What to Charge for a Deep Clean, Strip and Wax, and Post Construction

One time jobs work differently from recurring janitorial. You are not building a weekly rate and multiplying by 4.33. You are pricing a single event, and the unit is square footage. Know your rates, know what the job actually costs you to run, and price it so you make money from the first visit.

One time work is priced per square foot, not per month

Recurring janitorial has a monthly price. One time work has a per square foot price. Square footage times your rate equals your quote. The job type, the condition of the building, and what you are actually cleaning dictate where on the range you land. Get that number right before you ever pick up the phone to quote.

What to charge for a deep clean

A commercial deep clean runs 30 to 50 cents per square foot. Residential deep cleans run higher because the density of surfaces is greater and travel adds to your cost. For commercial, you are doing a thorough pass on all surfaces, restrooms, floors, and whatever else is in scope.

At 30 cents you are probably looking at a relatively clean space that just needs a solid once over. At 50 cents you are dealing with a building that has been neglected, has heavy soil, or wants extras like carpet extraction, hard floor detailing, or a full restroom scrub down.

Scope creep is real on deep cleans. Write down exactly what you are doing before you give a number, and stick to it. If the client adds scope on the day of the job, that is a change order conversation.

What to charge for strip and wax

Strip and wax is one of the better margin jobs in this business when you price it correctly. The range is 75 cents to 1.25 per square foot. That number has to cover everything: stripping the old finish, buffing, applying two to three coats of wax, chemicals, labor, setup, and the equipment you bring in.

The machinery alone represents a real investment. A high speed buffer, a floor machine, and a wet vac cost money to own and maintain. The chemicals are not cheap either. If you price this below 75 cents you are either eating your labor or your materials, and probably both.

What to charge for post construction cleaning

Post construction rates sit at 15 to 30 cents per square foot. The rate is lower than you might expect because these are usually large jobs with a predictable scope, and your setup time spreads over more square footage.

Post construction work comes in stages, and each stage is a separate scope:

1. Rough clean: the first pass after major construction wraps up. You are dealing with drywall dust, debris, and heavy soil. This is the dirtiest stage and your rate can push toward the top of the range.
2. Touch up clean: done after trades come back through for final work. Less heavy than rough clean but still a real job with real time.
3. Final clean: the building is ready to be handed over. You do a thorough pass so it is spotless for move in or opening. This is what most clients mean when they say they need a post construction clean.

When a general contractor or a developer calls you, they usually want the final clean. Be clear in your quote about which stage you are pricing, and spell out what is and is not included. Contractors will add things on the day if you let them.

A real example: 30,000 square feet

I priced a 30,000 square foot post construction final clean at 9,000 dollars. That comes out to 30 cents a square foot. I paid the subcontractor crew about 3,000 dollars total, including materials. I kept 6,000. That is roughly 66 percent margin on one job.

That kind of margin is realistic on post construction because the scope is defined, the building is new, and you are not dealing with years of grime. You mobilize, you do the work, you collect. The key is pricing high enough to cover any scope creep, because there is almost always something extra a contractor finds on the day.

Why bigger buildings cost less per square foot

On a 5,000 square foot final clean you might charge 25 to 30 cents per square foot. On a 30,000 square foot job you can come in at 20 to 25 cents and still make significantly more money in absolute dollars. Your setup time, drive, and mobilization cost are roughly the same. Those fixed costs spread over more square footage on a larger job, so your effective cost per square foot drops and you have room to offer a more competitive rate without giving away your margin.

This is why large post construction jobs are worth chasing. You may earn less per square foot, but you earn a lot more per day of work.