Get Paid for Cleaning Houses @SavvyCleaner

The Ask a House Cleaner Show and Podcast with Angela Brown

How do I get paid for cleaning houses?

You get paid when you complete a cleaning job. The type of job you do for money (house cleaning, spring cleaning, move out cleaning, window washing, folding clothes, putting away holiday decorations etc.) will be decided between you and the client and the terms of your payment (when, how and how much) should be made at the time you agree to the job. This is usually the time you will also estimate the time needed to complete the project to your standards of excellence.

The client will usually leave a check or cash on the kitchen counter for you with your name on it.

This is one of the biggest perks of starting your own house cleaning company. You don’t have to wait for payroll to send you a check, or the two weeks lots of people have to wait until pay day.

You just have to train your clients to pay you each time you come.

When you are doing your initial walk through with the client, and you have your clip board and worksheets in hand, there is a moment when you cover payments.

You’ll want to say these exact words: (Please memorize them and practice them until they seamlessly roll off your tongue with finesse.)

“I accept checks, cash and all major credit cards as well as PayPal – whichever is easier for you. Usually people leave a check on the kitchen counter and I pick it up after I’ve cleaned.

I’m not a collection agency, and I’m not set up to go chasing after money I’ve earned. I don’t send invoices or receipts – but I do leave this worksheet with you each time I come. If you leave me a check, I will mark that I’ve received it right here (Show them the section that talks about payment), and if you forget, I’ll just make a note of it here (same spot) and you can send the money via PayPal when you get home from work.”

That should do the trick.

Should I leave and not clean a house if somebody forgets to pay?

No. I encourage you to confirm your cleaning appointment with your client via text, email or phone call, 24 hours in advance of your cleaning, so they know you are coming and they know they need to pay you for your service. You have booked that time for them – and if they haven’t cancelled on you, they need to pay you.

If you arrive and there is no check, don’t worry, they may return home before you are done cleaning and pay you cash or pay with a credit card.

You can’t sell the time to someone else because you are already there. (This is the reason for confirming 24 hours in advance.)

Clean the house as you normally would and assume the money will arrive before you leave. Don’t get weirded out and feel like you are doing a “free cleaning” or get all worked up in your head that they’ve fired you and forgot to tell you.

All of your clients have complicated lives – that is why they hired you in the first place. They will pay you.

Should I hire a collection agency to get paid?

No. You are not a collection agency and you are not set up to go chasing after money you’ve earned. Plain and simple.

Because you will confirm each appointment before you arrive via text or email – this is a good time to remind them if they haven’t paid you from last cleaning.

In twenty four years of cleaning, I have had a couple of clients forget to pay me and they paid me immediately upon remembering they forgot to pay. Either by PayPal, mailing a check, or running a check over and leaving it in my mailbox. People you have helped, who like you, who appreciate your service, don’t try to cheat you out of your money.

One of my clients only pays bills once every two weeks on payday. He asked in advance if he could pay on payday regardless of when I clean. He was a bi-weekly client so it turns out I clean his house twice a month on a schedule and he pays me twice a month on a different schedule, but we agreed to it in advance and he always pays.

The goal here is to always get paid for the work you do.

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