Adequate rates for home cleaning services

[amexicanbeauty]

I recently posted an Ad offering my services on domestic cleaning. It looks like my rates seemed outrageous to one of Baexpats active users. Since I am a screenwriter doing this for research I would really like some opinions on this matter. I said I would charge 80 pesos for professional cleaning of an appartment and 100 pesos for a house. This rates are not for an hour, they are for 8 hours of hard physical effort. I am aware that most cleaning ladies may not have college degrees and it looks like for that reason they dont deserve to make 1200 pesos a month (thats what i would be making if I worked 5 days a week)

This person said that he could get two "girls from here" for that rates.

I take the opportunity to say that paying anyone less than this in Argentina may be possible but it is clearly human exploitation and i dont encourage it, so please, even if you dont use my services be kind to the one cleaning your mess and pay them accordingly

I know its a lot more expensive in most of our countries, in the US a cleaning person makes up to 25 USD an HOUR. If someone pays 40 pesos a day to a woman she would be making 800 pesos a month, does that seem fair to you?

what do you think about this? Thanks for commenting on this,

 

[allcraz]

Amexicanbeauty,

I think the reader's response you mention came about because you did not originally post the number of hours you would be working - just the total cost. And 10 pesos per hour is now actually quite low. My husband was paying 10 pesos an hour last year; we are now paying 13. I agree with you that paying less than 10 pesos an hour to anyone performing hourly cleaning services is bordering on heartless or ignorance is the culprit.

 

[SaraSara]

In Recoleta the going rate is fourteen pesos an hour - in San Isidro it is eleven.

Most people don't hire cleaners by the day, or by the house - they generally hire them for five hours twice a week.

My cleaning woman has been taking care of my house for eight years - over time a relationship of trust develops, and that's the kind of thing Argentines want. They are not interested in hiring someone who will only work for a few months and then leave.

Hope this helps.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Leaving aside the question of rates of payment - a subject that has been covered exhaustively on here only recently - I'm puzzled about what you hope to achieve from this for your screen play? Surely nobody employing you from this advert is going to behave totally naturally knowing that what they do and what you see could end up in a film or on television. I can even imagine some people tidying up before you arrive!

 

[amexicanbeauty]

it is not going to end up anywhere. Writers as actors need to experience things in order to create characters, Im am no documenting on anyone´s life I am documenting on how is it like to make a living of cleaning houses. I happen to be very good at it since i have also worked on costume and art department for film, so to sumarize I have cleaned others stuff for a long time, just not for real people. thanks!

 

[AlexfromLA]

$ 15 pesos an hour is pretty standard these days. Usually with a 4 hour minimum.

 

[katti]

I pay 1500$ a month, 5 days of 6 hours.
She does everthing (cleaning/whashing/ironing, and sometimes she cooks...). She is only 20, her mother works for friends of mine and she is paid 2000$ a month.