How cleaners normally break the money out
A cleaner's invoice is usually a flat rate per clean or an hourly rate per cleaner, with add-ons like ovens, windows, carpets or move-out deep cleans billed separately. Keeping those apart is what stops the customer asking what the total covered.
Step by step
- 1State the property and the type of clean — recurring, deep, or move-out. They price differently and customers mix them up.
- 2Show the rate basis: flat rate per clean, or hours × number of cleaners. Vague totals get questioned on every invoice.
- 3Put add-ons like interior oven, refrigerator, windows or carpet extraction on their own lines so the base clean price stays comparable month to month.
- 4If you supply the products and equipment, say so — it is part of what the customer is buying, and it justifies your rate.
- 5For recurring accounts, invoice monthly with each visit date listed, and offer card on file. It is the single biggest fix for late payment in cleaning.
When to send it
On the day for one-off and move-out cleans, when access still matters to the customer. Monthly in arrears for recurring residential and commercial contracts.
One-off cleans should be paid on completion — take payment before you leave. Commercial contracts run 30 days; chase with the contract reference, not the address.
Common questions
- Flat rate or hourly?
- Flat rate for recurring work the customer understands, hourly for first cleans and unknown properties. Say which you used on the invoice.
- How do I handle a customer who cancels at the door?
- Charge a stated cancellation fee that appears in your terms. Without the term in writing, it is very hard to collect.
- Do commercial clients need anything extra on the invoice?
- Usually a PO or contract number and W-9 on file. Ask once at the start and you will be paid on time all year.
Make it in the browser instead
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