From catching some thrills at Universal to taking in a Rams game, there are a thousand ways to spend quality time with the family when you live in Los Angeles. But when you’re stuck spending your Saturdays cleaning the house after a week of mayhem, there isn’t much time to get the relaxation and recreation you deserve.
If you’re tired of letting beautiful days pass you by, it’s time to hire a house cleaner. We’ll detail the rate for house cleaning in Los Angeles and offer tips for getting the highest value help near you.
What Is the Going Rate in Los Angeles?
The current rate for house cleaning in Los Angeles is $30-$60 per hour (as of June 2023) for each worker. A typical 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home costs roughly $120-$240 (as of June 2023) for a standard house cleaning. Some cleaners charge by the area, especially for first-time cleans, with costs ranging from $0.07-$0.12 per square foot.
You may also be able to get a flat rate for your home. When you find a viable candidate, try to set up a walkthrough to go over a price. Talking before the cleaning will let you negotiate services and lower the risk of disagreements after the fact.
Rates for cleaning service have risen, and they continue to rise. Minimum wage alone in Los Angeles, effective July 1, 2023, is $16.78. A licensed, bonded, and insured cleaning company not only has to pay for its employees’ workers compensation insurance, it also has to pay for equipment, supplies, transportation, and a competitive wage to keep employees. Compared to other cities in California, such as San Diego (6.5% higher on average), Los Angeles is still not the highest.
How House Cleaners Set Their Rates
House cleaning companies and independent contractors work various expenses into their prices. These can include:
- Transportation costs
- Operating costs (licenses, taxes, insurance)
- Employee wages
- Cleaning supplies
- Business and cleaning equipment
In many ways, more money means better results. For instance, a green cleaner may charge more to offset expensive supplies, but you gain the benefit of safer cleaning products. Likewise, a cleaner might carry insurance or certifications and charge more to maintain them, but doing so offers more peace of mind and quality assurance.
Independent Cleaners vs. Cleaning Companies
House cleaning companies that employ crew members operate with more overhead, so you’ll often pay more for their services and have limited customization. They supply value by performing background checks on employees and by being bonded, licensed, and insured. Their procedures are strict and transparent, often including quality checks and satisfaction guarantees to stand by their service.
Independent cleaners may or may not have insurance, but many provide service guarantees nonetheless. Although working with an individual cleaner leaves the potential for gaps in accountability, it also gives you more freedom to get the custom cleaning and housekeeping services you need.
Independent cleaners are excellent for older individuals with a variety of demands or busy household heads who could use help with everything from sweeping floors and cleaning toilets to cooking and running errands. If you need ongoing cleaning assistance around the house, developing a positive personal relationship with a professional cleaner can be an enormous benefit.
Standard Cleaning vs. Deep Cleaning
A standard cleaning involves the weekly or bi-weekly cleaning tasks that keep a house in order. These tasks usually address visible areas that contribute to a presentable home, such as floors, countertops, sinks, toilets, showers, and mirrors. One cleaner can often complete a standard cleaning in a single-family home in 3-5 hours.
Deep cleaning is a more labor-intensive clean that gets all of the visible areas as well as the not-so-visible areas. Along with typical house cleaning chores, deep cleaning can include:
- Cleaning blinds and window treatments
- Scrubbing tile and grout
- Cleaning kitchen cabinet and appliance interiors
- Shampooing the carpet
- Spot-cleaning walls
- Cleaning light fixtures and ceiling fans
Many house cleaning companies require a deep cleaning the first time you work with them. You may also have to schedule a deep cleaning if a certain amount of time has passed since your last one.
Deep cleaning usually takes twice as long as a standard house cleaning. While much will depend on the size of your home and its level of cleanliness, you can expect a deep cleaning to cost $200-$500.
How to Get the Best House Cleaning Rates
Getting the best rates on a cleaning service starts with setting priorities and finalizing a budget. House cleaning is a luxury expense to many, so it’s crucial to be realistic with what you can afford and reasonably accomplish.
Make a list of your household tasks and decide where a helping hand would make the biggest difference. Once you know what tasks need attention, you’ll know whether a cleaning company or an independent cleaner would be the most practical.
Referrals and Reviews
Reading recent reviews from Google, Yelp, and Facebook are helpful when researching cleaning companies and getting realistic pricing expectations, but they don’t always have independent cleaners in their listings. A better place to start building a quality shortlist of candidates is by asking neighbors and friends for referrals.
By talking with people in your neighborhood, you’ll find house cleaners that are both high-quality and nearby. Working with someone close to home can be a massive benefit when you need someone who can respond at a moment’s notice.
Ask Detailed Questions
When it’s time to get quotes from cleaners, get into the details of the cleaning service and peg down a final price. If you need special services, such as disinfection or air duct cleaning, ask about training and certification. For instance, if you need green cleaning, ask about certifications like Green Seal to ensure your cleaner uses eco-friendly products. A quality cleaner will be able to speak with confidence about their training and experience in specialty areas.
It’s also critical to clarify how payment works and what will happen if there is an issue with the service. A professional should have a process for taking care of problems to ensure your complete satisfaction. It’s helpful to get these details in writing to hold your cleaner accountable.
Book with Confidence
Finding top-tier house cleaners to fit your needs, budget, and schedule doesn’t have to take a ton of work. When you book online with Anita’s, we instantly connect you with trusted, experienced cleaning professionals based on your custom requests. If your routine is due for a change, get started on a booking today!
