Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about hiring a house cleaner and trading the drudgery of the weekly chore list for a little more downtime?
While professional house cleaning may once have felt like a luxury, the huge rise of online marketplaces, gig-based apps, and mom-and-pop cleaning businesses has made hiring a cleaner much more accessible to the average family. A 2023 study found that 67% of American households had hired a professional cleaner at least once! Clearly, a lot of families are choosing to opt out of at least a fraction of their household chores.
But is hiring a cleaner the right choice for yours?
In this article, you’ll discover the four biggest signs it may be time to hire a professional cleaner, guidance to help you find the right one for your household, and some quick tips for getting the most value out of your cleanings.
1. You Feel Completely Exhausted at the End of the Day.
Keeping your house tidy shouldn’t leave you feeling completely obliterated. Unfortunately, the push to return to the office after the work-from-home pandemic years means many parents are dealing with lengthy commutes on top of an already tiring workday. After driving home, making dinner, and taking care of the kids, a lot of parents just don’t have the energy to start cleaning the oven or pushing a mop around.
If you’re already spent at 5 p.m., pushing yourself to do chores once the kids are in bed won’t do you any favors. In fact, it’s a great way to wind up miserable and burnt out. In this situation, hiring a cleaner to handle the basics can give you the space you need to rest and recharge, so you can better direct your energy to parenting and your career.
2. You Regularly Cancel Plans in Order to Stay Home and Clean.
Between going to work and taking care of the kids, it’s already hard to find time to enjoy your hobbies, go on date nights with your partner, and maintain your friendships. If clutter and mess are building up in your home to the point where you need to regularly cancel or postpone social or “me” time in order to stay on top of the chores, that isn’t sustainable.
As parents, we need time for ourselves. It’s essential for our well-being. Hiring a cleaner (even if it’s just a couple times per month) can give you some much-needed breathing room to work on a creative project, hang out with some friends, enjoy a romantic evening with your partner, or just catch up on your shows.
3. You’re Embarrassed to Have Company Over.
If the idea of a friend or neighbor dropping by unexpectedly makes you cringe and start eyeing your scuffed-up floors, dusty side tables, and pile of unfolded laundry, it may not be a bad idea to call in some help with the chores.
Obviously, no one is expected to have a picture-perfect home at all times; that’s just unreasonable. But if you’ve avoided inviting people over for weeks or months because you’ve been too busy for chores and the idea of cleaning up has become overwhelming, consider booking a professional for an emergency clean that can get you back to square one. That way, the house will be guest-ready and it’ll be easier for you to maintain that tidiness from a fresh start.
4. The House has Unexplained Odors.
If you’ve kept up with regularly decluttering and wiping down surfaces, but your home still smells a little funky, it’s probably time for a deep clean. This involves cleaning behind furniture and large appliances and getting into the nooks and crannies where grime and bacteria can hide.
Serious deep cleaning is a larger job that requires more elbow grease than regular scrubbing and often specialized cleaning tools and products. That’s why many families find it easier to outsource their deep cleaning to professionals.
What to Consider When Hiring a Cleaner
If this is your first time hiring a cleaner, you probably have a few questions about the specific services provided, how often you should book, and how to find a reputable provider. Cleaning services aren’t one-size-fits-all, so it’s important to find a cleaner that fits your needs, lifestyle, and budget.
Let’s dig in.
Who Supplies the Supplies?
A general rule of thumb: If you’re working with a professional cleaning company, they’re most likely going to bring everything they need along with them, including all sprays, scrubs,, brushes, and cloths. Many will also bring their own vacuum cleaner, though some may prefer to use yours if permitted.
Solo cleaners, on the other hand, may ask you to provide some products (for example, mops, brooms, and vacuums) while bringing others (like sprays and sponges). This is something to work out before the first visit so everyone is on the same page.
If you or anyone in your household is sensitive to certain chemicals, or if you just prefer all-natural cleaning products, don’t be afraid to ask a potential cleaner if they’re able to accommodate your family’s needs—but don’t be surprised if there’s a small upcharge, or if they just say no. If preferred, you can also request that the cleaner exclusively use products that you supply.
Maintenance Cleaning vs. Deep Cleaning
As we’ve already touched on briefly, there are two main types of cleaning services available: maintenance cleaning and deep cleaning.
Maintenance cleaning includes the regular weekly and biweekly chores that keep a house clean and tidy, such as dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, changing linens, and sanitizing surfaces. Often, extra services like decluttering and laundry may be negotiated for an added fee.
A professional deep clean is a separate service that isn’t included in those regular cleaning appointments. Deep cleanings are required less frequently and involve tasks that aren’t generally part of the weekly chores, like wiping down ceiling fan blades, cleaning behind the sofa, degreasing the range hood, and wiping down the insides of drawers and cabinets. These are important for keeping the house hygienic and preventing long-term buildup of grime, germs, dirt, mold, and allergens.
Some families choose to divide regular cleaning tasks among family members but book professional deep cleanings monthly or a few times a year. Others prefer to take housecleaning off their schedule completely and book cleanings on a weekly or biweekly basis. Either way, it’s up to you!
Your Cleaning Schedule
When it comes to setting up a cleaning schedule, the size of your house matters less than the amount of use it gets. A house with many people spending a great deal of time in it will need more frequent cleaning than a house with fewer people spending less time in it, no matter what the square footage may be.
Weekly cleanings are usually the best choice for homes with multiple children or adults, homes where both parents have busy schedules, homes that see a lot of entertaining, and homes with furry pets. Pet hair and dander can build up in the home and be harmful to family members with allergies.
Weekly cleanings are also a good choice if your family tends to have a lot of outings and extracurriculars on the weekends; these activities can cut into cleaning time and leave you feeling overworked or overwhelmed—or both.
On the other hand, biweekly cleanings are good for smaller homes and apartments, smaller families, empty nests, families that travel a lot, and homes where a parent is able to keep a handle on most chores during the workday, either because they work from home or are a stay-at-home parent. They’re great for taking some of the pressure off of busy families who may have a smaller budget for cleaning or prefer to have their kids take responsibility for some household chores.
Cleaning Membership vs. Independent Cleaner
Once you’ve made the decision to hire a cleaning service, it’s time to decide whether you want to join a membership or work with an independent cleaner. One advantage of signing up for a cleaning membership is that it’s much easier to find a replacement cleaner if your regular cleaner gets sick or takes the day off.
Cleaning memberships can also be extremely flexible. For example, Homeaglow’s ForeverClean membership allows you to set up a regular weekly, biweekly, or monthly cleaning service, change your frequency, and add one-time cleanings as needed (for example, after throwing a party or hosting family over the holidays).
Homeaglow and similar memberships allow you to choose your cleaner from a marketplace of cleaning professionals, allowing you to see ratings and testimonials from past clients. Through Homeaglow, your first three-hour cleaning is free of charge, and your membership offers you hefty discounts on the hourly rates for future appointments.
An independent cleaner will generally offer lower prices overall, since they have lower overhead and no added fees to their hourly rate. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that some cleaners determine their rates based on the number of rooms rather than the number of hours. So, when getting pricing, keep track of how the costs are calculated.
Independent cleaners also tend to be more flexible about the services they offer because they don’t have to adhere to any corporate policies around tasks or pricing. So, they might be a bit more willing to fold that load of laundry that’s been sitting for a week.
The trade-off is that relying on a single provider can leave you out of luck if they’re unable to make it to an appointment for whatever reason, so be sure to ask them how coverage is handled before making a decision.
Prepping for Cleaning Appointments
A little effort on your part can go a long way in making your appointments more efficient and getting the most value out of your cleaner’s hourly rates.
Before they arrive:
- Take a few minutes to declutter your floors and surfaces, so they can get right to dusting, sweeping, and washing.
- Put your cat or dog in a closed room if they get anxious about strangers or are likely to get in the cleaner’s way.
- Communicate any specific preferences or instructions, so expectations are clear and understood (like not using certain products on marble counters, steering clear of the home office, etc.).
Choosing the Best Cleaner for Your Household
The best cleaner for your household will always be the one that fits your budget, offers the consistency and flexibility you require, and understands and accommodates your needs and preferences.
Budget is probably the most important factor in deciding whether or not to hire a cleaner, alongside choosing your cleaning frequency. When shopping around, get quotes from several providers, and ask about scheduling options and any discounts they may offer for recurring appointments.
Consistency and flexibility are also important. Like any household, you might go through seasons where you need more or less help around the house. Being able to switch up your cleaning schedule without a fuss can be a big priority for a lot of families, while other families may be happy to stick to a consistent schedule until the kids are out of the house.
Whether you choose to work with a cleaning membership or an independent cleaner, be sure to read reviews and testimonials, ask about the supplies they bring, and find out whether they’re bonded and insured. Then kick back, relax, and get ready to enjoy your clean(ed) home!