Just got a call from an outstanding window cleaning client.
She said that because she loves my attention to detail she wants me to come to her house on a weekly basis to:
-Vacuum and clean bathroom mirrors every week
-Do additional service while there vacuuming on a rotating basis:
- clean on top of kitchen cabinets one week
- clean blinds one week
- clean baseboards one week
- etc.
I would be using her vacuum and she would supply the vacuum bags.
There would be no bathroom cleaning.
Her house is already spotless and I think it would basically be maintenance work for me since it would all be done frequently.
Cleaning her windows would be on a separate contract using my normal pricing structure.
I figure each week would take about 2 hours and she lives only 5 minutes away from me.
Two dilemmas that I need your input on:
How do I charge for this?
She ideally wants me to come Saturday mornings (6 am). I told her that I would not be able to do that every Saturday because some wc clients can only have me come on Saturdays and I need the full day to devote to their house (including travel time). She said an occasional Sunday would be ok.
thats happened to me and my wife actually started cleaning for the customer on a weekly business. She averages about $50 an hour and it usually takes her 3 hrs. So she makes $150 extra each week.
If that’s something you want to do, then you should charge at least the same hourly rate that you make cleaning windows. However, if you start doing housecleaning for one customer, you may soon find that many are requesting that service from you. Just decide first if that a path you want to go down.
Give it a try it’s great steady work I have a small mix of Residential and offices, I try to get at least 2hrs @ $50 pr/hr. Offices by the Sq/ft about $50 for a med. sized office per visit most are 2x’s a week most visits are 30- 45 minutes…
hey, if you can get it…go for it…lol…btw after we cleaned that customers house ($750) then the studio apt ($325), she called us back to clean the studio apt yesterday, got messy from the big party and we cleaned it again…$225…cha ching!!! Id say DO IT!! Crystal Clear Window and Gutter AND House Cleaning…has a nice ring to it dont ya think?
if the pay is right and If you have someone willing and able to do it sure why not . but i would not do it yourself unless your stuck for money / work this will sap your energy a lot more than normal window cleaning and it might just get on your nerves visiting the same floor the same kitchen table , the same toilet 52 times a year.
I am the one who posted this originally (almost two years ago).
I ended up signing a contract with this client and it has been one of my best business moves yet.
I give the client a lot of the credit for that.
She drafted a very good work contract that highly detailed what I would be doing and how she wants things done.
She and I went through a couple of drafts of that contract and both signed and dated it.
She made it clear that she wanted to pay me by the job and not by the hour (fine with me).
Early on she micro-managed me a bit, but she has since come to fully trust me and just turns me loose.
She agreed to me doing this on Sunday mornings (when I wouldn’t have any other clients) and I have been vacuuming at her house (VERY easy work) for almost two years now.
I have since requested that we change things to Saturday morning. I did this because it only takes a couple hours each Saturday and then gives me the rest of my day with my family. I also wanted to start attending church on Sunday mornings.
The rate that I end up making is not as high as I normally like on residential jobs, but it is consistent.
Plus, as time has gone by we have altered the contract to where I am also doing a full “Spring cleaning” on a quarterly basis.
This typically includes vacuuming EVERYTHING from the ceiling down to the floor, flushing the gutters, cleaning the windows, pressure washing and vacuuming the garage and everything in it. The house is one story and only about 1600 sf. Plus I do some small handyman things for her occasionally (smoke detectors, small projects, etc.).
All of this together adds up to over 10K per year.
Plus, she has become a great friend and is planning on taking my wife and kids out to dinner to get to know them better.
I don’t think this plan would work out with any other client for me. A lot of the reason this works is because she trusts me and she and I have a lot of similarities in how things should be done.
This isn’t right for everyone, but it has worked out great for me.
I had a similar issue. I got a call from a lady in high end neighborhood who wanted her windows done. That led to house cleaning and I mean top to bottom including base boards, switching out light bulbs, grout…which is one service I added on. I told her straight up that this wasn’t the norm. I told her I could piece everything out or charge her by the hour. Turns out she was getting ready to sell. Boom! Worked three almost four weeks with her @$45 an hour. This is using all of her equipment and chemicals. I supplied rags, squeegees, blower, to name a few. She also told me its because she loved my attention to detail. Also, if the house doesn’t sell then she’ll be calling back for maintenance. Of course these things won’t happen all the time but even if she recommended you…why not? Besides you can always say no. Give it a shot. Stuff like this leads to getting janitorial accounts too. Again, if that’s what you like.
