Returning to a home that is sparkling clean is an effective stress reliever after a long day’s work. It’s easier to relax if you enter your house and see that it is in order than walk past a pile of garbage and worry about how to dispose of it later.
One of the ways for you to have a dust-free, squeaky clean home is to hire professionals to do the cleaning. Hiring someone is the best option if there’s no one left in the family to do the job.
But before you decide to hire anyone, here’s a rundown of average house cleaning prices to help you choose.
Average House Cleaning Rates
According to Home Advisor, it would cost you about US$90 to US$150 to hire a professional cleaning service. Actual house cleaning prices will vary depending on several factors including the size of your home and the services you want the cleaning company to provide.
Furthermore, house cleaning rates will vary based on how frequent you want your house cleaned. You may choose the frequency from weekly to bimonthly.
Ultimately, how much you will spend depends on how the company wants to charge you. When you hire a professional service, they may charge you by the hour. A typical cleaning company will ask for a payment of US$80 to US$150 for a two-hour cleaning. They may also charge you by the square foot.
A price rate by the hour or by square foot is highly variable, though, as most professionals will only provide you with a set price after they had a look into your house.
Other factors that affect cleaning services prices include the number of people working, pets in your home, the variety of surfaces to clean, and specific services such as window and furniture cleaning.
Special Cleaning Services
Standard house cleaning, according to Thumbtack, includes services like sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen, dusting, and general tidying. This type of cleaning will likely fall to the average cleaning services prices mentioned above. However, the costs will add up if you want to include special services.
Special services focus on tidying up specific parts of your house. One of them is carpet cleaning which cost average to US$150. You can get your carpet steam-cleaned or dry-cleaned every year or every one and a half year depending on the warranty of your carpet and how much foot traffic it receives.
Another service is chimney care which average cost is US$150. Cleaning your chimney on a regular basis is important to prevent too much accumulation of leaves, soot, debris and creosote that can cause fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
You could also ask the cleaning company to take care of the house siding clean-up which could cost you US$200 to US$400. Window cleaning, on the other hand, will cost you an average of US$200, with the actual price depending on the number of windows and circumstances like stains and marks.
Other services include cleaning up your roof, specifically gutters and downspouts, which costs US$150 and cleaning ducts and vents which cost US$325.
Aside from these, Home Advisor also lists down some other special cleaning service projects for your walls and ceilings, furniture, and dryer vents.
Additional Charges
Aside from special services, a cleaning company may also charge additional fees if you want them to clean your oven and refrigerator. High shelves or high ceilings which are harder to clean can also add up to the cost. Another adding factor is when your cleaners opt to use specialized cleaning products to get rid of stubborn stains or dirt.
Professionals may also charge a travel fee if your house is outside their regular service area.
Hiring an Individual House Cleaner
Some people may prefer fewer people working inside their house to clean, so they hire an individual. If you want to try hiring one, you should prepare about US$115 to US$227 to pay for his/her service.
Similar to house cleaning companies, a single cleaner may charge you by the hour or by the square foot. For example, Home Advisor said that maid service charges cost between US$25 to US$35 per hour and US$120 for an area less than 1,000 square feet. Furthermore, you can either hire a maid service through independent operators or companies. Independent operators can charge you as little as US$10 while maid service companies charge US$25 to US$35.
Before choosing an individual to clean your house, you should consider potential legal issues to save yourself the hassle and inconvenience. Remember to make sure that the person is allowed to work in the US and verify if your insurance covers people working in your home.
Cutting Down on House Cleaning Costs
Knowing how much does house cleaning cost may make you want to think about how to save on expenses. Worry not, because there a lot of ways to cut down on costs.
One of the most important things to consider, of course, is your budget. Decide on how much you’re willing to spend for house cleaning services. After that, look for a company or a maid that falls within your allocated cost. With the many choices available, it would not be hard to find a company or an individual who can give efficient service equivalent to what you’re willing to pay them.
You could also cut down on costs by doing some cleaning yourself. Doing small tasks daily like dusting furniture, taking out the trash, and wiping kitchen counters could help lessen the company’s or your maid’s workload, saving you some dollars. And since you’ll be doing some tasks yourself, you may opt to buy your cleaning supplies instead of paying extra for theirs.
Also, if it’s not necessary to let the company clean your whole house, specify rooms that needed cleaning.
To Hire or Not To Hire?
After knowing how much does house cleaning cost, you could be wondering if it’s indeed necessary to hire other people to clean your home. The decision on whether to hire or not is solely up to you, the house owner. After all, you’re the one who would pay for the expenses.
Weigh your choices: Could you spend a little to free yourself from cleaning responsibilities or do you want to pay for absolutely nothing and do the cleaning? Would you feel happy having someone clean your house or you seek for a sense of accomplishment by doing the job yourself?
No matter what your choice will be, always keep in mind that returning to a well-kept home will relieve you of stress. So no matter how you do it, it will help you tremendously if you get to keep your house sparkly clean.