If any of you already have maid service, or have gotten prices for one, I am curious about what you pay, what they do, and if you are pleased and feel that it's worth the money.

Thanks to all that respond.

What you pay will depend on the cost of living in your area and the availability of those services.

No cleaning person is likely to do as good a job as I'd do but I also don't like spending my free time cleaning and I wouldn't do a better job every 2 weeks.

Check under Housecleaning Services, Maid & Butler Services or any other similar heading. You can't be sure where the company or person paying for the add may have asked to place it.

I am HIGHLY impressed with the level of service we were provided, and at $80 bimonthly it is a steal.

I am so jealous. My cleaning woman comes close but not that good. Does yours work in Tempe?

-Maureen

Robin, you got a good one too. I never had a house cleaner before, but Rosario and her team are like TiVo; I didn't know what I was missing until I got it!

Michelle

Cost was $95.00 for the service and if I had contracted the service monthly it would have been $70.00 a visit.

I was very dissapointed in the cleaning of the bathrooms. The cleaners they sprayed onthe shower fixtures was never rinsed off now was touched by a rag.

As of that day no more maid services for us.

I'm sure you may be able to find out if they hire cleaners.

Tina

We have a new Oriental rug and new hardwood floor in the dining room. they do not clean the dining room. I've seen them use a damp rag on my Kittinger furniture (nearly had a heart attack), and they will not get down on their hands and knees to clean a floor.

Saying that, you get what you pay for. We pay our cleaning ladies decently and I believe they do 80% of our weekly cleaning. They are honest, and that counts for an awful lot.

Co-workers tell me $100 is now a very good price for a half-day cleaner.

I do not know if it is standard, but I can understand the practice. The first time in is going to be the longest for the cleaners as they are unfamiliar with your home, they may be coming into a house that has not been cleaned regularly, etc., etc. After a while, they take less and less time. Things done weekly are not as dirty as items cleaned less often, so the work is faster. Also, the routine gets easier as the cleaning team becomes familiar with your home.

Some houses I just do the kitchen and baths. Other houses I do everything. Wash dishes, clothes and windows. Organize cupboards and closets. Clean out basements,garages, and attics. Blow leaves, weedwhack and pull weeds. Touchup paint woodwork. I like to organize stuff.

First time cleans can take longer because most people dont clean like I do. After I get it really clean then the weekly cleans are just maintenance. After that each time I clean I do a "project".

In NYC, I pay $12.00 per hour and the cleaning woman comes in 5 days for a couple of hours. She flies in and out.

In CT, we pay $75 per week for about 5 hours. We are in a small town and not many people want to clean.

In neither situation are they particularly good cleaners, that is, I find dust balls under furniture, soap film on shower walls, items put in wrong places, and on and on ad nauseum. Loyal, yes, project oriented yes, basics, not so much.

But, do I want to do it all? A resounding NO!

(Hi Linda C!)

Bubbe

She was very nice, but on the first visit she came in vacuumed, clean one bathroom and mopped the kitchen floor and bathroom floor and was done in 2 hours and charged us $65...our home is a little over 2000sf. Two rooms were "under remodeling" at the time and she didn't do anything in them...:-\

She ended up making more money per hour than I do...and DH threw a fit and said he'd do it instead...lol...he did it twice and I paid him the $65 twice and that's the last I've heard about it...no more maid...no more hubby cleaning... argh!!

I'm back to the drawing board again....LOL

MsLadybyte

She does most everything. Changes bed linens and tosses them in the wash. Doesn't really "do" the laundry, but ddoes keep the washer/dryer going with the bedding while here and tosses in all her cleaning rages before she leaves. I supply everything she uses. Shes's here about 4-5 hours in total. She asked for $80 to start with and I've bumped her up to $110... still a great deal as the one I tossed out prior to her would stay for about 2 hours and wanted $125 to do a p-poor job.

My theory is to pay them more than they ask for,not tons more, but a bit more, and make them feel appreciated... and they will do most anything for you! She has offered to clean my house for free for each referal she gets hired at. Shes taken on three of my neighbors, but I don't feel I can have her work for a day for me without paying her,.s o I have still paid her even when seh's said not to for these three. Same theory... keep her happy, she's worth keeping around as long as I can. She's Brazailian and plans to move back soon, but has promised to get me a friend of hers who will take over and do as good of a job... I hope she does...

Please keep your quote in mind as I reply. Go about it in another order...say you clean the dirty, sometimes absolutely filthy homes of other people, five days a week, eight to ten hours a day. Now, what would you charge to clean your home?

Just another way of looking at it!

Esclipse

Going rate where I live is $50-$65/hour PER PERSON. If the cleaning crew is two people, that's $100 hour or more. And, you don't always get what you pay for. I paid a girl $125 for a first cleaning, and she said she doesn't move rugs, she doesn't move knick-knacks, she doesn't clean blinds. I said, what DO you do? How on earth can you clean your floors without moving throw rugs? I've never heard of anything so absurd in my life.

The first time they cleaned, they did a decent job except that they drained all dirty water in my bathtub which we later had to snake out because they plugged it up. They left soot at the bottom of my tub and never told me. Of course, I had to move all the throw rugs and clean there myself. They never polished my dining room table. How ridiculous. She told me they'd be there 3 hours and they were there for an hour and a half. That calculates to over $80/hour.

Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone that cleans as good as I do.

Best advice I can give is go by word of mouth, never hire out of the yellow pages. You never know what you are going to get, and anyone off the street can qualify for a cleaning job provided you don't mind cleaning. I'm not knocking anyone who does this for a living, it's hard work, and I do think that any person getting paid for cleaning deserves far more than $12.50/hour. I think that's insulting to pay so little for such back breaking work. I wouldn't mind paying the extra money for someone who can do a thorough cleaning.

I have a cleaning service and to those of you who pay $10 or $12.50 per hour should be ashamed of yourselves. This is hard work!!! 30 years ago I worked for a service in Highland Park Il and the fee was $38 per hour times 2. We, as cleaners, were paid $7.50. That was 30 years ago! They only hired guys as the houses were way too big for 2 women. We had to haul in these commercial scubbing machines through the snow drifts. These people would just call a towing service instead of paying for a plow service. I hated it and quit. I have been cleaning for people since I was 9. I went off to school getting a Master's in French, sold Real Estate, and had a Hair Salon. I, was just, tired of the day to day and needed to be away from people. Cleaning house was something which gave me great staisfaction. It always has. I am now going to be 54 in June. I am $$$ and I don't care!
I, have walked into leaking toilets, ice dams, ice makers , where the thing was shot and the list goes on and on. When my clients return, the house is the same as when they left. I just pay to have everthing repaired so they can walk into the house as though they had never left. I even buy all of the food to re-stock the fridge when they arrive. How can U do anything more? Most of my people have at least 2 other homes. I have a 3 year waiting list and charge $250.00 to $400.00. They don't care, as I, know how to work the alarm and take care of everthing when they are at another house.

Just pay!

Steve

It's unfair to chastise people because their cleaners are not charging what some of you consider fair wages. I'm a business owner myself, and if I charged too much higher than my competition, I'd be out of business quickly; cleaning services are no different. My cleaning service charges what they charge. I'm happy to pay, and I understand what services are going to be performed within the allotted time. If I wanted higher levels of service, I'd be charged more (if I could find a service to meet those standards, which might be difficult.) In my area, a 2200-2500 sf house is usually about $70-75 biweekly.

I mostly just let her do her thing. Once in awhile i'll
leave her a note but not very often.
As for doing the laundry, i'd pay her not to do it.
She did the laundry once for me and my husband wasn't too
thrilled over his pink briefs. I do let her fold the clothes and put them away.

Her husband is an excellent carpenter and works for me
when I need a handyman. He will clean gutters and almost
anything I need him to do. His pay is $15 an hour but when
he was building my gazebo and summer kitchen my husband
gave him a $2 an hour raise because he is so good. We pay
him the same wage for everything.
We feel pretty lucky to have this couple working for us
and are satisfied with what we pay them.

There are a lot of hispanics here in this area that would
work for less but i'd rather stick with the people I have
had for the past 30 years. I wouldn't put them out of a
job just to save a few dollars. I would also trust them with my life.

I feel like I am being taken advantage of? What do you all think?

It doesn't seem that you are overpaying so much as you have an unprofessional cleaner. Maybe not in her results, but the multiple, off-site breaks are definitely out of the ordinary.

How many hours does she spend at your house (banking & Donut breaks here...) USPS says breaks every 2.5 hours max with supper break after 5 hours.

Reading your original post, you're paying $150 per week and she's letting pets in and out.. Is she there every day?

Bringing her kid is OK... You're probably not paying your share of taxes for her, so give her a break.

Also... not all cheap and good housekeepers are Latino. Check out recent European (i.e. First generation) Europeans. Lots in the area)

-------------------------------------------

You are being taken advantage of, you need to find someone that is more focused. Promise me that you will. Okay?

Regarding the other comments, I found it hard to ascertain what is an acceptable wage by area. So few of you chose to say what state you live in. I imagine that prices vary from west coast to east coast, by urban versus rural, etc.

I'd like to find someone to do maybe a couple hours every couple weeks. I don't want them doing laundry, but more to clean bathroom, kitchen floors and counters and maybe be doing some windows either a window or two each time or one time doing it as a project. I don't know a lot of people who have housekeepers so referrals aren't many. I too am skeptical of the "big box" cleaning firms.

One thing though, I'd rather not give a key. I don't have much for valuables or anything it's just that I'd feel more comfortable being there while they're working. Not to look over their shoulder but I don't like people in my house when I'm gone. (Been that way since a couple burglaries!) I also think it would give a chance to communicate better and get input from the cleaner on projects that need to be done. I would think good cleaners would be amenable to this. I'm in MN (Twin Cities area) and have no idea what rates would be fair.

We all need to take breaks, but there are ways for your cleaning woman to do this without costing you money. I do my best to schedule my cleaning jobs around the lunch hour; if I'm doing a job that will run into that time, I'll talk to my client about taking a lunch break off site, off the clock, and for a predetermined amount of time (I usually take thirty minutes).

Cleaning is hard work, and it's understandable that people need an occasional break during a long, hard job. However, there's a huge difference between making an investment of taking 5-10 minutes to eat an energy bar and drink some water so you'll do your job well, and taking fifteen minutes here and there to smoke cigarettes and go to the grocery store.

My guess is that your cleaning lady doesn't think you notice what she's doing and is trying to make it seem as though your house is so filthy that it takes all day long to clean, although I suppose it's equally possible that she's just a disorganized mess. My suggestion to you is as follows:

1. The next time she comes to your home to clean, make a point of timing when she's working and when she's taking a break (it sounds as though you may have done this already, but if your three-hour figure is just an estimate you should be sure to verify that).

2. Assess how much time she's spending doing each, and try to determine what you're paying her per hour of actual work based on your findings.

3. Schedule a time to sit down and talk to her about her behavior. Try to figure out what's going with her. Is she wildly disorganized, or is she scamming you? And if she's disorganized, is that the kind of person you want to have cleaning your home?

4. After you talk with her, decide whether she's worth your trouble. Assuming your figures are accurate, $50/hour for home cleaning is an astronomical price to pay, even if she's licensed/bonded/insured (is she?). I charge $18/hour, but once I'm licensed/bonded/insured I'll charge a couple of dollars more per hour. I have no cost complaints from my clients, and I am very firm about what I charge. I do great work, I bring my own cleaning products (which are more expensive than conventional ones), I am extremely knowledgeable about the type of work I do, and the cost of living in Boston is high so the price is expected.

People like your cleaning lady make me incredibly angry. As a couple of people have mentioned above, cleaning is very hard work. I green clean homes because I'm passionate about the environment, I love the work I do, and I enjoy helping people get organized. Unfortunately, your cleaning lady gives the rest of us a bad name.

Please God send me someone decent who will work for a reasonable wage........

Take care everyone!

Nanci

How much do you charge ( hourly or fixed rate)
How long have you been cleaning for.
Do you have references.
How long do you think it will take.
Do you use your own cleaning supplies and vacumn.
Are there certain things that you won't/don't clean.
What time of day can you start.
What type of cleaning supplies do you like to use.
Are you insured/bondable.
Whats your preferred method of pay ( cheque or cash )
Do you take breaks.

There are so many questions you can ask. Also appearance is very important, if the person looks sloppy then I would presume that that is how they cleaned as well.
Sit down the night before you have someone coming over to take a look at your house and write down anything that you think you should ask, concerns etc. Also decide if you would like her to use your own cleaning supplies and vacumn. I will use my own or theirs , it is up to them. As for a vacumn I do prefer to use theirs ( hygeine purposes )and will explain this to them.

As far as the comments about taking breaks above I agree that we all need breaks but it is also depending on the size of the job and the person. I myself do not take breaks in any 3-4 hour jobs I take on. I do smoke but I can surely go without a smoke for those type of hours and also don't want to be smelling of smoke while cleaning. If I ever did decide to take a break I would not expect to be paid for it. I am there doing you a service to which you are paying me hourly ( which is how I charge).
When you do get a cleaner, make sure you are home when she cleans the first few times so you can keep tabs on her habits of cleaning , ie if she does take breaks, if shes doddling or anything else that you may see that you don't care for , or even how she cleans certain things. I'm not saying to stand over her and watch her ever move but once in a while just ' check up ' on her. You can also specify how many hours you would like her to clean for so you can have a set rate each time. If you dont' care for what you see then find someone else that you can be happy with.

I hope this helped :-)

Also Nancii, how wonderful to have a friend and someone you know and trust that can help you out and I am sure it helps her as well to get paid for helping you! Does she work approx. 6 hours per week or is that for the total time during the two weeks?

I tip at Christmas usually doubling what I pay normally. Recently it went up to $120 for 4 hours 2 people. This is NOT a service... I WILL NOT use a cleaning company EVER again. I got ripped off ($135 for one person... 4 hours, 10 years ago) AND they stole from me. Turnover was dismal.

IMHO it is not a crime to pay someone $10 per hour for cleaning. It is, in many cases, money under the table. There are those who only get paid $15 at a skilled profession, working with metal, bent over a hot fire for hours exposed to metal filings and the health problems in later life.

Yes, cleaning is hard work, but most can turn their hand to it.

Good luck on finding the hands that do a good job and have pride in their work.

I'm planning on raising my rates because everyone is telling me that I don't charge enough. (Not my customers-- friends!) I was thinking charging $45-$50 for 2 1/2 hours. I use their products -- but they tell me what products to use where and how they want everything cleaned. I am NEVER late.

Do you think that those rates are fair? (I live in the midwest)

I was a restaurant manager, but got married and didn't want to work nights and weekends any longer. Before I started, I did some research, and found a website (sorry, I didn't keep it on file to post) that was devoted simply to people's complaints about their housekeepers.

The number one complaint was unreliability.

The number two complaint was that the person would start out really well, and then the service would deteriorate over time.

The first, I think, is due to something I've observed, and that is that two basic types of people start cleaning houses. People like me, who have other skills they could market but prefer this career for a variety of reasons, and people who are cleaning houses because they have a hard time holding down any other type of job because they have issues in their life or are simply irresponsible.

The second is sort of a human nature thing. Most housekeepers charge by the job. They'll bid your house at a certain price. The first few visits or so tend to be longer, because they are "catching up" with all the little things. Then the amount of time necessary to keep up tends to lessen. After that, it becomes really easy to put off the little detail things that need to be done every so often. Pretty soon, those little detail things aren't being done at all. Because, the faster you get done with a house the more houses you can fit in a day, or the earlier you can be done with your day and go home.

So, I charge by the hour. I charge $25, and I am a detail cleaner. I bid a house for the amount of time I think it will take me to dust, vacuum, clean floors, scour bathrooms, give the kitchen a wipe down, and then I add a little bit more time to do the things that don't need to be done every visit. Dusting ceiling fans, wiping baseboards, cleaning fridges, washing blinds etc. I tell my customers that they are paying me by the hour, so I don't care what I do as long as it is moral and legal! So if they want to push the vac around themselves one week and have me do some ironing or wash some windows instead, it's fine with me. Or they can pay me for extra time to do these things in addition to my normal routine.

If I find myself having to look for things to clean to fill the time, I renegotiate the amount of time I'll be there.

A bit of advice if you're thinking about hiring someone to clean your house...

If they insist that you not be home when they clean, don't hire them. You shouldn't be expected to trust someone you don't know right away.

I don't like services that send a different crew every week. Getting to know a house, and a client's habits are important to do a good job. And you have to figure that the workers a service provides are earning way less per hour than you are paying. Ask yourself how good a job you can expect anyone to do for $8 to $10 an hour. Anyhow, having someone poking through your belongings and into your nooks and crannies is a personal thing...a relationship is important.

Be specific with a new housekeeper about what you want done and what you don't want done, and don't hesitate to tell them (nicely) if they aren't doing something the way you like. It's your home after all! Also, if there is something you think they are missing when they clean. We're only human! I had one client who (after a year) diplomatically asked me to be sure and dust the small platform that ran between the legs of her dining room table. I can't imagine why I never noticed that it was there, but I hadn't.

Remember that lighting plays a part. I always try, when my schedule permits, to vary the time I clean a house, at least once in a great while. Different times of the day bring different lighting, and all of a sudden I'll see things that need cleaning that I never noticed before.

If you hire someone who charges by the hour, keep in mind that you will get the best value for your money if she's not spending your nickle to pick things up before she can dust or vacuum. I tell my clients that I don't mind putting baby's toys in the chest or washing dishes so I can clean the sink, but that I'll get less actual cleaning done during the time they're paying me for if I have to do such things.

Customer provides all the cleaning products and the vacuum. I agree it would be gross to use the same vacuum at different houses.

I am shocked that this thread is still going! I would be interested as to what type of vac U provide to your house cleaning help? Most people purchase their vacs a K-Mart or Sears and don't puchase a vac which works in their home. If U grew up with wall 2 wall your mother had an upright and your house is full of area rugs and have all of the hardwood. U normally have an upright and that is worthless in your house. When was the last time U used it? Is there tension on the belt, is it even there and has broken, is the bag full, or if a canister, is the bag full and the hose half plugged up? U don't use it so U would have no idea. You have to check the bags as with most cleaning help as long as the motor runs they use it and then the motor burns out. Fair warning.

I bring my own vacs and I have 3 which are the same. 1 for houses with pets, one for people with allergies, and 1 for just general use. They were $2,100 each and no one posting on this forum would spend that type of $. They just want to get by as cheaply as they can.

I do have more to say on this subject but have to leave.

Eteinne

Keith - no, it isn't too much, but if you want her to clean something specific such as the inside or outside of the kitchen cabinets, you have to tell (ask) her. Nicely.

Anyone care to estimate what her take home pay should be per week in a rural area in the south? I know what I have mine paid at but my house is twice as big and we have more animals/mess!

Justin, who'd be greatful if someone could put a dollar figure down!

In years past, you would often overhear conversations in places like beauty salons, community clubhouses, cocktail parties and fancy restaurants that would start something like this...
"Wow, I just found the best housecleaner and...they are really cheap!"
This conversation was usually one of the ladies (or gentlemen) boasting about the cleaning person they had just hired to clean their home and this home was usually located in a high-income neighborhood because, after all, years ago only the wealthy could afford hired helpers in the home.
Well...times have changed...kind of...
The days of only the wealthy using hired help inside the home are gone! It's not that the wealthier don't use housecleaners any longer, it's the fact that today's average homeowners (especially the two income earner households) are seeking outside help with home maintenance because of time constraints, lack of energy to clean after putting in a 40+ hour workweek, etc. The market for independent cleaning contractors has skyrocketed over the past 10-15 years!
Along with this "boom" in demand has come the "boom" in independent contractors who are working without occupational licenses, general liability insurances and may well lack the experience needed to "safely" clean the many varied surfaces that exist in today's homes.
The industry refers to them as...Trunk Slammers.
When a homeowner (especially those homes where both parents are working full time just to cover expenses) goes looking for help with home maintenance, "price" is always a huge part of the decision on just who will be hired and...there's nothing wrong with that...provided the potential consumer "knows what they are paying for" and..."the possible liabilities they are exposing themselves to" when selecting a cleaning service provider based solely on price.
What liabilities?
When hiring a worker who is working for "under the table" wages that are not going to be reported to the IRS as income, you (technically) become that worker's employer and (technically) you become responsible for income, Medicare, social security and unemployment taxes at the Federal level and, depending on the state you live in, may be responsible (technically) for some of the above...again...at the state level.
When hiring a worker who is working for "under the table" wages that are not going to be reported to the IRS as income, you (most certainly) will be paying for that worker's retirement also...not today but when they retire and realize that they have little or nothing in their Social Security retirement account to live on , they will go on any one of a number of public assistance programs that your hard earned tax dollars (remember them...there the one's you worked for and paid taxes on years ago...) will be paying for.
When hiring an uninsured worker, you become responsible (technically) for any medical expenses for "your employee" should "your employee" become injured while working in your home. In most states, you "should be" paying workman's compensation insurance for "your employee".
When hiring a worker that doesn’t carry general liability insurance, you will assume all liabilities for damage, breakage or theft of anything in your home. This may not sound like much of a liability on your part but...remember we mentioned, "experienced" earlier? Inexperienced people can, and do cause literally thousands of dollars worth of damage to the many new surfaces in today's homes. Things like marble, granite, hardwood flooring, fiberglass tubs.... and the list goes on and on and on.
Oh, one other thing...you are breaking the law by hiring these individuals.
Unwittingly (or maybe knowingly) you have become "complicit" in tax evasion, operating (in most municipalities/states) an unlicensed business and, in some states, operating a business without adequate liability insurance or workman's compensation insurance.
Claiming ignorance of your cleaner's business status will not help. You as the purchaser of services are responsible to investigate the legal status of "any" outside contractor who performs "any" services on your home and you should never be afraid to ask for documentation from those service providers. (Remember the old "Caveat-emptor" phrase...its true!)
"Yeah"...you're saying..."I know all this stuff already and anyway, no one ever gets caught for this kind of stuff!" I say..."Oh Yeah"...a little research on the subject (your Due-Diligence) will quickly reveal that people, often unsuspecting people, are being caught and fined everyday of the week on just these circumstances.
Check with the IRS if you don't believe me.
The whole matter becomes an especially "different" kettle of fish if your worker/employee is also an undocumented alien but...that's for another letter. Makes you wonder...is that $20/$30 difference in rates really worth the risk(s)?
Your money...your decision.
D. Crichton Co-Founder, International Cleaners Association

I personally think there is difference between someone who is an "Alice" type housekeeper for the Brady's and someone who spends three hours cleaning your house once or twice a month.

And while you are at it, please remember to go after all the "under the table" plumbers, electricians and hair dressers. And don't forget the kid who cuts your lawn in the summer.

The three people I know that clean homes all have husbands who are gainfully employed. They are looking for extra spending money not to fund their retirement years.

I know this is the wrong forum, but I couldn't resist this week. Sorry.

D. Crichton -- interesting point. However if you are going after housewives making spending money by cleaning houses, you better go after those teenage babysitters too! Especially the ones that work all week, all summer long.
I personally think there is difference between someone who is an "Alice" type housekeeper for the Brady's and someone who spends three hours cleaning your house once or twice a month.

And while you are at it, please remember to go after all the "under the table" plumbers, electricians and hair dressers. And don't forget the kid who cuts your lawn in the summer.

The three people I know that clean homes all have husbands who are gainfully employed. They are looking for extra spending money not to fund their retirement years.

------------------------------------------------------------

You are right...but a housekeeper would be your employee...and would be treated as such...you would provide a W2 at the end of the year.
It's fine that you trust having inexperienced people in your home.......just be aware of what it can cost you in the long run....that is the point.

-- Nancy Killefer, Obama nominee for Chief Performance Officer
-- Zoe Baird, Clinton nominee for Attorney General
-- Kimba Wood, Clinton nominee for Attorney General
-- Linda Chavez, Bush nominee for Secretary of Labor
-- Carolyn Kennedy, New York Senator candidate to replace Hillary Clinton

"Innocent until proven guilty" doesn't work too well in these cases. This stuff gets uncovered when their entire life's history is laid bare before they go before Congress for confirmation hearings. They usually pay the back taxes and withdraw their names from further consideration.

The great majority of folks who pay under the table seldom face that kind of scrutiny and end up getting away with it.

I ended up trying a local company because they had Celtic in the name-- and I'm Irish so I gave them a shot. lol Actually, I liked that they use enviromentally friendly natural products, because some cleaning chemicals take my breath away and make me feel sick.

Anyway, the service turned out to be top notch. I've got a three bedroom townhouse w/ 2.5 baths and she charges me $72 a week for what she calls a three hour cleaning, but my neighbor who lets her in for me, says she's often there for more like 3 1/2 hours. The lady even leaves thank you notes with an ocassional little gift. A few weeks ago it was homemade candy rolled in cinnamon and when I got home today I found a loaf of fresh baked Irish soda bread. How cool is that?

It seems obvious that the majority of the cleaners that have been hired by members of this thread are trunk slammers and not legitimate businesses. This is why they are paid so little.

BTW, it is obvious that people who give there hired help "a raise" are truly and legally their employer, and responsible for worker's comp insurance and employment taxes. Good for you to try and educate the customer about this important subject.

Usually, where I am from for a house cleaning... It all depends on the size of the home and the amount of time it is going to take to clean it. Whether it is a deep clean, or a basic cleaning. I usually charge anywhere from $20-$40 an hour. I have never had a client tell me that I was charging too much, nor were they dis-satisfied. I have alot of clients that are referrals. People just have to put "worth" in themselves!! Do Not Ever short change yourselves!!! Cleaning up after your own family is alot of work, let alone to clean up for someone else :)

Mike

I have a housecleaning business in the Twin Cities. I worked, a few years ago, for another company. They were incredibly frustrating! Everything was sprayed and wiped down. If we were running late, the term was 'cc' (cut corners). That is not how I clean because it simply isn't cleaning.
Showers? I get in, roll up my jeans, and scrub top to bottom. Kitchen floors have drips and sticky stains and the only way to get them up is to spray and hand clean...
Knicknacks need to be dusted as well as the space underneath them. Table legs, chair legs, lower edges of furniture... It all collects dust and needs to be done.
I charge $27 an hour and I have not lost a single customer in this economy. Every client has been a reference that branched off my two original clients.
I use environmentally friendly cleaners that work (read: truly kill germs in the bathroom and kitchen!) care for furniture and smell wonderful! My clients love that their houses sparkle and smell like orange and eucalyptus...
For those hiring, no matter how wonderful someone seems, get references and CALL THEM. My clients are happy to give me references and you will learn a lot.
I believe charging by the hour is more fair for the client and me. The first few times I do a house, it takes longer. There is buildup to scrub, and it takes a few times to get to know a house and develop a routine.
When I worked for the other cleaning company, they rushed every job to get to the next one and believe me, the work suffered! Spraying and wiping does not work.
As for cleaning supplies, I supply them unless a client has a special need. For example, one woman has cats. I use her vac since I will be picking up a lot of hair and bits of cat litter. I supply the rags, too, but respect how they are used. I never use a rag in a toilet. I don't want to carry that home and put it in my machine. Mop heads, rags, etc are all fresh for every house. I wouldn't want someone else's dirt brought in to my home, so I won't do it to my clients.
Please pay your cleaners what they are worth. If you find someone honest and detailed and they ask for $12 an hour, up it considerably and tell them why. Be clear about your expectations and any special needs or issues you are concerned about. Mention the artwork that is very fragile...
There are cleaners that take pride in their work. Get references and walk through your house when they are done.