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Original poster

How much would you pay kids to clean house?

39 replies

ColouringPencils · 18/07/2021 19:35

One-off thing while they are on holiday and DH and I are working. Age 11 and 14. One is conscientious but does things slowly, the other likely to work much faster but also be more careless. What is a reasonable hourly rate, or would you pay per task, and if so how much?

OP posts:
madroid · 18/07/2021 20:51

I would pay nothing. It’s their house. You are working they are not.

But to be kind, I would put the WiFi on in the evening if they had done the list I would leave them.

HugeAckmansWife · 18/07/2021 20:54

As the pp said I think at those ages they are can start pitching in just because it's the right thing to do. Be appreciative, maybe a nice pizza and film night as a thank you but not cash.

Babyfg · 18/07/2021 20:55

I wouldn't pay unless they were jobs I'd normally pay for (like washing the car or gardening) and if I was paying for a job I'd definitely wouldn't pay unless they complete to a proper standard (not fast and careless), time wise wouldn't really bother me unless they were taking the mick, like if the dishes are done before I got home from work I'd be happy even if they spent all day doing them, however if I was still moaning to get them done by bed time I'd be having a word.

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Clymene · 18/07/2021 20:57

@madroid

I would pay nothing. It’s their house. You are working they are not.

But to be kind, I would put the WiFi on in the evening if they had done the list I would leave them.

GrinGrinGrinGrin
Igetknockeddown · 18/07/2021 21:16

The amount would depend on what you are asking them to do, how the tasks would be divided and how much you can afford to pay I think.

Are you just wanting a whizz round with the hoover & a load of washing washed & hung on the line each day? Or are you wanting bathroom & kitchen cleaned, bins emptied, laundry done & meal prepped?

DS, slightly older but very lazy teen, got £5 for mowing the lawn one week, he hoovered twice, emptied bins & sorted the recycling another week for £5. I wouldn’t pay an hourly rate because he would string a chore out for hours!

negomi90 · 18/07/2021 21:23

Pay per task, and give them different tasks (even if that means subdividing rooms/jobs). Then you get to quality control and they don't fight over who did more or took more time.

Coolhand2 · 18/07/2021 21:23

I agree with others, I would not pay them. Give them daily chores to do around the house. The other day I was teaching my 7yr old to sweep the kitchen. Small chores bit by bit and they will know what to do. My 12 yr old brother knows he has to wash dishes, can even cook supper sometimes, rice and chicken.

Aquamarine1029 · 18/07/2021 21:25

I wouldn't be paying them a damn thing. FGS. They should be doing their age-appropriate fair share already.

Chunkymenrock · 18/07/2021 21:26

It's the 'family effort.' Everyone does their bit.

Thursa · 18/07/2021 21:33

We didn’t pay. We all live in the house, we all make a mess, we all clean.

Original poster
ColouringPencils · 18/07/2021 21:38

Interesting. They do do small chores around the house, but I am thinking of a one-off several hours as we have visitors coming and I have no time. They have time, but I appreciate it is not their job to care.

OP posts:
Namechangeforthisquestion7 · 18/07/2021 21:39

Not the answer you are looking for but another one here who would/does not pay. We all live in the house, we all contribute to keeping it clean and tidy, with age-appropriate jobs. The "reward" is that when everyone has pitched in the work is done faster and we can enjoy free time together.

TooWicked · 18/07/2021 21:39

At 11 and 14 they should be chipping in daily, and while they're on holiday and you and your DH are working they should be doing a bit extra. DS is 'paid' during the holidays with all of the extra food, snacks and drinks he grazes on all day long.

MarkRuffaloCrumble · 18/07/2021 22:01

My kids all pitch in if we have visitors coming. They’re as keen as I am to convince people we don’t actually live in a hovel Grin

DP’s daughter asks for money to clean their house - she wanted £20 for an hours work last time. He pays their professional cleaner £10 an hour! I think to him, it’s a way of giving her some pocket money and feeling like he’s getting something in return even though as an hourly rate it doesn’t stack up. I prefer not to link jobs and money and would give my DCs money for clothes or £15 for cinema if they needed it (they also get pocket money from their dad and use that for non-essential clothes and going out etc). And then the chores and cleaning etc are just done because it’s the right thing to do. If one has work or lots of school work to do then they are exempt, but while they’re on school holidays I expect dishwasher emptied, laundry done, the odd hoover etc. I wouldn’t expect them to clean loos/showers etc but they will tidy, plump the cushions, wash up etc for no financial reward.

Original poster
ColouringPencils · 18/07/2021 22:03

Okay it sounds like I am far too soft and have missed a trick. I want to say 'can you two clean the house today while I am working?' I do ask them to do housework when I am doing it too, but don't really expect them to do it on their own (apart from tidying their own bedrooms). They would normally do things like hoovering or washing up. I would like them to hoover, steam floors, clean windows and mirrors, tidy sitting room and dining room, clean kitchen and bathroom.

OP posts:
greatestdancer · 18/07/2021 22:07

I wouldn’t pay them, maybe I’d get them a takeaway or something if it’s a big job

HerRoyalNotness · 18/07/2021 22:16

No payment here. We all live in the house, we should all clean it

Mommybunny · 18/07/2021 22:21

I don’t see the problem with paying DCs to do specific jobs for pocket money. My DD does the family ironing at £1 per piece (but not for her own clothes and her uniform has to be done before she gets any money for anything else). I’ve given DS a tenner to wash and vacuum my car. Sometimes one of the DCs will change all the beds of a weekend and wash, dry and fold all the dirty bedding for a fiver. But they also do all the daily washing up, take the dog for walks and help out in the garden for nothing, as a contribution to living in the house. If we are expecting visitors they are expected to pitch in and do whatever needs doing and they don’t get paid.

If you think the promise of money will motivate diligence and effort this one time (and that they will actually accomplish something you don’t need to finish off yourself), then go for it if you can afford to. I would definitely pay per task. A very rough guide to a reasonable rate would be to estimate the amount of time it would take you to do the task yourself and then come up with some figure between £1 and £5 per hour that you can afford. So if you estimate the task should take two hours and your “rate” is £3 then you’d pay £6 on completion of the task, even if it ended up taking 3 hours for the D.C. to do it, iyswim. Decide yourself if you want to make it a regular thing or not.

cricketmum84 · 18/07/2021 22:27

I posted a similar thread last week. I'm recently disabled and recieved the devastating news that I'm not going to recover (although I will keep trying!!!)

I had loads of really good advice about chore lists and me and my 12 and 16 year old agreed on this list.

Their pocket money each week depends on what they have done. It's not fair to put it all on DH and I'm so limited on what I can do.

They put in my notebook what they have done and then I transfer money into their bank accounts.

How much would you pay kids to clean house?
MarkRuffaloCrumble · 19/07/2021 00:10

Yeah I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to pay them to do a proper job, but maybe going forward you could get them involved in the basics and then you can still pay them when they go above and beyond!

RagzReturnsRebooted · 19/07/2021 00:24

I pay mine to do certain jobs. They have their usual after dinner jobs that they have done for years (one clears and wipes the table, one puts dishes away and one vacuums) plus they are expected to put away their own laundry, change their beds, tidy their rooms and iron their shirts. That's all expected and I don't pay them.

I don't give them a huge amount of pocket money, so I wanted a way for them to be able to earn extra if they want it. I also needed help with housework as DH and i are both working nearly full time. So I found an app that would manage it all (they have it on their phones too) and I listed every job I could think of, from cleaning toilets to wiping cupboard doors and washing windows. Everything has a set price and some are daily, weekly and monthly. Some months they barely do any, so the house probably isn't any cleaner, overall. But they have the opportunity to earn a fair amount over the month if they want to.
Some of the easier jobs can only be done by the younger two, so the older one doesn't claim them all. The worse jobs pay more. DS1 does the most by far, he has worked out he could earn over £30 extra a month if he did most of the available jobs.

Maggiesfarm · 19/07/2021 00:25

@ColouringPencils

Okay it sounds like I am far too soft and have missed a trick. I want to say 'can you two clean the house today while I am working?' I do ask them to do housework when I am doing it too, but don't really expect them to do it on their own (apart from tidying their own bedrooms). They would normally do things like hoovering or washing up. I would like them to hoover, steam floors, clean windows and mirrors, tidy sitting room and dining room, clean kitchen and bathroom.
Flipping heck, that's a lot! I wouldn't want to do all that myself all of a rush, never mind kids. I can honestly say I've never cleaned windows.

Why don't you phone an agency and get a professional cleaner in for a one off?

Original poster
ColouringPencils · 19/07/2021 07:09

I don't think it's too much. Possibly only the bathroom? It's not rushed, they have two days, but I will be at work on those days so it would be rushed for me.
An app is a good idea, I will look into that.

OP posts:
Original poster
ColouringPencils · 19/07/2021 07:11

But also, this is why I want to pay them as I recognise it is quite a lot.

OP posts:
Oblomov21 · 19/07/2021 07:15

I disagree with most. My 2 ds's do jobs all week, including Ds1 has to clean the bathroom, Ds2 has to put away ironing, pair the socks and sweep back garden and front garden.

But if I wanted something specific done I'd pay them. £5 for certain things. £20 for the whole lot? Sounds fine.