The short answer: $50 flat or 10% of the quote, whichever is larger. Refundable up to 48 hours before service. Stripe Connect routes the funds straight to the installer. Recurring annual customers skip the deposit step entirely.
Why deposits matter for cleaning
- Qualifies intent. Tire-kickers book 3-4 free quotes and ghost. A deposit weeds them out.
- Cuts no-shows roughly in half. Deposited bookings show up. Free bookings sometimes don't.
- Locks the schedule. Crew slot is held, chemicals are mixed, route is planned. The deposit pays for that commitment.
- Sets the relationship tone. Cleaning is a real service, not a free estimate. Charging for the slot signals professionalism.
Deposit size
| Quote total | Deposit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| $250-$500 (single service) | $50 flat | Below 10%, but $50 is the floor for friction worth charging |
| $500-$2,500 (typical bundle) | 10% of quote | Proportional, easy to explain |
| $2,500+ (full 4-service bundle) | 10% of quote, cap at $300 | Don't ask for more than $300 on a residential bundle |
Don't go above 20% of the quote. Full cleaning bundles aren't pool builds — the cancel risk isn't material enough to justify a heavy deposit, and high deposit asks tank conversion.
Refund policy — 48-hour cancel window
Cleaning is a same-week service. Most jobs book 3-5 days out, so 48-hour cancel aligns with the day-before reminder SMS. Inside 48 hours the deposit is forfeit because:
- The crew slot is already routed and can't be filled.
- Chemicals are mixed for the specific job profile.
- The tech's day is planned around the address density.
State this clearly at deposit time. Clean Launch shows the cancel terms in the portal directly above the deposit button. Disputes drop close to zero when the policy is on-screen before the card is charged.
Stripe Connect routing
Deposits flow direct to the installer's Stripe Connect account. Clean Launch does not hold funds in escrow. Settlement timing is normal Stripe — 2 business days to bank for most accounts.
Recurring annual customers skip the step
Once a customer is flagged recurring in the CRM, the deposit step disappears. The card on file from the prior year is the authorization. Recurring customers get a "we're coming Thursday" SMS, not a quote-deposit-confirm flow. This is one of the main reasons recurring customers feel premium — they're not re-qualifying every spring.
Common mistakes
- Charging the full quote up front. Conversion drops 40-60%. Homeowners want the service done before they pay the balance.
- No deposit at all. The postcard becomes a lead-gen channel instead of a booking channel. Returns drop from $32/$1 to ~$8/$1.
- Soft cancel policy (refund any time). Sets up last-minute cancellations and wasted crew hours.
- Skipping the deposit on commercial. Commercial accounts often want net-30 invoicing — fine, but get a signed proposal and the first job paid before opening the credit line.
Stripe Connect deposits + same-week scheduling in one flow.
Free account, free rendering, $1 per mailed postcard, Stripe Connect routing built in. Dave refunds your campaign spend personally if it doesn't work.
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