Cleaning runs on tight margins. Wages go out on one timeline, supplies are bought on another and clients pay when it suits them. You look at your bank balance or your overall profit at the end of the month and things seem fine.
But ask yourself a harder question: do you know how much profit each individual job made yesterday? For most cleaning companies, the honest answer is no. And that is exactly where money disappears.
How good jobs hide bad ones
Your overall figures are an average. A brilliant contract making a 40% margin can quietly cover for another one that is losing money every week. On paper the business looks healthy. In reality, you are working hard on one contract to pay for another.
Common reasons a job starts bleeding cash:
- The job takes longer than quoted: the client added areas, standards crept up or the original estimate was optimistic.
- Prices have not kept up: wages and supplies have risen, but the contract price has not changed in years.
- Travel is not counted: a job that is out of the way eats into the margin every visit.
- Materials are used heavily: some sites get through far more product than others.
- Extras are done for free: “while you are here, could you just…” adds up.
Work out the true profit of a job
The true net profit of a job is the revenue minus everything it took to deliver:
- Labour: the actual time spent on site, at the real cost of the staff who did it.
- Materials: the supplies actually used.
- Travel: the cost of getting your team there and back.
Doing this by hand for every job is impossible. That is why ProCleanerUK calculates it automatically, using clock-in times, stock used on the job and travel, against what the job was invoiced for.
Spotting bleeding jobs automatically
ProCleanerUK’s company health dashboard watches the profit on every job. If the margin on a job drops below 15%, it is flagged as a Bleeding Job with a clear red alert, so it cannot hide behind your better contracts.
Projected versus realised
Profit figures are only as good as the data behind them. If an invoice has gone out but payroll for that period has not been processed yet, the dashboard tells you the labour cost is still an estimate. A job’s profit is only locked in as realised once both the invoice and the actual payroll exist. That way you are never making decisions based on figures that will change.
Finding out why
Spotting a bleeding job is only half the battle. If a job costs more to deliver than it brings in, the system flags it for review and prompts you to check the logged hours and materials. Often the cause is obvious once you look: a cleaner consistently staying longer than planned, a site using double the expected product, or a price that has not changed since the contract started.
What to do about a bleeding job
- Check the scope: compare what is actually being cleaned with what was agreed. If the client has added areas, it is fair to reprice.
- Check the time: clock-in records show how long the job really takes. Is it a training issue, or was the original estimate wrong?
- Review the price: talk to the client with clear figures. Most reasonable clients accept a fair increase when they understand why.
- Reduce costs: tighter routes, better products or adjusted frequency can all help.
- Walk away if necessary: a contract that loses money every week is costing you more than it is worth.
Stop it happening again
- Quote accurately: a component-based cleaning quote calculator prices jobs on the time they really take.
- Review prices every year: ProCleanerUK’s bulk price increase raises prices across your regular customers in one go, with a preview and automatic emails.
- Charge for extras: use optional extras on quotes and add-on services, rather than doing them for free.
- Watch the dashboard monthly: the financial dashboard shows revenue, costs and profit, broken down by customer and staff member.
For more on pricing, see how to price your cleaning services and our commercial cleaning cost calculator guide.
See the real profit on every job
Start your 28-day free trial with full access to the company health dashboard, or book a free demo and we will show you how to spot bleeding jobs in your own figures.
FAQs
What is a bleeding job?
A job whose profit margin has dropped below a healthy level, or that costs more to deliver than it earns. ProCleanerUK flags jobs below a 15% margin with a red alert.
How is the profit on each job worked out?
Revenue from the job minus the real costs of delivering it: labour based on actual time on site, materials used and travel.
Why does the dashboard say a figure is projected?
Because the invoice exists but payroll for that period has not been processed yet, so labour is still estimated. Once both exist, the profit is marked as realised.
How often should I review job profitability?
Monthly is a good habit, plus before renewing any contract or agreeing new terms with a client.
How do I raise prices without losing customers?
Explain the reason clearly, give notice and keep increases fair. ProCleanerUK’s bulk price increase lets you preview every change and email each customer their new price.