Why Bond Clean Pricing Is the Most Misunderstood Quote in Cleaning
Every month another cleaner posts in a Facebook group asking the same question: "What should I charge for a 3-bedroom bond clean?" The replies are all over the place. $250. $480. $800. Some operators are sustaining profitable businesses at the $480 mark; others are still doing it for $250 and wondering why they have no money at the end of the month.
The answer isn't a single number — it's a structure. Bond clean pricing is a sum of components, each of which an operator can reason about. Once you understand the structure, you can quote with confidence in any market in Australia.
The Per-Room / Per-Bathroom Base
The single most important pricing decision is moving off hourly pricing and onto per-room / per-bathroom. Hourly pricing is a trap. Customers argue. You race to finish. Both lose.
The AU-industry-standard base rates for bond cleans in 2026 are:
- Per bedroom: $80–$100
- Per bathroom: $70–$95 (bathrooms take longer per square metre — grout, mirrors, shower screens)
- Living areas / kitchen: Bundled into the base (typically valued at $150–$220 for a standard 3-bed home)
A 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home base = roughly $390–$520, depending on suburb and market positioning. That's before any add-ons.