Philly burbs, just outside Chestnut Hill. 2400 Sq ft, 4/2-1/2, shedding dog, just two of us. She doesn't touch the basement, but we never use it, either. She isn't the best, but she's good enough. $65/2 hours every 2 weeks. She independant, doesn't work for an agency.

Does your community have a facebook page or a Nextdoor list? That's where you can ask for local referrals.

1. Check your insurance. Make sure that you have coverage if someone comes into your home and is injured. You might need a rider on your policy.

2. Consult with your accountant to determine what your obligations are as an employer to pay into Social Security, workers compensation, and state, Federal and local income taxes. The accountant will probably suggest that you hire a person as an independent contractor, with the independent contractor being responsible for a portion of their own insurance and taxes. If you go this route, you will need a signed and notarized contract. Your accountant might suggest some withholding to guarantee that the person actually makes the tax and social security payments, since it can come back on you if the payments are not made. In the case of withholding, you would have to submit the forms and social security payments. Your accountant can help you with that.

3. The unemployment rate is very low right now, and it is hard to fill some jobs. If you can get away with six hours of cleaning, you might be able to create a job for a young mother who needs some extra money, but also needs to be home to send her children off to school and have time to be there to pick them up after school. It seems like $25.00 per hour would be a fair price for a contract labor/ independent contractor arrangement. That comes out to $150.00 per day.

4. Word of mouth is the best way to find someone for such an arrangement. Use your network.

5. Get a locking cabinet for your medicine and a safe for your valuables.

6. Treat them well and be generous. You want to inspire loyalty.

I forgot to say, my husband mops the kitchen floor. It's his thing. Am thinking of asking her to do three hours for $100, and including the kitchen floor, and a little more in-depth cleaning. She's pretty good, tho. She does smell of smoke, never smokes in the house, but I don't see a problem with that. And I give $100 at Christmas and $50 in July (anniversary of when she started working for us.)

I have used referrals from other people on my block. That is where I got the people who refused to speak to me. And other folks who wreak of smoke. I have horrible allergy that is triggered even by the smell of smoke, and I have the nose of a hound. So if someone is a smoker or even lives with a smoker, my house smells terribly of it after they have left.

Philly has the highest smoking rate in the country. I have found it very hard here to come across cleaning people who don't smoke or live with smokers. I didn't have this problem as much in Chicago.

I'm a big believer in tipping. What a nice idea to give $50 on anniversary. I give $100 a piece at Christmas to whomever has been cleaning at that time. If it is a crew working for a company, I give everyone a tip each time they come. Usually $10 a person.

When I was a kid we had the same cleaning person that my grandmother had used for decades. She was like family, introducing us to her friends as her children. We invited her to our parties and she invited us to hers. My grandma paid her social security. When she retired, we visited her in her apartment regularly. When she was in a nursing home, I visited her there often too. My family paid for her funeral and burial. That woman took her time to clean a house and it looked amazing. She was a wonderful woman who I loved dearly. I am certainly not looking for a relationship like that but damn she set the bar high for knowing how to clean a house.

When I was growing up my Mom had a lady that came 2 x year to help with major stuff like waxing the floors and cleaning the windows really well in and out. My MOm had her own business and still found time to clean house when it was needed. I test drove 2 different cleaning companies that were expensive and did not do above the doors or my glass shelves in my Den and I decided I could do my own and spend the money I saved on something for me.Apparently they were allowed to use a step stool. My DIL had the same experience. I think in the old days where people with money could have a live in housekeeper the story was much different.

Ask your real estate agent to recommend some cleaners. Or if you are seeing an allergist, ask them. Local colleges often have job boards- ask applicants for references.

1426 sq ft. 3bed/2bath $100 biweekly. Independent. 2-3 clean together. They blow in and out in about an hour. Worth it for me not to have to clean the bathrooms!

Sorry, Ft. Worth, Tx.

I don't pay my wife anything to clean the bathrooms and she doesn't pay me anything to vacuum and dust. LOL. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Jan,

My friends can't afford house cleaners and none of my neighbors really think their cleaners do a good job.

I've been a housekeeper for a living. The woman was from Beverly Hills, the guy from Switzerland. Demanding combo. I cleaned, cooked, did all of their shopping, errands, and laundry. I hardly had time to go to the bathroom and no time for lunch. Forget talking on the phone or snacking. I worked my butt off and their home gleamed.

I'm on the other side of the fence now, thinking that $25/hour is fair pay. I strongly prefer hiring an individual instead of forking it over to a company, but honestly at this point, I will take either so long as they are good. I had great house cleaners when I lived in Chicago, but in Philly they either clean like crap (one guy washed my mahogany dresser with straight vinegar, others just left it only slightly better than before they came) or they are psycho (another guy mixed beer from our fridge with pills from our med cabinet and passed out on the bathroom floor.)

I am trying a new person next week who I found on CL. We'll see. I've called references.

Also Philly burbs- ML. 3100 sq ft house 5 br 3.5 ba; college age kids so not living at home most of year; 1 cat. Individual, not company. $170/ every other week. Raised rates only once in last 8 yrs or so. Good for many years but circumstances have changed. In process of looking for some one new and will probably go with a company for more reliability. Also work FT so not at home during cleaning. I expect I will have to pay more so these responses have been interesting!

CT shoreline, fairly upscale area. Two adults, no pets, we’re very tidy and I clear vanity, counters, papers, etc. to make their job easier. Living, dining, kitchen, 1.5 baths, master bedroom, family room, stairs. Vacuum, dust, damp mop wood floors, bed linens, bathrooms. I don’t have them do the rarely used 2 br and bath on second floor. Independent owner, comes herself with two helpers, speaks English but helpers do not. $90 bi-weekly, they’re here about an hour, comes out to $30 per person per hour.

I’ve had them on and off for ten years, reliable, trustworthy, careful of my things, the ladies often sing while they’re working. I give them a good tip at Christmas.

i used to clean houses when my step kids were young to accommodate school schedules, so I know how hard the work is.

Midwest, rural. I get charged $75 per time and she doesn't clean "inside" anything (microwaves, oven, frig, closets, etc). She worked alone and was an IC. Takes her a good 3-4 hours to do my 1700 SF? The rest is a storeroom/laundry area that I don't need cleaned as it's a cement floor.

I used to run a mid-sized professional cleaning service, we only targeted day care and kindergarten schools, churches with green cleaning products. No chemicals or toxic fumes but we charged $100.00 for a small day care and $250.00 for a medium sized centers, and charged $500.00 to $750.00 for churches. But we send a crew of 3 to 5 cleaning personnel.

I live in the NY Metro area and have a Polish lady who cleans my home every 2 weeks. She comes for 5 hours and charges $100. My home is 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, living room, dining room, family room, sun porch, and large kitchen. She dusts, vacuums, and cleans the kitchen and bathrooms (counter tops, sinks, commodes, showers, ovens, rangetop). She was a referral from my sister. She goes to Poland for months at a time, but her daughter fills in. They are both lovely ladies and I trust them implicitly. Yes, good cleaning people are like gold.

NYC suburbs. We have a 4br, 2.5ba home, around 2,000sf. Our independent cleaning lady charges us $130 per visit and comes twice a month. She brings an assistant and I think they're usually here for 2-3 hours.

We are two adults and 3 cats, so the extra bedrooms don't get used all that much (no need for fresh sheets most visits, etc.). They do a great job on the bathrooms and mirrors, which is the chore DH and I both despise, so well worth it! They also dust, vacuum, clean the stovetop and appliance fronts, any dishes/other small messes in the kitchen, change sheets, mop floors. I keep the house picked up and make sure there aren't many (or any) dishes in the sink. It's a luxury but one I wouldn't want to give up!

My mom cleans houses as an independent business owner in small town MN. I grew up helping her. She wouldn't set foot in your house for less than $100/week. Cleaning bi-weekly is *more* work because of accumulated dirt. Having a dog means you get the "pet hair" higher price. Trust me it is a lot more work. Nice that you're tidy; the cleaning company doesn't know that though and they set their rates based on the average work they do.

If you've already had horrible experiences with the less expensive options you've tried, doesn't that tell you something??

Is the company insured? Remember there are overhead costs like insurance which an individual may not have. (People are often willing to cut corners and take more risks as an individual versus a company that employs other people.)

I had bad experiences with two different companies that were insured and bonded. They charged 1.5 times what the others charged, probably paid their workers minimum wage, and did a lousy job. Neither one made it past the third visit. $20 per hour is not enough if you have someone reliable and honest who does a good job, IMO.

^^on that note, I should add that my mom never advertises and will only accept clients who have been referred by another client of hers. That's her assurance that she's not going to be screwed over by someone who wants to take advantage of her and her clients' assurance that she is reputable and has integrity. They can only hear about her from satisfied clients.

Update - I posted on Craigslist for a bi-weekly cleaner, offering $25/hour and chose one who supplied two good references and one spectacular reference from a very picky sounding client. She came last week and was the best cleaner I have ever had. She knows how to scrub and not just wipe a surface and it looks great days later. I hope she continues to be as wonderful as she was on day one. If so, I imagine going up to $27/hour after 6 months.

Lindsey - Your mom sounds like a true cleaning professional who runs an excellent business with satisfied customers. That is very hard to find. I have no problem paying well an individual who does a great job. What I don't want to do is pay through the nose for a boutique company that doesn't compensate their workers well, nor do I want an individual that doesn't do a good job.

North Vancouver BC and I've seen ads for cleaners between $20-30/hr. Our move out clean at our last house was $250 total and it took them eight hours.

Our cleaning lady, in Sarasota, FL, charges $80.00 and comes every two weeks, however, the long haired cat sheds constantly.

Just me in approximately 1,500 sq ft 2 bedroom. $80 every 2 weeks. Texas

Amen Lindsey!!

Good for your Mom! Two weeks of dust and grime is just that. It is harder, takes longer. An adorable pet? That's shedding and more work!

These independent cleaning people get surprised with last second cancellations, get left holding the bag and out of work on a day they truly needed/planned on the income. ( they do it for fun, don't you know) They get to a job, and maybe someone forgot, they cant even get IN. Now what??? Extra special when they drove through a storm to get there!

You think they aren't reporting income? Think again. They're paying taxes and social security in many, many cases. Half the time they're dragging supplies, as the average home is missing something necessary almost every damn week.

Anyone who doesn't want to pay....... should do it for one month. That'll cure you. : )

No wonder the true cleaning gems are so hard to find. The GEM CLIENTS are harder yet.

Have a gem and want to keep her? Give her an UNASKED for raise now and then. Watch your surfaces shine too..... Yeah Joe...... round up to ninety. For the cat : )

Bi-weekly detailed cleaning of just the downstairs hardwood floors & baseboards and cleaning of 2 baths + powder room. Just the two of us, very neat, our cleaner does nothing else ( no vacuuming, dusting, etc,) = $90. We have our windows professionally cleaned every two months by another company. She’s in our home approximately 3 or so hours. Recommended by a neighbor.

PS Jan I think you'd like her ;)

California, 3,300 sq, feet. Once a week 20.00 per hour. No kids no pets. One story. Six hours per week. And she’s great. Very good. Moves most furniture, lampshades, books, decor etc to clean everything.

Update, I have found someone who cleans very well (so far knock on wood). I am paying her $25/hour, for a six hour day. She has been here twice. Hope it continues to go well. My kitchen floor looks brand new after she cleans it.

I pay 100 every other week. I have no idea how long she is there but I have a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home all hardwood hand washed down stairs. I am in upstate ny. When I check around people are charging between 25 and 45 hourly depending on if insured or not.

Cleaning is a tough job especially if you want it to look clean the next day. Many cleaners just throw the dust around and don't really clean at all. There are cleaners and then are CLEANERS! Get references always and try one out who is highly recommended. I clean a lot in my home, it's a miserable job especially with kids and dogs. Good luck to you!!

I've had cleaners In only a few times due to illness or injury, so can't really comment on rates. Mine were either from a company, or in one case (a huge mistake) through the predecessor version of HomeAdvisor. All I want to say about that is, I learned the hard way to secure my jewelry and medications every time I have a worker in the house -- whether I am home or not.

I use a large chain (MaidPro) and I think they are expensive, but they do a good job and show up when they are supposed to, and they train their people well. I have a large house (5500 s/f finished) and they usually send in a team of two who finish in about three hours and it costs me about $200 per clean. I tip them each $10 per clean.

They often send this one lady who has been with them awhile along with a new recruit to train to my house and I love it because I like having the same person, and she knows how I like things and does a good job.

I would love to just hire a person and pay her because I know she would get more per hour, but I am lazy and do not want to do the social security paperwork.

^^that sounds exactly in line with what I would expect to pay for a house that size, and how long it would take two people to clean it.

south of houston, cleaning company, 3bdrm bath home 2300 plus square ft normally clean for two fairly tidy people (except the kitchen, i cook a lot so the kitchen is by far the messiest room in the house) no pets. we pay 135 dollars every other week

i'm perfectly willing to clean the house but dh loves having the cleaning people in (so all the house is very clean at once) i'd love to have a cleaning lady instead of a "company" but those folks appear to be few and far between

I rarely use cleaning services, but when I do it's usually after a party. My cousin gave me contacts of this cleaning lady, and she charges $40 per hour (NY, 3 bedrooms).

I pay 180 bi weekly. We live in the DMV so a pricey area. They don’t do our whole house, so probably 2000 square feet, two bathrooms and kitchen floor and some light dusting

Bi-weekly, two people (both live close by and do half the neighborhood), about 2 hours total. 4 br, 2-1/2 ba. $110, they bring all their own products and tools. My previous cleaner charged $100, but used my tools and products. We are right outside Philly.