serious question:

1) do you have a maid/housekeeper/cleaning person?
2) how often do they come?
3) what do you pay them per visit?
4) what are their chores?
5) about how long to they stay per visit?



seriously, i've been sick of spending time on the weekends doing stupid housework the i dont even care about or notce. so i just started this for the first time this week as a test, and i'm trying to figure out how "odd" i am... i'm sure lots of people pay someone to come over on tuesdays and clean up some right?

also trying to figure out if i'm overpaying or underpaying. i don't think the lady would say.

and in case someone wants to be a douche, i'm definitely not trying to flaunt my 40 dollars in disposable income. (i'm actually a little embarassed and looking for a support group) if i wanted to FLOSS MY DOUGH, i'd make a thread about buying premium unleaded!!!1

also, if you have nothing to contribute (or even if you do), please add a photo of a popular housekeeper. thanks for your part in making this thread great



also mine is white. i'm anti-slavery. and pro-choice. VOTE JACKLEG IN 2016*

*This message paid for by the US Constitution Party. I'm jackleg and I support this ad

4/29/2008 7:08:45 PM

4/29/2008 7:12:25 PM

ahahahahahahaha

4/29/2008 7:12:57 PM

no sex. but i do leave her money on the table!

4/29/2008 7:13:14 PM

1) yes
2) every other Wednesday
3) $129/visit (cost is based on the size of the house and how long it takes to clean)
4) they do pretty much everything. sweep and mop, vaccuum, dust, take out trash, make the beds, fluff/straighten the couch cushions, wipe down countertops and cabinet fronts in the kitchen, clean the microwave, dust the ceiling fans, etc. check out any of the local maid services websites for a complete list of the chores they do.
5) my house, according to them, takes 3 hours for one person to clean...personally, i think it should take less, but they do a damn good job for what i'm paying them so i don't complain.

as a side note, i have tried other places that are cheaper, but i was not satisfied with them and therefore only allowed them to clean the house once before finding someone else.

also, you don't have to be at home for them to clean. they have one of our house keys, and they come every other wednesday whether i'm here or not. i've noticed they do a better job of cleaning if you're not in the house watching their every move.

4/29/2008 7:15:00 PM

1) yes
2) once a week
3) $90
4) full cleaning, laundry (sort, wash, dry, fold), changes the sheets, and takes out the trash. If the dishes in the dishwasher are dirty, or if there are dirty dishes in the sink, she will wash them, run the dishwasher through a cycle, and empty it.
5) 3-4 hours

?topic=506387

4/29/2008 7:18:54 PM

if i had mine come once a week it would cost about $90-100 per visit, but they don't do laundry. it would cost much more per week if they did laundry. but i prefer them come and do all the "dirty work" and let me do my own laundry.

4/29/2008 7:20:07 PM

man, i want joe's cleaning lady

4/29/2008 7:20:50 PM

The $90 doesn't include tip.

4/29/2008 7:21:14 PM

ohfuckme

are you supposed to tip on top of that?

4/29/2008 7:21:45 PM

yes, you're supposed to tip.

4/29/2008 7:24:23 PM

now i feel bad

4/29/2008 7:25:47 PM

i guess i should list mine, so i can get ideas on whether or not i'm cheap. i pay $40 per visit.

on one hand, i'm thinking that even if all that work took 5 hours (which no way it does), then she makes $8.00 (well over minimum wage). and she probably doesn't pay taxes, so it works out to like $10.75/hr -- doesn't $40 translate to about $53 pre-tax?

ok so for 40 bucks, this is her list:

- dust downstairs (i am a guy, its like a tv and lamps and dvd cases and a few pictures and stuff)
- vacuum the living room/dining room/stairs/'landing' at the top of the stairs (a 20x20 foot square MAYBE, like 12 stairs, and a 5x5 foot square)
- mop (or swiffer wetjet, either/or) the kitchen, and both bathrooms (maybe 20x20 foot square again)
- clean/mop/polish the 'foyer' (like 8x5ft??)
- clean 2 toilets (one hardly gets used).

no sinks, showers, etc.
no dishes
it gets done by me a decent amount in between, just like a good "once over" during the week so it never ends up terrible

4/29/2008 7:26:34 PM

see, i don't know how to compare the two, because it looks like you hired a single person who does it on her own, and i hired an actual maid service in Cary to come do our house. so it's drastically different i bet.

4/29/2008 7:28:13 PM

if she's doing a good job and she's reliable, why not throw in a bonus ($10-$20) every now and then? when i used to get paid in cash my boss would throw in a bonus every now and then when we had been doing a consistently good job for a few weeks straight and that always made me feel pretty good. it's good know your hard work is noticed and appreciated. also made me want to keep it up.

4/29/2008 7:32:09 PM

i guess i never thought about tipping...i figure i'm spending so much on the cleaning anyways, why leave a tip...but i guess i should be tipping

4/29/2008 7:39:15 PM

1) do you have a maid/housekeeper/cleaning person?
Not really, but I pay people to clean my condo.

2) how often do they come?
Once every two or three months or so.

3) what do you pay them per visit?
Between $40 and $60.

4) what are their chores?
Floor boards, dishes, fans, vacuum, dust counters, tables, glass.

5) about how long to they stay per visit?
Two hours.

4/29/2008 7:40:15 PM

Just don't be one of those douchebags who knowingly trashes the house knowing the cleaning lady is coming. One of my ex-boyfriend's moms was one of those people. She'd leave trash and shit laying around and would say, "Whatever, the Mexican is coming on Friday," etc. It was pretty embarrassing.

4/29/2008 7:45:52 PM

ahh the BONUS/TIPPING part gets me thinking. ack ack ack confusing

Quote :

"see, i don't know how to compare the two, because it looks like you hired a single person who does it on her own, and i hired an actual maid service in Cary to come do our house. so it's drastically different i bet."

true, they probably have checklists, and stuff they can't touch, , etc, etc.

Quote :

"if she's doing a good job and she's reliable, why not throw in a bonus ($10-$20) every now and then? when i used to get paid in cash my boss would throw in a bonus every now and then when we had been doing a consistently good job for a few weeks straight and that always made me feel pretty good. it's good know your hard work is noticed and appreciated. also made me want to keep it up."

well, she just started today. and i told her that if it seemed to make a difference in the way the place felt when i came home, then i'd use her every other week. and maybe even weekly (just depending on how it works. lots of variables i don't get yet)

and i mean she's more than welcome to any food or drink in the house, isn't that enough for the greedy bitch? hahah just kidding. i'm sure that she is reliable,i was referred by someone in the hood who has used her for years. and, actually, that's another thing. i'm saving her a decent amount by letting her pick her day. i let her come here on the day shes already over here working on the neighbors stuff. so thats gotta be worth like 10 bucks in gas and unpacking and shit.

OK OK OK I FEEL BAD NOW

i think maybe i'll NOT tip. i'll guarantee her a weekly job so she can count on the income. (until i get a girlfriend, then she's fired). i'll also tell another friend or 2 in the neighborhood about her. if she could score 4 places out here each monday for 40 bucks a pop, she'd be ok.

and i guess i could give her a HT giftcard on christmas.

i cant get into tipping an extra 10 if she does something extra, though. that kind of stuff quickly adds to expecting an extra 10 every week

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, i think this is something that college kids should do for money. i would say just girls but thats sexist (even though i'd only hire a girl. girls can find dirt i never knew existed). find a few dudes like me, work maybe 6 hours a week, and graduate with a lot less debt!

4/29/2008 7:51:05 PM

Quote :

"find a few dudes like me, work maybe 6 hours a week, and graduate with a lot less debt!"

and a fucked up back

I'd rather get paid mad money to sit in a lab all day looking at slides. That's where I got my cash in college.

4/29/2008 7:54:14 PM

Quote :

"Just don't be one of those douchebags who knowingly trashes the house knowing the cleaning lady is coming. One of my ex-boyfriend's moms was one of those people. She'd leave trash and shit laying around and would say, "Whatever, the Mexican is coming on Friday," etc. It was pretty embarrassing."

hahah, no way. i'd be embarassed to leave it that way, even if it was just for "the mexican" who was coming to clean.

the whole point i'm trying to start this is so that i can always have a baseline level of dust-free lamps, and clean floors. with the exception of cleaning 2 toilets (really only one ever gets used, and just by one person), the cleaner really isn't gonna have to touch anything nasty ever.

honestly its more about "a clean house is a happy house" - just want a nice place to come home to that feels comfortable. im not trying to throw food all over the house and have someone pick it up for me. hahhahaha

yes, i know, i do dumb stuff. i'm such a faggot

4/29/2008 7:54:47 PM

yes
once a month
150 for 3 bedrooms/bathrooms and the living room/kitchen
thorough cleaning...place looks brand new when they're done
dunno, they let themselves in during the day...couple hours i think

4/29/2008 7:55:17 PM

Quote :

"and a fucked up back I'd rather get paid mad money to sit in a lab all day looking at slides. That's where I got my cash in college."

well yeah if you can get lab money versus manual labor then go for it. but really, does the housework stuff cause you back problems? i could maybe see the mopping.... but, hell, i even let her cheat and swiffer wetjets if she wants. thats not really all that backcreaking

seriously not trying to belittle, just think i'm mising out on what's so hard about it... (i don't want to cause i am lazy and i like to sit on my ass in my free time)

4/29/2008 7:57:31 PM

Yeah, people who do housekeeping for a living tend to have terrible back problems after awhile. Between the mopping, vacuuming, lifting buckets of water and whatnot, and then if they work for a maid company they have those crazy vacuum pack things you wear on your back but they don't actually have any support for your back, etc etc.

4/29/2008 8:00:53 PM

i have one...

her name is mom

4/29/2008 8:04:18 PM

Quote :

"true, they probably have checklists, and stuff they can't touch"

YEP!!

they stay 2ft. away from cat litter when vaccuuming - cuz it could spread to other houses that way

4/29/2008 8:04:40 PM

1) do you have a maid/housekeeper/cleaning person?

Yes

2) how often do they come?

Once every month or two. I would have them more often, but they come into Raleigh all the way from Greenville to work for me whenever they have a chance. They are sisters who grew up on my family's farm. Their mother cleaned and cooked for my grandmother and now they cook and clean for my grandmother and brother. I'm fortunate that they're willing to share.

3) what do you pay them per visit?

$17/hr each

4) what are their chores?

Whatever needs to be done. I love them because I do not have to clean up before they come over like you do with some cleaning services. They are perfectly willing to straighten up things before doing the actual cleaning. Then they clean my house from top to bottom: floors, counters, baseboards, bathrooms, dishes, laundry, etc. They have also done special things for me like unpack and organize when I moved, straighten my walk in closet, clean out the garage, and disinfect the entirety of the house before we brought our son home from the hospital.

5) about how long to they stay per visit?

4-6 hours.

4/29/2008 8:29:26 PM

Quote :

"yes once a month 150 for 3 bedrooms/bathrooms and the living room/kitchen thorough cleaning...place looks brand new when they're done dunno, they let themselves in during the day...couple hours i think"

damn so in theory you'd be paying 22 dollars per month less than me, AND you're getting them to do all the "nasty" stuff....

maybe im just too much of a pussy. or maybe i just dont like the idea of strangers cleaning my bed things, or doing my dishes, or taking out my trash

or for that matter, i really dont like the idea of self-empowerment when it comes to a stranger throwing away or shredding whatever they "think" is trash. ive gotten seriousy mad at people who i really care about for mistakes there, i can't imagine with the strangers

4/29/2008 8:42:45 PM

Quote :

"lifting buckets of water and whatnot,"

yeah i guess so. i wonder if i have a tape measurer. i'd like to do a layout of my house, you'd see how much of a bargain it really is for them if you saw how convenient its all laid out.

4/29/2008 8:44:33 PM

my parents do, and i think they dont add to the amount, hell, she only does the first floor and with my mom's plants and other trinkets all over the place, all she really does in the floor and she brings 2 helpers (kids i think). Xmas time she does even less due to all the decorations all over the place. They do add to her amount for xmas but they dont tip the other times. She charges enough and she forces her kids to do alot of the work for her.

I was downstairs once and she had the TV on and talking on the phone....


Plus, she does put the rugs back right (with the anti slipping thing under them) One time she left them in a big stack and when she does put them back she doesnt put them them back right (parents have hardwood floors) She does my sisters houses also.

[Edited on April 29, 2008 at 8:49 PM. Reason : w]

4/29/2008 8:47:30 PM

ok i am way too bored, but now i know how big all my rooms are. i also have a 225 square foot enclosed patio. and a 100+ square foot laundry room!!!1 PARTY TIME!

BUT i just figured it out if i read this shit right

downstairs mop/swiffer
-- 30sf 1/2 bathroom
-- 48sf foyer
-- 60sf kitchen
the rest of it down here is carpet, and i want all that done, so...
-- 588sf living room/dining room
upstairs vaccumng
-- 50sf at the top of the stairs
-- ??sf (THE ACTUAL STAIRS)
-- 00sf (BEDROOMS STAY CLOSED AND LOCKED)
upstairs mop/swiffer
-- 70sf normal bathroom

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE RESULTS:
for $40, this person only has to:
swiffer about 208sf (14x14 if squaure)
vacuum about 638sf (25x25 if square)
clean 2 toilets that are never really dirty to begin with
dust some electronic equipment, some pictures, and some lamps and shelves and books

worst case, that takes 3 hours. $13.33 per hour, possibly net (i am just a guy, i am not the IRS)

I have decided that I am a good guy for doing this, and that it is beneficial to all involved. thanks TWW for letting me think out loud on you again.

i still cant believe i went and found the sizes of my rooms on the charts. i finally now know that the true amount of heated SF in my home actually matches what is advertised, though. awesome

i need a life.

4/29/2008 9:23:49 PM

My mom makes a decent living cleaning full time in Greensboro. Charges 50-80 dollars depending on the size of the house for an hour or two of work and does about 4-5 houses a day. I helped her out in high school and she works at an incredible pace and goes above and beyond what your standard cleaning service would do. I'd give you her info but she is fully booked and rarely loses clients.

[Edited on April 29, 2008 at 10:14 PM. Reason : ^ From experience, your place would take 30-45 min. and be ~ $40 especially w/ no kitchen cleaning]

4/29/2008 10:08:51 PM

A decent living? If she's doing this full time, 4 house a day at $65 each she'd make about 65k/year. Not too fucking shabby.

4/29/2008 10:14:49 PM

^Thats about spot on

[Edited on April 29, 2008 at 10:19 PM. Reason : Took about 5 years to get that established though]

4/29/2008 10:15:48 PM

Quote :

""Whatever, the Mexican is coming on Friday,""

4/29/2008 10:43:10 PM

we just had a cleaning person come twice while our house was on the market, bc we were mostly keeping it up in between times. i paid her 125 + tip each time, she stayed w/her partner for probably 4-5 hrs each time, and does everything but laundry. we love her

4/29/2008 10:44:55 PM

dude 125 is way too much

ive finally decided that at the rate of 40 per week for 2 hours per work, it works out to 172 per month. since ill have to use her ever week even if i dont need her, just cause you don't lay your employees off every other week

2080 per year, thats a lot, that bitch could have cable and all the channels cause of me

4/30/2008 7:27:14 AM

does $250 seem outrageous for a "spring cleaning" or is it just me?

thinking about getting a cleaning service for the first time

4/18/2015 8:07:08 PM

Yeah that sounds pretty crazy...unless you have a huge house and they're shampooing rugs, cleaning the inside of your appliances and other over the top shit, but even then.

[Edited on April 18, 2015 at 8:38 PM. Reason : I'd get some more quotes I spose]

4/18/2015 8:18:00 PM

they said they'd do everything from blinds, to appliances, to all floors, fans, baseboards, bathrooms, bedrooms, cabinets...

everything but laundry, but I don't want them doing my laundry anyways

4/18/2015 8:22:51 PM

that sounds somewhat on the steep side. maybe not "crazy", but I think you can do better, even for a thorough and 1-time/initial cleaning.

4/18/2015 10:29:40 PM

lol Constitution Party

4/18/2015 11:09:38 PM

Spare no expense for a teek bruh

4/19/2015 12:45:22 AM

Decade's worth inflation adjustment must be taken into account ITT

Also when this thread was started, the federal minimum wage was $6.88

It is now $7.25

And the drumbeat of wolfweb marches on....

4/19/2015 12:02:45 PM

$250 converts to $228 in 2008 dollars

4/19/2015 12:55:25 PM

I banged the housekeepers at work. Just walk up to them and say 'Estoy caliente!'

4/19/2015 1:28:13 PM

$250 could be fine depending on the size of your home and the quality of work they do.

In my opinion, they should move the furniture and dust the walls/ceilings.

And, by definition, a lot of what they do may not be evident to you.

4/19/2015 1:51:08 PM

yeah, i don't think that's unreasonable if you have a large house and they are really cleaning everything from the ceiling to the floor. I'd expect that, I'd expect everything on the counters to be removed/cleaned under/replaced, I'd expect laundry and bed linens, to be done/folded, etc.

It's around double what I've paid for small/medium (1800-1900 sq ft) houses, where they did good work, but not quite that extensive. Those houses were also in small cities with relatively low/moderate costs of living. Agreed (^), it's not out of the question that $250 could be a very reasonable rate, but only in a large house and/or an expensive area, and my expectations would be very high.

4/19/2015 2:27:35 PM

I saw that Joe posted in this thread, confused about price, and then noticed it was from 7 years ago!

We now live on the other side of the country but still have a housekeeper who comes in once a week, and does all of the same services in Joe's ancient post. Her rate is $160 per week + monthly tip. The annual "spring cleaning" costs us $300, but they spend nearly an entire day doing a through deep cleaning of everything in the house, from floor to ceiling.

Our maid is wonderful, and does an amazing job taking care of us. Occasionally she will bring her son to help out, and he's super cool too. Every now and then he'll take a break and play basketball with us, or hang out at the pool.

4/19/2015 2:50:07 PM

1) no, I'm not married.

4/19/2015 2:59:42 PM