How Much Do You Pay Someone to Clean Your House?

We pay $125 twice a month for a 1600 sq. ft. house. We live in an expensive area, but we have a modest sized house (3 bedroom/2.5 bath).

The last time I used a service it was a promo for 1000 square feet for $50. That was about 15 years ago.

I don't use a service regularly anymore but when I did, it was a husband/wife team. They came in once a month and cleaned the entire house and I paid about $175 including tip. A lot of it depends on the size of your house. We are 2 story and 4000SF. They typically showed up around 8am and left by 2pm. The bi-weekly charge was $125

I've had another service where I won 2 hours of cleaning on a silent auction and that was a value of $80. I just tipped the lady $25 when she left.

It is a very hard job, especially for me because I am picky. I tip extra due to my pickiness.

Make sure they are licensed and bonded.

Tell your husband you'll pay him $20 an hour.😆

A friend of mine charges $30/hour to clean homes. I think they end up with an arrangement per home after they've done it a few times. Then they add on more for extras a few times a year if they need extra stuff done like windows.

Here in Portland, when I was a nanny, many of my clients had housecleaners. $25 was the usual price for hourly.A few years later when a few of us helped pay for a housecleaner for a friend in crisis, same amount. It's hard work. Maybe if your husband had to do it for a few hours, he would understand how physically demanding it is. ;)

Just my observation, but people have a tendency to undervalue these sorts of jobs. They are demanding, though.

How big is your home? That's the key. How long would it take you to clean your home? If it takes you a couple of hours, $25 seems reasonable.

You could also ask hubby if HE'D clean the house for $25... ;)

Do you mean $25/hour?

I've had people who clean by the hour, and who give a flat rate. But in either case, it's been about the same cost to me. The by the hour rate was $20/hour and it consistently took her 4-5 hours to clean the house. The flat rate has been $80-$100. My house is about 1600 square feet of living space (They clean 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, kitchen, dining room, living room. The basement is not finished and there is an upstairs office;I tell them not to clean those 2 areas).

If you mean $25 total, I don't even know what to say to that.

It isn't a fair comparison asking others what they pay. Just like car insurance, there are many factors. We have 6 bedrooms, how many do you have? If you have 3 then it's not a good comparison, right? You just need to get some quotes for your specific house and area.

I also would not pay someone by the hour. It's likely they would be snails and take advantage of you. If it's a flat amount, which most are, then they would have more motivation to do a good job and get out of there. I used to pay every 2 weeks for 2 people. I can't remember what it was, maybe $90 each time? Regardless, call around in your area and you'll get a better idea. Good luck.

You mean $25 per hour, right?

How many rooms in the house? Do you want everything cleaned? I can't imagine anyone cleaning a house for just $25.

I would be concerned if the total price was just $25. That would suggest to me that this is an independent person who works on her own. If that is the case, I'd want to know if she is licensed, insured, and bonded. What if she trips and falls while cleaning? What if she accidentally breaks something of value in your home? Who is responsible in these situations? You should also find out whether she will be bringing the cleaning products and supplies.

Those are things I always consider before arranging household cleaning services. I would not want to be sued, and I want to know that the people coming into my home have been background checked, properly trained, and are insured.

I have been searching for a new cleaning company. To answer your question, just yesterday, I was just given a ballpark quote over email of $250 for our house (that's without windows, interior oven cleaning, etc.). She said it may be more once she sees the house. This may sound high, but we have 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 5000 sq. ft. of house to clean. This company is very particular and works with their clients to ensure that everything is done according to the client's wishes. I only use certain cleaning products and prefer that the cloths used are ones that I supply. I'm willing to pay more because it is worth a great deal to me for the company to work with me on these things.

Ask her if she is licensed and carries insurance specifically for this business. If not, you have to answer for yourself whether you are comfortable with an unlicensed, uninsured, independent contractor coming into your home. You should also be ready to discuss with her exactly what you want done---all rooms, or just bathrooms and kitchen. Deep cleaning or routine maintenance. Her idea of cleaning the house for $25 may be very different than what you might be thinking.

Just some things to think about and hope that helps.

Bear in mind that your location affects costs as well. In our area, $25 an hour would be a bargain for a professional house cleaning service. We live in an area that is just generally expensive overall and service prices reflect that.

Is this cleaner insured? Bonded? That adds costs too -- it drives up what the cleaner might charge but also gives you as the customer some protections if something goes wrong, gets broken, etc.

Does your house have - how many bedrooms? Bathrooms? As someone noted below, that's a big factor in what services or individuals charge for cleaning. And your family's lifestyle has an impact too, according to friends of mine who use professional cleaners; for instance, if you have pets, some services will charge more because they will have to deal with cleaning up dog or cat hair. Do you expect the cleaner just to wash floors, wipe surfaces down, clean toilets, or do you also expect the cleaner to do any other tasks such as clean the garage as part of the deal?

A tip from a friend who uses cleaning services: She observed one cleaner working and found out that the cleaner used a rag to wipe down the toilet back and handle and then used the same rag immediately afterward to wipe out the sink and and faucet etc. She fired that service immediately because that's utterly gross and shows zero training for the cleaner about sanitary practices. My friend said she was appalled to think this had probably been going on for ages before she observed it. So I would take time to observe the cleaner a few times -- randomly -- and ensure the cleaner is using appropriate practices.

I wouldn't pay by the hour. I would pay by the job. I used to work as a nanny and the woman who came in and cleaned the house would charge $150. She came in twice a month and deep cleaned the 3 bathrooms, changed all the bed linens, vacuumed all the rooms, mopped, and deep cleaned the kitchen (NOT the dishes...cleaned the counters, sink, etc). THe house was two stories, 5 bedroom, two large living rooms, 2 dining rooms, office, and kitchen.

WHERE do you live? If you are in Chicago proper? $25 an hour is cheap.

HOW big is your home?
WHAT do you expect them to do?
HOW MANY bedrooms?
Are they cleaning everything?

I have 5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms with a total of 3K square feet. I pay a team $100 a week to come in and clean. They are licensed, bonded and insured. They do the following:
* kitchen - mop floor, clean countertops and cabinets (wipe down)
* sweep/vacuum, mop, dust all bed rooms
* sweep/vacuum, mop, dust formal living/dining room and family room
* change the sheets on the beds (I remove they put on clean set)
* remove any cobwebs
* wipe down doors
* clean the bathrooms (toilet, sink/counter and bathtub/shower) mop/vacuum floor
* area rugs are picked up, vacuumed and set aside while they clean under them

I do NOT have them clean inside my curio cabinets. They would.. I prefer to do that myself.I'm to the point where I'm considering selling the collectibles as I don't look at them like I used to and smile, now I smile but I don't find myself looking at them like I used to. Oh well. Less to take care of!

If she's charging $25 an hour? I would be there to see how long it takes her to do your house. I'd rather go for a flat fee each week.

I have a large home. Just about six thousand square feet. We pay $150 a week.

Four ladies come in and are here for just about 2 hours. they split up and meet in the middle of the house.

Lol I was about to scream $25 to clean your house is fantastic!! Actually even $25/hour is reasonable. My house it about 2650 sq ft (4bed, 3bath) and my cleaning lady comes every two weeks. She's usually here about 3-4 hours and I pay $100 each time (she doesn't charge by the hour). Maybe it would be better to negotiate a flat rate so she doesn't "take her time"?

We pay $80. She comes once every two weeks and stays for 4.5-5 hours. My house is pretty big - 2800 square feet. I think others in the area pay more but this is the rate she requested.

It doesn't seem cheap for your area but remind your husband she loses a lot of time traveling from job to job. I wouldn't pay by the hour though. Usually cleaning jobs are quoted by "the job". Otherwise you take a big risk the person dilly dallies to rack up the hours.

$100 for 2,600 sq foot house. Every 2 weeks

$25 for 3-4 hours is typical for a person who is not licensed. $35 and up for 3-4 hours is typical for a licensed person. Maybe you can compromise on once a month instead.

We pay $105 for 3200 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms plus an office, game room, media room, kitchen, two living areas, and 3 full baths. Cleans every 2 weeks. Our person is fast...usually gets done in 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Seems reasonable. My friends who have 1 bedroom condos (about 800 square feet or less) pay a $100 flat fee for a cleaning. Assuming the $25/hour rate you mention, that would be the equivalent of 4 hours, and I have never seen a cleaning lady take 4 hours to clean a 1 bedroom condo or apartment, so it'd be more like charging $50/hour if we break it down to how long it takes to clean. Even then, they just clean, and it is not a thorough cleaning that involves wiping down the dust from the blinds, fans, and light fixtures, no laundry, no bed-making, or cobweb removal, just the basics like using a Swiffer on the floor/vacuuming and wiping down counters and toilets (and you have to provide them with the cleaning supplies and utensils). I don't know how thorough of a cleaning she is providing, but it seems like you're paying a reasonable fee if she's otherwise leaving the place spotless, considering you have a house, and not some tiny dwelling.

I pay $90 a week. I have 3400 sf one story. 4 beds, game room and study. 3/12 baths. I had to get a new cleaning lady since my other one didn't drive and we recently moved into a new home.

I miss my other cleaning lady. She had been with us for 10 years. She did stuff that this new one won't do. Not sure we are thrilled with the new one but we are working on it.

I think $25 per hour is very reasonable.