As Tet approaches, house cleaning services in Nghe An are in high demand.

As an accountant, Nguyen To Uyen (Hung Dung Ward, Vinh City) is so busy at the end of the year that she doesn't have much free time, so she sought out industrial cleaning service centers. However, she had to contact three centers before finding one that would accept the job. “In previous years, I booked a month in advance. This year, I was so busy that I forgot. After the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, I called several places to book, but they all refused because they were overloaded. I contacted three places before one finally accepted the job,” Ms. Uyen said.

Having just finished building his new house, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thai (Hung Loc Ward, Vinh City) also needed to hire industrial cleaning services to be ready for Tet (Lunar New Year). However, because Tet was approaching, most companies were already fully booked, with only one company accepting nighttime cleaning jobs. Mr. Thai said: "Cleaning at night is very inconvenient, but I have to accept it because they are already fully booked. To meet the deadline, in addition to hiring an industrial cleaning company, I also hired two groups of freelance workers to help out."

Currently, many people are posting ads on Facebook, at fairs, and in groups looking for house cleaners. However, very few people are able to find a service at this time. Nguyen Huu Tuyen, the owner of an industrial cleaning company in Nam Giang (Nam Dan), said: “Since October, our company has started receiving orders for house cleaning services for the Lunar New Year. Demand has been increasing, so by the beginning of December, our schedule is fully booked. This year, in addition to purchasing more machinery and equipment, we are also hiring more workers to meet customer demand.”

Cleaning is quite laborious, especially in houses with many belongings and items; therefore, a team of 6-7 workers can only clean 2 houses a day. To meet orders, they have to work through lunchtime and add extra shifts at night. “Besides families, agencies, companies, and organizations also need general cleaning services. During the peak Tet season, we clean households during the day and factories, companies, and organizations at night. We work up to 14-15 hours a day.”

According to the survey, for pre-booked orders, service prices remain unchanged compared to normal days. However, for customers who call late or request urgent services, the price increases. Accordingly, house cleaning prices are calculated by the hour at around 80,000-100,000 VND/hour; or calculated by area at 40,000-60,000 VND/m2 or as a fixed price per house…

"If you book in advance, we've already prepared the order and arranged the staff and equipment; if it's a last-minute call, we mostly have to hire outside help or work overtime, which increases the cost of hiring outside help, and overtime work outside of regular hours also increases the pay," shared Ms. Nguyen Hoai An, owner of a cleaning service on Nguyen Gia Thieu Street (Vinh City).

Responding to public demand, cleaning services have become increasingly common recently. However, during the peak Tet (Lunar New Year) season, supply still falls short of demand. Therefore, in addition to professional cleaning companies, many seasonal groups and associations offer this service. The workforce involved in cleaning and tidying houses during Tet is diverse, ranging from scrap collectors and students working part-time during school breaks to retirees and even low-wage workers trying to earn some extra money for the holiday.

Demand is high, but supply is insufficient. Therefore, many unscrupulous individuals have created fake Fanpages to scam customers by accepting advance deposits; or hiring freelance workers with unknown identities and addresses, resulting in theft of belongings during cleaning or hiring unreliable companies that don't clean thoroughly. Therefore, those using cleaning services should plan ahead, schedule appointments to manage their time effectively, find reputable companies, and remain vigilant to avoid financial losses and other problems.