A cleaning estimate needs eight things: your business and insurance details, the client and service address, an estimate number and date, a clear scope of what is and is not included, square footage or room count, the price and frequency, any add-ons, and an expiration date. The scope line is the one most owners skip, and it is the one that protects your margin when a client later expects more than you quoted. Below is the full layout, how to price residential and commercial jobs, and when a free template beats paying for software.
We run our own cleaning company in Tucson, so we bid jobs and lose the occasional one to a vague quote. This is the estimate format that wins the right clients and keeps the bad-fit ones from becoming a problem later.
Name, logo, contact, and proof of insurance or bonding. For commercial bids, the insurance line is often what gets you shortlisted.
Who the estimate is for and which property it covers. Note multiple locations separately when you bid a property manager with several sites.
A sequential number and the date issued. Keeps your records clean and lets you reference a specific quote when the client comes back.
The most important section. List the rooms and tasks covered and name common exclusions — inside the fridge, windows, carpet shampoo. Clear scope prevents the unpaid extra work that kills margin.
Square footage or room count, and how often — one-time, weekly, biweekly, monthly. Frequency drives the per-visit rate and the recurring-revenue math.
The price for the defined scope, plus optional add-ons as separate lines so the client can choose. This lets you present a clean base number with upsells visible.
Payment terms, cancellation policy, and a 30-day expiration so the quote does not bind you forever. The expiration also nudges a decision.
A signature and date line, or an e-signature link. Turning an estimate into a signed acceptance is what converts a bid into a booked recurring account.
If you bid a few jobs a week, a spreadsheet or document template saved as a PDF and emailed is all you need. Do not buy estimating software to send a handful of quotes a month — that money is better spent on supplies or getting more reviews. The free route keeps you lean and works fine.
Software with e-signature, automatic follow-up, and quote-to-invoice conversion pays off once you bid enough recurring commercial accounts that chasing quotes by email eats real time. The crossover is usually when slow follow-up is costing you signed contracts.
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Your business and insurance details, the client and service address, an estimate number and date, a clear scope, square footage or room count, price and frequency, add-ons, and an expiration date.
Per square foot, per room, per hour, or a flat rate for a defined scope. Commercial is usually per square foot or per visit; residential is often flat-rate per clean. Always define the scope so add-ons bill separately.
Yes. A 30-day expiration protects you from a quote being accepted months later at a price that no longer covers your costs, and it gently prompts the client to decide.
Not to start. A spreadsheet or document template saved as a PDF works fine. Software with e-signature and follow-up pays off once you bid enough recurring accounts that chasing quotes eats real time.
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