Do you have a house cleaner?

[armomof3lvsdisney]

The company I work for is downsizing and I'm thinking about cleaning houses. I'm tired of the working in a cubicle anyway. I would love any feedback about what they clean and how much they charge and anything else you would like to add. Thanks in advance!

 

[nbrmommy2005]

I use my cleaning lady about once a month. My house is 1700 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

She charges me $ 80 to vacuum, clean the bathrooms, wipe down everything, clean the floors in the bathrooms, kitchen and the foyer. She does NOT use a swiffer she actually gets on her hands and knees to clean the floors. Every other time that she comes she will clean the fans and wipe down the window sills.

She will not clean up toys and will clean around them. She likes to clean for older people, but took on my house since my parents use her. She cleans their house every 2 weeks for $ 60 each time.

If I could afford it she would come to my house weekly.

 

[ArmyWife7]

My cleaning lady comes every other week and charges $70. My house is about 2600 square feet. She uses my supplies and leaves me a list if she is running low on any supplies.

She cleans pretty much what the other pp stated. I make my bed because I don't want her touching my bed (i.e. changing my sheets). However, she does make DDs beds. She doesn't do any laundry.

 

[ckmommy]

I pay $80 every 2 weeks for my ladies to come and clean. They come every other Thursday at 7:45-8:00 am. They are in and out in 1.5-2 hours. My house has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, study, game room, DR, LR and kitchen. It is about 3200 sf. We have all slate on the main level and carpet on the second floor--and tile in all the bathrooms. They vacuum the floors, mop the tile and slate, dust everything (including the stairway--we have an open banister and cat walk), clean the blinds, dust the ceiling fans, clean the showers, the shower doors, clean the sinks, clean the oven, make the granite counters shine (still trying to figure out what they use on them), clean the stove. They will put the dishes from the sink in the dishwasher--but 90% of the time the dishes are all done. If the dishes are left it is just a cup or a bowl. They do not do the wash or make the beds. They have never cleaned my fridge, but many cleaners here do that. They might do it if I asked.
The first time they came, it cost $200 or the initial deep clean. It was well worth that first fee. They were here for 4 or 5 hours!!!

Good luck to you!!

 

[Jennifer84]

I actually own a house cleaning business (since June 2010). I dust, vacuum, mop, clean bathrooms, etc. All the basic stuff. I also clean bathroom and kitchen floors on my hands and knees (you get it much cleaner that way!)I wipe fan blades and blinds once a month. I charge $30 an hour for regular clients (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) and $45 an hour for one time only or random jobs. A typical 2 story 4 BR, 3 BA house will take me about 2-3 hours. I work alone. I can definitely give you some pointers from a business perspective if you want. There are lots of things I have learned along the way! My biggest suggestion is to create a contract of some sort, and make sure to include exactly what you will and will not do, cancellation requirements (I need 24 hour notice of a cancellation or they still need to pay half), etc. Good luck!!!

 

[sweetdana]

My nanny cleans, and I pay her an additional 40$ a week for it. With her basic pay she keeps up with bottles, dishes, and laundry, with the extra she does the sheets, bathrooms, and the floors once a week. (10$ an hour over for anything over her normal time, if she wants extra stuff I let her work what ever she want.)

I have used only a cleaning lady and paid 75$ a week. she did vacuum, sheets, counters, bathrooms, and 1 load of dishes and would do 2 loads of clothes.

 

[Susycakes]

I have a house cleaner...she charges me 70 a week and she does anything I ask her to do...but I'm probably her easiest client. I'm not home when she comes and goes. I wash the laundry..she folds and puts away, changes and washes my sheets and towels, bathrooms, kitchen ( although I keep it clean) , and vacuum/ mop floors. She also tidies up. We never had a contract but I've only hired cleaners from referrals. I've had a few cleaners through the years and anyone that start giving me conditions on they will or won't do, I tell them no thanks. My home is never extremely dirty ( it's just me, dh and my daughter) so I don't feel like I'm asking for a lot.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

I have had a couple of different house cleaners in the past. We usually paid around $55-$60 every two weeks for them to come in and do a basic cleaning (floors, dust, bathroom and kitchen) of our downstairs. That included one full and a half bathroom, my bedroom, living room, dining room, sunroom, mud room and kitchen (around 1,800 square feet). The upstairs is our kids' domain and I would never expect a house cleaner to clean around their clutter.

Our first cleaner was really good, but she was like a bull in a china shop and constantly broke things or left marks on our walls and moldings. The second did an OK job, but was very unreliable. She would call and say she was coming on Monday and then never show up. That night (or the next day) she would call back to change to another day. After a couple of months it got aggravating enough that we let her go. I would spend an hour before she came straightening up and leaving out supplies that she would need. We would put our dogs outside so they wouldn't be in her way and leave our house unlocked until the afternoon (when I would come home to discover she had never been there).

Reliability is HUGE to me when hiring a cleaner. I would rather pay a little more for someone that is reliable and will do a good job than less for someone that halfway does it or doesn't show up.

 

[mistysue]

I've had a couple different services and they seemed to calculate something like $25/hour per person they sent out. So usually a 2 person crew, they knew it took around 1 1/2 hours so they charged $90 knowing sometimes it's longer. My house is 1400 sq ft, 3bed 2.5 bath.

I now have a girl who up front quoted me $10/hour. I knew she was short changing herself. She comes over every week and spends 3 hours doing assorted things. She will put dishes away, hang up laundry, clean floors, reorganize toys in the living room- whatever for 2.5-3 hours. Sometimes she cleans a bathroom, sometimes she does the counters, but no one particular thing is consistent. Sometimes the house doesn't even look much cleaner but you open a drawer or box and realize she cleaned out all of our dressers or resorted all of the kids' toys into sets again. I don't think our arrangement would work for most people for the exact reason it does work for me, we never get around to the random little stuff.

Not sure what the COL is in your area, but if I were going to start a service like this, I would probably think of the $25/hour as sort of a bottom line. You have to consider that you may run into the liability of something breaking or somebody thinking you took something and account for that. One of my services once broke my banana hammock- which I knew was about to break. They offered immediately to buy me another. I turned it down because I knew it wasn't their fault but most people would just take the new one.

 

[holden]

Wow! Some of you have great deals on cleaners!

I have a 3,000sqft. house - 4 bed, 2.5 bath with lots of hardwood and all stainless appliances (=more work). My 2 person crew charges $165 every 2 weeks. They are VERY thorough and clean things I normally wouldn't clean on a weekly basis. They also have secretly been tidying up my closets! I discovered that they completely organized my hall linen closet the last time they were here. They also straighten up my kids' rooms a little (though I make the kids clean up before they come) - bookshelves, desks, etc. They also make little roses out of all of the toilet paper/tissue boxes so it feels like we are living in a hotel when they leave

They are expensive, but I can't bear to part with them!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Don't forget that once you earn $300 you have to pay the tax man.

 

[msmama]

$100 every 2 weeks.

Mine does the usual, mops, vacuums, dusts, bathrooms, etc. Twice a year she does windows. Once a month she cleans the fridge and the oven. She does the outside, easy to reach windows and slider door occasionally (I think when it looks dirty to her).

She will change the beds, but doesn't do the laundry. She will keep do any dishes I leave, but I try not to leave any (though she always finds the ones we leave around the house). She doesn't straighten or put away things - she stated this in advance, but she does move things around sometimes if they are in her way (if I haven't had time to clean up before she comes).

My favorite thing about it - if I clean the bathroom, in a matter of days it looks gross again. If she cleans the bathroom, it actually STAYS clean for 2 weeks!!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We don't have one, but my husband would LOVE to get one. But then I remind him that he/she are cleaners, they don't pick up behind him just 'cause he's lazy . One day we may have a cleaner, but I think I would feel like I needed to preclean first!

 

[garnetandblack]

My Mom started cleaning houses when my younger brother started first grade - so 22 years ago! A family friend was cleaning while her kids were in school and asked my Mom to help her a few times. When she realized how easy it was and that she could be off when we were out of school she started her own company.

She charges $30 an hour on average and we live in a LCOL area. Most of her clients have had her for over 10 years, some much longer. With regular, longtime clients she charges a set fee. Sometimes she is able to clean a house quickly and sometimes she spends extra time. She is going to be 60 tomorrow and helps take care of my 3 year old niece, so she only has about 8 houses now. It has gone down to a part time job again but she still clears $600-750 a week. About 10-15 years ago she had workers that she paid $10 an hour helping her and she was making over $2,000 a week with a ton of flexibility.

You also need to get bonded and insured and make sure you keep good records for taxes!

My Mom also just started cleaning a gymnastics gym for barter - my son and niece get to go for free, free birthday parties at the gym and when they get a little older they will get free one on one lessons. She only cleans the lobby and bathrooms and it takes less than an hour a week. They are so impressed with her that she thinks they might hire her to clean the entire gym.

 

[jd4nati]

$100 every 2 weeks.

Mine does the usual, mops, vacuums, dusts, bathrooms, etc. Twice a year she does windows. Once a month she cleans the fridge and the oven. She does the outside, easy to reach windows and slider door occasionally (I think when it looks dirty to her).

She will change the beds, but doesn't do the laundry. She will keep do any dishes I leave, but I try not to leave any (though she always finds the ones we leave around the house). She doesn't straighten or put away things - she stated this in advance, but she does move things around sometimes if they are in her way (if I haven't had time to clean up before she comes).

My favorite thing about it - if I clean the bathroom, in a matter of days it looks gross again. If she cleans the bathroom, it actually STAYS clean for 2 weeks!!!

I could have written this post. This is the exact arrangement we have with our cleaner. She goes above and beyond for the price. I will be forever grateful to the friend who referred her.

 

[TnTWalter]

either hiring one or becoming one. LOL.

I like to clean but am lazy in my own house....would love to do like 1 house a day to make some fun money.

Trish

 

[Alison_in_Wonderland]

I need to live where you all live!

We have 2200sqf (3br - though 1 is an office 2.5ba) We go through a company and it is $90/week or $110/for every other week. They clean the bathrooms, vacuum, dust every other week, and clean the kitchen. They don't do the laundry/change sheets (heck, we even make the beds), or pick up toys. And since we aren't home We've shopped around and these prices are very typical.

 

[BeachLove]

My mom is wanting to start a full time cleaning business! I would love to gather up information for her. It's just the last couple years she is making less and less money, hours cut, you name it. She wants the flexibility and income of what this seems to provide. If anyone has advice, please share anything you know about.

Also what kinds of insurance do customers look for when hiring someone? How do you learn to quote and figure out how long things should take to clean? I want to help her restart and be happy

 

[crisi]

I had one years ago that was hourly - $25 an hour - once a week for three hours and once a week for one. But it was ten years ago.

She would throw toys into laundry baskets (we had laundry baskets around at her suggestion when the kids were little for this purpose), throw dirty laundry in the hamper, do dishes, make beds. She would wash one bed each three hour shift, and throw in all the towels on her one hour shift, so they'd be in the dryer when I'd come home. If I wanted her to clean the fridge or anything, she would make an extra hour to do it.

If I were going to recommend BEING a housekeeper, I'd do that for my regular clients - tell them you will throw things into baskets - laundry into hampers, toys into a toy bin (or three), papers lying around into some sort of basket, put dishes into the dishwasher and run it. But that is the extent of the picking up. I'd do this because it makes the house actually easier to clean and your customers happier.

 

[gr8leg8]

Long long ago in a galaxy far far away

I cleaned houses part time (4 afternoons a week) trying to save up for a student exchange program.

Loved it!

after college I tried doing it full time (2 houses a day = 8+ hours five days a week)

hated it...

I didn't expect
the physical exhaustion - the wear and tear on the body
the sensitivity to the chemicals in cleaners
how different it felt to be respected and appreciated then being treated like a servant

What I liked much better was working for a hotel (Hyatt)
travel benefits are great, but pay is just ok.
I loved working in three different cities, different departments, lots of room for upward movement (promotion) and lateral movement (try something new).

Best of luck with your future success!