Cost Guides · Commercial Cleaning
Commercial Cleaning Prices in 2026: What Contracts Actually Pay
$30.00 an hour is the one verified billed rate for commercial cleaning we found. Commercial cleaning prices are set after a walkthrough, so nobody posts them online.
What do commercial cleaning prices look like right now?
The one public billed rate we could verify for commercial cleaning prices is $30.00 an hour. Treat it as a check against your own numbers, not a quote.
You will not find a rate card. Cleaning companies price the job after they see it.
So this guide sticks to what is on the record. That means real contracts with a date and a dollar figure, plus the wage under every bid.
Commercial cleaning prices by state: what real contracts paid
The price sites that rank for this search never name a company with a dated figure. Public school board minutes do. Three contracts in two states carry a date and a dollar figure, and two of them name the company.
| Contract | Price |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma: Jani-King, Union City Public Schools, custodial | $30,000 per year |
| Pennsylvania: Ames Janitorial Services, Ephrata Area SD, substitute custodians | $30.00 per hour |
| Pennsylvania: Wilson Area SD, districtwide janitorial bid (vendor not named in minutes) | $66,607.56 for 2026 to 2027 |
None of the three records list square footage. So you cannot turn them into a per-foot price.
Two states is a thin sample. Before you bid, check the janitor wage where you work. The wage is the floor under your price.
Why can’t you find commercial cleaning prices on a website?
Because the building sets the price, not the square foot. A cleaner has to see the floor plan first. Restroom count and access rules matter too.
Those things change labor time more than footage does. That is why every price you find online is a generic range. Nobody bidding real work publishes one.
Ask for a walkthrough before you send any number.
Turn a walkthrough photo into an itemized quote, free →
What does labor cost inside a commercial cleaning price?
$18.64 an hour is the average wage for janitors and cleaners. The median is $17.71 an hour (BLS, May 2025). That is what the worker is paid, not what the client is billed.
The billed rate sits on top of that wage. In the Ephrata contract, it is $30.00 an hour. The gap pays for payroll burden, supplies, insurance, and your margin.
Most janitors earn between $15.50 and $21.18 an hour. That is the middle half of the pay range.
That gap is normal. It is not a markup to apologize for.
How to price a commercial cleaning job
Four things move a commercial cleaning quote. The biggest one is how often you clean.
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Walk the site and split square footage by area type
Offices, restrooms, and busy entries each take different time per foot. Lump them together and the quote is wrong.
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Set the frequency tier first
Nightly, three times a week, or once a week. Drive time and setup change with it more than the cleaning does.
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Price labor against a real wage baseline, then add burden and margin
Start from a verified wage. Then add burden, supplies, insurance, and margin. That stack is how a wage near $18 becomes a billed rate like the $30.00 Ephrata pays.
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Add fees for extras as separate line items
Day porter coverage, floor stripping, and window cleaning each get their own line. Keep them out of the recurring visit price.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator for commercial cleaning prices
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a walkthrough photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Every material, labor, and fee line is editable. Give the frequency tier or floor care its own row.
Enter your own labor rate and send a branded quote the client signs. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
Sources
Government contract records
- Union City Board of Education, OK: Jani-King custodial renewal, $30,000 for 2025 to 2026, approved July 14, 2025 (Citizen Portal, read Sep 25, 2026).
- Ephrata Area SD, PA: Ames Janitorial Services substitute staffing, $30.00/hour custodial (Ephrata Area SD board agenda/minutes packet, reproducing the Feb 2, 2026 board minutes, posted Feb 23, 2026).
- Wilson Area SD, PA: $66,607.56 districtwide janitorial bid for 2026 to 2027, approved May 18, 2026, vendor not named in the minutes (Citizen Portal, read Sep 25, 2026).
Wage data
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national estimates, occupation 37-2011, Janitors and Cleaners, verified Oct 12, 2026.
Product
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store, 4.8 rating, verified Oct 12, 2026.
Frequently asked questions about commercial cleaning prices
The price
How much do commercial cleaning prices run per square foot?
No verified per-foot number exists. Every company we checked quotes after a walkthrough. What is on the record is a $30,000 yearly contract at Union City Public Schools, Oklahoma. Treat any per-foot price you see as a guess.
What is a typical commercial cleaning hourly rate?
$30.00 an hour is the one verified rate. Ephrata Area School District, Pennsylvania, pays it to Ames Janitorial Services for substitute custodians. The average janitor wage is $18.64 an hour (BLS, May 2025).
The contract
Why do commercial cleaning contracts use frequency tiers instead of a flat price?
Each visit carries the same drive time, setup, and restocking. Nightly and weekly contracts spread that cost differently. So companies price the tier first and the footage second.
Estimating the job
Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator work for commercial cleaning quotes?
Yes. Frequency becomes a labor line and floor care becomes a fee line, each with your own rate. Send a branded quote the client signs, at $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr with a 7-day free trial.
Turn a walkthrough into a bid that holds margin.
Snap a photo and get an itemized quote with editable lines. Send a branded quote before you sign. Free to try, then $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr after a 7-day trial.