
- Materials $20 (7%)
- Vehicle and fuel $25 (8%)
- Left after job costs $150 (50%)
The whole bar is the price the customer pays: $300. Illustrative numbers, built from the table above.
Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including taxes and insurance, not just the wage. Materials is the cleaning solution and spotting product. Fuel covers the vehicle and the machine. These numbers are an illustrative example of the method. They are not a price list, and not a promise of what your jobs will earn.
Try it with your own numbers
Job costs means crew time (with drive time), materials, vehicle and fuel. Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including payroll taxes and insurance, not just the wage. This is a simple calculator, not a quote.
Built for carpet cleaning: the carpet cleaning price calculator works from rooms of carpet, stairs, area rugs, with example speeds you can change to your crew’s.
Keep going
- CrewBrain for carpet cleaning companies: how the software handles quoting, scheduling and crew time for this trade.
- How to price a service job: the five-step method behind every page in this series.
- Job price calculator: the same calculator as above, on its own page.
- Price increase calculator: see how many customers you can lose before a raise stops paying.
- How to price landscaping jobs
- How to price painting jobs
- How to price roofing jobs
- What is a good profit margin for a service business?
- How to estimate labor hours for a job
- How to quote a job professionally
- All pricing guides by trade
Questions owners ask
Should I charge per room or per square foot for carpet cleaning?
Per room is simple to sell, but room sizes vary. Per square foot is fairer, then add lines for stairs, stains and furniture. Test either one against the real cost of a typical job.
How do I set a minimum charge for carpet cleaning?
Add up the drive, set-up, pack-down and fixed costs for one visit, then add your margin. Your minimum should never fall below that figure, even for a single room.
How do I charge for stain removal?
Treat it as an add-on, not part of the base clean. Inspect first, price the treatment on its own line, and say in writing that some stains may not fully come out.
How do I price stairs when cleaning carpet?
Stairs take more time per square foot because of the hand work. Time a typical flight, then price each step or flight from that time at your full hourly cost.