A one-time cleaning client costs you the same to acquire as a recurring one. The difference is what happens after that first visit.
A one-time client pays once and disappears. A recurring client pays every week, bi-week, or month — and refers more, cancels less, and costs almost nothing to retain compared to finding someone new.
Most cleaning businesses know this. The problem is the conversion — how do you take someone who booked a one-time spring clean and turn them into a client who's on your schedule every other Tuesday for the next two years?
This guide gives you the exact timing, scripts, and setup to make that conversion happen systematically — not just when you remember to ask.
Why Recurring Revenue Changes the Business
Before getting into the how, it's worth being clear about what recurring clients actually mean for your numbers.
A cleaning business with 20 one-time clients a month is constantly refilling a leaky bucket — every month you need 20 new clients just to stay flat. A business with 20 recurring bi-weekly clients has a base of ~$3,300/month ($165/visit × 20 clients × 1 visit each per month) that shows up automatically. New clients are growth on top of that base, not survival.
The math gets better fast:
Recurring Revenue Potential
| Scenario | Monthly revenue | Annual revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 20 one-time cleans/month at $165 | $3,300 | $39,600 |
| 20 bi-weekly recurring clients at $165 | $3,300/month base | $39,600 (guaranteed) |
| 30 bi-weekly recurring clients at $165 | $4,950/month | $59,400 |
| 20 weekly recurring clients at $145 | $5,800/month | $69,600 |
The recurring numbers don't require you to find 20 new clients every month. They require you to keep 20 clients happy.
The 4 Types of Recurring Cleaning Plans
Before converting clients, decide what you're converting them to. Having a clear offer makes the ask easier.
Weekly: Best for larger homes, families with kids or pets, clients who entertain frequently. Higher per-visit revenue, higher retention because the relationship is stronger. Typical rate: $120–$175/visit for a standard 3-bed home.
Bi-weekly: The most common recurring plan. Balances frequency and cost for most residential clients. Easiest to fill your schedule with. Typical rate: $145–$195/visit.
Monthly: Lower revenue per client but good for clients who want "maintenance" cleaning between their own efforts. Easier to sell to price-sensitive clients. Typical rate: $175–$250/visit (monthly cleans take longer).
Custom frequency (every 3 weeks): Some clients want something between bi-weekly and monthly. Worth offering if a client pushes back on bi-weekly — you keep the recurring relationship even if it's not your ideal frequency.
For a full breakdown of how to package and price each tier, see cleaning subscription plans (2026).
When to Make the Conversion Ask
Timing is everything. The three moments that convert best:
1. Same day as the first clean (highest conversion rate)
The client just saw your work. Their home looks great. They're in the best possible mindset to say yes to doing this again. This is the window — don't wait until the next day.
Send a text or email within 2 hours of the job completing. Not a generic "thanks for your business" — a specific offer tied to what they just experienced.
2. End of the first clean (in-person)
If your cleaner or team lead speaks directly to the client after the clean, this is a natural moment:
"Really glad everything looks great. A lot of our clients do this every two weeks — keeps it at this level without it ever getting to the point where it needs a deep clean again. Would that be something you'd want to look into?"
Low pressure. Conversational. Offers a reason (maintenance at this level) not just a sales pitch.
3. After a seasonal or one-time deep clean
Post-construction, move-in, spring clean — these clients hired you for a specific job. Once that job is done, they're an ideal recurring prospect because they've seen your quality and they have a home that's now in a clean baseline state worth maintaining.
The pitch is slightly different here: "You've got a clean slate now — the easiest way to keep it this way is [bi-weekly / monthly] maintenance. Want me to send over the details?"
Conversion Scripts (Copy/Paste)
Text message — sent same day after first clean:
"Hi [Name], really glad you were happy with today's clean — your home looks great. A lot of our clients move to bi-weekly service after the first visit to keep it at this level. If you're interested, I can lock in today's rate and get you on the schedule. Takes about 2 minutes to set up. Want me to send the details?"
Email — sent same day, subject: "Keep it at this level?"
"Hi [Name], Really glad the clean went well today. Your home looks great. A lot of our clients start with a one-time clean and then move to a regular schedule — usually bi-weekly — once they see how much easier it is to maintain than to deep clean. The bonus: you lock in today's rate and it never has to get to deep-clean level again. If you want to set that up, I can send you a quick link — you pick your schedule, review the terms, and get it running in about 2 minutes. No obligation. Want me to send that over? [Your name]"
Follow-up if no response after 3 days:
"Hi [Name], just following up on the recurring service option I mentioned. Happy to answer any questions — or if the timing isn't right, totally understand. Just let me know either way."
Short, non-pushy, creates closure. Most clients who don't respond need one more nudge — this is it.
Want this running automatically?
ServiceHub automates follow-ups, reminders, and booking confirmations so nothing falls through the cracks.
How to Structure the Offer
The conversion offer works best when it has three components:
A specific plan, not a general option. "Would you like recurring service?" is too vague. "Would you like bi-weekly service on Tuesdays, same time as today?" is specific enough to say yes to immediately.
A rate lock. "Lock in today's rate" gives the client a reason to commit now rather than think about it later. It creates a mild urgency without being pushy — you're offering a benefit for deciding today, not threatening a price increase.
Easy setup. "Takes about 2 minutes" removes the friction of "I'll think about it." If setup feels like a project, they'll defer indefinitely. If it feels like clicking two buttons, they do it now.
The Setup: Making Recurring Plans Easy to Run
Converting clients to recurring is only half the work. The other half is running those plans without creating manual work for yourself every billing cycle. The mistake most cleaning businesses make: they convert a client to recurring, manually invoice them every month, manually chase payment when it's late, and manually remind them about upcoming visits. At 5 recurring clients that's manageable. At 30 it's a part-time job. With ServiceHub, you can make this easy:
- Client agrees to terms at the point of payment. Send a quote or invoice with your service agreement attached. Client reviews terms, checks an agreement box, and enters their card once. That's the only time you need their payment information — from that point, billing is automatic.
- Recurring billing runs automatically. Stripe or equivalent processes the charge on your billing cycle. No manual invoicing, no chasing.
- Reminders go out automatically. Client gets an appointment reminder 24–48 hours before each visit. You get an alert if they cancel or reschedule inside your cancellation window.
- If they miss or cancel, your policy handles it. Your service agreement defines the cancellation and lockout fees — when they apply, they apply automatically, not because you had an awkward conversation.
Retention: Keeping Recurring Clients on the Schedule
Converting a client to recurring is valuable. Keeping them recurring for 12, 24, 36 months is where the real economics kick in.
The clients who churn from recurring cleaning plans almost always do so for one of three reasons:
1. A quality problem they didn't mention. Client was mildly unhappy after one visit, didn't say anything, and quietly cancelled. Fix: send a post-visit check-in after the first 3 visits — "Everything look good today?" — so small issues surface before they become cancellations.
2. A life change (travel, budget cut, moving). This is unavoidable, but you can reduce the impact. When a client says "I need to pause," offer a monthly plan instead of bi-weekly rather than letting them cancel entirely. A $195/month clean is worth keeping vs. losing the client and reacquiring them.
3. They forgot why they valued it. Clients who are used to a clean home stop noticing it. Periodic "before we started vs. now" framing in your communication reminds them what they'd be going back to.
For the full retention playbook including reactivation scripts for lapsed clients, see cleaning client retention (2026).
What to Do This Week
If you have any one-time clients from the last 30 days who haven't converted to recurring, here's the sequence:
- Day 1: Send the conversion text to every one-time client from the last 30 days. Use the copy-paste script above. Personalize the name, that's it.
- Day 3: Follow up with anyone who didn't respond.
- Day 5: For anyone still not responding, send a final "just checking in" — frame it as closing the loop, not chasing.
Three-day sequence. At your current volume even a 20% conversion rate from that list is meaningful recurring revenue added without finding a single new client.
?Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get clients to agree to a recurring plan?▼
What's the best recurring cleaning frequency to offer?▼
How do I handle clients who want to pause rather than cancel?▼
Should I charge more for one-time cleans than recurring?▼
How do I set up automatic billing for recurring clients?▼
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Ready to set up your recurring plan structure and automate billing? See cleaning subscription plans (2026) for the full packaging and pricing framework.