r/housekeeping

I just got to my clients house and it is 78 degrees in here. The house is basically a sunroom too.. it has huge windows around the whole house. I’ve been here 15 minutes and I’m soaked in sweat. I turned on the air and it’s not coming on. I texted my client and he is not responding. Would it be wrong of me to leave if i get too hot and ask to come back another day? I’ve done this one other time but the homeowner was home so I let her know before I left. I’m going to try to stay as long as I can but truthfully I’m already miserable.

Hello! This is my first housekeeping job ever 🙂‍↕️ From what i can tell, this forum is more for independent/home cleaners? But I work at a hotel.

The fast paced cleaning, amount of chemicals, and tucking of towels and bedsheets it tearing my hands open and it hurts/keeps getting blood on my linens :( Is there any fixes for this? Or do i just have to wait for my skin to toughen up. Thanks!

I run my own cleaning "business" where I basically clean and organize for people. It's usually things like deep cleans (which I love because it takes the longest and feels the most rewarding.) I currently charge $25/h because I'm still new to it, I started off charging $20.

This woman wants me to come by and scrub her floors by hand and I took the job because I'm basically taking anything I can get right now. She messaged me pictures today and the space is pretty small and she said she wants no other cleaning done besides the floors. Now there's a chance that it does take me a full two hours to scrub these floors, but in the case that it doesn't, I feel like the job is not even worth the bus ride over there or the use of my products, or the wear on my body (I'm also disabled). I am considering telling her that I would need to charge her for the full two hours, which would be $50. I say this because the other day I went over to a woman's house and she didn't have enough work for me to do to last more than an hour and a half, so she ended up paying me $37 and I left feeling like the job wasn't even worth it.

Is it fair to ask her to pay for the full two hours? How do I navigate this/frame it? How do you guys charge for things like this? Am I being greedy lmao?

We have a cleaner who comes in weekly and we provide supplies. I let her know that we will buy anything she wants but she just won’t tell us what she wants. Or will very reluctantly ask for something. We have all the specific products she asks for (dawn, floor cleaner, Lysol etc)

Are there tools that would make cleaning easier? Like someone posted their husband bought them a spin brush for the shower, is that something you can use on tile without ruining the tile? I don’t know if she never asked for that because it would harm the tile.

What are some items you’d ideally love to have but might be expensive to use in a business setting?

What does marriage or a partnership look like in your house when it comes to cleaning and chores?

i know this is not romantic in the usual way, but the most useful gift my husband got me this year was a bathroom scrubber.

we had this dumb little pattern where i would say i needed to clean the tub, then put it off, then finally do it when it was bothering me enough. it wasn’t even that the bathroom was disgusting. just normal tub edge, tile, shower wall, corners behind the faucet, that kind of stuff.

but the position is what gets me.

crouching over the tub, kneeling on cold tile, reaching weirdly into corners, scrubbing with my wrist bent at some terrible angle. after ten minutes i’m annoyed, my back hurts, and i start questioning every life choice that led me to having a bathroom with grout.

one weekend he walked in while i was basically folded over the tub trying to scrub the edge near the faucet. he didn’t say anything dramatic, just took over for a bit. later that week a spin scrubber showed up.

at first i laughed because it felt like such a practical married-person gift. but honestly? it made me feel cared for. not in a big movie-scene way. more like, “oh, you noticed this thing is physically annoying for me and tried to make it easier.”

i’ve been using it mostly for tub edges, tile corners, and the spots i hate hand-scrubbing. it doesn’t turn bathroom cleaning into a fun activity or anything. it just means i’m not hunched over fighting one corner of the tub with a sponge like it personally betrayed me.

still trying to figure out a better routine though. do you all clean the tub a little after every shower, use a daily spray, kneeling pad, long-handled brush, or just mentally prepare for battle once a week?

Good day! So I'm thinking about putting down the vacuum January 2028 after 25 years of cleaning and I'm interested in the best way to transition. I'm thinking I will put in a 3-6 month notice so I can be replaced or should I try to sell my business or hire someone for my clients? I plan to get an administrative position or apply to work at Home Depot which I would love to work there for the remainder of my life. 🤣

Hello✨
Firstly, I’m sorry if my English is hard to understand as it is my second language.
I’m new to cleaning and I was completely transparent with my client that they were my first ever client.
They are so understanding and patient with me and I really appreciate them.

However, it’s taking me so long to deep clean their home. It takes me like 9 or maybe 10 hours.
The kitchen and bathrooms takes me the longest.
I’m trying not to make this post too long but I’m willing to clarify anything.

Do you have any time saving tips you could share?
I appreciate any feedback and criticisms🫶

A long time client is always giving feedback on our jobs. I think they are too demanding but I want to keep them. How do I know if it's my work or their opinions on my work? 🤔

Maybe a weird question but how do you keep your nails healthy while being a cleaner? I feel like my hands get so beat up cleaning and my nails are weak and brittle and i hurt them all the time. I do wear gloves but there is still so much moisture and one they break it’s impossible to get more on feel like they don’t exactly protect my hands and rubber gloves are hard to work in.

(US, MI, Detroit) I’m in year 2 of building my homemaking business and the hardest thing so far has been building my team. I’ve hired 9 people over the course of 2 years and all but two have bowed out for various reasons: 3 had other/better opportunities elsewhere (can’t compete with that and hold no stones), 2 were no-call-no-shows, and the other 2 just couldn’t cut it.

I have 2 people right now that are M-F that really enjoy the work and clients. Our niche idea attracts a certain kind of clientele that puts my people in a good position to be tipped or just treated well, without over exerting themselves.

I’m looking everywhere I can without paying another F******* subscription so that keeps me within: WOM, community bulletin boards, facebook, Nextdoor app, even Care.com!!

I provide:
- all products and tools ($200 value/kit)
- guidebook, contract, code of conduct
- 1099 for now with goals to go W-2 (just increased prices so I could get more growth)
- $18/hour for training, $22/hour once placed, with room for advancement within $24-$26/hour
- Bonus opportunities for client retention and/or team member referral
- Same-Day Pay
- Clients: I have a waitlist and strong word of mouth in a HCOL area
- Scheduling app: 6 weeks of schedule view, predictable schedule, clock in/out, view your timesheets for the month, add in availability/time off
- We don’t work major holidays, weekends, or evening hours. I even went ahead gave the team I have now July 3rd off for a long US holiday

Everything I put here I’ve put in my help wanted ads. I generate a lot of interest but during screening I’ve found a variety of issues: unable to pass a background check, want to pick and choose what they do/start times because it’s an IC position, ask for weekends or evenings but we’re residential so there is no demand for those times, or just poor presentation during the interview.

I’m turning down so much work, and at first it was just the spring pick-up but now it’s bleeding into summer, and I STILL don’t have anyone. I feel stagnant, like I’m failing at growing. The girls I have are happy with their workload, but they’re maxed out at 30 hours rn, including myself!! I can’t add more to either of our plates, and I’m the owner! I shouldn’t be working this much. Then I don’t have the admin time to do anything.

If I stay the course without adding anyone we’ll go W-2 by 2028 fall/winter (depending on Q1, that’s always bad due to winter illnesses). If I can get 2-3 more people in, I could transition us to W-2 by the beginning of 2028 (really summer of 2027 but to make it easy on taxes I’ll start fresh at the beginning of the year).

What am I doing wrong??? Is it the IC?? I can’t do anything about that just yet. And honestly they would lose so much when I do change things over. They lose a lot of their tax deductions, gas reimbursement, and schedule freedom when I do, but it should be more consistent work without the fear of losing income. I just don’t know what else I can do. Just stay the course? Ugh I feel like everyone wants the service, but doesn’t want to do the work or carry the emotional intelligence to execute it.

Hi everyone! I recently - finally - found a cleaning opportunity. I already have established my list of add-ons, now it is just time to price them. I would like to ask the professional cleaners here how you guys tend to price/handle add-ons? Any information is helpful! Thank you so much.

My add-ons:
Clean inside of oven
Clean inside of fridge/freezer (client must empty fridge/freezer prior to clean)
Hand wipe blinds
Bed making
Dishes
Hand wipe toiletries
Hand wipe fake plants
Hand wipe fan blades
Organizing/decluttering
Inside of cabinets (client must empty cabinet prior to clean)

Hi all. Moving into a 2,000 sq ft home (3/1.5) in the Chicago suburbs that was well taken care of by previous owner. Fridge and stove aren't immaculate, but the place is basically clean.

For other context, we are currently having the whole house painted and a bathroom remodeled before move-in. The company doing the work is meticulous, so I assume they will clean up after themselves reasonably well.

Nevertheless, before we move in, we want to hire a cleaning service to deep clean the easily neglected parts (sills, etc.). Two parents working FT with a 5 yo... just trying to get a fresh start. Put a nice shine on a 99-yo Dutch colonial. :)

House will be nearly empty for the cleaning--sofa in the living room, beds in two bedrooms, and a couple of stools at the kitchen island.

In accordance with community rules, I am NOT searching for a cleaning service here.

Any ideas about how much this should cost or other tips?

Thank you!!

I posted this but I think it got removed due to incorrect flair; do housekeepers get paid when regular clients are on vacation? If so, how does it work? I pay my weekly cleaner her usual rate every week even when we’re out of town. I have a daily ‘mother’s helper’ who comes to do chores around the house for 2 hours every day, along with light cleaning. Do I pay her for every day that I’m out of town too?

My Job: I am a full-time housekeeper that cleans guest rooms and public spaces.

My Prob: Every single weekday I'm listening to 6 hours at least of a variety of my favorite podcasts, just getting shit done and enjoying whatever it is I'm listening to, but then over and over again, every 5 or 10 minutes, the stupid ad reads play and I'm unable to skip them because I'm in the middle of cleaning and thus I either can't touch my phone because my hands are dirty, or my phone is just outside of the area I'm working.

My Question: Is there any way to stop these ad reads without paying each podcast individually? If not, is/are there a device or devices I could use to be able to skip the ads other than my phone? Such as a smart watch or audio headset or earbuds?

My Setup: I currently have an Android phone and pair them via Bluetooth to a Shokz headset to listen to downloaded podcasts. I prefer my Shokz headset because they keep my ear canals open which helps me hear everything around me as well. One last detail, whatever I'm listening to has to be downloaded because there is no Wi-Fi and using cell service would drain my battery even faster.

I’ve always done all the cleaning myself. Partly to save money, and partly because I thought I do it better than anyone else. Lately though, I feel like I’m always behind on it. Work takes more energy now and I don’t keep up like before. I’m thinking about maybe hiring a cleaning service sometimes, but I’m not sure about it yet. For those who tried it - was it worth it? Did it make things easier or not really? And how often do you use it - weekly, every two weeks, or just sometimes?

Hello everyone. If this post doesn't fit the sub, I apologize. I have a wonderful, wonderful housekeeper. She has been with us for the past 12 years. She is the second one we've had, and she is amazing. She's truly a godsend. She's only hired to clean my house, but she always is bringing over meals or goodies. She loves my kids. She has brought them gifts on their birthdays. She's really watched them grow up. We see her often she is there every day. She gets paid well, I will say that. Or at least I hope we raise her pay every year, so I think she's very happy. She cleans my house as well as my parents house. But unfortunately, she is moving away. She is getting married and she is moving to Florida and I am so upset. (But obviously super happy for her! But I want to give her a really, really good going away present. She will still be housekeeping in Florida, so it can be a housekeeping-related suggestion or just a girl-related suggestion. I'm not sure. Or anything there is in Florida that you think she should have or i should give her a gift card to pleaseeee give me suggestions. My limit is $1,000. She truly deserves the best.

We clean for a couple, who are a bit older. We’ve had this client for about 2 years.

One of them, the man (I won’t use names) had COPD. He died a week ago.

We went to his funeral. He was an incredibly nice man. One of our first clients we ever had. He always made my wife (the cleaner) breakfast and got her a coffee to drink. He was so friendly, always joking and having a good time.

And now he is just gone.

We told his wife that we are cleaning for her for free for a month. We can handle the hit in pay, because what we do is far more than just clean.

Months before he died, he told me wife that she was like a daughter to him. I consider all business to be like a relationship. While there is money exchanged for our time, we get to know each other and we care about each other. This family, like all others, becomes like part of our own. It’s a relationship you build over time.

Has anyone else dealt with this before? If so, how did you handle it?