Ask her?

$20 an hour is an insult. What do you pay her now? For how many hours?

PS, I pay the equivalent of $35/hr/person for a 2 person crew.

Twenty years ago I paid $20/hr 40 miles west of Boston for an awesome cleaning person.

Mine get about $35/hour. They bring their own equipment and cleaning potions. I live south of Los Angeles in Orange County, so a fairly large urban area.

I pay about $130 for 4 hours. he brings preferred equipment and is exteremly thorough. this is for a rental apt. so i want someone who pays attention to the fine points.

it varies by region and also varies with urban vs suburban vs rural.

I am surprised that you are able to decide what to pay her. All the people I know who clean houses,cars, businesses, etc name their fees up front, be it hourly or a flat fee no matter how long it takes. I certainly would not allow someone who asked me to perform such a service decide what its worth. Not a chance! I think you're best bet to make sure she is not insulted is to explain exactly what you want done and how often. Then tell her to name her price. You can agree to it or find someone else if you don't think its worth it.

I am shocked!! Iwas paying a cleaning person $20 an hour.....and found my grand daughter with a masters was not making nearly that much>

I did pay one house cleaner "by the job" and found she cut a lot of corners when I wasn't home, and cashen her check after 3 1/2 hours and i was assuming she wouldw ork for 5 hours.and another one i paid by the job did a lot of spraying with Lemon Pledge, so everything smelled lemoney looked shiny but lots was ignored. I prefer to pay an hourly wage, so if I want someone to spend extra time on one project and ignore another it can happen. And the hourly wage should be similar tow hat other employers in the area are paying for a semi skilled labor.

Now I pay her 180 every two weeks. She brings another person and they spend 4 or five hours, I dont know how she divides it.

I am not trying to insult anyone. I was thinking I would prefer every week and I do trust her to prioritize. Of course i would talk to her and what her second person would cost as well.

I always seem to put my foot in my mouth here!

I occasionally use a service and pay their rate. I tip each cleaner $50 as I think that is the amount they would appreciate.

not only are you paying for a job well done, you are also paying for: trust! & dependability.

trust: in a their abilities to perform the tasks, with your treasures and valuables, with your key and alarm code if given.

dependability: showing up, showing up at appointed time, not cancelling at last minute, advance notice of days not able to show (appts, vacations etc.)

if both sides are not happy with all variables, the partnership will not work

i would ask around and see what others are paying. it really does depend on the area.

It also depends on whether or not the person is bonded and insured which costs them money.

I am an easy going customer when it comes to cleaning. I pay $100 per cleaning and it takes about 2.5 hours. My house is small and its only me. I ask her to put clean linens on the bed. I strip the bed in the morning. The woman who owns the business always sends a good person to clean but it changes every few months. If I ask for something specific, there is usually no extra cost.

Doesn't your cleaning person decide what her pay will be? Since when is it the other way around? Most cleaning companies here CHARGE their customers (you, the home owner) a MINIMUM $25 an hour.

As others have said, it can vary widely by region, city vs rural, size of home, and other factors. I pay about the same for a 3000 sq ft house in a rural area as my DD pays for a house about half the size in the city, 30 minutes from me. Both homes occupied by 2 people (except when my DGd is home from school for a weekend).

My cleaner came out , looked at my house and said $100 for every other week. Seemed high to me so I asked her would she change the sheets and she agreed. Im outside of philadelphia.

I also have a small home. My house cleaner brings another woman and charges $120. My house is clutter free, I empty all gargae pails and waste baskets and remove all bath mats.

I make sure counters are clear as well.

They are finished in an hour and a half.

I never leave messes on the stove or sink.

If I cancel, i pay her in full, if she cancels I give her $ 50 the next time. I give her a nice cash Christmas gift

i am grateful there are people willing to do this as their job.

Eld, I am another one who cleans for the cleaning lady! All dishes are put away, counters cleared, clothes hung up, etc.

My last house cleaner charged me $150 and was here for an hour and didn't even scrub the kitchen sink. That was the last time she "didn't" clean for me.

If you ask her what she'd charge, I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you. They like to keep the "regulars" that appreciate them!

We have had houscleaners several times in the past. Always one person, with a key to our home. Too long ago to remember how much we paid the first time, but in 2018 - 19 we paid $150 twice/month and he spent 3 hours each time. Part of the dynamics of someone cleaning your home is putting things away, keeping clutter to a minimum. DH is somewhat of a slob, and I have not been well. We live with 2 Australian Shepherds who shed like crazy. We live on Cape Cod which is a competitive market for housecleaning services because there are many second homeowners here who rent their properties to weekly vacationers and weekend tourists in the off-season. Presently, we are rehabbing parts of our house and don't have anyone come in to clean but I'm looking forward to that again.

seagrass (trying to regain my identity)

I pay my cleaners $150 twice a month and they spend about an hour doing the main floor only. There are four of them which comes to about $37/hr. I am outside DC.

ETA: I am assuming the boss gets a larger amount, so her workers get less, but I am not sure. They do a good job, but I preferred my previous crew which was run by the current boss's sister who retired.

I clean houses in northern jersey, and my pay usually comes to anywhere between $30-$37/hr depending on a house