Do you use a cleaning service for your home? $??

[BadgerGirl84]

It's regional. Upper midwest, I pay $125 every other week to get my 4 bed 3 bath house cleaned.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

My 4 ladies come every other week and I love them and they are worth every penny ! I pay $125 for a 4800 sq foot, 5 bed 4 bath house, the main house is about 3500 sq feet and the rest is the basement. The 4 of them usually take about 1.5 hrs. We keep our house tidy, little junk, clutter, etc. They do all the heavy scrubbing, mopping, clean all the air vents, all the kitchen and baths top to bottom, all the furniture gets de-crumbed, all the bedrooms, in addition to all the regualr cleaning type services, they even toss the sheets in the washer when they are done.

My first deep cleaning was about $300 and wow they really went deep. I get a deep cleaning at least once a year, usually in the fall before all the holidays. Those take the ladies 5-6 hours.

 

[Malyficent]

My bi-weekly cleaning service is one thing that helps me keep my sanity (two young boys, two cats, a dog, and a fish - which you'd think the fish wouldn't contribute to the mess but the feeding of the fish gets messy). I pay the same now ($100) for a three bedroom, one bath, 1400 sq foot house in Delaware as I did 10 years ago in NYC for a one bedroom/bath apartment. It's all about the local market.

For $300 though I might think twice - or at least skinny their to do list down to just the stuff I really hate cleaning (kitchen and bathroom) - and then I'd pay the difference into my own savings.

 

[RedAngie]

$75 for regular weekly cleaning. 3 BR, 2.5 bath. Several times a year I ask for a more thorough cleaning and it's $100 or $125 depending on what I request.

 

[barkley]

if they aren't running an actual business (as in licensed/insured/bonded...) BE CAREFUL. if they get injured on your property IT'S ON YOU and your homeowner's insurance may NOT cover it. i was highly cautioned by my insurer at a point when i needed some minor cleanup work done at my place that if one of the 'employees' got injured i could get a major financial hit. it may not seem like a big risk but i once took a minor slip on my own floor while cleaning it-cracked a couple of ribs and damaged my knee resulting in several thousands in medical bills (and if i had a job where i hadn't been able to work during recovery it could have racked up a much higher amount).

also-keep an eye on how much you pay someone who is not running a business b/c if you pay cash wages of $2,100 or more for 2018 (this threshold can change from year to year) to any one household employee, you generally must withhold 6.2% of social security and 1.45% of Medicare taxes (for a total of 7.65%) from all cash wages you pay to that employee (yup-they become YOUR employee and in some states that means you have to also pony up for workman's comp and unemployment insurance and.....) it only takes one injury/disagreement for a friendly relationship to get ugly and expensive.

 

[gotomu212]

Looking for a little info. I have never had anyone clean my house for me.

Recently I got an estimate of $300 for a first time cleaning. It's a 4 bedroom colonial. That was for two women at $30 an hour each.

I have no idea if this price is reasonable. Can someone advise? Thanks!

What was their estimate for the following sessions? When we started with a new company the first session was 50% more as they start by doing a very deep first clean to “bring everything up to their standard level”, then the following visits they were just pulling it back to that standard.

 

[LSUmiss]

No... Just the thought of someone in the house like that freaks me out...

That’s me plus I have pets. I’d love to have someone come in, but I just don’t feel like I can trust anyone. Plus I’m pretty meticulous so I have a feeling I’d still be cleaning behind someone. My DH stopped paying the grass ppl for the same reason.

 

[longboard55]

We got the best deal, we hire this guy with a big van and he will have 4-5 girls. They are in and out in 1/2 hour and do a great job. $95 for a three bedroom

 

[tvguy]

No... Just the thought of someone in the house like that freaks me out...

LOL. Or be like my MIL. Her house cleaner came every other Wednesday. The night before my MIL spent 4 hours cleaning the house BEFORE the house cleaner came so the house wouldn't be too dirty!

But I agree, I don't like the idea of someone touching my private stuff. Thus, I clean all 3 bathrooms, sweep, then vacuum, then Bona all 1550 square of laminate while DW dusts and polishes all the furniture. But I admit, about half through each house cleaning, I do wonder whether a house keeper would be worth it.

 

[cedricandsophie]

$160 every two weeks for two people to clean our 4 bedroom 3 and 1/2 bath house with three floors. It’s a huge Victorian. They change sheets and towels, start laundry, clean kitchen floors and bathrooms, vacuum, dust and polish etc. It’s a godsend. I thought after I retired I would do it myself. But I have way too many other things to do! I do heavy cleaning myself once a year to clean woodwork and inside windows. Nothing feels as good as having the house clean when I come home after being out all day. I’ve had the same cleaning lady for over 30 years. She has key to house and the alarm code. I trust her implicitly. But by now she’s a friend too. I’ve been to her wedding, her daughters wedding and she is alwsys invited to our parties and events

 

[ManalapanDad]

I currently pay 165$ plus tip for a five bedroom house in nj bi weekly it normally takes 4-5 hours

 

[lifesavacation]

Wow. Some of you are getting a great deal. I let my cleaning service go about 4 months ago. The owner had raised the rates from $240 to $260 per cleaning. That was for bi-monthly cleaning. Her team was only cleaning around 3500 sqft. The house is bigger but I asked her not to clean certain rooms.

 

[LovesTimone]

uummmm, thanks for the price quote.

my lawn guy is practically like a nephew to us.

after doing all my own cleaning for 32 years my knees have had it. we decided we needed some help.

Since I don't have a cleaning service... I called a couple of my friends who do.

Friend One pays 300.00 a month for 1 girl once a week for between 2 and 3 hours... they have a 3 bed 2 bath ranch - her basic service includes, Kitchen, Bathrooms, sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, and dusting the major spots. If she want anything thing else its extra.

Friend Two - pays 200.00 a week for 2 girls, for 2 to 3 hours... She has 5 bed 6 bath 2 story. The house is huge...She gets the holiday package once a year which is a total house clean, windows inside and out, baseboards, carpets and tile cleaned, she said its around 1,000.00 . She said it takes all day.

Friend three - pays 100.00 a week for 1 girl for 4 hours - but she does everything - all the laundry, strips and makes the beds, complete dusting of the house along with cleaning the whole house, she has a 2 bed 2 bath condo.

Each of them use a company that is licensed, bonded, and insured.

 

[smiths02]

I started about 1 1/2 years ago (my mother-in-law gifted us a deep cleaning and 12 monthly cleanings...so awesome!)
The company sends anywhere between 2-4 people. We have a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom house (about 3000 sq. feet)
The first two cleanings were two weeks apart at $170 each...that counted as the deep cleaning.
Then it was biweekly at $120.
Since my mother-in-law is not paying anymore, I went to every 4 weeks which has gone to $177. I also usually leave a $20 tip.
Now this is for a company, not a friend under the table. I am sure we could do it cheaper if it was that situation, but we are willing to pay more to make sure that we aren't the ones responsible for breaking any labor or tax laws. While it is weird to have strangers in our house security wise, it is also weird to have people we know cleaning our mess or seeing personal things. Since they are a company and we don't know the cleaners, we are also free to complain or stop the service without hurting feelings.

 

[smiths02]

Wow. Some of you are getting a great deal. I let my cleaning service go about 4 months ago. The owner had raised the rates from $240 to $260 per cleaning. That was for bi-monthly cleaning. Her team was only cleaning around 3500 sqft. The house is bigger but I asked her not to clean certain rooms.

That is a lot for bimonthly!!!
I thought we paid more than everyone we knew since we went with a licensed, bonded, insured company.
Ours was $120 every two weeks or $170 every 4 weeks (the rates went up a couple of dollars recently). Close to the same size house.

 

[snapppyd]

Thank you for all your responses. I think it's more $ because it's a "first time" cleaning.

As for trust, we have know her husband for 15 years and have no qualms about her character.

This is our "country" house, so no valuables to worry about anyway. We don't keep cash or jewelry in this house.

I have booked her for later this month, I'll let you know how it goes. Thx again for answering.

 

[Meriweather]

I have thought about it.....can't do it. As some others have mentioned, having someone in my house wouldn't work for me.
And I would need to clean before the cleaning person comes.

DS has one.....but they both work full time and have 2 little children, not sure what he pays. 5000 sf with 6 bedrooms and 4 baths.

 

[tcufrog]

I started having a cleaning service when I was pregnant with my first child and developed contact dermatitis and chemical sensitivity. After that, I tried all natural cleaners and those wouldn't get certain areas of the home clean enough. That's when I first hired a cleaning service.