Cleaning Rates Explained: A Look Behind the Quote
Table Of Contents
Why Is It So Much?
A closer look at how we price home cleaning — and why it makes sense.
When someone sees their cleaning quote, it’s not uncommon to hear things like: “Why is it so much?” or “My last cleaner only charged $100.”
We get it. Home cleaning prices can vary a lot — and not always for the right reasons.
If that’s your reaction, you’re not alone. Home cleaning is one of those services where prices can vary wildly — and not always for good reason.
And truthfully? If you had a great cleaner who charged less, showed up reliably, cleaned thoroughly, and is still around… you probably wouldn’t be looking.
Most of the time, people are shopping around because that lower-cost cleaner:
- Stopped showing up
- Disappeared altogether
- Wasn’t consistent
- Or left too much undone too often
At Three Little Birds, we don’t base our pricing on what others are charging. We base it on what it takes to deliver professional, consistent results — not just once, but every time.
🕒 It All Comes Down to Time
Every quote we send is built on one thing: time.
More specifically, we estimate how long it will take the average professional on our team to clean your home based on:
- Square footage
- Layout
- Condition
- Frequency of service
- Type of clean (e.g., recurring, deep, move-out, etc.)
We call this normalized time. It’s not based on our fastest or slowest team members, but what’s typical — so pricing is accurate and consistent over time.
Some team members are faster (usually our most experienced, and they cost us more per hour). Others are newer or more meticulous (they may take longer, which costs us more in time). Normalized time allows us to fairly price your service regardless of who shows up that day.
💲 Why We Don’t Break It Down Hour by Hour
It’s tempting to try to reverse-engineer a cleaning quote into an hourly rate. But here’s the thing: hourly math rarely tells the whole story.
When people try to compare what we charge to what we pay our cleaners, or to what an individual cleaner might quote, it can seem like there’s a big gap. But that gap covers everything it takes to run a professional, reliable, and consistent service — not just send someone to clean.
That includes:
- A full-time client care team to support you
- Field supervisors to ensure quality and training
- Natural products, equipment, and supplies
- WSIB, liability insurance, paid holidays, and more
Behind every cleaner is a system — and that system is what ensures your home is cared for the same way every time, not just when the stars align.
🔁 Frequency Affects Price — and It’s Often Misunderstood
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is that monthly or one-time services are being charged more.
But actually — it’s the opposite.
Weekly and biweekly clients receive a discounted rate because their homes are maintained regularly. That means less buildup, more efficiency, and a predictable service flow — for them, and for us.
When someone books less frequently, it requires more time and effort each visit. A monthly clean often takes longer than a biweekly one, simply because more work has accumulated in between. That’s why monthly and one-time services are priced at the standard rate.
⚙️ Yes, We’re Flexible — Within Reason
While we don’t negotiate our rates, we are flexible in how we structure your service. If you’re looking to make it work within a certain budget or timeline, we can help you:
- Rotate rooms
- Skip low-use areas
- Add detail cleaning as needed
Our goal is to deliver great service that fits your real life — not force you into a package that doesn’t make sense.
📉 Cheaper Doesn’t Always Mean Better
We know we’re not the cheapest. Most professional services aren’t. And that’s okay. There are plenty of solo cleaners charging less — but there’s a reason so many of our clients come to us after trying someone else.
They’re tired of:
- Inconsistent results
- No-shows or last-minute cancellations
- Having to supervise every clean themselves
We’ve built a business around solving those problems — with people who care, systems that work, and quality that lasts.
We’re not racing to the bottom. We’re here to raise the bar.
👋 Questions? Let’s Talk
If you have questions about your quote or want to talk through how to adjust your service to better fit your needs, we’re happy to help.