My family takes care of an old lady’s summer home.
Its a 2 bedroom 1 storey cottage like home.
Small bathroom, 2 Small Bedrooms, Large open living room/kitchen area and a small open room for like junk.
I need money so im going to clean.
They are a pretty wealthy family.
I will probably get my mom to help SOME but Im getting paid.
I will have to do alot (hasnt been cleaned since summer 08)
-Vacumn
-Wash windows/toilet/tub/sinks
-Dust
-Sweep
-Wash sheets
-Clean fridge/counter tops
+ more
How much do I charge an hour?
How long will it take approx?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ask her what she thinks is appropriate. Also ask your mom. Sounds like a lot of work. It will probably take around 2 1/2 – 3 hours, depending how used to cleaning you are and how efficient you are, and how much help you will get from your mom. It might take a little longer. You will definitely have to wait for the washer and dryer, which usually take between 30-60 min. each Don’t know how many loads of sheets you’ll have, but make sure the first thing you do is put them in the wash, so you can work while they’re in the wash. Then change the sheets to the dryer, put a new load in the wash, and work until it’s time to switch again. Plus you’ll need to fold the sheets and put them away, so laundry alone will take quite a while. You are also washing windows which is time consuming. It hasn’t been cleaned for a year and will be very dusty. I’d start by opening windows, turning on a TV or radio, and then just dust and clean like crazy.
Is she providing you with cleaning supplies? If so, I’d say around 75 bucks total. I would charge for the work being done and not by the hour. If she’s not providing cleaning supplies, she should be paying you to buy those as well, so it will be extra. (Keep the receipts.) You’ll be needing Windex for the windows, bleach or something for the bathroom, paper towels, cleanser, rubber gloves, toilet brush, sponges, etc.
do a good job so she’ll hire you again.
I clean small offices, but was just reading about pricing residential cleaning, plus I have some helpful resources and tips on my Squidoo lens (link is in my profile).
You need to have two different prices, one for the initial thorough deep cleaning and another for regular weekly or bi-weekly cleaning.
The initial cleaning is going to take longer than 2-3 hours, if you do it correctly. But once you have done it, the regular cleaning will be a snap.
First, do a walk through to determine what exactly needs to be done-room by room-and make a list. Do some practice cleaning at home or friends and family and see how long it takes you.
From what I read, the ballpark charge is around $30-$35 per hour per cleaner,but call around to other cleaning companies to check what they charge. . Do not under charge your services.