Cost for a Domestic Cleaner

Lolivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 16:53
Last edited 21/02/2020 - 08:50

UPDATE:

Now that we've established I'm overpaying, do you think I should negotiate with current cleaner or move on? I'm worried negotiation will lead to ill will, and I don't love the idea of having someone that's annoyed at me entering my house when I'm not there…

My partner and I currently have a cleaner come, once a fortnight for two hours.
In that time they do the following:

Dusting all reachable surfaces in main bedroom, hallway, living/dinning - excluding windowsills and skirting
Bathroom cleaning - shower, toilet, vanity/sink, mirror
Kitchen cleaning - wipe all bench tops/splashback, hotplates, front of oven, front of cupboard doors/drawers, clean sink
Vacuum flooring throughout - main bedroom, hallway, living/dining, bathroom
Mop throughout - main bedroom, hallway, living/dining, bathroom (currently not being done well, perhaps dry mop?)
Change sheets in one bedroom and put dirty ones in washing machine (does not take out and hang)

What do you see as a fair price range?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • spackbace on 20/02/2020 - 16:56
    +1

    What do they charge currently, and are they any good?

    • olivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 16:58

      I'd say passable but not excellent, every now and again don't bother to vacuum under couches and bed.
      I should have added it's a 3 bedroom house but they only do one bedroom, we exclude the other two.

      We pay $120 but have had a few comments from mates saying we are being ripped off.
      I did a check on a mainstream cleaning site and it quoted $65 but I don't know if that's under quoting to push out small businesses/underpaying staff etc.

      • JimmyF on 20/02/2020 - 20:19
        -2

        So $60/hr while ONSITE at your place.

        They most likely have 1/2 travel each way (so 1hr unpaid), and guessing they supply the cleaning products etc

        • gyrex on 21/02/2020 - 12:10

          I hate to break it to you but there's very few professions/jobs which pay for travel. $60/hr is insane for a cleaner - we pay $30/hr.

          • JimmyF on 21/02/2020 - 14:58
            -1

            @gyrex: I hate to break it to you, but the 'call out' fee by most trades is to cover travel. So don't make wild claims that are untrue.

            When you have a line of work that means bouncing around to 3 or 4 different sites a day, you can eat up 2-3 hours in 'travel' time. This is off set by higher hourly wages or call out fees or both :)

            But if you only pay your cleaner $30/hr and they only come for 2 hours, then you rip them off and they most likely use your toothbrush to clean the toilet with.

            $60/hr for 2 hours, with 1 hour of 'free' travel means they're getting $40/hr. Out of that they have to pay GST, running costs of a business and a car, taxes, and supply cleaning products.

            • gyrex on 21/02/2020 - 15:36

              @JimmyF: I'll inform my employer that I'll start charging for travel time - I'm sure they'll be really impressed. Travel to a job is considered par for the course, unless someone's requesting a service outside of normal operating hours. You sound like some union rep when you use terms such as "ripping off" when someone's supplying decent employment for someone who's performing a job which requires no training, no certification or education. Expecting someone to pay a cleaner rates an accountant or engineer might earn is absolutely asinine.

              • JimmyF on 21/02/2020 - 15:54

                @gyrex:

                I'll inform my employer that I'll start charging for travel time

                But do you travel to a different site each day or multiply places each day to do your job? Are you only paid for when you're onsite working?

                Or are you talking travelling into the office and sitting all day long in one spot?

                There is a BIG difference. Going to one place for 8 hours straight pay. Unlike your cleaner who has to travel to 4 or 5 different places a day, which is all unpaid for, they have higher costs to 'go to work' because of this, compared to your one stop.

                when someone's supplying decent employment

                decent? What is your hourly rate compared to what you pay the cleaner for?

                You pay your cleaner $30/hr for 2 hours work once a week. They have to travel unpaid 1/2 hr to your place to start this work, so your really paying them $24/hr. Out of that they have to pay for car running costs and many other things. If they have to pay GST on what they charge, then they're only seeing $21.82.hr, then they need to pay taxes and all other costs of running a business.

                So 4 x 2 hr PAID cleaning jobs a day, would mean a extra 2 hours unpaid 'travel'. So for a 10 hour 'work day' your cleaner is getting $240 for the day, or $218.18 after GST is paid or just $21.82/hr for the 10 hours spent earning the money.

                Yes 'decent' indeed isn't a word I would use.

                Sure if you hired them for a single 6-8 hour job, thats different, but most cleaning jobs are 1-2 hours with unpaid travel in the middle.

                You sound like some union rep

                Not at all, I'm just not blind like some thinking they are changing the world as they pay their 'un trained or educated' cleaner as you put it $30/hr, and don't understand all the other costs with running a business. Thinking their cleaner is pocketing $30/hr so must be laughing all the way to the bank.

                • gyrex on 21/02/2020 - 20:12

                  @JimmyF: You've won me over. I've decided to pay my cleaner $100/hr cash (which she won't pay tax on) including travel time for our fortnightly 4 hour clean. After all, it's a job that no one else can do, requires years of study and a genius IQ.

                  • JimmyF on 21/02/2020 - 21:03

                    @gyrex: So childish….. But enjoy your slave cleaning that you think you're changing their world by paying $30/hr to them and they should be so greatly for your money.

                    • gyrex on 21/02/2020 - 21:07

                      @JimmyF: Agreed, pretty childish - my apologies. I just don't see us going anywhere with this discussion. You believe cleaners should be paid a lot more, I don't. Remember, nearly all cleaners are being paid cash and I know for a fact that most of them don't declare that income in their tax returns, so that's $30/hr after tax ~$50/hr equivalent pre-tax? An hourly rate most university graduates would kill for.

                      Anyway, I think we've exhausted this argument. Again, my apologies for being childish. Have a great weekend!

  • Shadowsfury on 20/02/2020 - 16:56
    +1

    I thought cleaners mostly charge based on time?

    How long do you expect those tasks to take?

    • olivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 17:00

      That's the thing, this one said they charge for tasks not time.
      The other day my partner came home in the middle of the day for lunch, the cleaner showed up and made the comment "Don't worry, I'll only be here for an hour and a half" so $80 an hour.

  • Hybroid on 20/02/2020 - 16:58
    +1

    To give you a starting point for comparison, I get all that done (minus the changing sheets) for a 1-bed/1-bath with large winter garden space apartment in CBD for $90 via whizz.com.au. They're convenient but not the cheapest around though so get a few quotes.

    I have a friend in North Sydney that gets that done including ironing work clothes for much less but it's all cash in hand and not registered business.

    • olivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 17:03

      Thanks for sending that through, I think I'd feel more comfortable around the $90 mark.
      I suppose I want to feel that I'm ethically supporting a smaller business that pays a good living wage to their staff without being completely shafted.

  • Ocker on 20/02/2020 - 17:00
    +6

    That's a pretty full-on 2 hours of work.
    If cleaner is privately engaged then $25-$35 ph provided they use their own cleaning materials (cash in hand of course)
    Through an agency $35 -$45 ph
    A lot depends of where you live.

    • olivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 17:01

      Sorry I'm copy pasting my above answer cause it kind of applies here

      "That's the thing, this one said they charge for tasks not time.
      The other day my partner came home in the middle of the day for lunch, the cleaner showed up and made the comment "Don't worry, I'll only be here for an hour and a half" so $80 an hour."

  • Ocker on 20/02/2020 - 17:03
    +5

    If it's only one person, then $60 per hour is totally OTT

  • brendanm on 20/02/2020 - 17:12
    +1

    How much do people pay just to have bathrooms/showers done?

  • askme69 on 20/02/2020 - 17:35
    +1

    $80

  • Cheapskate Paul on 20/02/2020 - 19:49
    +1

    The NDIS rate for cleaning is $49.16 per hour. This is what the private sector agency gets, they then pay the worker, including super, workers comp etc. and make a nice little profit for themselves. So $49.16 is the maximum you should be paying, or about $30 - $35 if it's cash in hand.

    Oh, and paying per task rather than per hour is a bad idea for you. It just encourages them to do a quick shit job and go. I once paid a plumber per task when I got a new kitchen installed. He did the job as fast as he could and it worked out at $200 per hour. For a crap job. Never again. The going rate for a plumber is $80 - $120.

    • olivecheese on 20/02/2020 - 20:15

      Wow, thanks heaps for the in-depth comment.
      That’s really helpful, I think the writing is on the wall here… now to decide whether to negotiate with current cleaner or just get a new one?

    • Belgarath on 21/02/2020 - 06:47

      Just because the NDIS rate is $49.16 per hour doesnt mean thats what should be charged. Providers that charge '$49.16' are not using professional cleaners. They are using there own staff.

      Having running a professional cleaning company 15 years ago, I was charging $35 per hour for residential then. The going rate is around $50 to $60 per hour if the company is providing its own equipment and chemicals.

      Though Ive never heard of an organisation charging by task. Thats ridiculous.

      • Cheapskate Paul on 21/02/2020 - 08:44

        Professional cleaners lol. Where do they get their degree?

    • gyrex on 21/02/2020 - 14:31

      Cleaners on $100K/year (calculated at $50/hr)… And that's why Australia is the most expensive country in the world to live in - what a joke! First/second year engineers and doctors probably don't get anywhere near this.

      • Cheapskate Paul on 21/02/2020 - 16:01

        The cleaners don't get paid $50 an hour. They get about $28 on a casual basis. Is that low enough for you to make Australia great? Probably not.

  • DrRalph on 20/02/2020 - 19:58
    +2

    $90 no more.

  • elgrande on 20/02/2020 - 20:37
    +5

    Do you get her to clean your wheely bin?

    • olivecheese on 21/02/2020 - 08:48

      Nope, but maybe I will now!

  • Skramit on 20/02/2020 - 21:42

    I pay $135 for 4bdr, 3 bath for the same tasks except the sheets. Takes about 2.5 hours

    How big is your house?

    • askme69 on 21/02/2020 - 08:21

      Are the cleaners "New Arrivals"?

      It's a race to the bottom.

      • Skramit on 21/02/2020 - 08:38

        No… why does that matter?

        • askme69 on 21/02/2020 - 22:01
          +1

          Because they are being exploited or they are living 10 per room and sending cash back home.

          It happens in cleaning and painting that i have seen and if using them as a basis for what to pay, that skews the rate.

          It cuts the throat of Australians who have to make it in this country and don't have the option of returning home when the well runs dry.

  • simplyme on 20/02/2020 - 22:50
    +1

    Goodness me. I have a cleaner who does the same except I also have a rumpus room, an ensuite and a powder room cleaned. 2 storey house. No shower cleaning or washing and it takes at least 3 hours. My husband moves all the appliances etc. off the kitchen benches to the table and all bathroom benches and ornaments on buffet etc. are removed so all the cleaner does is clean without having to move anything. Then my husband and I put things back. I help by stripping the bed and help putting Doona cover on. Often I notice shortcuts are made with the dusting. She gets $25 an hour from the agency and the agency gets paid around $40 an hour by WorkCover. I supply the cleaning products. My aged care service providers charge around $55 an hour. If I had to pay $40 or more an hour I would want a perfect job that's for sure. Maybe different states have different rates. Cleaning is a hard job and if you want a proper job done it takes time.

    • askme69 on 21/02/2020 - 08:19

      And you get what you pay for.

      • Cheapskate Paul on 21/02/2020 - 13:49
        +2

        Really? The OP is paying $80 per hour and rates them as "passable but not excellent".

  • Trackydacky on 21/02/2020 - 00:56
    +1

    I'm a domestic cleaner in Perth and charge by the hour, $30 per hour. The client provides their own products, vacuum and mop. If a cleaner was using their own products and equipment, expect to pay more. By the way, she should be vacuuming and mopping in the bathroom as it gets pretty messy in there.

  • Cheapskate Paul on 21/02/2020 - 12:37
    +2

    In response to your update, I would suggest that you look for a cleaner who voluntarily charges a more reasonable rate, and charges by the hour.

    • olivecheese on 21/02/2020 - 14:19

      Agreed. The hunt begins.

  • Baysew on 21/02/2020 - 13:50
    +2

    I will have to ask the butler what we get charged.

    • olivecheese on 21/02/2020 - 14:18
      +1

      I hadn't considered a butler, how much do you pay your butler per fortnight?

  • AliKay on 21/02/2020 - 23:28

    Hi, I'm in Melbourne and was looking to post the cleaning job on Air Tasker. Will that be a good idea or I should be looking to find a cleaner through a cleaning company? Any recommendations please ?

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