House cleaning service prices increase but still overloaded near Tet

At the end of the year, agencies, units, restaurants, shops... all have cleaning needs, so this service is very popular. Photo: Thanh Phuc

With many years of experience, entering the 12th lunar month, in addition to maintaining 30 regular employees, Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh - Director of a company specializing in house cleaning services said that the unit had to hire 20 more seasonal workers to work during Tet. "The demand for house cleaning during Tet increased, 3-4 times higher than normal days, so we had to recruit more seasonal workers and purchase more machinery to meet the market demand. However, up to this point, our schedule is full, we have to refuse many customers."

According to Ms. Oanh, during Tet holiday alone, her company cleans 3-5 houses, offices, and companies every day; the staff has to work hard from morning to late night, sometimes even working overtime at night, but cannot meet the needs of customers.

Many housing projects were completed before Tet, and homeowners wanted to clean their houses to welcome Tet. Photo: Thanh Phuc

“On the 30th of Tet, we still have to clean 3 more houses before we can have Tet holiday. At this time, the company’s 50 workers are divided into groups, cleaning “rolling” according to the schedule that customers have booked. Service orders in remote districts are prioritized first, then the nearby districts and cities. This year, our company had to reject about 30% of service orders because we could not handle it,” said Ms. Oanh.

In addition to industrial cleaning companies, many freelance workers take advantage of the time before Tet, when people's demand increases, to form groups of hired house cleaners. The labor force participating in house cleaning is very diverse, from scrap collectors, students taking advantage of their time off from school to work part-time, retirees, and school cleaners taking advantage of the time to earn money to spend during Tet.

In addition to industrial cleaning companies, seasonal labor groups have also been formed, but during peak months, this service is always overloaded, not enough to meet people's needs. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Ms. Tran Thi Lieu (renting a room in Ben Thuy ward, Vinh city) said: “Normally, my husband and I sell water near Vinh University. At the end of the year, we switched to cleaning houses. Our group consists of 5 people, my husband and I and 3 other students in the same dormitory. In early December, we posted about our house cleaning service on social media, listed the price and phone number, and customers who needed it made an appointment in advance. From the beginning of the 12th lunar month to the 29th of the Lunar New Year, our group was fully booked, there were days when we had to clean 3-4 houses, so we had to work at night.”

According to a survey, at this time, the price of house cleaning services has increased by about 15-20% compared to before. Accordingly, hourly house cleaning ranges from 150-250,000 VND/hour; full house cleaning, depending on the floor area, the amount of furniture and household items, ranges from a few million VND to tens of million VND/house.

House cleaning workers are busy from morning to late night, working overtime to serve people and earn extra income. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Although prices have increased, demand has increased, so professional cleaning companies and seasonal cleaning groups are still overloaded, unable to meet customer demand, and many people cannot hire this service at the end of the year.

Ms. Dau Thi Tuyet Trinh in Hung Nguyen town said: “The house project is expected to be completed by the 26th of the lunar calendar. In order to move into the new house in time for Tet, I contacted industrial cleaning companies to hire them to do the job, but I called 3-4 companies and they all refused because they were full; seasonal cleaning groups also said they were busy. Therefore, my family had to ask relatives and friends to help clean up a bit and then hire a service after Tet.”

House cleaning wages during the pre-Tet period have increased by 10-20% compared to before, thanks to which, the income of workers in this field has also increased. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Hard work, often overtime, extra working hours, hasty meals right at the construction site; until the afternoon of the 30th of Tet, completing service orders, returning home to take care of Tet for the family, but in return, the salary is higher than usual, with more income to cover expenses. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai - a worker at a house cleaning company said: "There are many projects, more work, so income increases. During Tet, I earn 15-20 million VND, sometimes I even get extra lucky money from the homeowner, so I'm very happy".

Thanh Phuc