Ganarpro Cleaning Calculator - Frequently Asked Questions

General Calculator Usage

What does this calculator do?

The Ganarpro Calculator helps you create accurate bids for construction cleaning, janitorial services, and specialty services. It calculates labor hours, applies location and project-specific multipliers, and generates professional pricing across multiple bid strategies.

What types of projects can I estimate?

Construction cleaning (rough, final, and fluff phases)
Recurring janitorial services (per-visit or monthly pricing)
Specialty services (pressure washing, window cleaning, special flooring, unit/bathroom cleaning)
Mixed projects (combination of construction and add-ons)

Can I save my estimates?

The calculator runs in your browser. At the bottom there is a button to save your current estimate, a name is required.

Phase & Effort Calculations

What are the three cleaning phases?

Final – The most detailed, time-intensive phase. Includes meticulous cleaning of all surfaces, fixtures, and finishes to move-in ready standards.

Rough – Mid-level cleaning after major construction work. Removes construction debris, dust, and prepares for final phase.

Fluff – Quick touch-up cleaning. Light dusting and polishing for already-clean spaces or pre-showing touch-ups.

How do phase combinations work?

1 Phase: The selected phase receives 100% of work share.

2 Phases – Fixed weight combinations:

Rough + Final → 40% / 60%
Final + Fluff → 60% / 40%
Rough + Fluff → 60% / 40%

3 Phases: Rough 30% / Final 50% / Fluff 20%

These weights determine how labor hours are distributed across phases.

Why does Fluff phase cost less than Rough?

Fluff has higher productivity (more area cleaned per hour) because it’s light touch-up work. The calculator maintains this relationship: Final is slowest, Rough is next, Fluff is fastest. This ensures Fluff never costs more than Rough for the same scope.

What happens when I add more phases?

Each additional active phase adds a 15% multi-phase premium to pre-margin costs:

1 phase: no premium
2 phases: +15%
3 phases: +30%

This accounts for coordination complexity and phase transitions.

How do passes work?

Passes multiply hours linearly with no fixed additions:

1 pass: standard hours
2 passes: hours × 2.0
3 passes: hours × 3.0

Each phase can have independent pass counts.

What is the building levels penalty?

Each building level beyond the first adds +3% to costs, accounting for increased access difficulty, material transport, and safety requirements.

Pricing Models

What are the three pricing strategies?

Market-Win (+7% margin) – Minimal markup designed to win competitive bids. Use for high-competition scenarios or when you need to match market rates.

Lean (+15% margin) – Balanced pricing with healthy profit margins. Recommended for most standard projects.

Profit-Heavy (+28% margin) – Premium pricing for complex, rush, or high-risk projects where value justifies higher margins.

How do I switch between pricing models?

Use the sticky pricing toggle – it’s the single control for selecting your pricing strategy. This toggle determines which price appears as your Selected Bid.

Can I see all three pricing options at once?

Yes! The calculator displays all three pricing models in the “Pricing Methods” section. You can compare options, but the sticky toggle determines which one is your official Selected Bid.

Selected Bid Logic

How does the calculator determine my Selected Bid?

The Selected Bid follows strict precedence rules, using only one source:

Time & Material (T&M) – if enabled and flagged “use as Selected Bid”
Recurring Janitorial totals – if enabled and flagged “use as Selected Bid”
Construction pricing (Market-Win / Lean / Profit-Heavy) – based on your sticky toggle selection

Only the highest-priority enabled option becomes the Selected Bid.

What is Time & Material (T&M) pricing?

T&M is direct hourly billing: calculated hours × your bill rate, plus any add-ons. It bypasses phase percentages and margin calculations, providing transparent hourly pricing for clients who prefer this structure.

How does the phase breakdown work in Selected Bid?

When your Selected Bid comes from Construction pricing, the phase breakdown is proportional to actual computed hours of each active phase – not the phase weights. The breakdown shows where labor effort is distributed.

Location & Rate Calculations

How does location affect my bid?

Location impacts pricing through two factors:

Location friction – Rural, suburban, or urban settings affect accessibility and travel costs.

Type density – Project type (corporate, warehouse, residential, etc.) influences productivity and effective per-square-foot rates.

What are size tiers?

The calculator applies productivity scaling based on total project area. Larger projects benefit from economies of scale, affecting the effective rate per square foot. Thresholds are preset in the calculator.

What is the minimum price floor?

The calculator enforces a minimum price floor calculated as: total area × effective rate, applied pre-margin. This ensures estimates never fall below sustainable pricing for your market.

Pressure Wash Presets

What are pressure wash presets?

Presets are pre-configured scenarios that automatically calculate surface area based on your building dimensions. They’re designed to save time and ensure accurate estimates.

What presets are available?

Around building only – Requires building perimeter and sidewalk width.
Formula: perimeter × sidewalk width = area

Sidewalks + entrances + pads – Requires sidewalk dimensions, entrance count/area, and pad count/area.
Formula: (length × width) + (entrances × entrance_pad_area) + (pads × pad_area)

Full plaza – Requires plaza dimensions (Length × Width) or polygon area input.

How do I use a preset?

Enable Pressure Wash add-on
Select your preset from the dropdown
The calculator automatically populates the computed area
You can edit the area afterward if needed

Can I see what assumptions the preset used?

Yes! The calculator displays a readout of the specific measurements and assumptions used to compute your area (perimeter, pad count, entrance size, etc.).

Add-Ons & Special Services

What add-ons are available?

Pressure Washing – Exterior surface cleaning
Window Cleaning – Interior/exterior glass surfaces
Special Flooring – Coating, sealing, or special treatments
Units/Bathrooms – Residential unit and bathroom cleaning
Travel/Site Visits – Trip charges and mobilization costs

How do add-ons affect my bid?

Each add-on has an “Add to Bid” checkbox. Costs are always calculated (visible in detailed breakdown), but only included in Selected Bid if checkbox is enabled.

Do add-ons use the same pricing model as construction?

No. Add-ons have their own rates and are added to the Selected Bid after the primary pricing model is applied. They don’t go through the margin calculation unless specified in their own sections.

How does Travel/Visits work?

Travel calculates as: (total visits - 2) × cost per visit

The first 2 visits are included in your base bid. Only additional visits beyond 2 are billed.

The calculator can auto-compute visits based on: labor hours, crew size, active phases, and passes.

Janitorial Services

How is recurring janitorial different from construction?

Janitorial pricing is for ongoing services rather than one-time construction cleaning. You can price:

Per-visit basis – charge per cleaning visit
Monthly basis – fixed monthly rate for scheduled service

Can I combine janitorial and construction in one estimate?

The calculator prioritizes one mode. When janitorial is flagged “use as Selected Bid,” construction cleaning is excluded from the Selected Bid (though still calculated for reference).

Units & Bathrooms

What’s the difference between Simple Units/Baths and Units Mix?

Simple Units/Baths – Flat rate per unit and flat rate per bathroom. Fast input for uniform properties.

Units Mix – Detailed breakdown by unit type (studio, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, etc.) with custom rates and bathroom counts per type. More accurate for mixed-use properties.

Can both be active at once?

No. If Units Mix is enabled and flagged “Add to Bid,” it overrides Simple Units/Baths to avoid double-counting.

Troubleshooting

My pricing seems too high/low. What should I check?

Phase selection – Are all intended phases active?
Passes count – Passes multiply hours linearly
Building levels – Each level beyond 1 adds +3%
Location settings – Location friction and type density significantly impact rates
Add-ons – Verify which add-ons have “Add to Bid” checked
Pricing model – Confirm your sticky toggle is on the intended model

Why don’t my phase weight changes affect the bid?

Phase weights are locked percentages and cannot be modified without product approval. The calculator uses predetermined weights to ensure consistency across estimates.

Can I override the calculated hours?

Yes, in Time & Material mode. Enable “Override calculated hours” and enter your manual hours. The T&M pricing will use your override value.

The calculator isn’t showing my Selected Bid correctly. Why?

Check the precedence rules:

Is T&M enabled and flagged?
Is Janitorial enabled and flagged?
Which Construction pricing model is your sticky toggle set to?

The Selected Bid uses only the highest-priority source that’s enabled.

Best Practices

When should I use Market-Win vs Lean vs Profit-Heavy?

Market-Win – Competitive bidding, government contracts, price-sensitive clients
Lean – Standard commercial projects, established client relationships
Profit-Heavy – Rush jobs, complex sites, high-risk projects, premium clients

How do I estimate a multi-building project?

Enable “Use detailed per-building sizes”
Add each building with its specific square footage
The calculator automatically applies the levels penalty based on each building’s level count
Total area is computed from all buildings

Should I use presets or manual entry for pressure washing?

Presets – When your site matches standard configurations (simple geometry)
Manual entry – Complex sites, irregular shapes, or when you’ve measured exact areas

How do I justify my bid to a client?

Use the itemized breakdown at the bottom of the calculator. It shows:

Labor hours by phase
Productivity rates
Add-on costs
Phase distribution
All multipliers applied

This transparency builds trust and justifies your pricing.

Contributing & Support

Can I modify phase weights or premiums?

No. These are locked invariants requiring product approval. Any changes must be escalated.