Cleaning and lead-gen terms, defined.
If a word in our docs, the apply form, or the demo dashboard isn't familiar, it's probably here.
- Aged lead
A lead that has passed its freshness window without the consumer engaging. Some platforms refund aged leads; on CleanerFlow Leads an unsold lead gets cheaper over time, and a lead whose contact can't be reached after 72 hours of attempts can be reported for a credit or refund within 14 days.
- Bid cap
The maximum number of cleaning providers who can buy the same lead. CleanerFlow Leads caps it at 3, and the cap is written into our provider terms.
- Close rate
The percentage of leads you contacted that became paying jobs. Most cleaners overestimate their close rate; it varies a lot, and many cold residential leads close well below what cleaners expect.
- Composite quality score
Numerical score (0-100) assigned to every lead before sale, combining freshness, completeness, ZIP match, budget signal, and anti-fraud checks. Visible to buyers prior to purchase.
- Consumer
The end-user requesting cleaning service — the homeowner, renter, or host. Distinct from 'buyer' (the cleaning provider purchasing the lead).
- Deep clean
A cleaning scope above standard residential — typically includes baseboards, blinds, inside cabinets, oven, fridge, ceiling fans. Tickets typically 1.5-3× a standard clean.
- Dispute window
The time period after a lead purchase during which a buyer can file a refund claim. CleanerFlow Leads uses 14 days from purchase.
- Exclusive lead
A lead sold to only one buyer, with no competition. Higher price per lead but no one else is chasing the same close.
- First-touch attribution
The marketing source the lead first came from, regardless of what they clicked later. CleanerFlow Leads tracks that first source so you know where a lead originally found you.
- Freshness
How recently a consumer submitted their cleaning request. The sooner you reach out after a request comes in, the better it tends to convert — fresh leads beat stale ones.
- Lead-to-job conversion
Sometimes called close rate. The percentage of leads you purchased that became billable jobs.
- LTV
Lifetime value. The total revenue a single client generates over the whole relationship. A recurring residential client is worth far more than a one-time job because the revenue keeps adding up month after month.
- Move-out clean
Detailed clean tied to a tenancy turnover. Higher scope than standard residential because of deposit-recovery or property-manager handoff expectations.
- Recurring lead
A consumer requesting weekly, biweekly, or monthly service. Highest-LTV category — the lead is the start of a relationship, not a one-time transaction.
- Refund-eligible
Status of a lead that meets the platform's criteria for credit-back if a dispute is filed and approved. On CleanerFlow Leads, wrong phone, email or address, out-of-area and duplicate leads get an instant credit (up to 3 every 30 days); other problems are reviewed.
- ZIP match
How precisely a lead's service ZIP matches a buyer's stated coverage area. Composite score reduces the weight of leads with poor ZIP match because drive-time kills margin.