Tired of spending on Facebook ads and getting no results? Wait, bro, you are not alone who is suffering the same way!
Lots of cleaning businesses toss a lot of money on Facebook with the intention to get clients in return! But here’s the truth: Random boosting and guessing your way through Facebook Ads doesn’t work. That’s why you need a perfect, defined, smart ad budget plus a proper janitorial marketing strategy to bring your money back in the form of your clients.
Let’s break down how much you need to spend on Facebook ads, what you can expect, and how to get the best ROI (Return on Investment) from Facebook Ads.
Read here-
Understanding the Importance of an Advertising Budget in the Cleaning Industry
In today’s highly competitive cleaning business, a logical ad budget is not just helpful, it’s essential. Especially for janitorial services in urban or commercial areas, they face higher competition among the best of the best. That’s why advertising is needed here, and it directly allows you to reach your targeted clients.
“Businesses that prioritize ad budgeting are 4x more likely to achieve their revenue goals.” – HubSpot, 2023
As we are saying that it is paid, so you have to spend a thoughtful budget here! Setting the right budget ( logical) is mandatory here! A logical budget ensures that you are not spending too much to catch your valuable clients.
You may ask us why budgeting is important here! Well, whether for janitorial contracts, dealers, or cleaning businesses with one-off deep cleaning, your ads make you visible to online search, social media, and local directories. Without a perfect ad budget, even the best cleaning service provider goes unnoticed by the service taker.
Budgeting also depends on Residential vs Commercial Ad Strategy. Most often, residential cleaning ads focus on emotional appeal, convenience, and family safety! So if you run ads on Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram, these ads will bring good results.
On the other hand, commercial cleaning ads focus on ROI. So targeting on-facility managers or property owners through Google Ads, LinkedIn, and B2B local SEO is the game changer here. One more thing, commercial cleaning ads spend comparatively more per click, but they bring larger long-term contracts.
So, how do Ad budgets Impact ROI and Lead Generation? Let’s explain elaborately-After running ads, with proper tracking, you will get the following information for your cleaning service –
- Which channels drive the highest-quality leads?
- What is your customer acquisition cost (CAC)?
- When to scale spending for seasonal gains!
So these 3 understandings at a time will allow you to focus on the channel that gives you more leads, your CAC in detail, and lastly, on the points about the seasonal gains!
However, while running the Ads Budget for Cleaning Services, ensure the following things-
- Set Your Revenue Goal
- Know Your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
- Determine How Many Clients You Need
- Estimate CPL and CAC
- Build Tiered Campaigns
- Track What Matters
- Review Monthly, Adjust Quarterly
Ads Budget for Cleaning Services -How Much Should You Really Spend?
Believe us, there’s no magic number! But here’s what works for most commercial cleaning businesses:
- $150–$300/month is a safe test budget.
- $500–$1,000/month is realistic for strong returns.
- $1,500+ to dominate your local area.
So, why this gap? Nothing special, it is all about your niche, your offer, and your local competition. In general, $150–$300/month is a good start for testing. But if you’re in a competitive city or want faster results, $500–$1,000 gives more breathing room.
However, before spending, it’s smart to read How to Sell Cleaning Services in Your Local Market to shape your messaging and offers.
Ads Budget for Cleaning Services: How Much Do Facebook Ads Cost for Cleaning Businesses?
You must know-Facebook ads don’t charge per month-they charge per result.
Facebook usually charges-
- Cost per Click (CPC): $0.50–$1.50
- Cost per Lead (CPL): $5–$25 (depending on your niche and targeting)
For example, targeting homeowners with deep cleaning ads may cost less, but you only get one-time clients from here. Meanwhile, advertising to offices, schools, or clinics may cost more per lead-but these are good to build long-term cleaning contract leads.
Factors That Influence Your Ads Budget for Cleaning Services
The first thing is, at the time of setting the ad budget for cleaning services, you need to go beyond a fixed number. When you make an effective ad budget, it will act on who you’re targeting, where you’re operating, and what services you are offering.
Here are the 5 key factors that influence how much you should spend on your ad budget.
1. Target Audience: Residential vs Commercial
The audience you are trying to reach has a deep impact on how much you need to spend and how long it takes to get a return. The residential and commercial audiences have different objectives, so they need to be considered differently. If you need to target commercial leads, budget high for nurturing and sales enablement tools.
Residential Clients
Unlike commercial clients, residential demand less ad budget with homely or casual ad posters or videos
- Typically found on Facebook, Instagram, Google Search, or Nextdoor.
- Require emotion-driven marketing (e.g., safety, convenience, time-saving).
- Conversion time is shorter. Homeowners often need quick cleaning before any events, parties, guests, weekends, etc.
- Here you will get the owner’s customer lifetime value (CLTV) and a higher churn rate. That means they will take your service shortly and irregularly (once in a lifetime, next is uncertain)
- Example: You might spend $5–$15 per lead, but only get one-time revenue of $80–$150 from one residential client.
Commercial Clients
If you want bigger clients (office parks, clinics, schools), your ad cost per lead may be higher. So, don’t panic if your ad costs $30–$50 per lead. Just one converted client can bring in $500/month or more for you easily.
- Found via Google Ads, LinkedIn, cold outreach, and local B2B events.
- Require more touchpoints, such as phone calls, meetings, and contracts.
- Unlike residential clients, it gives a Longer sales cycle (with recurring revenue from daily/weekly/monthly contracts)
- Example: You might spend $100+ per lead, but secure a $2,000/month janitorial contract.
- Most importantly, show why you are the trustworthy choice to get the cleaning contract leads. And the truth is, building those connections by using janitorial industry networking tips can help you more.
2. Geographic Reach: Local vs Regional Campaigns
Another crucial factor that plays a significant role in making the budget plan is geographic reach. Whether your target is local, or you want to go through any regional (multi-city)campaigns?
Local campaigns
- Easier and cheaper to run.
- You can use hyper-local ads targeting just a few zip codes or neighborhoods.
- Less competition = lower CPC (cost per click).
- Ideal for solo cleaners or new businesses.
Regional or Multi-City Campaigns
- As multicity targeting, so requires a larger ad budget.
- Need localized landing pages, multiple Google Business Profiles, and higher daily ad spends.
Example: A local cleaner in Tampa might only need $400/month in ads. A regional franchise across Florida might need $3,000-$6,000+ monthly to stay first in the online search.
3. Service Offerings: General vs Specialized Cleaning
The types of service you offer also directly impact your ad cost and target market size. So, carefully consider what service you are going to provide. Is it general cleaning? Or is it specialized cleaning? Again, if you prefer to target multiple services, consider segmented campaigns with different budget allocations based on your profitability.
General Cleaning (e.g., home cleaning, office cleaning)
- More search volume = lower average cost.
- More competition.
- Requires strong branding and reviews to stand out.
Specialized cleaning (Niche Cleaning, e.g., post-construction, medical facilities, hazardous materials)
- Lower competition, but higher CPCs as higher service value.
- Fewer competitors, but fewer searches, too-less volume, so need more precision.
- Example: Ads for ‘post-construction cleaning’ might cost $6–$10 per click but land jobs worth $500–$1,500!
4. Competition in Your Area
How crowded your area, will help you to decide how much you have to spend to retain your visibility in the online search. The action tips here -Use tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner or SpyFu to research your local competition and CPCs before budgeting.
High-Competition Areas (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago)
- CPC rates can be 2x–3x higher than in smaller towns.
- You’ll need to bid higher to stay top of Google search.
‘In 2024, the average CPC in the Home Services category (which includes cleaning) reached $5.36 on Google Ads.’ –Statista, 2024
Low-Competition Areas (e.g., rural towns or smaller cities)
- Lower CPCs ($1–$3) compared with expensive towns.
- Even with smaller ad budgets, you can dominate the local search.
5. Seasonality and Timing
Cleaning services strongly follow the seasonal trends. In peak season, your locals need to undergo deep and frequent cleaning. Again, in the slow season, it needs less cleaning, so make your ad budget based on this. Adjusting your budget according to the season can help you capture demand spikes and conserve resources during slow times.
Peak Seasons
- Spring/Fall: Deep cleaning, move-in/move-out, post-renovation cleaning
- May-July: Real estate cleaning during home sales
- November-December: Holiday cleanups and gift cleaning vouchers
Slow Seasons
- January-February (for residential)
- Mid-summer (August) and back-to-school periods may be quieter
Better, increase ad spend by 20-30% in the peak months. And scale back or switch to brand-awareness campaigns during slower months.
Summary Table of Factors That Influence Your Ads Budget for Cleaning Services
Factor | How impacts on ad budget |
Target Audience | Commercial = higher spend, higher ROI |
Geographic Reach | Multi-location = larger budget required |
Service Type | Niche = higher CPC but bigger job values |
Competition | Crowded market = need to outspend or out-strategize |
Seasonality & Timing | Spend more in spring/fall, scale back during slow months |
Average Ad Spend Benchmarks for Cleaning Businesses
‘’Most small businesses allocate 7-10% of their annual revenue to marketing, and more than 50% of that is typically spent on digital ads.’’
– LocaliQ Digital Benchmark Report, 2024
The ad budget in the cleaning budget deeply depends on the business size, services offered, and target market. Below is the average ad spend (done by a leading cleaning agency)
Platform-Specific Spend & ROI Table
Platform | Typically monthly spend | CPC range | Best for | Pros | Cons | ||
Google search ads | $300–$2,000+ | $3–$6+ | High-intent searchers | High intent, scalable | Expensive, needs a good setup | ||
Facebook/Instagram | $200–$1,500 | $0.50–$2 (CPC), $6–$12 (CPM) | Brand awareness, local promo offers | Good for local reach, visuals | Lower intent, needs targeting | ||
Google Local Service Ads (LSA) | Pay-per-lead ($25–$50) |
| Verified leads with direct call-to-book intent | Pay per lead, trusted | Limited regions, less control | ||
Nextdoor | $200–$600 | $1.20–$2.80 | Hyperlocal residential promotion | Great for neighborhoods | Small reach, low volume | ||
Yelp Ads | $300–$800 | $3–$8 | Reputation-focused local leads | Builds trust via reviews | Costly clicks, depending on the rating | ||
LinkedIn Ads | $500–$1,500 | $5–$12 | B2B commercial contracts | B2B targeting, pro leads | High cost, slow results |
Average Monthly Ad Spend Table for Cleaning Businesses
Business Type | Monthly Ad Budget | Common Platforms | CPC Range | Lead Volume Estimate |
Solo Residential Cleaner | $100 – $500 | Facebook Ads, Google Business Profile, Nextdoor | $0.50 – $3 | 10–15 leads/mo |
Small Cleaning Company (2–5 staff) | $500 – $1,500 | Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram, Local Service Ads (LSA) | $0.50 – $6 | 25–40 leads/mo |
Mid-size Commercial Cleaning Firm (10–25 staff) | $2,000 – $5,000 | Google Ads (Search + Display), LinkedIn, Facebook, LSA | $3 – $10 | 50–100+ leads/mo |
Ad Budget as % of Revenue (Industry Recommendation)
Annual Revenue | Recommended Annual Ad Spend (7–10%) | Estimated Monthly Budget |
$50,000 | $3,500 – $5,000 | ~$300 -$450 |
$100,000 | $7,000 -$10,000 | ~$600 – $850 |
$250,000 | $17,500 – $25,000 | ~$1,500 – $2,100 |
$500,000 | $35,000 – $50,000 | ~$3,000 – $4,200 |
$1,000,000+ | $70,000 – $100,000+ | ~$5,000 —$8,500+ |
Industry Insights and Trends
- According to Statista (2024), ‘the average CPC in the Home Services category (includes cleaning, plumbing, HVAC) is $5.36 on Google.’
- HubSpot’s 2023 Marketing Trends Report states that ‘companies using retargeting and automation saw a 32% increase in ROI over those who didn’t.’
Cost-Effective Advertising Tips for Cleaning Companies
Especially for small or growing cleaning businesses, running ads doesn’t have to drain your budget! So what does it need? You just need the right strategies! With the right strategies, you can even attract quality leads, increase visibility, and grow your client base without overspending.
Below are some fabulous, cost-effective advertising tips for cleaning companies. Just follow each from your brain!
- Just start focusing on one strong ad platform, like Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Use tight geo-targeting to avoid wasting money on irrelevant audiences.
- Focus on retargeting people who visited your website or clicked previous ads.
- Test different headlines, images, and calls to action in your ads. Let the best-performing version guide your future campaigns.
- Use testimonials or videos for social proof (they convert better!)
- Run ads only during your peak seasons or business hours
- Try location targeting to focus only on profitable service areas
- Start with one service (like window or office cleaning) instead of promoting everything
- If you have enough time and you don’t have enough money, start managing the ads by yourself. As you grow, consider hiring a freelancer or agency for better results.
- Read our expert guide on janitorial industry networking tips for free lead-generation methods and to get a cost reduction process.
Common Budgeting Mistakes Cleaning Businesses Make
Even the high-end cleaning service provider faces wasting money if they do not manage or plan the ad budget. Many businesses overlook key factors that affect performance and end up spending more for fewer results. Here are a few common budgeting mistakes that cleaning businesses most often make-
- Spending too little to get real data, boosting one post for $20, and expecting 10 clients? Not gonna happen.
- Targeting too broad an audience, ‘Everyone in my city’ is not a target. Focus on facility managers, property managers, or business owners.
- No follow-up. You spent $200 on leads-did you call them? Message them?
- Relying only on ads. That’s a mistake-try mixing in Cleaning Business Referral Ideas
Common Myths About Ad Spending in the Cleaning Industry
Surprisingly, many cleaning business owners believe some myths about ad spending for marketing purposes, which is 100% bogus! Like-
- Ads should work immediately.
- All advertising is expensive.
- Advertising is only for large companies.
- Advertising is a waste of money.
- You need a big budget to see results.
- Facebook ads don’t work for cleaners.
- Once ads are set, you can forget them.
FAQs About Cleaning Services Ads Budget
What’s a Good Starting Budget for a New Cleaning Business?
Well, many experts may suggest more, but my suggestion is starting with $300–$500 per month. Also, focus on the Facebook and Instagram platforms. Target your local area at first. Lastly, monitor results weekly.
Should I Increase My Ad Budget During the Holidays?
Yes. Because residential demand increases for cleaning services (especially deep cleaning) even during the holidays. So, an increase in the ad budget may help you to boost visibility and bookings when customers are actively searching for services.
Can I Advertise With Less Than $300/month?
Yes, you can. But you need to focus on boosted Facebook posts or Google Business Profile with small Google Ads. Track every dollar and go for local marketing.
Is Google Ads Better Than Facebook for Cleaning Services?
No, the two are a little bit different strategically from each other. Like-Google Ads captures people actively searching for cleaners, so it is perfect for a quick response. Facebook is better for brand awareness and retargeting. The best result comes from using both in a smart approach.
Final Thoughts: Make Every Dollar Count in Your Cleaning Ad Strategy!
So, finally, just two lines we would like to say! Spend smart, not more! Track results, test what works, and make every dollar bring in real customers. That’s all about the ad budget smartness for your cleaning service.
Need more strategy tips? We have our smart ideas on the related topic. Just knock us if you need anything.
Happy cleaning-and happy converting!