Hiring a Maid Service: Worth the Additional Cost?

Nobody likes cleaning, and hiring a maid service may be the best way to avoid the dreaded chore. Sometimes, though, paying for a cleaning service may not be worth the additional cost. Prior to hiring a cleaning service, consider the following issues to determine whether it will be a valid expense.

How the Service Chargers

A maid service typically charges based on square footage or the amount of time anticipated the space will take to clean. Many times there will be a minimum charge for services so that the maid or company is guaranteed to make a minimal profit regardless of how small the residence. If you choose to hire a company you may also have to pay taxes for the service.

The Size of Your Apartment

The size of your apartment may make hiring a maid service a waste of funds. In a small apartment, there is really not that much to clean, meaning that you may end up paying to clean very little dirt. In this situation, you might get caught in needing to pay the minimum charge even though the amount of cleaning does not warrant the cost.

A larger residence will of course take a much longer time to clean. If you are particularly busy or have small children, your time may be better spent doing your other tasks or spending time with your family. A maid will most likely be able to clean a larger space in a shorter amount of time and finish it all at once, meaning the entire home will be completed at the same time.

The Amount of Cleaning

If you live alone your apartment might not be that dirty, reducing the amount of cleaning needing to be done.  In this case, you will essentially be paying to clean things that are not dirty and thereby wasting money.

However, if there are several people in a single residence, and particularly if there are children present, there may be a lot to clean, warranting a cleaning service. Additionally, a home with several or particularly dirty animals or other happenings that make it dirtier than usual may warrant professional cleaning.

The Length of Time Cleaning Takes

If your residence is small and not dirty, it may actually take very little time to clean the space. The main rooms that will need to be cleaned will be the bathroom and kitchen, which together could take as little as a half hour to properly clean. In this instance, consider whether the amount you will be paying is reasonable for the amount of time the maid will actually spend cleaning. With a little planning, it may be possible for you to clean your own apartment.

The Frequency of Cleaning

Prior to hiring a maid, you should estimate how frequently you want your residence cleaned. A small or cleaner space may only need to be cleaned once a month while a larger space may need weekly or even bi-weekly cleaning. The latter instance can get quite expensive. Consider whether a combination of a maid and cleaning yourself will make the task more affordable.

While hiring a maid to clean may be a dream of yours, its costs may be unwarranted. Get multiple quotes for the costs prior to hiring a particular service or maid, and consider if you could reduce the costs by hiring the m aid to clean once a month or fewer rooms.