How Much would you charge for this...URGENT!

General Cleaning Issues - Floorcare, car valeting, buying and selling businesses, pricing, staffing, market research, etc.

How Much would you charge for this...URGENT!

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 12 October 2003

Hi Guys

just done a job for an LA.

First job for them a 1 bed flat in absolute MINGING order! Tiled throughout on the floors and bathroom fully tiled in white. Removed limescale and calcium buildup from tap and window. Fridgefreezer and oven hadn't been touched for 2 years, now gleaming. Went through 6 cloths and 1 dispenser of industrial degreaser. Degreased everything including all flooring. cleaned windows inside only.

Total time spent ...8 HOURS!

What would you realistically charge for this. Have been told by LA that they have their security deposit and will leave it up to me how deep i went.

Now this is a first time job for this LA and stuck between not wanting to charge too much and not too cheap but want to charge what i feel i am worth Huh

Positive feedback urgently needed as putting in full report and invoice tomorrow 11/10

HELP!

regards

Martin Cool

Posted by DP (DP), 13 October 2003

Martin it seems from other posts and web sites that between £10-£12 ph could be the avarage price (except the Mercury lot ) plus materials.

Or a fixed price, which is prob what your after, However, should it have taken 8 hours (i.e if you had more experiance, how many breaks did you have etc etc)

Only you know

But remeber that if that one was quite bad the LA may judge all other job costs around this one, so watch you dont make a rod for your own back by going in too low to start.

If you did a great job, he will be back, cos you have just made it easier for him to let to the next person.

Next job, start ringing round and checking all the hourly rate prices or fixed costs in your area. Grin

Sorry, I cant be of more help.
DP.

Posted by sshcc (sshcc), 13 October 2003

If that was me i would charge £8 an hr! especially if you used your products! never under sell yourself! if you know you did a good job! be confident. they will know what you have acheived, just make sure you point out your work! jo lincolnon 10/12/03 at 23:14:20, martin_606 wrote:

Positive feedback urgently needed as putting in full report and invoice tomorrow 11/10

HELP!

regards

Martin Cool

Posted by petra (petra), 13 October 2003

Well if it was that bad I would chrge around the £10 per hour rate, but explain to them that this was a deep clean, I usualy chare £5 extra for cooker and the same for a fridge freezer. Then base you price plan around this job.
Petra

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 13 October 2003

Thanks for all your help guy 'n gals

I ended up putting an invoice in at just under a £100.

Regarding oven cleans... there are guys that go around and charge about £65-85 for that alone, awful job!

I saw the LA this morning and put in a full report and they said they get even worse than what i've just done

Bring it on!

Regards

Martin Cool

Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 13 October 2003

I started work this morning at 9am by 11.30 I'd finished my first job and was £120 richer I don't want you to think I'm bragging but the prices you guys charge I'd earn more empting bins for the council.

why did you become self employed, to earn a crappy £12 an hour?.

Are you businessmen or cleaners

Mike

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 13 October 2003

Ouch that stings!

I can see where you're coming from mike. pricing really is a minefield, especially since i am new to all this and do not want to over price myself. This was my first clean for this particular company and when i dropped my litriture around i did offer a 20% discount on a first clean.

I know it is giving myself a pay cut but i want to get used (not in that way!) so i can grow my business. so the invoice was £120 with the 20% off.

God, such a tough topic. I guess if we think about it, it doesn't really matter if we charge a lot as it is the tenant that is paying not the LA and they are even making money from calling someone in to clean.

Oh well, I will put it down to experience and move on.

Regards

Martin Cool

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 13 October 2003

Just a thought?

Was that £120 for two hours work for a one-off deep clean or was it for a suite Huh

No-one can charge £60 per hour for a one off clean, not feasible. It seems that suite cleaning you can charge this amount. I will be taking that course without a doubt Wink

Regards

Martin

Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 13 October 2003

Martin I was half expecting you to tell me get stuffed and mind my own bussiness!

I'll try and add something more constructive Wink

I think the way to get better prices is to become an expert in a particular part of cleaning something that no one else does or clean in a way no one else does (I don't mean offer a topless cleaning service)

If I was starting a cleaning company I'd offer a service to all the excema & bronchial suffers, these are the big growth areas with children.

I'd advertise that i only use HEPA filter vacuum cleaners, and that I only use D' lemonine cleaning chemicals (which are totally natural and made from orange peel)

If you had a child that suffered from severe excema would low price be important to you when chosing a cleaner or would you chose the cleaner who specialised in this problem.

other specialisation areas that you could concider ; odour & pet Problems, body fluid cleanup, industrial kitchens etc.

if you're the same as every one else you'll earn the same as everyone else, be different

Mike

Posted by stevegunn (Steve Gunn), 13 October 2003

And where can we obtain these products D' lemonine cleaning chemicals Huh

Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 13 October 2003

Everywhere! most of the big chemical companies are now supplying citrus based degreasers and cleaning agent the active ingrediant in these products is D' lemonine

this morning i cleaned a 2 seater sofa and 1 bed pensioner flat

Mike

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 13 October 2003

Mike

The thought did flash through my mind but i don't subscribe to that mentality.

I am new to this industry and will be taking all the right courses, carpet, upholstery, hard floor, etc, etc.

what all us new guys do need when we are stuck and really need help is experienced constructive advice.

Let the other forums drag each other down, it would be nice to be part of something different.

Thoughts?

regards

Martin Cool

Posted by A_to_Z_Clean (A_to_Z_Clean), 14 October 2003

hi,
1 Bed flat heavy vleaning 8h furnished=165.50£ , unfurnished 125.00£

And not a peny less Angry

Then LA are making a lot of money, and they pay from deposit ( normaly) so .... Grin

Adam
AtoZ Clean

Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 14 October 2003

can anyone translate that for me?

Mike

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 14 October 2003

Come on mike.

Adam isn't from the Uk, give the guy a break and help not critisize.

It's obvious what he's saying.
If you want to be amusing try...

A horse went to the doctors and the doctor said, 'Why the long face'

See, it really is that easy, give it a try?

Martin Cool

Posted by petra (petra), 14 October 2003

Hey u guy's there are girls out here too Tongue

Posted by A_to_Z_Clean (A_to_Z_Clean), 16 October 2003

can anyone translate that for me?

Mike

ok in plain english

unfurnish house- without any furniture
furnish house-with furniture

cleaning- making things clean

8h-time

160£ - amount of money they will pay

so, i'm geting money and work with my crap english and you Huh

p.s. Thank YOu martin_606

Adam
AtoZ Clean

Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 16 October 2003

Thanks Adam Wink

now I understand
I should have read it a couple of more times,

£160 for 8 hours is still crappy but its heading in the right direction, just think how much money you'd make if you could be bothered to learn english Grin

Mike

Posted by A_to_Z_Clean (A_to_Z_Clean), 16 October 2003

hi,

160pounds for 8 hours of cleaning without carpets and windows is ok i think Grin

Adam
AtoZ Clean

Posted by A_to_Z_Clean (A_to_Z_Clean), 16 October 2003

and about my english.My spoken is very good, just wrriten give me a problems but i'm geting better.

Grin

Adam
AtoZ CLean

Posted by Fox (Fox), 16 October 2003

Hi Adam
Don't mean to be brutal but perhaps you are not getting much respect due to an earlier posting about staff from hell.
It is not very professional to say that the next person who doesn't turn up for work will get thier ar.. kicked! For all you know they could have genuine problems or just not want to work for an unsympathetic boss who seems like he doesn't have time for them.
Don't mean to offend but respect??!!??!!

Posted by petra (petra), 17 October 2003

Adam, don't worry about the writen bit, there are plenty of british people out there that have problem writing too, practise makes perfect.
Petra

Posted by DP (DP), 17 October 2003

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy,
it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and
lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter
by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Does it all really matter?
Sorry admin slightly off topic Grin

Posted by Mike_Boxall (Mike_Boxall), 17 October 2003

I wouldnt take it too personally Adam - your English is better than my Polish!

Posted by martin_606 (martin_606), 18 October 2003

Thanks for all your help guys, put in invoice and got the payment today Wink

Plus they phoned me for another job and that got finished also Grin

5 hour clean on a flat.

Obviously the more experience the faster the clean.

have decided to charge on what I actually come across rather than a set price.

Regards

Martin Cool

Posted by Fox (Fox), 18 October 2003

Posted by NSCleaning (NSCleaning), 23 October 2003

I'd just like to add my thoughts to this posting ( just discovered this site by the way and very impressed). I used to be a local authority housing manager before I wised up and joined the self employed, and I can tell you that your LA will not have the faintest idea what they should pay for a good house clean, so that suggests you can charge what you want. Having said that, if you can get established with the local council by doing a good job and not seriously ripping them off, you will be appreciated. There are not many people around these days who will go in to clean a filthy house, there are the big nationwide companies of course, but most housing managers will have had bad experiences with them.
Re Mike Hallidays comments - he is absolutely right, specialising is the key to making decent money, but you have to get experience of the business first before you can decide which area to go for. Personally, though I am a carpet cleaner I will clean anything because you never know where it will lead. You would be shocked if I told you what I have charged for some basic domestic cleaning jobs, but this is because I know enough about the business now to know what a "proper" rate of pay is. I think the UK is beginning to wake up to the fact that cleaning is not unskilled work.
By the way Mike, £12 an hour is not a "crappy" rate of pay as any postman will tell you, and I reckon that someone just starting out on their own earning that sort of money is doing OK.

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