NeatFreak
Ardmore, OK
Female, 36
For six years I have been a freelance housekeeper/house cleaner, picking and choosing my 'gigs'. The job may sound un-glamorous but if done right, can be pretty profitable, and there is the benefit of being my own boss and every day being different. It's can also be very entertaining as I am often in the position of advice-giver, listener, sympathizer, or the one rumors are spread to from bored, well to do clients. I've also learned many tips and tricks to the trade. Ask me anything!
My set rate builds on its self as I walk through the house during assessment meeting when a new client calls me. Here is how I work it: My base rate is $65, meaning regardless of how small or clean a house is, I won't charge less than that. As we walk through the house so I can get an idea of it's overall condition, and as the client and I talk about what she needs and wants from me, I begin mentally adding to that. That base rate covers a small to medium sized home with two bedrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room and one to one and a half baths. Much of what I add, the client is never privy to.....if I explained the way I charge, negotiations or attempts to lower the rate might begin and obviously that's not good for me from a business perspective. I start at my base rate, and I add a bit here and there for any bedroom over two, and every bathroom over one and a half...I might add a couple of bucks to those if they are childrens rooms or bathrooms that will be much messier than the norm. I also add to the rate if they have pets that are on the furniture, because I vacuum the couches, etc and that will make it harder and take longer......and the floors too of course. I might automatically add to the base rate just on principal if the house is beyond 'gently messy'......if there is real filth, or very time consuming tasks. I include two loads of laundry (linens/towels) in my base rate, but more than that I add for....and I will add an extra two dollars if those free loads are personal laundry because of the time it takes to fold/hang up, sort, etc. I also have a host of services that I offer that are not included within the normal house cleaning, and they are free to ask for those....often times, though, they are more time consuming things that might require a separate day. Things like closet re-hauling(cleaning out, organizing, etc), garage cleaning/organizing, pet care (though I often will do that pro-bono on the day I am there to clean, offer to take the dog for a walk or clean the cat litter tray or bird cage, etc). Those are the main things I encounter but there are some things that will pull the rate up, like requests for specific things I might not normally do. I clean baseboards regularly, but I had one woman want me to clean them with a toothbrush, because they are ridged and she worried I wouldn't get them clean enough my way. I assured her that that would not be an issue because I am thorough- I've been known to take a toothbrush to some things on my own if other ways didn't clean to my satisfaction.....but I did not have the time to clean a whole house worth of baseboards each time I'm there with a toothbrush. I added drastically for that, of course, and made sure she understood that it would be a job done in parts. Certain parts of the house 'toothbrushed' each time I am there, rather than done as a whole. That would take the full day in its self but the job was a significant rate jump. I have another woman that asks me to water all of her plants on the day I am there. Normally, not a big deal and I'd include that in the rate. But she does not just have plants....she has a greenhouse, as well as more than fifty green plants and flowers throughout the home, and it can take a good 2 hours or more to do all that, so that that has raised the rate I'd normally charge also. It might seem like it can begin to add up....and it can, which is why I start relatively low. I do have a few houses that are barely more than the base rate because many people keep their house fairly clean and just want bathrooms done, floors, and dusting, etc. But for the others, when I add, its usually only about $5 here, $5 there.....very few things will go over that, but when it does, it still falls short of what many would think should be charged for it. I try to stay affordable because there are many in my area that do this so it's pretty competitive. We have no professional cleaning services in my town so there are a lot of freelancers. I do have those wealthier and overly generous clients that will pay me more than I would ever consider charging. If they insist upon it, I will take it....I need it just like anyone does. But I try to stay honest so I will not do so unless they fully know and understand that it is more than what I would have charged them. I have two clients in particular that require no more than 4 to 6 hours each at their homes but pay me almost $300 each day I am there. One of them is weekly and one is twice a week. That is far above what I would charge for their homes but they are adamant that it is what they feel I am worth based on what I do. Knowing that they understand, I don't refuse it lol.
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Most of the people I know in this business work off the books because they often take cash, but I like that end of the year tax refund, so I pay the taxes on what I make. Also, it helps that I am bonded (insured), so that can be a business deduction, and so can gas for the meetings with new prospective clients and my cleaning days, and the supplies I have to buy. When I first started, I did not pay taxes, but mostly that was because I have very little knowledge about how to do that kind of thing on my own. But I really missed that big payoff that came after filing the next year, and one year I ended up owing. It's the best course, in my opinion.
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That can be a touchy subject, and you'll probably get a different answer for every person you ask. The sad fact is......it does happen.......both scenarios. I'd like to say that all that enter this particular job keep it professional, but there's no way I could say that and be telling the truth. It's important to be very careful who you hire to be in your home for hours at a time, especially if you are not going to be there. I have never done such a thing and never will, but I still deal with both types of clients.......those that are overly trusting and setting themselves up for becoming victims if they person they'd hired were less honest than myself, and those that are so suspicious of everything and everyone that I'm almost afraid to move something the slightest bit out of place for fear that I'll be accused of something like snooping or stealing. I try very hard to be as professional as I can, and most of the people I know on a personal basis that do this same job do as well, but the fact remains that not all do. There will always be those that take advantage where they see they might have a chance at it. It helps to ask for and check references before you hire, and if they have nothing to hide, they will provide them if they have them. It helps greatly for them to have references of other people they've cleaned for. As for the other part of your question......unfortunately, that exists, as well. I have never stolen a thing in my life, but I have been accused simply from nastiness, or because the person is overly suspicious and expects something to happen and the moment something is misplaced, they point a finger. Twice I have been fired for such a thing only to have them call later and say the missing item was found, would I please come back..........and once it was discovered that the culprit of minor thefts around the home was the client's grown son who lived there, and she too called back and asked me to come back. The great thing about working freelance like this.....I am essentially my own boss. I pick the clients and I do what I can to make them happy, but I choose who to work for and who to stay working for........and who to go back to if something like that happens.
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Sadly, yes, that does happen. Not with all of them but often enough. Ironically, I don't see that as often as one would think with the wealthier crowd. Most often it's with those middle and low-middle class housewives that barely afford my services and feel that they have to prove that they are 'better' because they are. I am treated in a more condescending manner by them than anyone. I do have a thick skin, actually, and most I can ignore. And I have perfected the skill of standing up for myself in a way that is not offensive, simply firm and confident. Fortunately, if a situation begins to make me uncomfortable, I can discontinue providing my services. I tend to have a waiting list of people waiting for me to have an opening in my schedule for regular service so I can usually depend upon that to make up for any lack in my financial situation.
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In some cases, that can vary home to home because it depends on the conditions and level of cleanliness of the rooms before I get there. But in general, I would have to say....excessive dusting. I tend to be very thorough, because that is what they pay for, and I have several houses right now that all have at least one room that is all wood. An office, a den, whatever. Wooden blinds, hardwood floor, wood paneled walls, all the shelves and furniture.....wood. Wood collects dust easily, and while I LOVE nice clean shiny wood.....it is time consuming and rather tedious to do so much of it when time can be an issue, especially as thorough as I try to be. And to go with that, I truly dislike treating hardwood floors for some reason. As for mopping, I don't mind that too much at all, unless it's a floor that is old, or is strangely colored or patterned that makes it hard to see much of a difference between before mopped and after mopped. I am one of those that likes to actually see the difference I've made, I guess.
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That kind of depends upon the person and their particular lifestyle. I have some clients that are very busy stay at home parents (moms AND dads)...and because they are not gone at work during the day, and they have the kids and all, they will sometimes attempt to be gone for at least a couple hours if they can just to keep the kids out of my way, but those types are often home, either out of necessity or because its just too inconvenient to load all the kids up and try to find something to do for a few hours, especially if they have toddlers or babies that might need naps, feedings, etc. Then you have the wealthier, less encumbered couples, or single people with no children, or those with older kids. Most of the time, they prefer to be gone while I am working, and often are in any case for work and such- although there are those that don't have to work.....then tend to hid themselves in one room while I'm there or try to go find something to do for a while out of the house. And for the record, I personally prefer to have the house empty, especially if there are kids in the family. It can feel pretty awkward to feel like they are looking over your shoulder while you work, and even if that's not the case, often times it makes the work harder because it's very hard for them to ignore that there is someone there so I often find myself followed around and pulled into conversation or gossip, or feeling in the way as I move my cleaning to a room that is currently being used by someone in the family. And of course, there's the fact that you often have a room you've just cleaned become messy again before you even leave.
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I can't really speak for all on this one because depending upon whether you work for yourself or with a service, and your own methods, all charge in different ways. My particular method is to have a set fee each time I am there, and that fee is not set or discussed until I meet with the client for the first time before officially taking them on, and doing a walk-through of the house with them to ascertain the level of cleanliness and the size...and many different issues affect the fee I finally charge. However.......its not unusual for a client to clean their house to some extent before that walk through, ironically.....so if I realize as I begin working that the job is going to require more time or more mess than originally indicated, then we will revisit the subject of the fee. To answer your question, though........Most of the time, if its not something that happens often with that particular client, I'll let it pass. Maybe they've been sick that week, or working more than usual, or had company, etc. But if its something big, and previously planned, like a party, or a holiday, or something of that nature, they can either pay me for an extra day that week for 'party cleanup', or they can add it into my usual day cleaning for them- sometimes time permitting as some days I have more than one house if its not a large one- and just pay extra for that extra time and work that will be required. One thing to keep in mind though, and this is probably with most freelance house cleaners....advance notice is always preferable to being surprised, and having advance notice and an actual discussion of the big and messy event is going to make me want to work with you better.....if I'm surprised by a big after-party mess without so much as a warning or discussion on it, its very likely I'm going to charge more for the inconvenience because I will not have been able to plan for it. It could be cutting into after work appointments, or other clients I'll have waiting that normally come after your house, etc.
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