Weekly vs. Biweekly vs. Monthly House Cleaning, What’s Best?
Did you know, the average American spends more than one full day (24+ hours) a month cleaning?
If you’re overwhelmed, struggling to keep up, exhausted by the thought of your never-ending to-do list(s), you don’t have any time to spare on housework (or you simply don’t want to devote any of your time to housework), then hiring a professional cleaning service is a smart move.
But how often should you have someone clean for you? What schedule would be the best fit for your needs? The fact of the matter is that (in most instances) your budget, preferences, needs, and schedule will determine just how often you require a maid or cleaning service. You may require more help if you do a lot of entertaining, maintain a busy schedule and you’re not able to keep up on things yourself, if you have animals and/or children living in the home, etc. If you cannot stay on top of things due to age, an injury, disability, etc. then having someone alleviate some work for you would be a huge relief.
While every situation is different, it is important to communicate your needs, priorities, expectations, and concerns up front and throughout your relationship with the service provider.
Let’s take a look at a few different cleaning schedules so you can decide what option is best for you.
Weekly House Cleaning Service: Advantages
Here are some pros for having your house cleaned on a weekly basis:
Saves You Time & Energy & Alleviates Stress & Anxiety - The more often your home is professionally cleaned, the more time and energy you save. That in itself is enough of a reason to go for a weekly cleaning or maid service rather than a less frequent schedule. Free up your time for more important things and alleviate stress/anxiety by scheduling your house cleaning weekly. You’ll still have your day-to-day upkeep like making the bed(s) and general tidying, but the more you can lighten your cleaning load, the better!
Experience Consistent Cleanliness - Realistically, how often does your home look sparkling clean and tidy? And when was the last time that you cleaned underneath your furniture or touched up your baseboards?
It’s all too easy to let things slide or put off certain chores. With a weekly maid or cleaning service, your home will be kept in a constant state of cleanliness, creating a much healthier environment for you and your family.
Avoid Allergen-Inducing Or Physically Challenging Tasks - If certain chores like vacuuming and dusting aggravate your allergies or you’re not agile enough to crouch down and clean the tub or baseboards, knowing that you have a maid or cleaning service provider to do these things for you will be a huge relief.
Biweekly House Cleaning Service: Advantages
Consistency & Accountability: Walking into a clean and tidy space is very soothing and it helps alleviate anxiety. Imagine this on a regular basis. You’ll get into a rhythm and be able to better manage other aspects of life, without feeling so overwhelmed by everything you have on your plate.
A biweekly cleaning schedule will also hold you accountable because a certain level of pick up is required so that the clean team can be as efficient as possible when they arrive.
Although, some people opt to have the maid or cleaning service provider help them with the pick up and tidying as well. It will take some time, but if that is something that’s of priority to you, you can opt to include it in your service. You can also have laundry included in your service so that you can ensure you have clean bedding and towels - at least for a portion of the time in between your appointments.
Most people find that scheduling their house cleaning on a biweekly schedule is the perfect frequency and it takes a huge weight off their shoulders.
Less Upkeep Between Cleanings - Scheduling your cleanings biweekly will mean less upkeep on your end in between visits. A biweekly cleaning schedule will also help prevent things like soap scum and grease from building up in your bathroom(s) and kitchen.
Monthly House Cleaning Service: Advantages
It Could Be More Affordable - The cost of a monthly maid or cleaning service is typically lower than a weekly service unless nothing has been kept up with and the home requires extensive cleaning.
May Be More Appropriate For Your Lifestyle & Needs - The size of your home and family, as well as your lifestyle (activities, entertaining, work schedules, etc.), will be key factors in determining what schedule will suit your needs best.
For example, a busy household with kids and/or pets is inevitably going to have things building up quicker than someone who lives alone and does not have any kids or pets.
You might not make enough mess to warrant weekly cleaning or maybe you’re constantly traveling for work and the home is unoccupied a lot, in which case, a monthly schedule would suit your needs perfectly.
Weekly House Cleaning Service: Disadvantages
Despite the clear pros of a weekly maid or cleaning service, this option isn’t without it’s disadvantages:
It’ll Be More Expensive - You’re hiring a maid or cleaning service to come to your home more often, so be prepared for a more frequent service such as this to cost more than a monthly schedule.
Many people find the extra cost of scheduling weekly to be worth it simply because of the mental and physical health benefits a clean home provides them. But if your budget won’t allow for this option, you might find that a biweekly maid or cleaning service is more suitable and still very beneficial.
It Isn’t For Everyone - Maybe a weekly schedule was the right fit for your needs at one point, but what if your household circumstances have changed?
If someone in the home has lost their job or has been laid off and they are now home more often, you may not need as much help as you once did. Or maybe an animal that was living in the home has passed and the pet hair was the main reason you needed that frequent of a schedule.
Perhaps you overestimated your cleaning needs and started out with a weekly cleaning schedule, but you’re now struggling to find things for your maid or cleaning service provider to do during their weekly visits.
Weekly service is NOT for everyone. Switching to a less frequent cleaning schedule might be a better fit for your individual needs.
Biweekly House Cleaning Service: Disadvantages
More Expensive Than Monthly - It will cost more than monthly service, but the plus side is it costs less than weekly cleaning.
Monthly House Cleaning Service: Disadvantages
It’s More Work for You - The most obvious disadvantage of a monthly maid or cleaning service is that you’ll have to do more of the cleaning yourself due to how much time will pass between appointments.
Time Constraints Might Mean Prioritizing - Along with the standard cleaning you receive monthly, you might need/want your maid or cleaning service provider to also take care of deep cleaning tasks such as descaling your shower, washing baseboards, cleaning windows, touching up appliance interiors, etc. If the maid or service provider is unable to accommodate your request for more time/a longer appointment because of time constraints or a full schedule, you’ll have to prioritize with them, so you can ensure they are addressing the areas that are of the most concern to you.
Less Cleanliness & Consistency - Housework is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Although having a maid or cleaning service provider scheduled once a month will help keep things in order, you won’t get the same level of cleanliness or the same consistency as you would with a weekly or biweekly cleaning schedule.
The Winner:
When it comes to cleaning services and how often you should schedule, a biweekly recurring schedule is an obvious choice.
With a biweekly cleaning service, everything in your home is kept up. From the basics to the baseboards to the bedding, a biweekly schedule will keep you on track. Two weeks is not a ton of time, so the heavy build-up of things like grease and soap scum isn’t likely, which means there is less of a mess for the maid or cleaning service provider to have to contend with and their time in the home will go much further.
Upkeep on your end in between appointments isn’t as intense, and you’ll notice your home will stay tidier too. It’s not as easy for clutter to accumulate when your house is being cleaned so frequently. With a recurring house cleaning service, you’ll have more “free” time as well. So in a way, it’s less of a burden to keep up with the decluttering, organizing, and other household chores.
The service provider may also provide a recurring discount as some do up to the 4-week mark. This means, if you link up with someone who offers this, you would qualify for a discount on a biweekly schedule.
In Conclusion:
Although there is still some sort of stigma and guilt associated with hiring professional cleaners, a recurring cleaning service simply provides you with some assistance in maintaining your home so that you aren’t so overwhelmed, and can focus your time, and energy elsewhere. There is still some work/effort required on your end (laundry and dishes alone will keep you busy) and even those of us who are truly non-stop, can NOT realistically do everything on our own.
A reputable cleaning service provider should assess your needs and have a conversation with you about the frequency of your cleanings. You can then choose a house cleaning schedule that you feel best suits your individual/family’s needs and one that you can afford. Make sure your expectations are realistic and that they align with your budget. Also, you want the person you’re going to be having an ongoing relationship with to be someone who is experienced, insured, and someone that you can trust.
Remember earlier when I mentioned how long the average American spends cleaning their home each month? If we’re averaging 24 or so hours per month on cleaning, then it goes without saying that any time we can save ourselves (by delegating) will be beneficial, as it will alleviate some of the work we would otherwise have to do ourselves.
Having some help is better than no help at all.
