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Hourly rates will have the following expenses.  The next section goes over the Hourly rates in the metro area. 

Some maid cleaning services will include all of these expenses, and some will include only a few.   We will start with the minimum expenses baked into your cleaning costs.

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• Cleaner Pay

  • This is the core factor.  We see what all the maid companies are paying cleaners on Indeed.  We have gone to every employment page of the top 60 maid companies in the metro area, so we know exactly what this expense is.​

  • Labor is the biggest factor in cleaning costs, and it directly impacts consistency, quality, and reliability—three things that matter far more than just finding the lowest price.

  • Almost half of the maid companies split the cleaning fee with the cleaners.  It ranges from 35% to 50% of the cleaning price.  Cleaners hate this method because they have a hard time understanding just how much they are getting paid per hour.​

  • The other maid companies pay an hourly rate.

    • Hourly rates from maid companies start at $13/hr for entry-level and go up to $18-$20/hr for Team Leads. 

    • We start our cleaners at $18 for entry-level and $20 for Team Leads with experience, with a guaranteed annual increase of $1 and potentially more, PLUS a full suite of benefits.  We have some cleaners making as much as $30/hr as an Individual Cleaner, but we don't charge the customer more.  Individual Cleaner or Team Cleaning.  All the same price.  We're the only company that offers both Team and Individual Cleaners at the same price

    • At It’s Maid Day, we invest in experienced cleaners and structured systems designed to deliver consistent results over time. That focus on quality leads to stronger retention—not just with our cleaning teams, but with our customers as well.

    • In fact, about one-third of our customers have been with us for over 10 years, which speaks to the consistency and reliability we aim to deliver in every home.

    • I have yet to see a maid company offer different prices based on the cleaner's experience, so good advice would be to ask for someone who has been with the company at least a year, or, if you've got real moxie, ask for the most Senior Member of the Cleaning staff.  It should be the same price.

    • Employers with Contract Labor typically pay the most because they have almost no other expenses, read on.  Contract Labor cleaners typically start at $20/hr to $30/hr, but no benefits, no tax matching, and no overhead.  The turnover is MUCH higher on Contract Labor for lots of reasons, but mostly because when the cleaner who has never worked contract labor gets their tax bill in April, they are in a world of trouble and quit.  

  • Solo independent cleaners are going to bake in their pay into the price, PLUS expenses.  A solo cleaner doesn't go solo to earn the same pay as working for a company; they want to make more.  They take greater risks as a solo cleaner than getting work from a company, and not just a little, but at least 50% more pay, plus their expenses.

  • Don't try to hire maids away from a maid company.

    • That's a big No No with all maid companies.  Most service agreements will usually have a non-solicit clause for the customer, with a penalty of a $3,000-$5,000 fee.  I know some maid companies in Atlanta and throughout the US that have pursued customers and won judgments.  Plus, most maid companies have cleaners sign a non-solicit.  Just don't do it.​

  • Labor Prices are higher for maid companies "located" closer to Atlanta or in higher living cost areas like up 400.

    • It's NOT about where your home is, as much as it is about where the maid company's location is, which dictates overhead costs and labor costs in that area.

    • ​​We have offices in Kennesaw, Duluth, and Stone Mountain, which helps in recruiting and still provides local service to customers.  We strategically placed our offices on the outskirts of these regions to keep our expenses low, provide better pricing for customers, and retain and recruit the best cleaners, who tend to live farther out.  This helps with employee retention, which is what customers want.  It is the best of both worlds.​​​

  • ​So if you want the best price, choose companies located farther out.  That does NOT impact you.  Let the maid company worry about driving to get to you.  As long as they are reliable and on time, why pay more just because their office is close to your home?  Maid companies don't charge for travel time, unlike some HVAC, electricians, and plumbers.

• Advertising cost

  • All of them, even individuals, have some form of advertising.  How did you find the cleaner?  If it is on a platform of any degree, there is a cost, and you are paying for it.  Some of these platforms charge as much as 50% of the billed charges.  Those individuals are almost as expensive as maid companies, depending on the platform you use to find cleaners.  Even if you hire a neighbor's independent solo cleaner, they are probably paying a monthly fee to be on a platform somewhere, so whether they come from a platform or not, many independents still have expenses.

• Insurance - General Liability

  • Most cleaners, but not all, have liability insurance.  Most platforms that contract with cleaners will require it, but may not check after assigning the contractor to your home to make sure it's still in place or the premium paid.  

• Supplies

  • If you supply your own supplies, your price will not change, but it may go up.  Read more about this in our How to Hire Maid Service. This is standard in the industry because the cost of supplies per home is low, the cost is in rags, vacuums, etc., and if you provide the supplies, the maid company still has to own the equipment and supplies.

• Car expense, including gas

  • If the contracted cleaner has to provide their own car while working for a maid company, which is very common, or if they are a true solo Independent, there is an expense in coming to you. 

  • We are not aware of any maid company that charges a travel fee based on the time it takes to get to you, as plumbers, electricians, or HVAC companies do.  In the maid industry, you are either in their territory or you are not.  There is no one we know, and we track and monitor over 60​ maid companies in metro Atlanta.

• Taxes

  • Even Independents charge for this or add this in somewhere, because even as a solo independent cleaner, they have to pay unemployment taxes as a self-employed cleaner​

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Now, let's go over the additional expenses typically included in a maid company.

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• Recruiting

  • Very expensive.  Indeed costs about $400 a week to post a job, and it usually takes a few weeks or more to find a good candidate.  So the recruiting cost alone can be $800-$1,600 just to find someone who meets requirements.​

• Training

  • This is a big expense, at least for us it is.  Most maid companies have no formal training, and, under contract labor, they are limited by law from providing training.​

  • We have 5 days of paid training, including 2 days of classroom and 3 days of one-on-one practical training.

  • It costs us between $800-$1,200 to train someone, but we do more than others.

  • So the total cost to hire someone is between $1,600-$2,800 per new hire.

• Turnover

  • Yes, this is an expense

  • OK, buckle up.  Residential cleaners have some of the highest turnover rates in ALL INDUSTRIES.  There are many reasons why, and I won't even tell you the industry average because you wouldn't believe me, but it would blow your mind.

    • Our turnover rate is relatively low.  But put that into perspective.  

    • The average annual turnover rate in the manufacturing industry generally hovers between 28% and 40%. While some data indicate rates around 31%–32%, Turnover is particularly high for new hires, with roughly 30% leaving within the first month.

    • Residential Cleaning is harder than manufacturing.  It is aerobic and not too glamorous either.  And the pay is also relatively low, partly because drive time is not typically paid.

    • This also comes back to customers who require the same people every time, forever.  That's not realistic, but most of our cleaners have been with us a long time, and that isn't cheap or easy.

    • Ask the maid service company if you can choose a cleaner with the longest tenure.  That's a smart question, and typically, people who have been with the company for a year or longer are truly PROFESSIONAL, Career-Minded cleaners.  And we have a lot of them.  People who have a history of cleaning and continue in the industry

• Franchise fees

  • This can range from 4% to as high as 8%, with the average being around 6%​

  • That doesn't automatically make all franchises more expensive, but they are often a little more expensive or even the most expensive solution.  You typically have good structure and decent service with a franchise.

• Rent

• Payroll Taxes

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This last batch of expenses is only found in a few maid companies.  These companies are also where you find some of the highest retention rates.  So, if you want to see the same cleaners every time and get the best professional cleaners, this is where you need to be.  And YES, you can ask the maid company about this.

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• Workers Compensation Insurance

  • Most maid companies use Contract Labor, so they avoid this high expense​

  • Work Comp is priced based on industry and injury risk.  Cleaners go up and down stairs, carry equipment into the home, are on the road, do a lot of bending (If they do a good job), and scrub.  Scrubbing is hard physical work, and even mopping is hard.  That's why you hire a maid company.  So, work comp rates are pretty high.

  • Work Comp premiums can add 6%-10% to labor costs.  And if you have one or two large claims, you go into the State risk pool, which can reach as high as 20%

  • In dealing with hundreds of maid companies through our affiliation with Maid Training Academy, we have found that most shift to Contract Labor right after a large claim.  Often, they have no choice.

  • All of our cleaners are employees and covered by Work Comp, and have been since 2010

    • Our rates are fairly low, around 6%, but we manage our risk closely through training, hiring practices, and ensuring our cleaners are safe at all times.  All of our company cars are equipped with video cameras and alarms to detect driving violations.  Our #1 priority is the safety of our people, and that keeps our expenses low.

• Benefits

  • Unfortunately, the vast majority of cleaning companies offer no benefits or very limited benefits.  That, too, adds to turnover rates if you don't.​

  • We offer a full suite of benefits, including a 401(k)

  • Not all companies can do that because most maid companies are small.

  • As the largest maid service in Georgia, we get access to benefits most maid companies simply cannot afford.

• ​Paid Time Off​​

  • Once again, this is a rare benefit offering, but some companies do provide PTO.
  • We provide 3 days of PTO at 6 months, 1 week at 1 year, 2 weeks at 2 years, and 3 weeks at 4 years.  Nobody does that because we track over 60 maid companies, so we know.
  • We can recruit better and, more importantly, RETAIN top-quality cleaners because we offer a great benefit package.  And we do all that while maintaining our prices around the median range of all maid companies.  This is probably the biggest factor why we grew fast, and continue to grow every year.  It's all about our people.
• Appropriate Customer Service staffing
  • If you have a solo cleaner, they will usually answer your call, but not if they are in the middle of a cleaning.
  • Most maid companies have just one person in the office, usually the owner. 
  • About half of the maid companies have an owner plus one office staff person. 
  • We have 4 full-time office staff who answer the phones from 7:30-5:30, M-F, and on Saturday, 9:00 to 12:00. You won't find many maid companies that answer the phones on weekends, but we do.  Most maid companies' office hours are 9:00-4:00.
  • We track and record all calls.  We answer 94% of all calls within 10 seconds, and return all calls within 30 minutes, or at the least, by the end of the day.  That's not cheap, but once again, what do you want in your maid service?
    • As the largest maid service in Georgia, we have economies of scale and a well-built, well-monitored system that you don't typically find with any service provider in any industry.