How to Raise Your Cleaning Prices Without Losing Clients

Raising prices is scary for cleaning business owners who fear operating profitability may cause them to lose clients and revenue. 

Balancing necessary price increases with client retention is key to profitability and growth. This guide will walk you through a step-by-step process of increasing prices.

You’ll learn when and how much to raise, how to communicate value, and how to ensure that your cleaning services meet clients' expectations while maintaining their trust and loyalty.

Step 1. Understanding when it’s time to raise prices

Knowing when to raise prices is crucial to profitability in your cleaning business. Operational costs like cleaning supplies, fuel, and wages increase over time, eating into your profit margin.

→ New service offerings like deep cleaning or eco-friendly options make it easy to justify a price increase. 

→ If you’re consistently overbooked or in high demand, it’s a clear sign your services are underpriced. 

Compare your cleaning rates within the local market to ensure you are competitive and meet industry standards. Reviewing your pricing structure will prevent losses and better position your cleaning business for growth.

Key indicators to review your cleaning rates:

• Operational costs for standard cleaning have significantly increased and are eating into your profit margin.

• You have added new or upgraded services like move-out cleaning, maid service, or window cleaning.

• There is a high demand for residential cleaning with overbooked schedules or long waiting lists.

How Aspire can help:

• Use Aspire’s reporting and real-time job costs to track your profitability by job, hourly rate, and expenses.

• Analyse client profitability to see which clients need a price increase to match your desired profit margin.

You can confidently plan your price increase by knowing these signs and using data-driven insights.

Step 2. Calculating the right price increase

Raising rates the right amount keeps your cleaning business profitable and competitive. 

Start by looking at:

• Operational and overhead costs

• Cleaning supplies and fuel

• Labor

Rising costs in these areas require increasing the price of cleaning services to maintain a healthy profit margin.

Market research is also important. Compare your cleaning service pricing to competitors in your local market to ensure your rates are industry-standard.

→ A 5 to 10% price increase is reasonable if better service or rising costs are justified. 

However, always communicate the value of your service to your cleaning customers so they understand the reason for the new price. Keeping happy clients is crucial in justifying price increases and retaining the cleaning contract.

Example cleaning cost calculation:

If your previous hourly rate was $30/hour, but you have rising costs, such as:

• Increased supply and labor costs: +$5/hour

• Margin adjustment: +$2/hour

Then your new hourly rate would be $37/hour

Use this to cover increased costs and still be competitive.

How Aspire can help:

• Aspire’s real-time job cost tracking tools show you where expenses like cleaning supplies and fuel are rising.

• Its revenue analytics allow you to see the impact of price increases on your overall profit.

• Using the set profit margin feature, you can ensure you bid contracts at profitable rates, even as your costs rise. 

You can confidently plan price increases using detailed cost analysis and Aspire’s tools.

Step 3. Communicating value to clients

Effectively communicating higher prices means clients understand the value behind the change. Frame the increase as:

✓ Delivering elevated service

✓ Rising operational costs

✓ Rising cost of living

✓ New home and commercial cleaning offerings

Clients love transparency, especially when you explain how it benefits them. 

Highlight your expertise, reliability, and consistent client satisfaction to build trust in your cleaning company.

Tips for crafting a compelling message:

• Mention improvements in quality, such as advanced cleaning supplies, new equipment, or specialized services like move-in/move-out cleaning.

• Highlight your team members' reliability and your proven record of delivering an outstanding cleaning service.

• Reassure business owners how the new flat rate supports continued top service and guarantees satisfaction.

Sample price increase letter template (for letters and emails):

Subject: Important Update Regarding Your Cleaning Service

Dear [Client’s Name],

Thanks for choosing [Your Cleaning Business Name] for your cleaning needs. To continue delivering the excellent service you expect, we need to make a small price adjustment. From [Effective Date], your [Services] will be [New Price].

This is due to rising operational costs and our dedication to using the best cleaning supplies and employing highly trained staff who deliver reliable service. We appreciate your business and look forward to hearing from you at [Contact] if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely, [Your Name] 

[Your Cleaning Business Name]

Sample phone script for increasing prices:

“Hi [Client’s Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Cleaning Business Name]. I wanted to let you know about a small price increase for your cleaning services effective [Date]. 

This allows us to keep delivering great service while reflecting the increased cost of materials and labor. Your new rate will be [New Price]. We value your business and would love to chat with you about any questions you have. Thanks for being a great customer.”

Communicating the value of your services can help alleviate apprehension clients feel about rising costs, and remind them of why they chose you as their service provider.

Sample text message for price increase:

“We wanted to let you know about a small price increase for your cleaning services. Effective [Date] your new rate will be [New Price]. This allows us to keep delivering outstanding service while reflecting the increased cost of materials and labor. Thanks.”

Step 4. Delivering the price increase notice

Delivering your price increase notice reinforces your brand's professionalism while maintaining client trust. The method of communication—email, phone call, or in—person—should match your client relationships. 

Personal approaches work best for large or long-term clients, while email may be enough for smaller or routine clients. Always give enough notice, such as four to six weeks—so clients have time to adjust.

Timing is everything. 

Don’t deliver notices during busy seasons or holidays when clients are less likely to be open to change. Instead, target periods of stability, like after the busy season when competition for cleaning services is lower. Be proactive and prepare for client objections by being clear and confident about the reasons for the price change.

Consider the following when delivering notices:

✓ Choose the right delivery method for the customer: 

• For larger clients: Phone or in-person

• For smaller or routine clients: Email or letter.

✓ Provide plenty of advanced notice:

• Send notices 4-6 weeks before the new price takes effect.

• Include a clear explanation.

✓ Take time to address questions and alleviate customer concerns:

• Explain how the new price reflects better cleaning or higher operational costs.

• Reassure clients of the benefits they will still get: reliability, quality, and satisfaction guarantees.

✓ Use pricing strategies to build a robust customer base to drive growth:

• Use different pricing for new clients vs existing customers to show the value of loyalty and trust.

Professionally delivering your price increase notice will build trust and set the stage for continued good relationships with your cleaning clients.

Step 5. Retaining clients after the increase

Keeping clients after a price increase requires longstanding trust and satisfaction in your customer relationships. If clients are ambivalent about the service quality and delivery, a price increase may be all they need to switch to a new company.

However, if you have happy clients and communicate rate increases using the above tips, you can minimize churn caused by rate increases.

Long-term clients, in particular, will appreciate loyalty discounts or phased increases that show your cleaning business values them.

Showing appreciation and maintaining excellent service can strengthen client relationships even as prices increase. Providing great service is key to keeping clients after a price increase. Clear communication and client engagement are important during this transition.

Common client retention strategies:

• Acknowledge customer loyalty by offering long-term or high-value clients a small discount or incentive. For example, offer a free deep clean for clients who have been with you for 5 years.

• Increase prices for your most loyal clients over a few months. This will soften the blow while they adjust to the new rate.

• Express gratitude and show customer appreciation by sending personalized thank-you notes or small gifts. To engage with your clients in a positive, informal setting, host a customer appreciation event.

How Aspire can help:

• Aspire’s CRM houses client communication, making it easy to track preferences to tailor services and maintain satisfaction.

• Use the Aspire Mobile app to quickly loop in cleaning teams on site with customers to address and resolve issues. 

• Automate follow-up communications, such as satisfaction surveys or thank you emails, to keep clients feeling valued.

Focusing on client retention through appreciation and engagement will ensure that your cleaning business continues to grow even after you increase prices.

Step 6. Boosting efficiency to justify price increases

Increasing efficiency is key to delivering great cleaning services while justifying the price increase. Better time management and organization will mean you can serve clients better, reduce waste, and widen profit margins.

By streamlining processes, you can deliver more consistent and better cleaning services, so clients will see the value in paying more. They will also love the extra benefits, such as reliable scheduling and faster service.

Strategies to enhance operational efficiency:

Optimize time management in the office and the field to get more done, without needing to increase headcount:

• Plan routes to minimize travel time for residential and commercial jobs.

• Allocate tasks to team members based on their strengths during each clean.

Streamline scheduling and invoicing to free up team members to work on strategy and growth initiatives rather than daily tasks:

• Use automated scheduling to reduce missed appointments and double bookings.

• With Aspire’s bulk action capability, you can simultaneously send invoices and track aging and unpaid bills to improve cash flow. 

• Deliver an improved customer experience with the client portal from Aspire. Customers can pay their bill online with a credit card or an ACH bank transfer. 

Improve organization to identify areas of redundancy and waste:

• Keep supplies stocked and organized to avoid delays or overstocking.

• Standardize procedures to ensure quality across all jobs.

How Aspire can help:

• Aspire’s scheduling tools make it easy to build, change, and sync routes with teams in the field. Instead of spending days on the schedule, with the potential for missed appointments, Aspire ensures staff time is used efficiently and downtime is minimized.

• Aspire streamlines invoicing so your cleaning business can bill clients on time and accurately.

• Track preferences, service history, and feedback through Aspire’s CRM to increase customer satisfaction.

Improved efficiency will improve service and reinforce the value of your services through price increases.

How can Aspire support smooth price increases?

Aspire makes increasing cleaning service prices easier for cleaning business owners by helping them manage costs, add value to the service and strengthen client relationships. 

With Aspire’s tools, you can make data-driven decisions to justify the price increase and maintain client trust. Aspire will keep your business operations efficient and transparent, from tracking profitability to streamlining invoicing.

Real-time job cost tracking and profitability insights:

• Track expenses like cleaning supplies, labor, and transportation to see where price increases are needed.

• Analyze profitability by client or service type to see underperforming accounts and improvement opportunities.

Cloud-based, property-centric CRM for full sales pipeline visibility and relationship-building:

• Store and track client preferences, service history, and feedback to deliver personalized cleaning jobs.

• Use Aspire’s automated communication tools to notify clients of new rates and promote your services.

Invoicing and billing tools with bulk actions and color-coding easily identify unpaid and aging invoices to improve cash flow:

• Automate invoicing with new rates so it’s accurate and professional.

• Promptly invoice clients for services, and provide easy payment options with Aspire’s customer portal.

Aspire will help cleaning business owners navigate cleaning industry price increases with confidence, strong client relationships, and operational efficiency.

It’s your turn now

Increasing cleaning service prices doesn’t have to be painful. 

Focus on when to increase, how much to increase, and how to communicate value. Build strong client relationships and increase efficiency to support the higher rates. 

Use Aspire to track costs, automate invoicing, and manage client feedback for a smooth transition.

Learn more about pricing strategies for cleaning businesses or boosting profitability.

Take the next step—book a free demo with Aspire today.