How Much Does House Cleaning Cost?

RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By ItsMe (Guest Post) (10/12/2008) I am planning to start my own small housecleaning business in rural SW Virginia. Any advice? I'm not sure what to charge.. Or, how to decide what to charge? What are the basic things a house cleaner does? I was thinking; Dusting, general tidying/straightening/making beds, sweep/vacuum, disinfecting, emptying trash cans. Does that sound about right? Then, I figure, other tasks can be done upon request. Such as laundry, dishes, cleaning out refrigerator/oven, closets, that sort of thing. How much extra would I charge for these tasks? Is housecleaning usually done while the family is at home, or while they are away at work, was is customary? Report Spam or Abuse Experience in Housecleaning Post By Jenny (Guest Post) (09/06/2008) 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! Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By (Guest Post) (08/12/2008) I clean a house for ten dollars a hour once a week. Is it worth it? Should I charge more? Report Spam or Abuse Cleaning a house for a elderly women ? first time Post By Kathy (Guest Post) (08/07/2008) She is a older women (80's). Husband is in a Nursing Home. They were farmers. Have two children. Her son has the farm. He built a ranch style home for them. Daughter takes her places,run errands for her. The daughter works. The lady has grandchildren. She a very nice lady. I work in a Hospital as a housekeeping aide-2nd shift-part-time. This is my first time doing this. And her hers too! I need some advice? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does office Cleaning Cost? Post By barbara (Guest Post) (07/28/2008) How Much Does office Cleaning Cost? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By (Guest Post) (07/25/2008) I think that is not enough for anything above a one bedroom. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By susan (Guest Post) (07/24/2008) 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. h 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 ft apt with 1 br, 1 bath.No carpets. I charge $65 and it takes about 2 hrs 20 min. I do it every two wks. 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 wks 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 wk 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. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Gail (Guest Post) (07/19/2008) I am starting my own Cleaning Business and I want to make sure I am not asking to much. Can you give me an Idea of how much I should charge For two People? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Laura (Guest Post) (07/15/2008) I live in New York and I am going to start cleaning a house that is 4500 to 5000 sq. ft. How much should I charge? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By (Guest Post) (07/09/2008) I want to open a business and I have my first customer he wants me to clean his home its a 3 bd 3bth, he wants me to dust all the house its a 3200 sq. ft and 5 25ft windows. how much should I charge? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much I can charge for a movin in/out celaning? Post by eduardomarkan (1) | (06/25/2008) Profile | Contact I am starting a cleaning business. I want to now how much i can charge for cleaning house, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Also I can charge for a mivin in/out clean? Report Spam or Abuse How Much cost a movin in /out Cleaning ? Post By Ricard (Guest Post) (06/25/2008) I am starting a cleaning business. I want to now how much i can charge for a moving in/out clean? I read about 10 dollars for room or 20 dollars an hour? Help me here. What should I charge? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By (Guest Post) (04/15/2008) I own my own business and I charge roughly ten dollars a room (not to include hallways they are free). If the house is particulalry dirty nad I am doing baseboards and glass, etc I charge an extra $10 ontop 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. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By steph (Guest Post) (03/15/2008) I am looking to start cleaning houses in southern illinois and i would like to know the best inexspensive way to get started and how much to charge. Report Spam or Abuse You all are underpaid! Post By tammera (Guest Post) (03/10/2008) Ladies, $10/room is fair. Nothing less, if you are working for someone who can afford it. Most people who ask for your service can afford $10/room. Also, target the wealthier clients, if possible. They pay better and nice Christmas presents If you are helping an elder or disabled person, resgister for medicaid helper pay. Every minute is payable. Cooking, cleaning, bathing, washing clothes, running errands. I am not sure what it is called, but if someone needs your help, you can get paid for it by the state. Check with your local Department of Human or Family Services, Assisted living facility or neighbors. Get paid for what you do, and do what you get paid for. Report Spam or Abuse i want to start my own business i will like someone to tell Post By damaris torres (Guest Post) (02/23/2008) I will like to start my own business in the cleaning department. I will like to know what do I need, I know I need, insurance and license. But I really need to know how to start from the ground up. Any help I need please tell me. My e-mail address is d.torres.2008 AT hotmail.com . Any one who can help me I will really appreciate. Things are not good in this economy. Thank you. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Tonya (Guest Post) (01/15/2008) I am thinking of starting a cleaning business in Indiana on my own and I wanted to know how much to charge per sq. foot or weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly rates! These different prices are overwhelming. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Re: Cindie Post by Ariela (218) | (12/28/2007) Profile | Contact As far as the taxs etc goes.. I think these days we work for less and learn to make do. So many are cutting back... including those who want/need housekeepers. Iv been cleaning for 28 yrs and so many have cut back my hours or frequency of cleaning. Some have even dropped me that I have clean for, for over 20 yrs. So I have offered to take a pay cut for some.. it helps them and me. Mostly I work for senior citizens, with all the medicare and medication costs.. its hard for them. I now took a full time position at an assisted living community (cleaning) and still work my private jobs on days off. A friend charges $10 a room to clean. If I charged that much I would have lost my jobs long ago. Life is tough. Lower wages is better than no job. At least for me. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Cindie (Guest Post) (12/27/2007) I clean houses, but I am wondering if the other people in the questions and feedback portions are paying taxes. I charge $25 - $39 dollars and hour, and I also pay all taxes to run a business, therefor I am wondering how anyone that runs a legitimate business, pays taxes and insurance can work for $11 an hour! Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Rachel (Guest Post) (10/10/2007) I think $20 is really fair. I did housecleaning before and I never got paid for the work I did. And I did every job myself. So that's about $400 or $500 I never got. But of course all that money went for rent. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Judy (Guest Post) (10/02/2007) I want to hire a girl to help with the houses I clean. What should I pay her? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Leah (Guest Post) (09/15/2007) What should I charge to clean at 1450 square foot townhome witth 2 bedroom 2 1/2 baths, living room, kitchen. The first floor is cermanic tile? Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Tabetha (Guest Post) (09/12/2007) I will be cleaning a house 2200 square feet three times a week. What should I charge? I live in Florida. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Jacq (Guest Post) (09/04/2007) 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. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much should I tip a House Cleaner Post By Guest (Guest Post) (02/12/2007) Hi everyone, I just contracted a local service agency to clean my 2bd, 2 bath apartment every other week, for $55 each time (it's 2 women for 2 hours, so it comes out to a little over $11 per person per hour) I already paid for the service in advance on my credit card, my question is -- how much should I tip the maids themselves? I assume I should give them a little cash, -- Maybe $5 each = $10 total, for a tip of just under 20%? Or, is it assumed that for a service like this, the tip is already included? Thanks! Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Happycamper in Delaware (Guest Post) (02/08/2007) 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. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Wanda Rogers (Guest Post) (01/16/2007) I use to clean house for a lady and she paid me $10.00 an hour for 3 hours three days a week, that was by myself. I also hired spring help for my own home one tijme, and the lady was supposed to have a helper in which she did not have. she charged me $20.00 an hour for three hours with me helping her. i felt that was very unfair. I think if you charge $10.00 an hour for 3 hours, that is more approipate. If you do have a helper and the work is very through, With out asking for help from the person who hired you, $20.00 is fair as You both would need a fair wage. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Michie (Guest Post) (01/15/2007) I live in central NJ and my cleaning girls charge $70.00 and it takes them 4 to 5 hours and I use them once a month. The only down side is it is a different girl each month and some are better then others. If it takes closer to five hours I always tip them. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Robin (Guest Post) (01/15/2007) 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. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Karen (Guest Post) (01/15/2007) I have my own independant housecleaning business and I charge $20.00 per hour. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By kelly (Guest Post) (01/15/2007) I live in Alaska and recently hired a house cleaner to help me out when my work schedule became overwhelming. She charged me $75 to come in and clean, if it took 2 hrs, 4 hrs, whatever.. same price. I felt it was a small price to pay for the luxury of a clean house. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post by Ariela (218) | (01/14/2007) Profile | Contact I agree with #1karen do you want a "House keeper" or a "House Cleaner" there is a difference. A House Keeper will do a deeper cleaning and keep it up year round. Because its her sole responsibility. A House Keeper will do basic things but keep it up with the help of the home owner. I have been cleaning houses for 28 yrs. I more or less teach my clients to help me help them. I tell them the more you do for yourself the more I can do for you. That enables me to do deep cleaning and keep up the house yr round. Because they help me keep surface things done. Make sense? My clients think so. And they appreciate me a lot. If they fail to help out I get behind and they notice.. but they don't complain. They just pitch in again,.. and teach the family to hold up their end too. The things I don't do are.. I dont make beds, do dishes or do laundry, I'm not a maid. Any thing else I don't mind. As far as price..... I don't know where the ones live who make $25 an hr. If they work for a business or live in a large city, I guess that makes a difference. I work on my own and I make $11 an hr. I love what I do and my clients appreciate me.. and no they don't take advantage of me. I still have the very 1st cleaning job I ever had. I am loyal honest and dependable. And I don't raise prices often, they are good to me and give me bonuses. I love my job. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post by #1Karen (5) | (01/14/2007) Profile | Contact 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 & disinfect the whole house. Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By (Guest Post) (01/13/2007) I own a cleaning service. You asked about twice weekly prices....we do our schedule weekly, bi-weekly (every 2 weeks) and monthly. For a 4 bedroom home the prices would be: Weekly-$90 Bi-weekly-$120 Monthly-$150 Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By edieparks (Guest Post) (01/13/2007) I live in western Ky and my excellent housekeeper was up to $11 an hour. It took her 5 hours to clean and twice a year I gave her a bonus of double pay. Every year I gave her a 5% raise. She was really good and I wanted to keep her. She cleaned every 2 weeks for me. She had to quit due to family . I miss her. edie Report Spam or Abuse RE: How Much Does House Cleaning Cost? Post By Jess (Guest Post) (01/12/2007) 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. Report Spam or Abuse