OT Anyone clean houses for extra money?

[thegreggersmom]

Hi. I'm a single mom looking to make a career change. Has anyone here everyone cleaned houses for additional income? I am looking for the good, the bad, and any other details you might want to share. Thx!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I retired from a major telecommunications company last year and now I clean houses for a local builder. I only clean the houses that are completed and just waiting for someone to buy them. I clean the hardwood floors, vacuum, clean countertops, bathrooms, and knock down any existing cobwebs. I do an average of about 60 "cleans" per month for a set price. It is not a bad job at all - heck the houses are not occupied and are kept locked unless the agents show them to a prospective buyer.

 

[thegreggersmom]

That sounds like a great gig! Are you staying busy even with the economy? Would think home building has slowed down a bit...

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I have been working for the same builder for 1 1/2 years now. He has homes in several different sub-divisions in the metro area and they vary greatly in price range. At first I was cleaning every home every week and when the economy slowed down we reduced the cleaning to bi-weekly. But even with that I still have plenty to do. I average working 2-3 days a week. I don't need any benefits ( I have them from where I retired) so I am just a contracted employee. I have cleaned some of the homes that people were living in when something had to be repaired under the homeowners warranty - but I didn't like being in someone's home.