Does anyone have a paid home cleaning service?

Good point CWillie. What we take for granted isn't obvious to others. And things we want out and close to us may seem like clutter to someone else.

If I do go with an agency, I'll raise the issue of an ongoing relationship so that we can both get to know each other.

I've noticed this is a problem with home care; same agency this time but an entirely different group of people, younger and judging from responses less experience with an older person. I wouldn't have thought I needed to raise the issue of age and age related habits, but I guess I do.

After reading all the posts, I think I'm going to draft a fairly specific work list so we're all "on the same page." (I wish whoever invents these catchy phrases would find a new one. The "same page" one has been around for over a dozen years. )

Re: stuffing stuff away in drawers

Cleaners are only human, you know, and often clients expect that their 2000 square foot home can be made spotless in 3 hours, despite the fact that there is clutter everywhere, they have multiple pets, hard water and glass bathroom doors and the cleaning supplies such as vacuums (if provided by the homeowner) are missing or don't work properly. I always made it clear to my customers...I don't do clutter. Yes, I'll attempt to tidy up that stack of papers or bring those dirty dishes into the kitchen, but don't expect me to go beyond that. It takes years of working with someone to figure out their preferences regarding exactly what needs to be saved/tossed, and where all their miscellaneous items should be stashed.
And one other thing, please, please put all your precious keepsakes and easily breakable items away, both for your own sake and that of the cleaners!

Thanks everyone for the very helpful information.

I don't particularly like the idea of shoving things in the drawers just to get them out of sight! That's a good tip so I can watch out for that.

$17 to $30 is quite a range; I assume some of that is geographic specific as well as the need and experience of the cleaning lady.

The issue of independent vs. agency employed was and now is the major issue. I do everything by the book, no room for error. So I was shocked when I called our insurance agent to increase the liability coverage for an independent worker that as an employer my father would have to carry worker's comp insurance with an annual premium of $750 to $1000. Ouch! That makes an independent worker more expensive than I anticipated.

If he doesn't carry it and the cleaner is injured, and if she is a paid employee coming to do work, she wouldn't be covered under any liability aspect of homeowner's insurance. That's a big concern for me. The issue is that she would be a paid worker, and not the same as someone who might be injured while just visiting. The liability aspect is different.

Dragonbait, I like the idea of a green cleaning company. Too many cleaners have harmful if not toxic substances, and my father has to live in this house after the workers have gone and the residues of the cleaning solutions might still be in the air.

To me, it's worth more to pay for green cleaning. I will check out the company you referenced.

One thing I've learned so far is, not surprisingly so, an independent person doesn't necessarily want to bother with self filing, may not want to be treated as an independent contractor and be obligated to file taxes herself, but doesn't want deductions taken out.

When I did legal temping, many of the law firms would not take deductions for just one week's of temp employment, so I was left to declare the wages myself. Now that I'm on SS, I wish I had asked the agency to take deductions, because there's a lot of revenue that wasn't subject to SS deductions, and I can use every little bit of SS I can get now.

I can understand that cleaners might not want to report wages, but I'm also looking at potential liability issues. I see potential problems with options that sometimes make it more complicated for me to choose between a person who's good, really needs the money but probably won't file taxes, vs. an agency.

I did some cold calling yesterday and have more to do today. I'm changing my checklist to add comments that you have made, especially things I never would have thought of such as stuffing things away in drawers!

It really is a dilemma; I'd like to help someone who needs the money, but I need to balance the cost and time, and factoring in an insurance policy of $750 - $1000 annually really makes an independent worker more expensive relative to an agency paid worker.

Some more questions:

With your independent cleaners, do you treat them as independent contractors and provide a 1099 at the end of the year? Have you ever had any who became injured while on the job, slipped on ice, anything like that?

Do you provide them with an itemized checklist of what you want done?

Have you ever had any problems with theft?

I really appreciate the time you've taken; it helps me tremendously. Thanks again!

Rates are usually by the job not the hour but when you figure it out 20-30 per is norm. You must remember if they are self employed and pay their taxes SE tax alone is 15% plus federal tax state tax and mileage. Many bring own supplies as well. As with caregivers you get what you pay for. And i would always opt for indep. over agency just because you know who is in your home, you build a relationship etc..just my opinion.

We have a wonderful cleaning lady who comes weekly. We've had her for iver 12 years. She used to come every two weeks at our old house. But we've moved into a bigger house and 4 adults and 2 dogs make a bigger mess. She gives us a break because she comes weekly. It's about $30 an hour but she is worth every penny! Our house sparkles when she leaves. Plus she sometimes comes to fix dinner for my in-laws if my husband and I want to go on a date. Our friends have Molly Maids and they love it. Not sure how much they pay.

I could hire someone who works independently for a lot less, but the service is easier.

My cleaning service comes every three weeks. Two—sometimes three, if they have a trainee—come for an hour to an hour and a half and I pay about $130. For extras, like oven cleaning, the charge is $39 per hour per person. The company, Maid Brigade, is "certified green." The house is just under 2000 sq. ft. I could hire someone

Ironic that those who clean your house can command more money than the aides that wipe your mother's bum, isn't it?

There are many levels of cleaners out there, from the super efficient agencies that send two or more cleaners to the lady in the neighbourhood that just wants to pick up some extra cash. Remember, the agencies charge tax, the neighbourhood lady is self employed so she may not, or she may be working under the table. Agency employees are usually bonded as well, the independent contractor probably not. Ask for references!

I pay $20 per hour for a once-a-month visit, three hours at a time. This wonderful woman sweeps, dusts and mops the approximately 1300-square-foot downstairs, scrubs the bath and kitchen appliances, makes two beds. She brings her own equipment and supplies.

It is $17 an hour here if they send one girl for 8 hours or they charge by the size of the house and come do a walk through, and give you a quote. This way they can send several workers. The first visit is more. If they come every week it is less than if they come every 2 weeks or once a month. You may have to go through several services until you find one you like. Don't be shy about it. Many do not pick up so if you need that service you might consider finding someone through talking to friends. The services will pick up a glass, dust under it and put it back down instead of returning it to the kitchen. I had disasterous results with the services.
They would open drawers and just shove stuff in to get it out of sight. I have a woman I hired on a friends recommendation and she has been with us 5 yrs. Good luck. Good help is out there, you just have to look for them.

Maggie, thanks for the information. I was a bit shocked at the rates, but I'm guessing that other large cities might have similarly high rates. $30 an hour for cleaning is more than I made as a contract administrator! But it does seem more reasonable in terms of the area cleaned - and that's a lot to clean in 2.5 hours.

Again, thanks for taking the time to answer. I also like the idea of special bonuses.

I don't know any professional cleaning service that charges by the hour. Maybe they're out there, but not in my suburban Chicago area.

Tom pays for our cleaning service, so I had to ask him, and I'm amazed it's not more. $75 a time for about 2-1/2 hours. That gets our 1100 sq ft 3-bedroom two bath one-story no-family room immaculately cleaned. They come twice a month. I should say "she" comes. She puts her head down, never stops. One of my favorite people. I give her $200 at Christmas and a bouquet of flowers probably twice a year. She's fabulous.

Mom had a lady who came twice a month for two hours for a whopping $28 a month thru her township's senior services. She didn't clean all that well, but keep mom good company.