Housekeeping

Answered!
Valerie696
Level 2
California City, CA

Housekeeping

Hi!

Just started accepting longer stays. The issue of housekeeping arises.    I would like to offer it as an option in the listing, for an additional fee.   

We have a person who cleans between guests, but I still get quite involved.  Our cleaning fee per stay is $150 (which is too low for the time it takes to clean the four bedroom house...)  In your experience what is a reasonable fee  for regular weekly cleaning during a guest stay?  I wouldn't want to build it in the nightly fee, because I feel our area is quite price sensitive.  I wouldn't mind being creative, waving the one-time cleaning fee for those who would opt in for a weekly house keeping fee...  Or something like that.

I'm curious finding out what others have found to work out for them!

1 Best Answer
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Valerie696 

 

I also host long-term guests. I can't tell you what a reasonable fee would be as my listings are individual rooms in a shared house, not a four bedroom house.

 

I have never charged a one-off cleaning fee either to short or long-term guests. I just factor it into my price. Maybe that means I'm not priced competitively, but as a guest I hate having lots of extra fees added on. Also, I don't want guests to think that because they paid a cleaning fee, they don't have to lift a finger. In a shared listing, it's really important that people clean up after themselves to a certain degree.

 

In terms of on-going cleaning, I have weekly cleaners come in to do the communal areas once a week and I keep them tidy in between. The guests do not pay extra for this, but they are expected to wash their own dishes/put them in the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen surfaces, leave the bathrooms reasonably tidy etc. 

 

As for their bedrooms, they are given the option of either cleaning them themselves and then supplied with extra linen/towels and cleaning products, or I can clean them (usually fortnightly) for a small fee. Funnily enough, female guests usually opt to do it themselves and male guests are always happy to pay you to do it!

 

The one downside with this is that not all of the guests who opt to do it themselves actually do any cleaning. So, I have started to offer the first clean free. This means if someone is staying 3-4 weeks, the room doesn't get too dirty. If they are staying longer, it gives me the opportunity to see how clean they are keeping it or not and I can then approach the matter accordingly.

 

I know this is not so specific to your situation, but perhaps it helps.

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5 Replies 5
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Valerie696 

 

I also host long-term guests. I can't tell you what a reasonable fee would be as my listings are individual rooms in a shared house, not a four bedroom house.

 

I have never charged a one-off cleaning fee either to short or long-term guests. I just factor it into my price. Maybe that means I'm not priced competitively, but as a guest I hate having lots of extra fees added on. Also, I don't want guests to think that because they paid a cleaning fee, they don't have to lift a finger. In a shared listing, it's really important that people clean up after themselves to a certain degree.

 

In terms of on-going cleaning, I have weekly cleaners come in to do the communal areas once a week and I keep them tidy in between. The guests do not pay extra for this, but they are expected to wash their own dishes/put them in the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen surfaces, leave the bathrooms reasonably tidy etc. 

 

As for their bedrooms, they are given the option of either cleaning them themselves and then supplied with extra linen/towels and cleaning products, or I can clean them (usually fortnightly) for a small fee. Funnily enough, female guests usually opt to do it themselves and male guests are always happy to pay you to do it!

 

The one downside with this is that not all of the guests who opt to do it themselves actually do any cleaning. So, I have started to offer the first clean free. This means if someone is staying 3-4 weeks, the room doesn't get too dirty. If they are staying longer, it gives me the opportunity to see how clean they are keeping it or not and I can then approach the matter accordingly.

 

I know this is not so specific to your situation, but perhaps it helps.

Thank you!

Yes, your context is a little different, but it gives me good ideas.  

Covid-19 increases the complexity of "popping" into the house to clean during a stay.  I really need to make sure it is what they desire...  and request they vacate the property long enough that we can ventilate some before getting the job done...

Quiet a dilemma for me...

Thanks again for sharing your tips!

Valerie

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

I do a weekly light clean

Brenda461
Level 2
Cape Coral, FL

Can anyone in the Cape Coral FL area recommend a good housekeeper? Thx

Kirsten **