Ever thought about hiring a cleaning service to save you the time and effort of doing it yourself, but wondered if you could afford it? It may not be as expensive as you think depending on what options you go with!
The Complete Pricing Guide To Hiring A Cleaning Service
In this guide, we’ll go over the types of options you have when hiring a maid, what the pricing and costs are, and what variables affect the price which are some things to consider in advance.
Below we’ve put together a list of the most common factors affecting the price of cleaning services.
How Much Does a Live-In Maid Or Full Time Maid Cost?
If you choose to go down the route of hiring a live-in maid or your own full time maid as opposed to hiring a cleaning service, the costs are significantly different.
- Live-in Maids: If you choose to hire a maid that lives with you, they also tend to offer the most services and job duties from babysitting, cooking, cleaning,errands, grocery shopping you name it. But the average cost of a live-in maid is $25,000-50,000 on average per year. This is similar to having your own employee. The downsides is you’re responsible to withhold taxes, any damages done by the cleaner, follow state rules for employers, and provide workman compensation. It also comes with having to house and have someone else live with you depending on how comfortable you may be with that idea.
- Full time maids: Similar to the “Live-in maids”, a full time maid’s job & scope of work is much more extensive. They can also help with cooking, errands,cleaning, babysitting & much more. The only difference is they work off an 8 hour work schedule & at the end of the work day, go back to their home. The average cost would be $1,500-3,000/month depending your state.Again the same rules apply for hiring and managing an employee to provide workman’s compensation in case they get injured, follow employer state laws & withhold taxes.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Cleaning Company?
A better alternative for most people is hiring a professional cleaning service or cleaning company to clean instead of hiring their own full time maid. It’s usually much more affordable and you won’t have to worry
The average cleaning service or company on average costs the average home between $100-300. Cleaning services & cleaning companies are usually only limited to cleaning services and unlike hiring your own full time maid, they usually won’t be able to offer you with babysitting or other chores around the house aside from cleaning.
When hiring a cleaning service you usually have 2 options.
You can either hire an Independent cleaner or you can hire an Agency/ Cleaning Company. Both have their pros & cons & affects the price as well.
Independent Cleaners vs Cleaning Companies
Probably the biggest factor affecting the price of your cleaning services will be whether you decide to book with an independent contractor or go with an established professional cleaning company. Self-employed cleaners are often willing to negotiate their fees, so in general you’ll be able to pay a bit less if you decide to book with them. With that said, there are a number of benefits provided by larger cleaning companies that individual cleaners are unable to offer, such as more security, a premium customer experience, and sometimes even a satisfaction guarantee.
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- Independent contractors/cleaners: Self employed cleaners normally charge between $20-40/hour on average per cleaner.
- Cleaning Companies/agencies: Cleaning companies normally charge between $30-60/hour on average per cleaner.
Cleaning companies on average cost more for a good reasons as compared to hiring an independent contractor.
Security
The biggest benefit to hiring an established company is that you will be able to have more peace of mind over the security of your home and your belongings. For one thing, these companies will be licensed, bonded, and insured, offering extra protection against theft or damage. In addition, most companies vet their cleaners thoroughly, requiring them to pass a background check before employment. Knowing that your company is sending only the best cleaners to your home when you’re away will allow you to hand over the keys with confidence.
Premium Customer Experience
In comparison to independent contractors, cleaning agencies are generally able to provide a higher level of customer service to their clients. For example, they usually have a professionally developed website with sections like FAQs and reviews, so you can rest assured that you are making a good choice in booking with them. They may even allow for easy online bookings to take the hassle out of scheduling your cleaning. Or, if for some reason your scheduled cleaner is unable to make it, a cleaning company will be able to send someone else in their place so that your home does not go uncleaned.
Satisfaction Guarantee
Occasionally, cleaning companies will offer some sort of guarantee that you will be satisfied with their cleaning services, something that most independent contractors do not provide. Here at Maids 2 Match, we offer a 200% guarantee on all cleaning services. That means that if you’re not happy with your cleaning, we will come out and re-clean (within a 7 day window). And if you still don’t think we did a good enough job to recommend us to your friends, we’ll refund your money. There is unlikely to be any such satisfaction guarantee when you book with a self-employed cleaner.
What Are The Other Factors That Affect Maid Service Pricing & Costs?
Regardless of whether you choose to go with an independent maid or a larger company, there are several other factors that will affect the price of your cleaning services. Things such as the type of pricing you choose to go with, the type of service you book, how often you need services, if you require any special tasks, and even whether the cleaning products are provided can all impact the price of your house cleaning. Understanding these factors will allow you to make a more informed decision when booking the cleaning service that is best for you.
The Two Types Of Pricing Methods In The Cleaning World
When hiring a cleaning company you may notice they usually present you with either of these pricings. Some cleaning services offer their rates by the hour while some offer you a flat rate pricing and still others will present you both options.
Flat Rate Pricing
Flat rate pricing as it sounds is an upfront price, which is based on the number of rooms in your house or the sqft of your home. Many companies will ask you for the total number of bedrooms and bathrooms to get an idea of how large your home is, but some companies will also ask the total square footage of your home. The larger your home, the higher the rate will be because it will take the cleaners longer to clean everything to a high standard
Flat Rate Pricings almost always come with some form of standardized cleaning checklist that cover all the bases of the home.
The benefit of flat rate pricing is that you will always know exactly how much your cleaning will cost in advance. This option is less common among independent cleaners and more common with professional cleaning agencies.
Although you can usually add on extras to the cleaning checklist, the downside of flat rate cleaning is that you won’t be able to fully customize your cleaning if you want something completely outside of the checklist already provided.
Hourly Pricing
The other common way to determine pricing is to charge by the hour. Most independent contractors charge this way, but many larger companies offer it as an option as well. In this case, customers can either choose the number of hours they’d like, or they can sometimes wait to see how many hours the cleaner took and pay for the total time. Choosing the second option can sometimes lead to unpredictable costs if the cleaner takes longer than expected.
Still, this option is great for people who only need certain parts of their home cleaned, or for those who need help with organization and decluttering. It may also benefit people whose homes are in more severe condition or homes that are larger than average in size because flat-rate options may not be able to quote the home accurately.
The Types Of Services Offered By Cleaning Companies
There are a number of different services available in the cleaning world, all of which include different tasks and therefore have different rates. Generally speaking, the more difficult the task, the more you will have to pay.
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- Deep cleaning services are often recommended for first-time customers because they allow extra time to tackle neglected areas which may have a buildup of grime, such as in the showers and tubs, behind toilets, or some areas of the kitchen. Some companies even offer heavy duty cleaning services, which go a step further and might include extra time for scrubbing and things like post-construction cleaning. These services tend to cost more than standard cleanings, but they are intended as a one-time service to get your home back to 100%.
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- Standard cleaning services usually include the basics of wiping down and sanitizing exterior surfaces and floors, dusting, and emptying bins. Your cleaning company will likely have a checklist of tasks which are included in a normal cleaning. These services are intended for regular maintenance and cost less than an initial deep clean because they take less time.
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- Move in/out cleaning service. This option would include all of the services of a standard cleaning, but would also take the time to address areas like inside the cabinets and drawers, inside the oven and refrigerator, baseboards, window ledges, and light switches. These are the kinds of areas that must be cleaned before moving in or out, but which are not usually needed for regular maintenance. Because these things take extra time, you can expect to pay more for these services.
Frequency of Service
Most companies adjust their rates based on how frequently you need your house cleaned. A one-time visit will cost more per service than if you choose to book recurring services. Common plans which are available are weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly services, all of which will offer a slightly different discount. The more frequently your house cleaner visits, the less work it will be to maintain the home, leading to a lower cost per service.
You can expect 10-20% off your regular one off cleaning when booking a recurring service with most cleaning companies.
Depending on the state of your home, the cleaning company may recommend a deep clean for your first service and standard cleanings thereafter.
Special Requests and Pets
One factor which may raise the cost of your cleaning services is whether you have any special requests that are not included in the service you have booked. Often, companies will have a list of tasks which are considered “add-ons,” such as cleaning inside the oven or refrigerator, or doing your laundry for you. Or, you might have your own request which is unique to your home, such as cleaning difficult-to-reach areas like a window over the front door or over stairs. If these requests will require special equipment or ladders, you should expect to pay more. You should also keep in mind that not all cleaners will be able to accommodate such requests.
If you have pets, you may also need to pay additional fees because pet hair can be time-consuming and difficult to remove. Furthermore, if your pets could pose a threat to the cleaning staff, then you may be asked to crate them or keep them in a room which will not require cleaning.
Cleaning Products
Another factor that may affect the price of your cleaning services is whether the cleaning products are provided as part of the service or whether you will need to purchase them yourself. Generally, cleaning companies will bring products and appliances such as vacuums with them, and many can even accommodate using green products if they are asked in advance. On the other hand, self-employed cleaners will usually expect to use the cleaning supplies that you provide yourself.
If you’re unsure whether you will need to provide your own cleaning tools and products, you can check your service agreement or simply ask the company you’re working with.
Ways to Save Money on Cleaning Services
If you decide you’re ready to book a cleaning service, you’ll definitely want to get the most bang for your buck. So with that in mind, we’ve put together a few ways that you might be able to save money on your next house cleaning.
New Customer Discounts
Many larger cleaning companies offer first-time customers a special discount so that they can feel confident in booking their services. Depending on the company, you might save a percentage of the total cost or a flat dollar amount, and this will often be redeemed by entering a special code into their website or mentioning the code when you call to book services. Keep in mind that independent cleaners generally do not offer such a discount.
Recurring Services
If you know that you need more than a one-time service, you will pay less per service if you enroll in a cleaning schedule as opposed to booking each service separately. As mentioned above, you can usually choose from weekly, bi-weekly, and even monthly cleaning programs, so there is always an option to fit your needs and budget.
Referral Programs
If your preferred cleaning company offers a referral program, then it can be a great way to both save money on future cleanings and share the money and time-saving benefits with others you care about. For example, Maids 2 Match offers a $25 discount on services whenever a friend books a cleaning through your referral ID, and you receive a $25 referral award to be applied toward a future service. That way, you can both enjoy more of your free time and your hard-earned money.
Making the Decision to Book a Cleaning Service
As you can see, there are many factors which go into the price of your cleaning services, and keeping these factors in mind will allow you to decide if such services are right for you. While it will always be cheaper for your to clean your own home, a cleaning service can offer outstanding value and save you precious time, allowing you to spend it doing things you actually enjoy.
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