What should I charge?
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Category: Carpet Cleaners Discussion
Forum Name: Carpet Cleaners Hangout
Forum Description: General discussion on anything related to carpet cleaning
URL: https://www.kleenkuip.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=672
Printed Date: 23/February/2025 at 12:18pm
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Topic: What should I charge?
Posted By: Steaminpile
Subject: What should I charge?
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 7:28pm
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25,000 sq.ft. of office space/move all chairs,garbage cans etc. commercial grade level loop. I was going to throw an estimate of .15 sq.ft. at them too high? too low? I could get away with .10 a sq.ft. and still make money but I wanna start charging more..........and I know they want ME to do the job.
MUST be HWE'd |
Replies:
Posted By: greg
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 7:50pm
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how long will it take you to do the job? you want to make good dollar per hour rate. but 10 sounds too low to me.
------------- nothing is impossable. it just hasn't been done yet. |
Posted By: PadMan
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 8:19pm
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WE just did our cheapest price on the L & N building, .16 but it was 118,600 square feet.
You want the job but want to make money, what are you offering to them to sway them your way? We offered cleaner, longer lasting cleaning WITH bio-based chems, now after doing the job once it has become a govenment requirement here.
So give them a reason to pay your price. ------------- Converting HWE customer to VLM customers for 30 Years! |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 8:30pm
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How much do you figure you can clean in one hour? How many hours do you figure it will take you to clean it ? Divide your hours into the sq. ft. and that will give you a good start. Add a slight contigency ( spell check) 25000sq. ft. total areas. Lets say you can cover 1500 sq. ft. per hour traffic areas. this is the total area, not cleaning area. 25000 divided by 1500 = 16.67 hours 25000 divided by 16.67 = $0.1499.70 15 cents. 25000 X .15 + $3750.00 divided by 16.67 = $224.96 per hour. This is what I use. If you are using 2 trucks or 2 wands good money. But remember you are only making money when the wand is moving. this price includes the small bit of furniture you may have to move. Or charge more.
------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 8:56pm
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Well Steaminpile..... I think there are few things you have to take into account..... 1)how much stuff are you going to have to move... 2) how dirty is the carpet 3) is it a day or night cleaning 4) air movers or no air movers 5) do you have to vac first What you describe sounds like a lot of work to me..... anything with moving involved can't start at any less than .25 cents per sq ft Just make sure you leave enough room in the pricing just in case you have to go back and do touch ups..... I like to be on the higher side and just sell myself and my service. I'm gonna move... i'm gonna pre vac... I'm gonna bring 2 guys with me.... etc etc etc |
Posted By: splash_$$$_dash
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 9:28pm
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Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 9:43pm
Mr. Steamer: $0.25 is fine and dandy if you are only charging for the traffic areas with minimal furniture moving. I don't care if you cleaning with dancing girls ( on the tables of cource.) Lets find a deaf, dumb and blind mute who is going to pay you over $6,000.00 to clean their office. I know here comes the op bridgade. I am only trying to justify an example to apply for quoting on this project. ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: splash_$$$_dash
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 10:15pm
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Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 18/October/2004 at 11:42pm
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Sorry doug but thats is what it's worth, your crazy if you do it for less. You want to be able to smile if you have to go back for a reservice. You want to smile if you don't. The truth is you want a good taste in your mouth after all is said and done. I'm sorry 25,000 sq ft steam cleaned is a lot of work... hard on the unit... hard on the attachments... hard on the back but if .10 floats your boat... row row row your boat.. |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 7:39am
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Mr. Steamer: I at no time mentioned what should be charged or this job. But I simpily tried supply a formula to assist the person with some kind of caculation regarding costing the job. .10 could be on the low side .25 could be on the high side. who knows? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: Superglide Ken
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 11:18am
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.20 would be my bottom number. Find the reasons that you should be the one to do it, and they will pay it. If not, your time is better spent elsewhere..50 for residential is much more appealing than than ever working for as low as .10 again. Been there and done that. ------------- Inventor of the Teflon Wand Glide and the Turboteck Rotary Air Duct Cleaners for TMs. |
Posted By: Steaminpile
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 11:41am
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$6000 and they will be looking for someone else GUARANTEED. I didn't say I was going to do it for .10 just mearly stating that I know I could make a profit at .10 i'll probably get a helper I will have the keys and have all weekend to do it,RX traffic areas (personal choice) will be vacuumed the night before |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 1:27pm
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Steaminpile: Only you know what you have to do to make some money off this job. Good luck. ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: Superglide Ken
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 3:07pm
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$5000 is a number I have always liked. ------------- Inventor of the Teflon Wand Glide and the Turboteck Rotary Air Duct Cleaners for TMs. |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 19/October/2004 at 5:15pm
I just hate giving good service away too cheaply |
Steaminpile wrote:Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 20/October/2004 at 4:43pm
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The funniest thing happened today.... I went out to do an estimate 10,000 sq ft commercial.... no moving just going around crap.... I charged .21 cents for the steam and a additional .21 cents for rotor scrub.... $4200 job... maybe 2 guys 8 hours we got it.... my point is if other people can do it...why can't you Steamin??? I thought of you the whole time I was doing the estimate and booking the job |
Posted By: Steaminpile
Date Posted: 24/October/2004 at 12:05pm
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now I feel special
Mr. Steamer was thinking of me.
It's probably mostly in my head (maybe) but most folks don't even wanna pay .25 for residential round here
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Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 24/October/2004 at 12:18pm
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Steaminpile: Have you never noticed averyone gets more than you or I? But yet they are still on the wand like you and I? Either they are very rich or very stupid. Or mabye both! ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 24/October/2004 at 8:53pm
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The carpets where real dirty...and the last company fail to clean them... you can see the wand marks through the grease... easy sell But I priced it high cause I didn't really want the job... maybe if I was more desperate I would have gone lower... but also remember thats for two methods of cleaning plus air movers over night |
Posted By: doug
Date Posted: 24/October/2004 at 8:55pm
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Mr. Steamer: Now you are making OP money. How will it feel making the same per sq. ft. as the big guns??? ------------- Just My opinion |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 24/October/2004 at 9:07pm
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Boy it takes me two methods to do it..... I don't know where these guys get the info... If I tried to quote a commercial with only an OP... I think I'd be lucky to get .05 cents.. I just cleaned a customers house that also owns a bowling alley....of course with my truck mount... his bowling alley was suppose to be done today... but when the crew showed up with the porty's he said where the Hell is Steamer and the truck mount... They charged him .10 / sq ft ... now he wants it cheaper... and I'll quote what he said "I'M NOT PAYING THAT MUCH FOR A MACHINE THAT PLUGS INTO MY HYDRO AND USES MY WATER" I wonder what he's pay for the OP??? you might get a free game out of him |