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05/08/08, 08:26 AM
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SAHM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 250
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Cleaning houses?
Does anyone out there clean houses for a living? I would like to get started doing this, but I am unsure what to charge, or how to go about doing it.
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05/08/08, 08:34 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,040
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when I lived in town I cleaned houses for extra money. I would dust, mop, vacuum, clean bathrooms, clean kitchen... I charged between $75-100 for a large house. I would charge extra for houses that had more than 4 bathrooms or was huge (more than 5 bedrooms.) It would usually take about 2 hours a house. Some people had me take the dogs for a walk and paid a little more for that. It is good money if you can get a few houses in the same neighborhood.
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05/08/08, 08:44 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: NC mountains
Posts: 2,001
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JediMom my mother cleans houses. She buys and takes her own supplies.She has to keep a set amount in the bank to pay her taxes at tax time. At the least she has to pay in 5,000 at tax time. She has insurance through private companys. I think rates run from 10 to 20 dollars an hour. She gets extra jobs preparing for Partys,and cleaning homes before clients return from the hospital or if they are having special company.
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05/08/08, 08:50 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 5,553
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Even if you have friends/family who are asking you to clean their homes for them - i.e. you are already in a trusting relationship, first thing you should do is have an attorney draw up a contract that clearly defines not only your duties but also covers all aspects of liability on both sides.
Next step would be to get a quote from your insurance agent for the cost of insurance/bonding.
Then off to your local licensing board to find out the cost of obtaining the legal right to offer the service.
Last but one of the most important steps would be an appointment with your CPA to have him crunch the numbers you have already collected on cost plus how much you will need to charge and to cover those expenses along with payroll withholding/self employment taxes etc.
If your business grows where you need additional help - so will your overhead/expenses.
Isn't it best to be scared straight before you invest? 
Marlene
__________________
It is the one with persistence and determination that brings great ideas into being.
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05/08/08, 08:51 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3,232
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And it's a service I would gladly pay dearly for! We have a one bedroom and I have paid $30 - 35 for a once a month cleaning. And I would rather do *anything* than housework. Shoot! I'd rather watch football and I don't even *like* football!!
A good cleaning lady is worth her weight in gold and if there's someone in S Central Ky that would do this for me, I would be forever in your debt!
If you can get a few loyal customers, I don't know that you'd need insurance right off - kind of depends what your state laws are.... Word of mouth is your best advertisement and one lady tells another lady and you'll be busier than a one armed paper hanger before you know it! Some folks would want you to use their supplies, and some prefer to bring their own. Each case would be different and you might just find one or two to start with and see if you like it....
Good luck with this venture! Wished you lived closer! :-)
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05/08/08, 08:54 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 200
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Go to these two websites - they are full of very useful information. I gained one client thru their suggestions & ideas.
One is www.thejanitorialstore.com
The other is http://www.start-cleaning-business.com/index.html
I hope these helps...go to the second one first. They have great ideas of how to begin house cleaning quickly and with minimal start up costs.
If you have any questions - you can send me PMs. I do commercial cleaning services. This works perfectly for me because then I can do it during the evenings or night or early morning. I recently changed over from doing it late evening to early morning and am loving it. This way I am gone and back before the children are up and isn't aware that I was away for a short while. I am a stay at home mom so this works great.
__________________
~ Yvonne ~
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05/08/08, 09:01 AM
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Dallas
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: N of Dallas, TX
Posts: 10,049
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JediMom
Does anyone out there clean houses for a living? I would like to get started doing this, but I am unsure what to charge, or how to go about doing it.
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I've paid anywhere from $65 (3 BR 2BA) to $95 (4BR 3BA) in a suburb of a major metro area (Dallas). When I lived in the country I paid $40 for a 3BR 1BA
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05/08/08, 09:44 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: US of A
Posts: 1,997
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My friend does this. It started out with a family member asking, then went on from there.
She has another job, too. Cleaning is just a side. No insurance, just the trust of people she knows. She only does jobs on recommendations, and only people that she knows. She's turned people down, too.
She gets between $40 - $60 a house, depending on frequency & what she's doing. She made $12,000 last year!  The customers supply all the products she uses, also.
I'm not recommending this is how to do it, this just worked in her situation. 
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05/08/08, 10:18 AM
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SAHM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 250
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WOW! Thanks for all the replies and advice. Perhaps I need to get the word out then through friends and family?
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05/08/08, 10:20 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: northern Ontario
Posts: 574
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Another idea, I found my neighbour is currently doing, is to clean and stage houses going up for sale. If you're not "fashionable", then you could leave off the staging part, and just do a deep clean of the house. It could either have someone living in it at the time, or could be an estate situation (I've done that one, and it paid handsomely). Just an idea for anyone interested in cleaning, but not interested in doing it every week for someone(s).
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05/08/08, 10:34 AM
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Is anybody here?
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,340
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rb.
Another idea, I found my neighbour is currently doing, is to clean and stage houses going up for sale. If you're not "fashionable", then you could leave off the staging part, and just do a deep clean of the house. It could either have someone living in it at the time, or could be an estate situation (I've done that one, and it paid handsomely). Just an idea for anyone interested in cleaning, but not interested in doing it every week for someone(s).
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I have a neighbor along with his son who does this. They also prep vacant apartments for showing renters.
__________________
Marriage is like a hot bath, after you've been in it awhile, It's not so Hot.
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05/08/08, 10:36 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 200
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Ah - that is called move in/move out clean.
I like those ones, although I haven't done it yet, because it is a one time thing for each home so I never go back to the home again.
And the clients are happy. We saved their day and they appreicate a clean home ready to be either sold or move in. :0)
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~ Yvonne ~
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05/08/08, 10:36 AM
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SAHM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 250
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I wonder if you could contact some local realtors and let them know you are available? :?
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05/08/08, 10:48 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Western WA
Posts: 4,722
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Around here the mexican women have the house cleaning market pretty much locked up because of their low rates. Neighbor women used to do new house clean-outs, she would come in right after the last contractor was done or near done with the build of a new house and clean up all the construction debris, wash the windows, touch up the paint etc. This lasted for two years before the mexicans locked up all the contracts with the builders because they were able to significantly under bid her AND they were willing to work during the night so as not to get in the way of the remaining contractors that may still be on the job during the daytime.
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05/08/08, 12:09 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: near Abilene,TX
Posts: 5,323
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My friend cleans for a living...she makes $10.00 per hour. She has more work than she can handle, has a regular workload every day .
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05/08/08, 12:31 PM
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AFKA ZealYouthGuy
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NW Pa./NY Border.
Posts: 11,453
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JediMom
how to go about doing it.
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Obviously you would use your Jedi powers. 
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05/08/08, 12:37 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 200
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Jedimom,
Go for it - contact them. But be sure you are armed with information and you appear to know what you are doing. It helps tremeously.
Have you read those two websites yet?
__________________
~ Yvonne ~
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05/08/08, 01:43 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,252
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Jedimom,
If you need some practice you're welcome to come clean my house! 
Seriously, I used to have someone clean my house. She changed the sheets, dusted and vacuumed the bedrooms, dusted and vacuumed the living room, cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms. She cleaned all the glass including the storm doors. It was absolutely wonderful. She charged $60.
Beth
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05/08/08, 01:45 PM
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SAHM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 250
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seedspreader
Obviously you would use your Jedi powers. |
Of course I would! How else will I be able to reach those fans blades on the vaulted ceilings?? 
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05/08/08, 05:42 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Georgia
Posts: 820
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If you are going to approach realtors you really need to have your business license, insurance and bonding in place. If you are going off of friends and relatives or word of mouth then you can possibley skate by without it. I have been cleaning for 20 years or more and we bring in around $40,000 a year with both of us doing it. As for the move out cleans, I won't touch them. Way too much work on some of them! Kind of like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear sometimes. I was afraid with the economy heading south that we might be affected but so far no one has dropped us and I have gotten even more houses.
Sherry in GA
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