Making Money Cleaning Houses: Earnings Guide - What Mommy Does (2024)

Learn the earning potential of making money cleaning houses!

A few months ago, I needed a new house cleaner, and as I did my research online, I quickly realized that I could expect to pay as much as $85 per hour for a crew of two people to clean my house. I thought this was extremely ridiculous.

I did some research and found job ads for local cleaning companies that paid mostly between $9-$12.75 per hour to their employees.

So I figured if on average someone can expect to makeabout $11 per hour, why should I pay over four times their combined real hourly rate just because I went through a real cleaning service? I don’t think so.

I ended up finding my cleaning lady by posting an ad on Craigslist explaining exactly what I was looking for and how much I was willing to pay. I ended up getting over 60 applications in one week! It was overwhelming, to say the least.

The lady I eventually chose wasn’t a maid by profession – she had retired a couple years back from being a receptionist at a doctor’s office and wanted to make some extra cash without going back to an office environment.

As she stated in her application email, she “wasn’t a house cleaner, per se, but she was good at cleaning her own house!” LOL She’s exactly what I needed.

More from WhatMommyDoes
How I Made $9,997 from My Blog in January

How to Start the Blog of Your Dreams (step by step guidance)

The Going Rate for Housekeepers?

Of course, this entire process got me thinking – how much money could you realistically expect to make cleaning houses?.

I offered $15 per hour to clean 3-4 hours per week. I went higher than what it seems other companies in my area pay their cleaners because it would be a very part-time job, and I figured the right person would be someone who didn’t have another job but needed this side job to be worthwhile (turns out I was right!).

Before I settled upon the $15 rate for house cleaning, I ran it by my college age babysitter.

I asked her what amount she’d have to make per hour to take a job that included cleaning bathrooms, knowing that she doesn’t like that task very much. She said $10-$15 would be a minimum but $15 would be better.

How Much Can You Make Cleaning Houses?

Seeing as how I was quoted $85 per hour for a 2-person cleaning crew, I figure $15 per hour is a reasonable amount to pay someone to clean, and it’s also a good number to consider charging if I were ever to go into this business.

It’s a good deal for the customer (compared to the alternative), and it’s a good deal for the worker, considering you’d likely make less working for a cleaning company.

As a busy mom who only has a few hours to work here and there, I greatly appreciate a way to make extra cash in exactly the amount of time I have.

Making Money Cleaning Houses – How Much to Expect

Just to see if my hunch is right, I did a quick search on my local Craigslist page. I found several house cleaner job ads that listed the following pay rates:

• $9 per hour during a two-week training period, then $12-$15 per hour after that
• $8 per hour during a two-week training period, then $9 per hour after that
• $9.75 – $12.75 per hour
• $10 per hour, including travel time

If I were looking for a cleaning job today, I’d be interested in the one that pays $10 per hour, including travel time. Now that’s a good deal!

**Update: Keep in mind that I wrote this post way back in 2012, so these numbers are almost a decade old. If you are interested in this kind of work now, you will need to do new research.

Tools of the Trade

I wouldn’t have a clue what house cleaners like to use except my cleaner tells me exactly what to buy for her and keep at my house. Here’s what I can remember off the top of my head:

• Windex
• Bona floor care system
• Orange Glo
• Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
• Scrubbing Bubbles
• Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes

And this is in addition to the regular stuff like sponges and paper towels. I feel like I’m leaving something out…I’ll come back to update this once I go check.

What else would you add to the list?

Make Extra Money Cleaning Houses

I’ve never been a big fan of cleaning my own home, but for some reason, I find it kind of satisfying to help other people clean. Maybe I will get into this business once my children are all in school.

It beats going back to an office environment, for sure! And I like how I can set my own hours and work as much or as little as I’d like since it’s per-hour income. After working overtime on salary (without extra pay for overtime) for so many years, an hourly wage might be a nice change.

Do you clean other people’s homes for extra cash? How much do you charge? Do you charge by the hour or by the job?

More from WhatMommyDoes

• How to Start a Mom Blog to Make Extra Income
• 13 Ways to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant to Bloggers
• 25 Money Making Ideas for Moms