Gig-Based Cleaners
Gig-Based Cleaners
These are individual cleaning professionals who find work through sharing economy platforms such as Handy and TaskRabbit. Some gig-based cleaners also operate their own cleaning businesses and use these platforms to find additional clients. In either case, the platform acts as an intermediary in the transaction; you pay the platform, which then takes a cut and passes the rest on to the worker.
Gig-based cleaners are cheaper than full-service companies and may be easier to schedule. However, they’re not ideal for customers with complex needs or those seeking long-term relationships with their cleaners.
Cost of Gig-Based Cleaners
Gig-based cleaners generally cost less per hour than full-service cleaners. However, unless you request otherwise, gig-based cleaners usually work solo, lengthening the time required to complete the task.
I surveyed pricing on Handy and TaskRabbit. Handy seemed better-equipped to handle regular cleaning requests, charging $25 per hour guaranteed for biweekly cleanings. TaskRabbit’s pricing was more variable since its workers – or “taskers” – set their own rates. In Minneapolis, cleaners started at about $25 per hour, but better-rated taskers charged upwards of $40 per hour.
Pros of Gig-Based Cleaners
- Lower Cost Than Cleaning Companies. If cost control is your top priority, you’ll want to limit your search to independent and gig-based cleaners.
- Scheduling May Be More Flexible. Gig economy platforms have vast networks of capable service providers, particularly in major metro areas. If you live in an area with a high density of eligible workers, you’ll be able to schedule cleanings almost at will, as long as you don’t mind a different person each time.
- Fully Insured. Reputable gig platforms provide liability insurance, usually up to $1 million, at no cost to the customer. This gives crucial peace of mind to homeowners reticent to file insurance claims and renters without adequate liability insurance coverage.
Cons of Gig-Based Cleaners
- Quality and Consistency May Suffer. Though workers who develop a pattern of poor reviews or customer complaints will eventually lose platform privileges, gig platforms nevertheless have lots of subpar service providers. When you’re welcoming a different cleaner into your home every time, quality is something of a crapshoot.
- Long-Term Relationships May Be Harder to Form. This is another unwelcome byproduct of using a different cleaning person every time. If you’re looking for a reliable cleaner who knows your home cold, a full-service company might be a better choice.
- May Not Be Ideal for Larger Residences or Bespoke Needs. Slower, less efficient gig-based cleaners are not ideal for big houses or custom cleaning needs. You’ll have better luck with independent cleaners with whom you’ve formed long-term relationships or full-service companies that guarantee their work.
How to Find the Right Fit for Less
Keep these pointers in mind as you research and vet home cleaning services.
1. Get Multiple Quotes
Regular home cleaning is a significant investment. At $150 per visit, 26 biweekly cleanings cost $3,900 per year. For most families, even a $200 one-off cleaning is a substantial expense.
In other words, hiring a third party to clean your house is not something to be done lightly. And, unless you’re preparing to stage your home in preparation for a scheduled open house or hosting a last-minute gathering, it’s not something that requires a snap decision. Take your time and request as many cleaning quotes as you need to make an informed decision. Get every estimate, including the details of what is and isn’t included, in writing.
Every full-service company we approached offered free in-house estimates. Independent and gig-based providers often offer estimates sight unseen. Unless cost control is paramount, don’t simply focus on the final cost; also pay attention to what’s included, the time needed, and scheduling flexibility.
2. Always Do a Trial Run
Before entering into a recurring arrangement with a third-party home cleaner, make sure they’re as good as they say. If you have the luxury of waiting a month or longer to finalize the agreement, purchase one-time cleanings from each of your finalists at least two weeks apart to give your house time to lapse back into a disorderly state.
3. Check References
Always ask prospective cleaners for references and follow up with as many as possible. Use as many third-party resources – such as Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List, and HomeAdvisor – as you can to find unbiased reviews or references. Talking only to references provided by the cleaner may give you an inaccurate picture of their capabilities.
4. Don’t Overestimate Your Cleaning Needs
Before beginning your research in earnest, think carefully about how much cleaning your home actually needs.
If you don’t have kids or pets and you’re good about sequestering disorder in, say, a mudroom or entryway, you might have little trouble keeping pace with your cleaning needs on your own or with quarterly or semi-annual cleanings.
Even if your house needs regular professional attention, don’t overestimate its needs. A monthly cleaning might have the same effect as a biweekly cleaning, and at roughly half the cost.
Of course, your personal cleanliness preferences play a role here too. If you demand spotlessness, you might be willing to pay more for more frequent cleanings or add-on services.
5. Don’t Opt Into More Add-Ons Than You Need
Be careful with those add-ons. Whether you’re willing to pay for services not included in a basic cleaning depends on your schedule and tolerance for DIY cleaning. My wife and I put off scrubbing our refrigerator for months (gross, I know) before finally springing for a $25 deep clean, but we’re pretty attentive to dusting around displays the professional crew won’t touch. We also clean our unfinished basement semi-regularly, cutting our per-visit cost by roughly one-third.
6. Ask About Fees
Ask prospective cleaners, or pore over their contracts, for specifics about their fees. Cleaners that require long-term contracts may build in hefty cancellation fees. Many independent and full-service cleaners charge credit card processing fees; we recently switched from credit card billing to direct debit because the company increased its processing fee above our cash back credit card’s rate of return.
7. Negotiate & Customize Your Cleaning Package
You’ll have better luck negotiating with independent cleaners, but even full-service firms may be willing to give a little for a stable, long-term arrangement.
If you don’t need your home’s entire lived-in area cleaned every time, structure your proposed package around the rooms you do want cleaned – say, both bathrooms, both active bedrooms, and the living room and kitchen, skipping the basement, bonus room, and spare bedroom. Most cleaners are happy to customize pricing by room count; even if they aren’t, fewer rooms mean less time cleaning, which could help your overall cost.
8. Factor In Health & Environmental Impacts
If using health- or eco-friendly cleaning products is important to you, you’ll pay a premium for it, as a visit to your local home improvement store’s green cleaning products shelf will confirm. Ask prospective cleaners about their approach to the inevitable health and environmental impacts of home cleaning. If they offer eco- and non-eco-friendly cleaning options, price out both.
9. Confirm Insurance Coverage
Ask prospective cleaners to provide the name of their insurance provider, policy details, and coverages. Then, contact the insurance company to confirm that this information is accurate. Make sure your cleaner is “bonded” as well. This type of coverage covers theft in the home, a common problem.
If a prospective cleaner isn’t willing to divulge insurance details or reveals that they’re not insured at all, avoid using them. Should one of their workers suffer an injury or cause damage in your house, you’ll want to make sure you’re covered without having to go through your own home insurance provider, which is likely to raise your premiums after you file a claim.
10. Ask for a Guarantee
Most full-service cleaning companies offer guarantees of some sort, but don’t enter into any agreements without making clear exactly what the provider’s guarantee covers. Blanket guarantees that aren’t open to subjective interpretation – such as “100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” – are best. You want to have the upper hand, and ensure adequate reimbursement, if and when you demand recourse.
11. Avoid Long-Term Contracts
The home cleaning industry is competitive enough that there’s no need to work with a cleaning company or independent cleaner that locks their customers into long-term contracts. We have an open-ended arrangement with our current cleaning company. We can cancel at any time with no penalty or cancel individual cleanings without affecting future visits.
12. Opt Into Auto-Pay
Many cleaning companies offer auto-pay discounts. Even if yours doesn’t, you’ll avoid late payment fees and interest when you opt into an auto-pay arrangement – assuming you keep enough money in your account to cover the recurring charge.
13. Look for Promotions
In competitive markets, full-service cleaning companies offer an array of promotions, such as package deals, discounts, and bonuses. We’ve already touched on frequency discounts, which are almost universal. Other types of deals include:
- Package Deals. Cleaning companies may cut customers a break – for example, 10 cleanings for the price of 9 – when they pay for a multi-cleaning package up front.
- Partner Discounts. Some cleaning companies partner with larger employers to offer employee discounts. The company we ultimately chose offered a generous discount for employees of my wife’s organization, for instance.
- Referral Bonuses. Some cleaning companies run referral programs that pay existing customers for successful new-business referrals. In a cursory search, I found per-referral bonuses as high as $50, a significant discount to the cost of a single cleaning visit.
14. Clean Up Before the Cleaners Come
Last, but not least, once you’ve established a relationship with a solo or corporate cleaner, remember to tidy up the house before each visit. When you declutter your living space in advance of your cleaning team’s arrival, it makes their job more efficient.
Even if you’re charged a flat rate and don’t accrue direct financial benefit from quicker work, your team is likely to be more thorough with minimal clutter in the way. We’re far happier with the results when we take 15 to 30 minutes to clean up our most heavily trafficked rooms the night before our cleaning company comes.
