Read about who is hiring house cleaners, time currency and why the average Joe is outsourcing domestic duties.
Isn’t house cleaning just for the wealthy?
Can I afford house cleaning? It is a common assumption that one must have a nicely padded bank account in order to hire a professional cleaning service. While we do have many financially successful clients, we also service household incomes well below the yearly six-figure mark.
What type of people hire house cleaners?
- Busy working parents
- Elderly
- Young professionals
- Those with physical limitations
- Those who hate cleaning!
- Parents with young children
- Individuals needing temporary assistance with housework
- People moving or selling a home
- Landlords, short-term rental owners
- Blue collar and white-collar workers
- Wealthy, upper-class
Societally, a shift is happening. The realization that our number one asset is not real estate, stocks or a savings account but TIME. We can never get more time. It’s the one asset we must be diligent at protecting. Couple the time asset with a desire for more experiences (thanks Instagram), and it’s an equation with a positive outcome.
TIME + EXPERIENCES = FULLFILMENT
The shift to time currency has led many to seek outsourcing domestic duties. Even stay at home parents see the value in hiring help in cleaning their home. This provides time for self-care, hobbies or just having quality time with their children instead of drowning in chores. Many young professionals see outsourcing as a no-brainer. If they can have someone else handle a task, why not hire that individual or business and support the local economy too? Besides, they can then enjoy training for their triathlon or going to the local pub crawl and not worry about scrubbing the bathtub.
How much time do people spend on chores around the house?
Since time is our most valuable asset, we are going to see how much time people who do NOT outsource domestic duties spend maintaining their home. To note, many households have to save domestic chores for weekends.
Most homes require maintenance like yard work and handy man projects. The Chicago Tribune writer, Christopher Ingrahm, wrote: “The average American spends 70 hours a year on lawn and garden care,” sourced from The American Time Use Survey which equates to around 1.35 hours per week just on the lawn. With handy man projects, they can easily eat away an entire weekend. Remember painting the bathroom last summer? It took 8 hours!
In regard to cleaning, it will take 6-7 hours a week to properly clean most homes, according to the American Cleaning Institute. That means each year the average household spends 312-364 hours on cleaning which is like cleaning for 13-15 days strait! Could you imagine spending 15 days all day, no sleep only cleaning?
How are normal people affording a house cleaner?
First of all, what is normal? Let us know when you find out. What we do know is people WILL trade money for more time. It comes down to budgeting and priorities. Can you afford house cleaning? Maybe!
Let’s do some comparisons:
Our average client/household pays $250 a month for every other week cleaning which is $3,000 per year.
According to Business Insider’s, Frank Olito, in his 2019 article (pre-inflation!), he compiled the average cost for individuals dining out in each state. Since we service two states, Oklahoma and Florida, we will include both of these metrics. Olito discovered in the state of Oklahoma, the average yearly expense for dining out was $2,320. In Florida, it was $3,253. It is critical to note these are not families but INDIVIDUAL dining expenses. With house cleaning, multiple people can benefit from the expense. Its wild to consider how much higher food prices are currently, and the data Olito compiled must be below today’s numbers (if the average American didn’t change their dining out habits).
Yearly housecleaning cost: $3000
Yearly dining costs (pre-inflation) for a 1-person household: $2,320-$3,253
Yearly dining cost (pre-inflation) for a 2-person household: $4,640-$6,506
*Expenses would increase even more with children added.
If a 2-person household cut their dining expenses by around 50%, they could pay for house cleaning for a year.
With this comparison, it makes sense that households wanting more time by hiring a house cleaning service are making room for the expense in their budget. Not everyone is willing to sacrifice their restaurant experiences, gym memberships, salon appointments or impromptu Target trips, but many find it makes sense for their lifestyle.