House Cleaning in Philadelphia

What house cleaning covers

• Every bedroom and bathroom in the house, not only the main floor
• Kitchen counters, the island where there is one, the stovetop, the sink and the fronts of the fridge, oven and dishwasher
• Floors vacuumed and mopped, stairs and hallways between floors included
• Beds made, and sheets changed when you leave clean ones out
• Trash emptied room by room and the liners replaced
• Mirrors, glass doors and the marks around the light switches

What is usually not included

• The garage, the attic and unfinished basement space
• Laundry: washing, folding and putting clothes away is usually priced separately
• Windows from the outside, plus screens and gutters

When to book house cleaning

This is the regular clean most homes book every week, every two weeks or once a month. If the home has not been cleaned in a long time, ask for a deep clean the first time and then switch to this.

How long it takes

Bathrooms usually drive the time more than bedrooms do, so a three-bathroom house runs longer than a bigger house with one. A half bath off the hallway goes fast; a full bath with a tub and a glass shower door is what stretches the visit.

What makes the price go up

• A third or fourth bathroom, which adds more time than another bedroom
• Stairs and a second floor, since equipment and water go up and down
• Carpet on the stairs and in the bedrooms, which takes longer than hard floors
• A monthly visit usually costs more than the same house done weekly

What to ask before you book

• Do you bring a vacuum up to the second floor, or is it easier if I keep one upstairs?
• Is it the same person every time, or does it change week to week?
• What happens if I need to skip a week or move the day?

What house cleaning looks like in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a rowhouse city: narrow, deep homes sharing walls, two or three floors up a tight staircase, a front door opening straight onto the sidewalk and a basement below. Winters are cold, the radiators run, and salt from the sidewalks comes in on shoes. Summers are humid, and the middle of the house gets little daylight.

The front door opens on the sidewalk, so street grit lands in the first room and stair treads take the worst of winter. A vacuum gets carried up narrow stairs instead of rolling room to room. Radiators collect dust down between the columns, and the dim middle rooms need a light brought in.