Sounds fair to me. We used to have a lady that came once a month and she charged $80. We have a 3BDR, 2Full, 2half bath. The first time she did a deep clean (took her 5 hours!!) then it was like maintenance each time, not full, but all the basics were covered. You could probably "customize" what areas you want done, or places you can't get to yourself.

I loved having my house clean, but I always felt weird when she was there, like I was too lazy to do it myself. (We had a newborn baby at the time)

You are sweet to try and help her. Hope everything works out.

This may not be a problem for you but I'm not always very good at letting my cleaning person know when they haven't done a thorough job. So I finally typed up a list of items that I want cleaned beyond the usual dusting, vacuuming and mopping. For instance most of the time they can simply mop the kitchen and bathroom floors however every other time I asked for them to scrub the floors so that the grout stays clean. Now that they have a list they do a much better job.

Sounds good, hope it works out! She sounds good-hope the good work continues. Do you provide the cleaning supplies and mops, vacuum, ,etc?

I just am not sure what to ask her to clean. I have 3 large bookcases with lots of picture frames and books on them. I would like them dusted. Also vacuumn & dust the 3 bedrooms. Vacuumn the living room & kitchen. I have laminate floors so they aren't too hard to vacuum. Also to clean the 2 bathrooms. Does that sound reasonable or is that too much for the amount of money we talked about?

What you describe having done sounds reasonable for the $. I have someone clean every 2 weeks and it's $90 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - about 2500 square feet. She does all the things you describe - cleans all floors, dusts all rooms, thorough cleaning of kitchen and bathrooms, empties all the wastebaskets and garbage.

I just fired one ,my daughter and her friend came 2 times a month.I have lots of collections etc sitting.I paid them well judging from prices above.Well the girl never put anything back the way she found it,all the pictures on the walls were crooked,shed wipe it walk away,I warned 2xs I said put things back the way they were,I had to go around put stuff back,straighten all pictures.rediculous,well the last day she comes and saysI have to leave early to watch ball game,she was here 4 hours ,Ialways laid money to pay them when done on counter.She took full days pay for 4 hours,DONE!!!!

I have the bathrooms scrubbed, including the floors. The wood floors dust mopped and the carpets vacuumed. The kitchen sink, stove, counter tops and floor scrubbed/wiped clean and the window behind the sink cleaned inside and out. Everything dusted, including the bathroom baseboards regularly, not every time. Cobwebs dusted from ceilings as necessary. Trash emptied. Blinds dusted.

When my cleaners come I have everything put away, beds made, and nothing left out in the kitchen sink.

I have everything picked up and put away when she comes. Sometimes I have washed the sheets and ask her to make up a bed, but usually not.

Not sure what you want suggested. It's really hard to suggest wages and the like since, like real estate, wages depend a lot on location. The other thread had a lot of different peoples' fees for their housekeeping and it varied a lot.

You've agreed on a price. Sounds like you'll be able to work out what is to be done. You could just have a list each time since it might vary what you want completed at that time. Perhaps one month you want the refrigerator pulled out and cleaned, or you want the windows done or whatever. I assume you have sort of a time limit for the amount or a certain amount of labor for that amount. Could just list that this time you want 1, 2, 3 & 4 done, and if there's time, do 5 or 6.

Same caution applies as before, be careful that it's made clear (should be in writing) that she's an independent contractor, otherwise you can have issues of withholding, paying Social Security and more. Check your liability insurance to be sure it's adequate. Might be a good idea to review the other thread. Lots of feedback in there.

It's tough to know what to pay friends for help. Can be a tough situation if something happens too. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing.

Good luck.

Forgot to link the other thread in case you're interested.

My house cleaner comes two times a month and charges $60 each visit. The first time she cleans a house she usually charges double as there is much to do, but she did not charge me that since the whole house had just been painted and new carpet. I have a two bed, two bath with a large glass room added on the back. She does not do windows unless asked ahead of time and extra charge.

This is a list of services that I found online from Merry Maids. You could customize it to suit your needs.......

"Our cleaning services are thorough, consistent and customized. If you want us to skip a certain room, we do it. If you want a special service, just let us know. If you want to change your cleaning routine, simply call our office. We'll take care of it.

On every visit, your Merry Maids team dusts, vacuums, washes and sanitizes each room. Using our equipment and specially formulated products, they clean from left to right, top to bottom, so no detail is overlooked.
A typical Merry Maids visit includes these services:

All Rooms
Dust picture frames, knickknacks, ceiling fans, lamps, furniture, woodwork, shelves and baseboards. Remove cobwebs. Vacuum carpets. Wash all floors and dry wood floors. Vacuum furniture, including under any cushions. Empty and clean ashtrays and wastebaskets.

Kitchen
Clean appliances, counters, cabinets, table and chairs. Clean, scrub and sanitize sinks. Clean and sanitize countertops and backsplashes. Clean the range top and refrigerator top and exterior. Clean microwave oven inside and out. Wash floor.

Bathrooms
Clean, scrub and sanitize showers, bathtubs and sinks. Clean and sanitize vanities, backsplashes and toilets. Clean mirrors. Polish chrome. Wash floors and tile walls. Deodorize.

Plus
Each time Merry Maids cleans your home, we take care of a few extra tasks in each room to make sure that your home is well-maintained. With regular Merry Maids service, you never need another spring cleaning again.
Special house cleaning services are also available.
Leave other time-consuming cleaning chores to us and spend time on other things. Many Merry Maids local offices also offer these additional services:
* Oven cleaning
* Refrigerator cleaning
* Window washing
* Packing & unpacking
* Wall washing
* Cabinet cleaning
* Furniture Treatment

Wow! Timely post. Actually I posted about this subject a couple weeks ago, as I was contemplating hiring cleaning help too. A gal who cleans for a neighbor down stairs, asked me if I was interested in cleaning help. Hubs and I decided it would be a BIG help to have the heavier cleaning done for me, so she and I decided on once a month, and at first she mentioned $5. and hour, but I wouldn't expect anyone to work for that, so I said $30. a day, once a month.Our APT. is small and I can't stand clutter, so it is
(compared to other APT dwellers in our bldg) fairly
sparsely furnished. A living room with a table& chairs n one end, two bed rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen small enough so you can stand in one place and sweep the whole floor. Mind you, we live in a very small cluster of very small towns, so the going rate is higher in more populated areas. She came last Thursday, and it took her 3 hrs. How wonderful it was to have the whole apt clean at one time. It always took me 4 days because I can't stand for any length of time, and when company came last weekend, I wasn;t so pooped from cleaning for days ahead of time. Good for you for thinking of helping your neighbor, and it will help you too. Dottie

I'm thinking I ought to copy the Merry Maids list and make it my new To Do list. :-)

I'm also copying The Meerry Maids list and making it my personal "to do" list. I'm with Alisande. I can't afford a cleaning lady or service.

As far as cleaning- You should not have to tell her what to clean. The only time I need someone to tell me is if it is out of the ordinary (like a closet or oven).I even clean the inside of the microwave. Cleaning means cleaning everything,dusting,sweeping and mopping unless told otherwise.I clean like I would want my own house cleaned.

Wow! I just hired Dora to clean at $20.00 per hour. I've never made $20.00 per hour. LOL! She usually cleans 3 hours every other week. However, I really need weekly.

She cleans windows, but they are a muddy mess when she leaves.