Commercial Cleaning Cost per Square Foot: Ranges, and How to Price Your Own
Quick answer
ISSA's December 2025 guideline puts general office cleaning at $0.09 to $0.17 per square foot (read as a monthly price; see Step 1). Use that range as a check, not as your price. Build the monthly price from labor hours, travel, supplies and overhead, then compare. In our example, a 6,000 sq ft office cleaned 3 nights a week prices at about $1,300 a month, or $0.22 per sq ft. That is above the range because the site is small and has frequent visits.
"What do you charge per square foot?" is the first question many facility managers ask. It is a fair way to compare bids, but it is a poor way to set a price. Two buildings with the same square footage can need very different hours.
This guide gives you the published ranges, then shows how to build your own number and what to do when it does not match.
Step 1: Know the published ranges
ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, published these general guidelines in December 2025:
| Facility type | Typical range per sq ft |
|---|---|
| General office | $0.09 – $0.17 |
| Medical and healthcare | $0.14 – $0.29 |
| Industrial or manufacturing | $0.08 – $0.20 |
| Retail | $0.07 – $0.15 |
| Schools and education | $0.07 – $0.14 |
ISSA calls these "general guidelines rather than fixed prices." The article does not say if the ranges are per visit or per month. Its own formula divides the monthly contract cost by cleanable square feet, so we read them as monthly figures. Our templates use them that way too.
Step 2: Measure cleanable square feet
Use the area your crew actually cleans, not the gross building size. Leave out mechanical rooms, locked storage and areas the client does not want cleaned. Walk the site and confirm it. A site survey sheet helps you capture the numbers in the same order every time.
Step 3: Convert square feet into labor hours
A production rate is how many square feet one cleaner cleans in one hour. It depends on the facility type, the cleaning level, furniture, floor type and how many restrooms there are.
Hours per visit = Cleanable sq ft ÷ Production rate × Level factor
Our free calculator starts general offices at 3,000 sq ft per hour at a normal cleaning standard ("Level 2"). That is a starting value, not a standard. Time your own crew on the first few sites and replace it.
For a 6,000 sq ft office: 6,000 ÷ 3,000 = 2 labor hours per visit.
Step 4: Price the month from your costs
With 3 visits a week, the site gets 13 visits a month (3 × 52 ÷ 12). Here are the example costs:
| Cost line (per month) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cleaning labor: 2 h × 13 visits × $20.06 | $521.56 |
| Paid travel: 0.5 h × 13 visits × $20.06 | $130.39 |
| Vehicle: 15 miles × $0.725 × 13 visits | $141.38 |
| Supplies: $4 per visit | $52.00 |
| Overhead: $10 per visit | $130.00 |
| Total monthly cost | $975.32 |
| Monthly price at a 25% margin: $975.32 ÷ 0.75 | $1,300.43 |
The $20.06 is an example wage of $17 per hour plus an 18% labor burden for payroll taxes and insurance. For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $17.71 per hour for janitors and building cleaners (May 2025). Use what you actually pay.
That price works out to:
- $100 per visit
- $0.217 per sq ft per month
- About $50 per labor hour
Step 5: Compare, then find out why
Our $0.217 is above ISSA's office range of $0.09 to $0.17. That does not mean the price is wrong. It means you should know why before you send it. These are the usual reasons:
| What changes | Example result per sq ft per month |
|---|---|
| Same office, 1 visit a week | $0.072 |
| Same office, 3 visits a week (our example) | $0.217 |
| Same office, 5 visits a week | $0.361 |
| Faster crew: 4,000 sq ft per hour | $0.188 |
| Slower site: 2,500 sq ft per hour | $0.240 |
| Bigger office: 12,000 sq ft, 3 visits a week | $0.166 |
Two things stand out:
- Visits per week drive the price per square foot. A national range cannot know how often the client wants you there. Always compare like with like.
- Small sites price higher per square foot. Travel, supplies and overhead are spread over fewer square feet. At 12,000 sq ft, the same method lands inside the range.
When your price is below the range
A low price per square foot is the more dangerous result. It usually means one of these:
- The production rate is too optimistic for this site.
- Restrooms, break rooms or high-traffic floors were not counted.
- Travel time between sites is missing.
- The margin is too thin to absorb a slow month.
Re-check those before you lower anything. Winning a contract that loses money every month is worse than losing the bid.
Quote the client in the format they expect
Most commercial clients want a monthly price, a clear list of what is cleaned and how often, and the start date. Keep the per-square-foot figure for your own checks, unless the client asks for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the price per square foot per visit or per month?
It depends on who quotes it. ISSA's guideline formula uses the monthly contract cost, so we treat its ranges as monthly. Always say "per month" or "per visit" on your own bids.
What production rate should I use?
Start with a conservative rate and time your own crew. Furniture, carpet, restrooms and the cleaning level all change it. Replace the starting value after your first few sites.
Should I include restrooms separately?
Restrooms take much longer per square foot than open office space. Count the fixtures (toilets, sinks, urinals) and add time for them, or your hours will be too low.
What margin is normal for commercial cleaning?
It varies a lot by contract size and market. Our example uses 25%. Pick a margin that covers your own time, supervision and risk, then check it after a few months of real hours.
Can I just use the national range as my price?
You can use it to sanity-check a bid, but not to set it. The range does not know your wages, travel or how many visits the client wants.
Example numbers in this guide are for illustration. Use your own costs. This is not legal, tax or accounting advice.
Sources
- ISSA, Commercial cleaning rates per square foot, December 4, 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Janitors and building cleaners, median pay May 2025.
