Cleaning Bid Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate a fair and profitable bid for your cleaning services. Input your desired hourly rate, the estimated time it takes to clean per square foot, material costs, and your desired overhead and profit margins to get a comprehensive bid price.

Total Square Footage: sq ft

Desired Hourly Rate: $/hour

Time per Square Foot: minutes

Material Cost: $

Overhead Percentage: %

Desired Profit Margin: %

function calculateCleaningBid() { var squareFootage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('squareFootage').value); var hourlyRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('hourlyRate').value); var timePerSqFt = parseFloat(document.getElementById('timePerSqFt').value); var materialCost = parseFloat(document.getElementById('materialCost').value); var overheadPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('overheadPercentage').value); var profitMarginPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('profitMarginPercentage').value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('result'); resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results // Input validation if (isNaN(squareFootage) || squareFootage < 0 || isNaN(hourlyRate) || hourlyRate < 0 || isNaN(timePerSqFt) || timePerSqFt < 0 || isNaN(materialCost) || materialCost < 0 || isNaN(overheadPercentage) || overheadPercentage < 0 || isNaN(profitMarginPercentage) || profitMarginPercentage < 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.'; return; } // Calculations var totalCleaningTimeMinutes = squareFootage * timePerSqFt; var totalCleaningTimeHours = totalCleaningTimeMinutes / 60; var laborCost = totalCleaningTimeHours * hourlyRate; var subtotal = laborCost + materialCost; var overheadCost = subtotal * (overheadPercentage / 100); var costOfGoodsSold = subtotal + overheadCost; var profitAmount = costOfGoodsSold * (profitMarginPercentage / 100); var totalBidPrice = costOfGoodsSold + profitAmount; // Display results var resultsHtml = '

Your Estimated Cleaning Bid:

'; resultsHtml += 'Total Cleaning Time: ' + totalCleaningTimeHours.toFixed(2) + ' hours'; resultsHtml += 'Estimated Labor Cost: $' + laborCost.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += 'Material Cost: $' + materialCost.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += 'Subtotal (Labor + Materials): $' + subtotal.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += 'Overhead Cost (' + overheadPercentage.toFixed(2) + '%): $' + overheadCost.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += 'Cost of Goods Sold: $' + costOfGoodsSold.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += 'Desired Profit (' + profitMarginPercentage.toFixed(2) + '%): $' + profitAmount.toFixed(2) + "; resultsHtml += '

Total Recommended Bid Price: $' + totalBidPrice.toFixed(2) + '

'; resultDiv.innerHTML = resultsHtml; } .cleaning-bid-calculator-container { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: 25px; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); max-width: 700px; margin: 30px auto; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; } .cleaning-bid-calculator-container h2 { text-align: center; color: #333; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 28px; } .cleaning-bid-calculator-container p { text-align: center; color: #555; margin-bottom: 25px; line-height: 1.6; } .calculator-form .form-group { display: flex; align-items: center; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 8px 0; border-bottom: 1px dashed #eee; } .calculator-form .form-group:last-of-type { border-bottom: none; margin-bottom: 25px; } .calculator-form label { flex: 2; font-weight: bold; color: #444; font-size: 16px; } .calculator-form input[type="number"] { flex: 1; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 16px; width: 100px; /* Adjust width for input */ text-align: right; -moz-appearance: textfield; /* Firefox */ } .calculator-form input[type="number"]::-webkit-outer-spin-button, .calculator-form input[type="number"]::-webkit-inner-spin-button { -webkit-appearance: none; margin: 0; } .calculator-form .unit { flex: 0 0 60px; /* Fixed width for unit */ margin-left: 10px; color: #666; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; } .cleaning-bid-calculator-container button { display: block; width: 100%; padding: 12px 20px; background-color: #007bff; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s ease; margin-top: 20px; } .cleaning-bid-calculator-container button:hover { background-color: #0056b3; } .calculator-result { margin-top: 30px; padding: 20px; background-color: #eaf7ed; border: 1px solid #d4edda; border-radius: 8px; color: #155724; } .calculator-result h3 { color: #0f5132; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 15px; font-size: 22px; text-align: center; } .calculator-result p { margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: 16px; color: #155724; text-align: left; } .calculator-result h4 { color: #0f5132; font-size: 24px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0; } .calculator-result h4 span { font-weight: bold; }

Understanding Your Cleaning Bid

Setting the right price for your cleaning services is crucial for both attracting clients and ensuring your business's profitability. This Cleaning Bid Calculator helps you break down the costs involved and arrive at a competitive yet profitable price.

Key Components of Your Bid:

Total Square Footage: The size of the area to be cleaned directly impacts the time and resources required. Accurate measurement is the first step.
Desired Hourly Rate: This is what you aim to earn per hour for your labor. It should cover your personal wages and any direct labor costs.
Time per Square Foot (minutes): This metric is vital for estimating the total time a job will take. For example, a residential clean might take 0.5 minutes per square foot, while a deep commercial clean could be 1-2 minutes per square foot. This value often comes from experience and efficiency.
Material Cost: The direct cost of cleaning supplies, chemicals, and any disposable items used for the specific job. Don't forget to factor in wear and tear on equipment if it's significant for a particular job.
Overhead Percentage: This covers your indirect business expenses that aren't tied to a specific job, such as insurance, administrative costs, marketing, vehicle maintenance, office rent, and professional development. A common range is 10-20%, but it varies greatly by business.
Desired Profit Margin: This is the percentage of profit you want to make on top of all your costs (labor, materials, and overhead). A healthy profit margin ensures business growth, allows for reinvestment, and provides a buffer for unexpected expenses. Typical profit margins can range from 15% to 30% or more, depending on your market and service quality.

How to Use the Calculator Effectively:

Be Realistic with Time: If you underestimate the time per square foot, your labor costs will be too low, impacting your profitability. Track your time on various jobs to get accurate averages.
Know Your Overhead: Regularly review your business expenses to determine an accurate overhead percentage. This is often overlooked but critical for long-term sustainability.
Research Market Rates: While this calculator helps with your internal costs, always compare your calculated bid with what competitors are charging in your area for similar services. You may need to adjust your profit margin or efficiency to remain competitive.
Consider Value-Added Services: If you offer specialized services (e.g., eco-friendly cleaning, specific equipment use), these can justify a higher bid.
Review and Adjust: Your first bid might not be perfect. Use feedback from clients and your own financial performance to continually refine your inputs and bidding strategy.

By carefully considering each of these factors, you can generate bids that are fair to your clients and profitable for your cleaning business.