How to hire cleaners for your cleaning company
Hiring for a cleaning company comes down to four things: pay well enough that good cleaners pick you, post the job where they look, screen them in short rounds, and onboard them properly before their first job. This guide covers how to hire cleaners step by step, from pay and the job post to the interview questions we use, background checks, paperwork and the onboarding call.
When to hire your first cleaner
Hire when you're turning work away, or when you're cleaning every evening and weekend to keep up with bookings. If you wait until you're exhausted, you'll rush the hire and take the first person who answers.
Before you post anything, write down how you clean each room. That list is your standard, and a new cleaner can't match it while it only lives in your head. Our free house cleaning checklist is a good starting point.
Decide what you'll pay
A small company can't compete with big ones on benefits, so it has to compete on pay. We recommend paying per job and setting the amount so the cleaner earns $30 to $40 for every hour the job takes. The national median for house cleaners is $17.07 an hour (how much house cleaners make has the figure for every state), so this puts you near the top of your local market.
Per-job pay also rewards speed. If a job pays $200 and takes 5 hours, the cleaner makes $40 an hour. If they finish in 4, they make $50 an hour and still get the full $200. You know your margin before the job starts, because the cleaner's pay is fixed. The same guide has per-job examples of what's left for the business.
Pay quickly, too. Same-day pay by Zelle or another instant transfer is something cleaners value and big companies rarely offer.
Employees or independent contractors
Many small cleaning companies start with independent contractors. Each cleaner signs a cleaner agreement and gives you a Form W-9, you pay per job, and at the end of the year you send a 1099-NEC to each contractor you paid above the IRS threshold.
Calling someone a contractor on paper doesn't settle it. The IRS looks at how much control you have over how and when the work is done, and some states use a stricter test. If you set fixed shifts, require a uniform and train cleaners in exactly how to work, they start to look like employees. Employees mean payroll taxes, workers' compensation insurance and new-hire reporting to your state. Ask an accountant before your first hire, because fixing a wrong classification later costs far more.
Write a job post cleaners will answer
Most cleaning job posts open with a list of duties and requirements, and cleaners scroll past hundreds of them. Lead with what the cleaner gets: the pay, how fast they're paid and how much say they have over their schedule.
Put the pay in the title. The job title in our template reads:
Need house cleaners to start this week. $30 to $40+/hr, paid every day
Then cover, in short sections:
- Why cleaners like working with you. You pay near the top of the industry, they choose which jobs they take, and faster cleaners earn more per hour.
- What you offer: year-round work (cleaning isn't seasonal), jobs across your city, same-day pay and room to grow.
- The work itself. Solo or with a teammate, the types of cleans you do (standard, deep, move-out, recurring), and before-and-after photos of every job.
- Who you're looking for. Real cleaning experience, a car, good communication and pride in the work. Cleaning is a service job, so people skills count as much as scrubbing.
- How pay works: per job, with an example of what that comes to per hour, and they keep all their tips.
The full post, ready to paste into Indeed, is in the Hiring Cleaners Guide in Road to 10K.
Where to find cleaners
- Indeed brings in the most applicants for most owners, so start there.
- Local Facebook groups, both job groups for your city and groups where cleaners post looking for work.
- Craigslist, in the jobs section for your area.
- Referrals from cleaners you already work with. Offer a bonus once a referred cleaner has stayed for a set time, such as 90 days.
- Independent cleaners who run their own one-person business. Many want more jobs without having to find the clients themselves.
Answer applicants the same day if you can. Good cleaners apply to several jobs at once and go with whoever calls first.
The interview process in three short rounds
Spread the screening over three short rounds so you only spend real time on serious candidates. Log each person in a simple tracker as they go: name, contact details, years of experience, types of cleans, car, own supplies, background check and availability.
Round 1: a text message
Message the applicant on Indeed, thank them, and ask two things: a little more about their cleaning experience, and the best number for a quick call. When they answer, text that number, say who you are and where you were talking, and ask for five minutes on the phone. An applicant who won't answer a two-question text is unlikely to be reliable about showing up to jobs.
Round 2: a five-minute phone call
Open by saying you own a local cleaning company and you're looking for cleaners who want more jobs each week. Then ask:
- Tell me about yourself.
- How long have you been cleaning?
- What kind of cleaning have you done before?
- Do you have your own car and cleaning supplies?
- Would you be okay with a background check?
- What does your availability look like? Weekdays, weekends?
- What questions do you have for me?
Have answers ready for what they'll ask you: how they get paid (Zelle, the same day), when (right after the job, once they've uploaded their photos) and how much (per job, which works out to $30 to $40 an hour for most cleaners, plus 100% of tips). If it sounds like a fit, book a video call, get their email address and send the invite.
Round 3: a video interview
Use the video call to learn about their character and how they treat clients. Ask:
- What's most important to you when you're looking for a cleaning job?
- Do you usually do a final walkthrough with the customer before you leave?
- What do you think separates a good cleaner from a great cleaner?
- Tell me about a time a customer was unhappy with a clean. What happened, and how did you handle it?
The last question tells you the most. Listen for someone who heard the client out, fixed the problem and stayed calm.
Be honest about the ramp-up. If you're building a team ahead of steady bookings, say there may be about two weeks before regular jobs come in. Then tell them when they'll hear from you (48 hours is a good promise) and keep to it.
Background checks
Your clients give your cleaners access to their homes, often while they're out, so most cleaning companies run a background check. Mention it on the phone call so nobody is surprised.
If you use a background check company, the FTC explains the federal rules: tell the candidate in writing that you'll run a check, get their written permission, and follow set steps before you turn someone down because of the report. Some states and cities limit what you can ask about criminal records, or when you can ask, so check your local rules too.
Onboard your new cleaner
Text the cleaner to say they're in and ask when they're free for an onboarding call. Then email the call details with two things to finish beforehand, a signed cleaner agreement and a completed W-9, and ask them to have their payment details ready.
On the call, go through:
- Paperwork. Confirm you have the signed agreement and W-9, and save both in a folder straight away.
- Pay: how payouts work, when they arrive and what the cleaner keeps per job.
- Your booking app. Help them set up their account and learn how to accept jobs and get notifications. Don't end the call until they can log in.
- How a job runs, from getting the booking and talking to the client to arriving, cleaning to your checklist, locking up and marking it done.
- What you expect: arriving on time, replying quickly and being respectful in clients' homes. Tell them communication matters more than anything else.
- Before-and-after photos of every job. They protect the cleaner, the client and the business if there's ever a dispute.
- The client. Be friendly, offer a walkthrough and never argue. If a client complains, the cleaner tells you and you handle it.
Give new cleaners your easiest regular clients first, while they learn your standard, and check in after their first two or three jobs.
Keep good cleaners
Replacing a cleaner means going through every step above again. Send the ones you have steady work, pay them on time every time, and pass on reviews that mention them by name. Put a no-hire clause in your client contract so clients can't hire your cleaners away privately. If cleaners wear your logo, settle who pays for uniforms before you order them.
Running the team once you've hired
With BookedEZ, you send a job to your cleaners by text and the first to say yes gets it. Each cleaner has an app with their jobs, hours, service areas, time off and earnings, plus the checklist for each type of clean. Clients book and pay online and get a reminder before every visit. From $29 a month for your whole team with no per-user fees, and the first 14 days are free.
Common questions
When should I hire my first cleaner?
When you're turning work away, or cleaning every evening and weekend to keep up. Write down your cleaning checklist first, so a new cleaner can match your standard from the first job.
How much should I pay cleaners?
Many small cleaning companies pay per job and aim for the cleaner to earn $30 to $40 for each hour the job takes. That's about twice the $17.07 national median wage for house cleaners (BLS, May 2025), and it's what lets a small company attract and keep good cleaners.
Where do I find cleaners to hire?
Indeed is the usual starting point, followed by Facebook groups for your city, Craigslist and referrals from cleaners already on your team. Independent cleaners who run their own small business are often looking for more jobs and make good candidates.
What questions should I ask when hiring a cleaner?
How long they've been cleaning and what kinds of cleans they've done, whether they have a car and their own supplies, whether they'd be okay with a background check, and their availability. In a second interview, ask what separates a good cleaner from a great one and how they handled a customer who was unhappy with a clean.
Should my cleaners be employees or independent contractors?
Many small cleaning companies start with independent contractors who sign a cleaner agreement and a W-9 and are paid per job. Whether a cleaner really counts as a contractor depends on how much control you have over the work, and getting it wrong can mean back taxes and penalties. Read the IRS guidance and ask an accountant before your first hire.
Do I need to run a background check on cleaners?
Most companies run one, because clients are letting your cleaners into their homes. If you use a background check company, federal law requires you to tell the candidate in writing and get their written permission first, and some states and cities add their own rules about criminal history.
Still setting up? Start with how to start a cleaning business. Need more bookings to keep a new cleaner busy? Read how to get clients for a cleaning business.