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What should a cleaning app have to accurately calculate rates?

So, picture this.

I was helping my cousin set up her short-term rental cleaning biz, right? She was juggling requests from three different platforms, WhatsApp messages at midnight, and trying to figure out how much to charge without sounding like she was guessing. I mean… she kinda was guessing. We've all been there.

That’s when we asked ourselves:

What should a cleaning app actually do to avoid this mess and calculate rates that make sense?

Spoiler: it’s not just about square footage and the number of bedrooms.

Let’s break it down. You might be building an app like this. Or maybe you run cleanings and want to understand what tools should exist (because some apps out there? Yeah… not great).

quickcleanchicago

First: why getting the rate right matters

When you mess up your pricing, things spiral real quick.

Too low? You lose money and resent the client.

Too high? You get ghosted or worse—bad reviews.

And for gig workers or pros doing something like an Airbnb Cleaning Service In Chicago Il, this can make or break your schedule.

Getting the rate right isn’t just about money. It’s also about trust. It shows clients you know your stuff. And it helps cleaners feel confident they’re not being lowballed.

What should a smart cleaning app include?

Let’s say you're building this app—or just dreaming of one that doesn’t suck. These are the five key ingredients:

1. Dynamic Room Variables

Not every “3-bedroom apartment” is equal. Trust me, I once cleaned one where each room looked like a college frat house the morning after.

You’ll want to model rooms like this:

interface Room {
  type: 'bedroom' | 'bathroom' | 'kitchen' | 'living_room';
  size: 'small' | 'medium' | 'large';
  messLevel: 1 | 2 | 3; // 1 = clean, 3 = disaster
  hasPets?: boolean;
}
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Then dynamically calculate complexity:

function calculateRoomCost(room: Room): number {
  let base = 15; // base price per room
  if (room.size === 'large') base += 10;
  if (room.messLevel === 3) base += 15;
  if (room.hasPets) base += 5;
  return base;
}
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2. Time Estimation Engine

This one’s key. Here’s a quick example using time estimations per task:

const timePerTask = {
  'change_bedding': 10,
  'clean_bathroom': 20,
  'mop_floor': 15,
  'do_laundry': 30
};

function estimateTime(tasks: string[]): number {
  return tasks.reduce((total, task) => total + (timePerTask[task] || 0), 0);
}
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Bonus if you adjust based on cleaner experience:

function applyExperienceFactor(minutes: number, experienceLevel: 1 | 2 | 3): number {
  const factor = { 1: 1.2, 2: 1.0, 3: 0.85 };
  return minutes * factor[experienceLevel];
}
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3. Local Price Benchmarks

Here’s a basic API-style pattern:

async function getCityRate(city: string): Promise<number> {
  const response = await fetch(`https://api.cleanrate.io/average?city=${city}`);
  const data = await response.json();
  return data.averageRate || 100; // fallback
}
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This lets your app show realistic pricing compared to others offering Airbnb Cleaning Service Chicago.

4. Add-On Logic

Extras? Gotta charge ‘em right.

const addons = {
  fridge_cleaning: 20,
  oven_cleaning: 25,
  laundry: 15,
  pet_fee: 10
};

function calculateAddOns(selected: string[]): number {
  return selected.reduce((sum, key) => sum + (addons[key] || 0), 0);
}
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Then just plug this into the total quote.

5. Smart Schedule-to-Rate Sync

Here’s a quick way to add surcharges for odd hours:

function isPeakHour(date: Date): boolean {
  const hour = date.getHours();
  return hour < 8 || hour > 20;
}

function applySurcharge(rate: number, date: Date): number {
  return isPeakHour(date) ? rate * 1.2 : rate;
}
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You could also check for holidays with something like:

import { isHoliday } from 'date-holidays-us';
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Or hook into Google Calendar with Zapier or a webhook.

Real-world benefits? Let me tell you

If you're building this app, or even freelancing with your own spreadsheet system, doing this means:

  • You stop guessing what to charge
  • You save time quoting and avoid long back-and-forth chats
  • You build client trust (“Wow, they’re so organized!”)
  • You get paid what your work is really worth

And that’s worth more than just a couple bucks.

TL;DR – Here's your MVP starter pack

If I had to sum it up in a dev checklist? You’d want:

  • Dynamic input fields for room types + size
  • Custom task time calculator
  • Rate benchmarking API
  • Add-ons w/ pricing logic
  • Smart scheduling fee sync

Final word

Listen—building the perfect quote calculator isn't that hard. But building one that feels human? That’s what matters.

If you’re offering things like Airbnb Cleaning Service Chicago Il, clean UX and intuitive pricing make a big difference.

Try adding one of these features to your project this week—just one—and see how clients respond. You’ll be surprised.

And if you’ve already built one of these? Drop your repo. I’d love to test it out 😄

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