You’re a hardworking, honest and reliable worker. You find satisfaction in cleaning and organizing homes, and you enjoy having concrete tasks to perform that make other people happy. Does this sound like you? Then a house cleaning or housekeeping position could be the job for you.
Once you’ve decided that you’d like to enter the house cleaning profession, you’ll want to figure out exactly what type of house cleaner you want to be. You can work on your own or as part of a team, or you can find an opening with a professional house cleaning company. Whatever your motivation may be, a house cleaning job can be a good way to pay your bills.
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of professional cleaning settings you might choose to work in, as well as posted earning potential for housekeepers and cleaners of all types.
Types of house cleaning jobs
1. Independent contractor
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If you work on your own, you will be responsible for finding the clients and also for anything that breaks while you’re cleaning the home. You will be your own boss and will be responsible for your own work, and you will also have to provide your own health, disability and liability insurance. You will use your own car and pay for your own transportation expenses. On the other hand, you will be able to keep all the money you make — other than taxes, of course! You will be able to control your own schedule and choose your own clients, which may include private households or commercial businesses.
2. Team of independent contractors
If decide to work as part of a team, you will be able to divide up the housework, perhaps with each person owning a preferred cleaning task. However, you will then have to divide up the earnings. It’s important to find a trustworthy team of people to work with because if they don’t do a good job or are not careful or honest, you will all suffer the consequences.
3. Business owner
If you choose to start your own house cleaning business, you can hire employees and potentially grow your business into a larger operation, often with a more established legal structure like an LLC or corporation. It’s important to learn about necessary licenses required to start a cleaning business.
4. Cleaning agency
If you work for a cleaning service, they will keep a percentage of your earnings and pay you a set rate or salary. Typically, professional cleaning agencies will provide a company car for you to use, saving you transportation costs. The agency will also be responsible for finding and assigning clients to you. Benefits such as liability, healthy and disability insurance vary from place to place.
5. Housekeeper
Find a housekeeping job or a maid job
A housekeeper, also referred to as a maid in some households, is hired to be more regular presence in a home, typically working several times a week or more, based on the household needs. You handle a set list of daily or weekly tasks, using the cleaning products the clients supply for your work, and you may have more specialized requests and duties in busier households who do a lot of traveling or entertaining.
6. Live-in housekeeper
Find a live-in housekeeping job or a live-in maid job
Another option to consider is working as a live-in housekeeper. A live-in housekeeper typically cleans the house each day, performing many of the same tasks as a biweekly or monthly housekeeper. Additional live-in house cleaner duties often involve preparing meals for the family and acting as a nanny for young children. In most live-in arrangements, your room and board is provided as part of your compensation package. However, depending on the agreement, you may receive a reduced salary in exchange for the free housing or pay a small fee for rent. A great deal of the job satisfaction depends on your relationship with the family you work for.
What type of cleaning job pays the most?
Your earning potential for any type of cleaning job will depend on a wide range of factors, including:
- Your set salary, if you work for an agency.
- Location of the client or business and the local cost of living.
- Size of the home, apartment or commercial space being cleaned.
- The condition of the space — the dirtier or more unorganized, the more you can charge.
- Type of cleaning (a weekly cleaning vs. move-out or deep cleaning).
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are the top-paying industries for housekeeping cleaners and maids:
| Industry | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Other Investment Pools and Funds | $ 29.94 | $ 62,270 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $ 27.29 | $ 56,770 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | $ 24.24 | $ 50,410 |
| Offices of Physicians | $ 24.09 | $ 50,110 |
| Dry-Cleaning and Laundry Services | $ 23.92 | $ 49,750 |
To give you an idea of how much you could potentially charge as an independent contractor, here are some examples of posted house cleaner rates based on location, according to recent Care.com data.
Current posted house cleaning and house keeping rates per hour in top U.S. cities*
| City, State | Hourly House Cleaning Cost | Hourly Housekeeping Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, Georgia | $20.06/hr | $20.31/hr |
| Brooklyn, New York | $20.81/hr | $21.15/hr |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | $19.36/hr | $19.31/hr |
| Chicago, Illinois | $20.42/hr | $19.77/hr |
| Denver, Colorado | $21.12/hr | $21.18/hr |
| Houston, Texas | $19.10/hr | $19.13/hr |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | $19.63/hr | $20.24/hr |
| Los Angeles, California | $23.06/hr | $23.64/hr |
| Miami, Florida | $19.89/hr | $20.39/hr |
| Orlando, Florida | $19.25/hr | $18.26/hr |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $19.59/hr | $18.56/hr |
| Portland, Oregon | $21.38/hr | $20.59/hr |
| Seattle, Washington | $25.17/hr | $25.63/hr |
| San Antonio, Texas | $18.93/hr | $18.53/hr |
| San Diego, California | $21.62/hr | $22.02/hr |
To find the most current posted housekeeping and house cleaning rates in your area, try our Cost of Care Calculator.
Typical cleaning job duties
The work required will always depend on the job and the client. However, the following duties are typically expected of residential house cleaners and housekeepers:
- Vacuum.
- Dust shelves, light fixtures and ceiling fans.
- Sweep and mop floors.
- Bathrooms (wipe down countertops, mirrors, shower and/or tub tile and sink, replenish linens).
- Kitchen (wipe down appliances, countertops and inside of microwave).
- Bedrooms (make beds and straighten up closets).
Less common duties you may wish to charge extra for include:
- Washing windows inside and/or outside.
- Cleaning inside large appliances, like the refrigerator or oven.
- Cleaning baseboards.
- Doing laundry.
- Spot-cleaning carpets or upholstery.
You should always ask the client to outline their house cleaning expectations before accepting a cleaning position. This ensures that the two of you are on the same page when it comes your house cleaning duties.