If you have someone come in twice a week to clean your home, what do you pay for for 2, 3, and 4 bedroom house?
And how many people and how long does it take them? I am starting my own business and not sure of how to charge.
Is $20 per hour fair? I do provide excellent service and live in central NJ.
Thanks,
Kim from Howell
I live in Indiana. I had my house cleaned a year ago when I was ill and we were selling our house. It took her
about 4 hours and she charged $100. So $25 an hour? She cleaned everything top to bottom. She did a very good job,
the bathrooms were spotless and she moped, swept, and dusted everything (even the baseboards). She did have one
other person to help her. (01/12/2007)
By Jess
First you will need to decide if you will be a "housekeeper" or a "house cleaner". There is a big difference in
the two. As a house cleaner, I don't make beds, wash dishes, etc. We basically dust, mop, vacuum, and disinfect
the whole house. (01/14/2007)
By Karen
I have my own independent housecleaning business and I charge $20.00 per hour. (01/15/2007)
By Karen
Wow! I have read all the feedback up to my post and I am amazed at the price differences. I think that
geographical location has a lot to do with how much you can make. I live in Iowa and I charge by the house, not by
the hour. I have found that you can clean a house faster when you get into a routine so the first couple of times
you do a new house is not really a fair estimate of what you will make hourly so it's really better to charge some
other way. That way, not only do you know what you will make every time, but the homeowner knows as well. I make
anywhere from $30-$50 per house, depending on the size of the house as well as the amount of work at each house.
Just because a house is small does not mean that it will not be a lot of work. I do plan to raise my rates soon.
(01/15/2007)
By Robin
We've had the same cleaning lady since 1999. She cleans 8 rooms twice a month for $90.00 each time. It takes her
4-5 hours. She is does excellent work and is honest. We furnish all the supplies and the vacuum cleaner. In
starting your own business, you may want to adjust your fee if you furnish your supplies and vacuum cleaner. If
we're on vacation and she does not come, we don't pay. (02/08/2007)
By Happycamper in DE
I provide house keeping services in Northwestern Ohio and I charge $20/hr. Most franchises and big companies
around here charge $30/hr per cleaning person. (09/04/2007)
By Jacq
I own my own business and I charge roughly ten dollars a room (not to include hallways they are free). If the
house is particularly dirty and I am doing baseboards and glass, etc. I charge an extra $10 on top of that.
Example:
2 bed, 2 bath, 2 living room house = $60. Especially deep cleaning, $70. If I come every week I drop that to $50.
(04/15/2008)
I started a cleaning business a few years ago and have learned a lot. Don't charge by the hour. Establish with
your clients the tasks you'll perform regularly each visit. Look over the home carefully taking notes when you
come to talk with them and give an estimate.
Ask a lot of questions about normal use of rooms, kitchen appliances, bathrooms, etc. and try to understand
what their concerns and priorities are. Then, don't give an on-the-spot quote, but offer to call them the next day
after you have time to figure out how much time and effort it will require.
I do base that on an unrevealed to clients rate of from $20 to $35 hourly depending on whether light (dusting,
wiping) or heavy (involving scrubbing, etc.) and upon whether they are casual or fussy about how clean they want
things.
I also consider how close they are to my other clients of the day. Important point, time is money, try to have
your day's customers less than 10 minutes travel apart!
Then call the next day to come to a verbal agreement, schedule them, arrange to give references, get keys, etc.
Yes, you need to establish who is going to supply what and whose equipment you'll use. It is much easier for me
to bring all my own things. I know I'll always have what I need and I know how each product works. You should also
give them a separate rate for extra tasks they might like done from time to time like cleaning oven or fridge.
Lastly, specify you are to be paid at the time of service. And, um, if they pay cash that can be better for you at
tax time (the self-employed pay double FICA).
For some examples of what I charge : clients #1, Older couple who cook a lot, but don't make much mess and
don't have much clutter. A large, maybe 1000 sq. foot apt with 1 bedroom, 1 bath, and no carpets. I charge $65 and it
takes about 2 hrs 20 min. I do it every two weeks.
Clients #2, Retired couple who cook and entertain, but never get things dirty. They have a 1200 foot house with
2 br (only lightly dust and vac one that isn't used), 2 baths (don't clean one unused shower). Two floors,
carpets, many bookcases. I charge them $80 and it takes a little more than 3 hrs and I clean every two weeks.
Client #3, Single woman who cooks little. No clutter. 1500 sq ft apt with 1 bath. I clean the (clean!) kitchen
and the clean bathroom, dust, vacuum, mop two floors. I charge her $50 and clean each week for about 1 hr 50 min.
Also consider using nontoxic, environmentally-friendly products whenever possible. You'll have to experiment
with products to find those that are best, but remember you are going to be inhaling and touching the stuff all
day; protect your health!
Hope that all this answers some of your questions. (07/24/2008)
By Susan
I have been doing the housecleaning biz for a few years. I agree that charging by the house is the way to go. I
also agree that just because a house is small doesn't mean it's not a big job. It depends on the size of the
house, the contents and how many rooms are actually used. I think some people don't realize if there are 2
cleaning people for 4 hours they are getting 8 hours of work not 4. Also the more you do a house the quicker you
get. I've had people ask me how I can accomplish so much in 3-4 hours, they don't realize when you're there to
clean you clean, where-as if it's them cleaning their own house they will talk on the phone, chat with company,
watch TV, etc. Anyway no complaints! (09/06/2008)
By Jenny
I heard in my area that 35$ to 40$ an hour was basic pay. I know that you get what you pay for, and I wouldn't
want to get on my hands and knees for any less. Cleaning is hard work. (12/14/2008)
By Petuna
I am, at this very moment, trying my first cleaning service. They sent two ladies over to clean my 3400 sq. ft.
home at a rate of $36 per hour, per lady ($72 per hour for both). They've been here for three hours and are still
upstairs so it may take about 6 hours to complete the job. These are rates in Raleigh, NC. (01/16/2009)
By Vicky
I clean houses in SE Arizona. I charge $50 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house. I dust, vacuum, mop, and change sheets in
one bedroom. Every extra room is $10. (02/04/2009)
By Bonnie
I live in south Jersey and the I charge by how much time I can clean the house and by square feet. The average
person can clean a house that is 1600 square feet in 3 hours if they know what their doing. So for a 1600 square
foot home I would charge around 93 dollars, if I had to pay for gas, chemicals, and taxes. When I estimate by
doing a walk through it usually comes pretty close to the same price. The first time I usually charge about double,
$173. (03/01/2009)
By John
It depends on where you live, but in the Lehigh Valley in PA a cleaner should make between $30 and $40 an hour,
that is of course if they do a great job, which if you're in the cleaning business you better do a great job! I
would think no matter where you are in the US a cleaner should never make less than $15 per hour, and that's low.
(07/21/2009)
By martha
I clean houses in the Seattle area, which is a high income area like New York and LA. I charge $30 an hour. I
have an excellent reputation, and often have to turn down work. The average for this area is $25 an hour. I have
a 4 hour minimum. It is hard to do strenuous work for longer than 5 hours, so it is not worth going out for less
than 4 hours. I don't clean houses over 3500 sq ft. That is a 2 person job. Nearly all houses can be cleaned in
4 to 5 hours. On a 1st clean I usually double my time, unless the house has been cleaned regularly. A move out
clean usually takes double the average time you are getting inside cabinets, etc. Some folks are very messy and
need to be rescued. For them I charge by the hour (they know who they are and rarely argue) Good luck! I have
loved this work. (07/23/2009)
By Lizzyanny
I have a cleaning service here in Colo. Springs, CO and would like to help with your question on how much to
charge. The going rate is between $20 to $30 hour if you are alone cleaning, if you have someone that helps you
clean it starts around $48 and up. But another option instead of charging by the hour is charge by the room. You
may be a fast or slow cleaning, but charging by the room you can decide how much you make an hour. It also helps
customers customize what they want cleaned and stay in their budget, make sure you have a minimum price to start
with. Hope this helps! email me if you have some questions always glad to help. (09/13/2010)
By KC Cleaning
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