A first time deep cleaning price should not be copied from the rate for a recurring visit. On day one, you are not maintaining a home you know. You are discovering what sits behind the bottles in the shower, how old the grease above the cabinets is, and whether the client's idea of a “fairly clean bathroom” means twenty minutes or an hour. Ignore that uncertainty and part of the job comes out of your own pocket.
Why the first clean takes longer than maintenance
After a few recurring visits, you know where to put your bag, which product is safe on the worktop, and where the dog hair collects. None of that knowledge exists on the first visit. The extra time is not only about dirt. You may spend it agreeing priorities, checking delicate surfaces, moving bathroom products, and asking what should happen to the clutter on the floor.
I once looked at a quote for a one-bedroom flat in Žižkov. The photos suggested four hours. Once the cleaner arrived, she found greasy cabinet tops, old limescale around the taps, and dog hair packed under the sofa. Charging the planned recurring rate would have given away at least two hours. She was not working slowly. The starting condition had been priced badly.
The first visit brings the home up to an agreed standard. Recurring work keeps it there. That distinction matters because old grease needs dwell time, heavy limescale may need more than one treatment, and neglected grout cannot be fixed with a quick wipe. Two weeks later, you are usually dealing with fresh marks rather than months of build-up.
Do not promise that everything will be finished on the first booking. Promise a defined result within a defined scope. That is easier for the client to understand than a cheerful low quote that falls apart as soon as you open the oven.
What to find out before you name a price
A useful deep cleaning estimate starts with questions, not a number. “Three-room flat in Prague” is not enough. A 75 m² home with two bathrooms and a cat is a different job from a flat of the same size occupied by one non-smoker who books cleaning every fortnight.
Before quoting, ask for:
- approximate floor area, layout, and number of bathrooms or separate toilets;
- current photos of the kitchen, bathroom, floors, and any problem areas;
- pets, indoor smoking, long-neglected rooms, or recent building work;
- the client's priorities and the result they expect from visit one;
- access details, parking, a lift, and what equipment is available.
Wide room photos are rarely enough. Ask for the hob, the area around the taps, the shower screen, and the floor beneath the dining table. A close photo of a greasy extractor filter tells you more about the kitchen than a tidy table photographed from the doorway.
When photos are enough and when to inspect in person
A structured questionnaire is normally fine for a smaller flat when the client supplies recent, useful photos and wants a standard scope. I would inspect a large house, a heavily neglected property, a home after tenants, or any place where the client mentions mould, pests, or construction dust without detail. Ten minutes on site can save an entire working day.
Be careful with phrases such as “it only needs a quick once-over.” Clients are not necessarily hiding anything. People simply judge dirt differently. Turn impressions into observable questions: How old is the build-up? Can it be wiped with a damp cloth? Are cupboards full? How many windows are included?
Calculate your floor and allow for uncertainty
Cleaning job pricing needs four inputs: labour time, travel, supplies, and a share of overhead. Overhead is not a made-up fee. It covers washing cloths, wear on the vacuum, phone calls, bookkeeping, and the unpaid time used to prepare the quote.
Take a sample first clean in Prague. You expect six hours on site. Your billed labour target is CZK 450 per hour, travel costs CZK 180, supplies CZK 220, and you allocate CZK 250 to overhead. The floor is:
6 × CZK 450 + CZK 180 + CZK 220 + CZK 250 = CZK 3,350
That figure is not automatically the final quote. It is the point below which you subsidise the job. If the photos leave parts of the home unclear, add a time buffer. Half an hour may be enough for a well-documented flat. For a greasy kitchen with no close photos, one or two hours is more realistic. The buffer is not a fine for being messy. It covers uncertainty that could not be removed before booking.
For the wider pricing framework, read How to set a cleaning service price list.
Fixed quote, range, or hourly rate?
Offer a fixed quote when the condition and scope are clear. The client knows the bill, and you know what must be delivered. A price range works when most of the job is visible but one risk remains. For example, quote CZK 3,500 to 4,200 and explain that the upper end applies if the kitchen and shower have heavy build-up.
For a property that cannot be estimated reliably, use an hourly rate with a spending cap. A clear version might say: “The rate is CZK 480 per hour. I will contact you before going beyond six hours, and I will not exceed CZK 3,100 plus approved supplies without your agreement.” You avoid an open-ended bill for the client and a loss-making fixed price for yourself.
Put the first-clean scope in writing
A price without scope is only a number in a chat thread. List the priorities, the limit on time or result, and the tasks excluded from the quote. Plain language is best: bathroom including ordinary limescale removal, kitchen surfaces and cabinet fronts, vacuuming and mopping, and dusting accessible surfaces.
Price the jobs that can swallow half a shift separately:
- inside the oven, fridge, or kitchen cupboards;
- windows, blinds, and frames;
- heavily soiled grout or a long-neglected cooker;
- moving heavy furniture, sorting belongings, or removing waste.
“Charged according to time” is too vague. State the rate and how extra work will be approved. If the oven appears during the job, pause and message the client: “The oven was not in the agreed scope. I can add it for CZK 650 and it should take about 75 minutes. Would you like me to continue?” That short exchange is far better than an argument over the invoice.
Extensive mould, pests, needles, faeces, or unlabelled chemicals are not ordinary add-ons. Stop, document the area without unnecessary contact, and recommend a specialist. Standard gloves and an all-purpose supermarket spray do not make a hazardous job safe.
Set the recurring price after visit one
Your first visit gives you the best data you will get. Record the actual time by room, products used, complications, and tasks that will not need repeating. Without notes, you will be guessing again a month later.
Suppose the initial clean takes 6.5 hours. Two hours went on old grease, limescale, and the tops of the cabinets. A fortnightly maintenance visit may take four to 4.5 hours. If the client chooses every six weeks instead, the build-up returns and the recurring house cleaning price needs to rise. Frequency matters alongside floor area and scope.
Do not describe the lower maintenance rate as a loyalty discount. Explain what changed: the home is now at baseline, you know the surfaces and layout, and the work is faster. Your labour did not become less valuable. The one-off restoration work and uncertainty disappeared.
It helps to put both numbers in the first proposal: “Initial deep clean: CZK 3,500 to 4,200 depending on the confirmed condition. Fortnightly recurring clean: provisionally CZK 2,100, to be confirmed after the first visit.” The client then understands first cleaning vs recurring cleaning before either of you commits to the wrong expectation.
For a broader margin and positioning guide, see Cleaning pricing without undercutting.
A sound first time deep cleaning price comes from the observed condition, your cost floor, a sensible buffer, and written boundaries. That protects your working day without turning the quote into a mystery surcharge.
If you are looking for cleaning help rather than pricing your own jobs, Čistýkout is a Prague-based option for submitting a no-obligation request and comparing responses from cleaning providers.
