It’s a familiar story, an unexpected guest drops by and you’re absolutely mortified by your home’s bomb-like state.
Keeping the house clean and tidy is a never-ending chore – as soon as you clear one overflowing pile of dirty dishes, there is another lot stacked up in the sink!
If you’ve decided to splurge on domestic cleaning services and want to make sure every dollar counts, it’s important to know what to expect for your money.
If conducted fortnightly, a good house clean should take a couple of hours and include domestic cleaning services like dusting and scrubbing the kitchen, bathroom and floors.
The time taken and the cost involved obviously depend on the size of your home. Two hours should take care of a good-sized apartment or two-bedroom house, while anything larger than this is more time-consuming.
Domestic cleaning services are generally cheaper than most people think. The average hourly rate on ServiceSeeking.com.au is $30 per hour. This is pretty good value, especially considering the price generally includes the cost of cleaning supplies.
Before committing to a domestic cleaning service, you should agree on a cleaning schedule. This typically includes the cleaner visiting your home for a thorough assessment and completing a checklist of everything you need to be done on a regular basis and those things you’d like cleaned every now and then – such as the oven or fridge.
This will not only help the cleaner give you a more accurate price but will ensure that your expectations match theirs. Once you’ve agreed to the terms and conditions, you should get everything in writing.
To cut costs, it could be worth “cleaning for the cleaner”. This might sound silly but if you take care of some of the basics, such as wiping down the benchtops, your cleaner might be able to finish up early or have more time for tasks that require extra elbow grease.
It might also work in your favour to leave the house while the cleaner is there so they can work more quickly and effectively without you breathing down their neck!
Don’t forget that while a regular cleaning schedule is handy, you can also enlist domestic cleaning services on a one-off basis – like for an end-of-lease clean.