Cleaning fee

[Sarah6598]

Concerned, I’ve set my cleaning fee too high at 150 and it’s deterring guest to book. What would you suggest to be a good price for a cleaning fee even though I do my own cleaning?

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Sarah6598 

This is a sticky one, for all of us. 

I set mine at $75 which is 3 hours of one of my housekeepers. Actually, it is 3 hours of two housekeepers, to do a proper, thorough job. That means I actually pay $75 unreimbursed for cleaning. If I do it myself, it takes all day and wears out my aging arthritic body. Most of the time I work ahead of them by doing all the laundry, so that the housekeepers only clean and prep for the next guests. No matter how the space is left, we do a deep cleaning and inspect everything. We block off days between reservations to allow for repairs that may need addressing. 

My suggestion is to time the process ~  first make a list.   I have a cleaning manual that spells it out step by step for anyone who needs training or a reference. Hotels have a really quick turnover,  a friend who works housekeeping at one of them says "20 minutes" per room. (Yikes!!) We allot whatever time is needed for the job to be done well and appropriately.

[Sarah6598]

I have been cleaning myself it usually takes a few hours but sometimes longer 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Sarah6598 , thanks for sharing such an interesting question! As host @Kitty-and-Creek0 shared, setting up a cleaning fee is a sticky one for most hosts. 

Is there are specific or logistics related reason why you prefer cleaning the listing by yourself? 

I am also tagging a few more experienced hosts to see if they have more insights on the topic : @Alex12990 @Bob297 @Marisa182 @Elena4354 @Bea2137 @Chippy3 . Thanks in advance everyone for sharing your tips with Sarah!

Kind regards,

[Marisa182]

@Sarah6598 

I do my own cleaning because I expect perfection and I don't charge very much, only $20. which helps with cleaning products.

The going rate in my area is 80 to 110. You may have a very large house that require hours to clean, try reducing your fee and see if you get more bookings... if not, you can change it back.

[Joan2709]

@Sarah6598 

Cleaning hourly rates vary greatly by location. It's always best to compare your nightly price with other similar listings in your area and adjust accordingly.

A general rule of thumb for a flat rate is:

$50/bathroom

$35/bedroom

However, this varies greatly by location. Larger cities cleaners will charge more and rural areas cleaners charge less.