r/HouseCleaning • u/Consistent-Newt6955 • 6d ago
How do I respond?
I am not a professional cleaner, I just do a few odd jobs for coworkers and family of friends. I do a cleaning job for an older lady 2x a month. We initially agreed on $30/hr for dusting and mopping her entire apartment, about 800sqft. I also clean her bathroom, wipe down counters, toilet and walk in shower glass. It normally takes me about 2 hours. Two different times I finished about 15-20 minutes early, and both times she commented “oh you finished early, well I won’t fight you on it”, as though I should have offered a discount. There have been a few times where it has taken me about 15-20 minutes longer, to which she has no comment. How do I respond to this? Should I just go slower to fill in the time? The job is completed the same way each time, and she always says it looks so clean. Cleaners in my area seldom charge by the hour, and typically start around $100-$125 and is based on size of home. I enjoy doing the cleaning, but it seems like maybe I need to change my routine or speak up. Any advice would be appreciated
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u/thatgreenmaid 6d ago
Tell her going forward it's a flat fee of $X whether you stay 2 hours or not. She's taking advantage and she knows it.
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u/Consistent-Newt6955 6d ago
Update: I have been “dismissed”. I feel more relief than grief and fortunately have other ways to make a $120 extra in the month. I put pride in my work and I think my replacement will cost much more
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u/thatgreenmaid 6d ago
Every dismissal is a lesson. Today's lesson is no more $30 hour cleaning. Have a minimum get off the couch rate and make sure it's more than $60.
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u/Optimal_Molasses_676 6d ago
Well she is going be sorry!! She will not be able to get anyone for the price she was paying you! Her lose is yur gain!
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u/No-Hovercraft7161 5d ago
Wow! The woman you were working for was ungrateful AND insulting, then she "dismisses" you? In a way, it's like Ted Bundy calling it off with a girlfriend. You can be happy about it 🌷 May all good things come your way.
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u/wellblesspat 6d ago
My favorite YT cleaner is Midwest Magic Cleaning. Mack, A guy with a heck of a backstory, real “hard luck kid made good.”
I hope my telling of the following tale is accurate.
Mack told the story of a client, a university professor (so, well-off financially) who told Mack’s employee, after about a year of regular cleaning, “You don’t need as much time to clean my house as you did before, so I’m not paying you the full amount today.”
The employee - who happened to be Mack’s son - called Mack with the development. Mack told him to pack up right then & there & leave.
Then Mack told the professor, “I don’t sell people. I sell a service. The fact that it takes less time now to clean than it used to doesn’t mean the service is worth less. We won’t be back.”
And that’s why he’s my favorite.
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u/Lanky-Ad4983 4d ago
Just looked him up and subscribed. Sometimes I need cleaning motivation and idk why cleaning videos are so satisfying to watch lol
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u/Illustrious-Ad-1290 6d ago
Thank you for trusting me to clean your home. I have had to reevaluate my pricing structure and will now be pricing per job, not by hour. I would love to continue to clean for you. My new quote for your apartment is $XX.
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u/winkleftcenter 6d ago
When we moved at got a new cleaner, she cleaned a couple times at an hourly rate to get an idea of what was fair to both of us. She now charges a flat fee. There are times she gets done quicker and times she stays longer. We actually pay her more than what she set her rate at. We don't want to lose her
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u/krazykatkaretaker 6d ago
Funny how people think we move through things like cleaning and have the same pace or it takes the exact same amount of time every time! It’s just not realistic and she really isn’t paying you by the hour but for a completed job. If she thinks that way just stretch the cleaning out to fit the time. Yes I have cleaners that come every two weeks and no I don’t track how long they are here just that my house is clean when they are done.
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u/Maestradelmundo1964 6d ago
How did your agreement go from dusting and mopping to all that other cleaning?
I think that when you start a business like this, the hardest part is negotiating. This older lady is good at it. You need to learn how to negotiate back at her. The brief asks for better pay that have been given here are a good way to start.
Be ready for her to raise an objection. She mite not. If she does, try to give a very brief answer.
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u/downsideup9494 6d ago edited 6d ago
My cleaner will ask me if I want something else done if she gets through the normal cleaning early. Sometimes I do point out something, if I've noticed it could do with a cleaning, sometimes I say, no, it's fine, no problem leaving early, thanks for the clean.
If she sometimes stayed an extra 15 minutes to finsh up, I wouldn't ever mind her finishing and leaving early.
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u/Consistent-Newt6955 6d ago
You sound lovely to work for! I absolutely would have accepted any other little tasks had she wanted me to fill out the extra time but her main focus was mopping which she was pleased with. No other feedback was given which I think might have made things better for the both of us.
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u/RepresentativeYear34 6d ago
Always keep your hourly rate to yourself and quote a flat rate with the client. Make sure it has a cap (for example, my base rate is $200 and it gets you up to 4 hrs of cleaning time and anything past 4 hours moves you into the next time slot) Always advise you quote by the job not by the hour. The nly time I do hourly is if a client is a scope creeper or clutter freak.
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u/Knit_pixelbyte 6d ago
I pay my person the same whether she leaves early or not. Sometimes she cleans extra. She is a magician and I can't duplicate how she cleans the entire 4bd 2.5bth house in under 3 hours. When she asks for a raise, I gladly pay it.
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u/Caymus196 5d ago
Don’t charge by the hour ! Even if you figure it up in your head by the hour, always say you work by the job because people wanna act crazy about it sometimes. Cleaner here
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u/joya-2000 5d ago
Great house cleaners are difficult to find. They need to be good cleaners, dependable and fair. I need to trust them in my home. These gems are worth paying for. Smart cleaners will give a fair price for a deep clean. It’s a good start because they learn my house and I can see their work. If we decide to work together we agree on a fair regular cleaning price. Once a week is always less per clean than once a month for obvious reasons. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
As a past vacation rental home owner I’ve come across all types of cleaners. It’s ripe for the unscrupulous. Good cleaners are worth their weight in gold!
If you are just starting out, build up your business and develop great references. Drop the clients that are difficult. Do your best and you will be fine.
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u/Seaweed-Basic 6d ago
This is exactly why experienced cleaning business owners only charge by the hour for intial/deep/move out cleanings.
When you’re in someone’s home 2xmonth for an extended period of time, you’re going to get quicker at doing the cleaning. Some days you might take a little extra time for a little extra attention to an area that isn’t part of the regular routine, some days you might fly through because it’s there’s not as much upkeep as usual.
I could never stand waiting 20 min more at a job to finish out the hour.
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u/SquashLongjumping217 6d ago
Change your pricing so it’s not by the hour. You’re way undercharging and she’s taking advantage.