Hiring housecleaners - precautions to take?
- Thread starter kitty nyc
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This depends on where you live. It usually runs at least $100 per visit or more here. It depends on the size of your home. They always come and give an estimate.ticklemethu said:Wow, this thread has opened new idea for me. I think I should consider getting some cleaners someday,soon!!
How much is it usually ?
Someone?
Another tip for anyone you employ, in whatever capacity, is not to get too friendly too fast - if you're "mates" then it can be hard to lay the law down when you need to. Professional distance is a good thing to keep until you've established whether you can trust the person over a long period of time, IMO.
Good luck!
Cx
Good luck!
Cx
I have cleaners come to the house every other week to clean the basics (bathrooms, bedrooms, floors, no windows). My first cleaning company was awful. They were always late or didn't come, they threw some of my items away. They broke a Mikasa Pink and White crystal glass on the dining room table. Ug. I was trying to help my people out. Now I went to a more mainstream cleaner. I couldn't be happier. I actually see the imprints in the carpet when they vacuum. Yay!
Old thread I know ....
I have broken down and decided to stop being cheap and have the service I was using maybe 4 times a year to come more regularly. I'm just tired of spending all my free time cleaning and with a new live-in boyfriend am trying to head off arguments of his lower standard of cleanliness that is driving me insane. With him contributing to the cost of it I figure what the heck am I still being cheap for. I don't think I will ever get to a point where I will be cool with them having a key and coming in on their own. In the past I had them come on Saturdays when I was home and I spent the time they were there putting clutter back where it belongs, going through piles of mail and papers, doing laundry etc. Now that I work from home some days I am having them come on those days while I am here.
I am wondering what other people pay for service? Many people I know do not use one so I don't have a good point of reference. I know a couple of people who use one person that does it on their own and is not affiliated with any larger company (legal status or not who knows) and they say they can get their townhomes which are typically 1300 to 1700 sq ft cleaned for $80 per cleaning and it takes about 8 hours or so for the one person to do. My service is a company who brings 4 ladies who take from 3 to 4 hours depending on how long it has been since my last cleaning and they are cleaning a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, half bath, stairs, 3 bedrooms (technically only 2 since I generally don't let them do my office and I am often working in there), master suite, master bath and full bath which all are about 2600 sq ft. They don't do the basement since it isn't finished yet. The charge is $150 per cleaning...sometimes it has been $175 when it is in bad shape. Does this sound reasonable? When I tell others they seem to think it is high. I'm in the DC metro area. What are others paying?
I have broken down and decided to stop being cheap and have the service I was using maybe 4 times a year to come more regularly. I'm just tired of spending all my free time cleaning and with a new live-in boyfriend am trying to head off arguments of his lower standard of cleanliness that is driving me insane. With him contributing to the cost of it I figure what the heck am I still being cheap for. I don't think I will ever get to a point where I will be cool with them having a key and coming in on their own. In the past I had them come on Saturdays when I was home and I spent the time they were there putting clutter back where it belongs, going through piles of mail and papers, doing laundry etc. Now that I work from home some days I am having them come on those days while I am here.
I am wondering what other people pay for service? Many people I know do not use one so I don't have a good point of reference. I know a couple of people who use one person that does it on their own and is not affiliated with any larger company (legal status or not who knows) and they say they can get their townhomes which are typically 1300 to 1700 sq ft cleaned for $80 per cleaning and it takes about 8 hours or so for the one person to do. My service is a company who brings 4 ladies who take from 3 to 4 hours depending on how long it has been since my last cleaning and they are cleaning a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, half bath, stairs, 3 bedrooms (technically only 2 since I generally don't let them do my office and I am often working in there), master suite, master bath and full bath which all are about 2600 sq ft. They don't do the basement since it isn't finished yet. The charge is $150 per cleaning...sometimes it has been $175 when it is in bad shape. Does this sound reasonable? When I tell others they seem to think it is high. I'm in the DC metro area. What are others paying?
i also use a bonded/insured cleaning company. i live in the atlanta northern suburbs. my house is 2 floors plus a finished basement: 6 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms. 6000sq feet. they come once a month for $187. they clean all 3 floors: some are carpeted, some are hardwood. baths are ceramic tile. they come once a month since the 2 boys are away at college. i have used this same company in NY and PA . i like the team approach - takes 2-2 1/2 hours.: a single housekeeper would take all day. each cleaner does specific duties. never had a problem with them using my garage keypad code- i leave when they come tho. don't want to get in their way! good luck. your price sounds reasonable for the DC area. i have used this company for 20 years - worth every penny!
BlkLadyLaw -- I had to smile when I saw that your BF has a "lower standard of cleanliness." This is exactly my situation with my DH. We finally decided to have someone come in and do heavy cleaning once a month. We can deal with weekly vacuuming and keeping the kitchen clean on our own.
The woman we hired we were referred to through a friend and she's independent -- she doesn't work with a firm.
Our housekeeper charges $20/hour and when she cleaned last week she took almost 4 hours. When she comes again in a month, it may take less than that because the first time is always the longest.
We don't have a very big place, it's a 2-bedroom 2-bath. I don't know the square footage but I know it's less than 1000 square feet.
I'm not too comfortable having a stranger in our place when we're not there, so I have her come on Sunday mornings, when we're both there and just chilling out.
The woman we hired we were referred to through a friend and she's independent -- she doesn't work with a firm.
Our housekeeper charges $20/hour and when she cleaned last week she took almost 4 hours. When she comes again in a month, it may take less than that because the first time is always the longest.
We don't have a very big place, it's a 2-bedroom 2-bath. I don't know the square footage but I know it's less than 1000 square feet.
I'm not too comfortable having a stranger in our place when we're not there, so I have her come on Sunday mornings, when we're both there and just chilling out.
Thanks for the tips everyone! I have used them for about 2 years now..albeit sporadically. That is my hesitation in looking elsewhere for cheaper service because I trust them and am used to them. I forgot to mention they are licensed and bonded as well. I also have a dog and a cat and major pet hair shedding issues which only exacerbate my need for cleaning help.
I was chatting with the owner when he dropped them off last week and I mentioned the boyfriend had moved in and he said that was the same issue with him and his wife. He wanted to go play golf when she was wanting him to help clean and were having major arguments over it so they made the compromise to get a service and that is when he decided to start his own service once he retired from the military. I will never understand how a clothes hamper can be right there and all his clothes end up on the floor! And thank goodness I have enough bathrooms for him to have his own because sharing a toilet is out of the question!
I see why married people highly recommend separate bathrooms. To avoid being the nag and 'mother', this will help tremendously.
I was chatting with the owner when he dropped them off last week and I mentioned the boyfriend had moved in and he said that was the same issue with him and his wife. He wanted to go play golf when she was wanting him to help clean and were having major arguments over it so they made the compromise to get a service and that is when he decided to start his own service once he retired from the military. I will never understand how a clothes hamper can be right there and all his clothes end up on the floor! And thank goodness I have enough bathrooms for him to have his own because sharing a toilet is out of the question!
I see why married people highly recommend separate bathrooms. To avoid being the nag and 'mother', this will help tremendously.LOL - that's why i retained the cleaning service years ago - with 3 males in the house: a hubbie and 2 boys! saved lots of squabbling. i always made a point in each state to get to know the owner of the franchise so we would have a good working relationship. trust is the most important thing in this kind of business. and there is a special note to the team on my customer card not to let my precious cat outside.
I would suggest asking your co-workers or the co-workers of your SO for references. My last 2 housekeepers both worked for friends before they worked for me.
The advantage is competitive pricing and trustworthiness. My last housekeeper had worked for my co-worker for 3 years when I hired her. She worked for me for 3 years until I got engaged and moved to the burbs. She was a dream come true!!!!! Still miss her sometimes.
My current housekeepper has worked for my fiance's co-worker for 15+ years!!! I trust her with everything!!! And she is really good at her job too.
The advantage is competitive pricing and trustworthiness. My last housekeeper had worked for my co-worker for 3 years when I hired her. She worked for me for 3 years until I got engaged and moved to the burbs. She was a dream come true!!!!! Still miss her sometimes.
My current housekeepper has worked for my fiance's co-worker for 15+ years!!! I trust her with everything!!! And she is really good at her job too.
I would say $10/hr is fantastic. But I want to know why they are taking 8 hours to clean a place of that size. That is not huge at least by NYC standards. When I lived in a house that was 7000 sf, 3 people cleaned it in 4 hours @ 20 per person/per hour. I had them come twice a week. Now I am in an apartment and I pay $15 per hour.
If you have them come once a week, they won't have to be there 8 hours at a time. Plus when I lived in a house, I only made them do a thorough cleaning once a month...meaning they would only do the upstairs (guestrooms) once a month (unless someone was staying with me) instead of everytime they came.
Also, I think its best to get someone to recommend to you. If you go to one of your friends homes, ask them who they use.
I was chatting with the owner when he dropped them off last week and I mentioned the boyfriend had moved in and he said that was the same issue with him and his wife. He wanted to go play golf when she was wanting him to help clean and were having major arguments over it so they made the compromise to get a service and that is when he decided to start his own service once he retired from the military. I will never understand how a clothes hamper can be right there and all his clothes end up on the floor! And thank goodness I have enough bathrooms for him to have his own because sharing a toilet is out of the question!
ITA!!! I moved into a larger apartment when I started seeing my SO because I could not deal with sharing a bathroom. And we never even lived together there. lol
As far as arguments over cleaning. It is so worth it to hire a service. There is no point in arguing over an issue that can be rendered moot for $80. If only all my problems were so easily solved....