What does the hiring process look like, step by step?
Hiring a cleaner takes about two to three weeks if you follow the same eight steps every time. A fixed process matters more than any single question, because it lets you compare candidates fairly and keeps you from hiring the first person who answers the phone on a busy week.
- Decide the role. Hours, days, pay, whether they drive their own car, and whether they clean alone or on a team.
- Write and post the ad. Put the hourly pay, the schedule and the area in the first two lines.
- Phone screen. Ten minutes to confirm the basics: availability, transport, legal right to work and pay expectations.
- Interview. Thirty minutes in person or by video, mostly scenario questions.
- Paid trial clean. One real clean alongside you or a team lead.
- References and background check. With written consent, after a conditional offer.
- Offer and paperwork. Written offer, Form I-9, Form W-4, state forms and your new hire report.
- Training and a 90-day check-in. Shadow cleans first, then solo cleans with a quality check.
| Week | What happens | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Ad goes live, referrals asked for, phone screens start | 3 to 4 hours |
| Week 2 | Interviews with the best 3 to 5, trial cleans with the best 2 | 5 to 8 hours |
| Week 3 | Offer, background check, paperwork, first shadow cleans | 3 to 5 hours, plus training time |
Before you post anything, decide whether the person will be an employee or an independent contractor. For most cleaning businesses that set the schedule and supply the products, the answer is employee. Our guide on W-2 or 1099 for cleaners walks through the tests. This guide assumes you are hiring employees.
When are you ready to hire your first cleaner?
You are ready when you have recurring work you cannot cover, and the prices on that work leave room for a wage. If the hours do not already exist on your calendar, a new cleaner will sit idle, get frustrated and leave.
Three signs it is time:
- You have turned away or wait-listed recurring clients in each of the last four weeks.
- You are cleaning more than about 35 hours a week and still doing quotes and invoices at night.
- Your weekly schedule has at least 15 to 20 hours you could hand to someone else, ideally on the same days each week.
Check the math first
As an example, say you pay $19 an hour. Employer payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and paid drive time between homes often add 20% to 30% on top, so plan on a loaded cost of about $23 to $25 an hour. A 3.5 hour standard clean then costs $80.50 to $87.50 in labor. If you charge $150, that leaves $62.50 to $69.50 for supplies, overhead and profit. If you charge $110, it leaves $22.50 to $29.50, which is usually not enough. Fix prices before you hire.
For a realistic wage, start with the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for maids and housekeeping cleaners: a national median of $17.07 an hour in May 2025, with big differences by state. Our guide on what house cleaners earn has the state table and the pay structures (hourly, per job, commission) side by side.
How to find cleaners for your cleaning business
The best applicants usually come from referrals by cleaners you already trust, followed by a clear job ad on Indeed and in local Facebook groups. Post in two or three places at once and track where each good applicant came from, so next time you know where to start.
| Channel | Cost | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Referrals from your cleaners | A referral bonus you choose, paid after 90 days | Fewer applicants, but people who already know what the work is like |
| Indeed and similar job boards | Free to post, with paid promotion optional | Lots of applicants, many who apply to everything; screen fast |
| Local Facebook groups and Marketplace jobs | Free | Good reach in smaller towns and in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking communities |
| Craigslist (jobs section) | A small posting fee in many cities | Mixed quality; works better in some cities than others |
| Community groups, churches, adult education and ESL programs | Free | Slow to start, but strong loyalty once people trust you |
| Your own clients and website | Free | A “we are hiring” line on invoices and your site reaches people who already like you |
What a good cleaning job ad says
- Pay first. “$19 to $22 an hour, plus paid drive time between homes and 100% of tips.” Ads without pay get fewer and weaker applicants.
- The schedule. “Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, no nights or weekends” is a selling point for parents.
- The real work. Homes, not offices; kitchens, bathrooms, floors; some stairs and lifting.
- Must-haves. A driver’s license and car, or a way to reach your area; English or Spanish; legal right to work in the US.
- How to apply. A phone number to text or a short form, not a long application.
Our free job post generator writes the full posting and a short version for Facebook from your pay, hours and duties. Keep the language neutral: the EEOC says an ad cannot show a preference for or discourage people based on a protected trait, so avoid phrases like “young and energetic” or “ladies only.”
How should you screen cleaning applicants by phone?
Call every promising applicant within a day, because good cleaners get hired fast. A ten-minute phone screen with the same five questions saves you from interviewing people who cannot work your hours or reach your area.
A phone screen script you can copy:
- “Thanks for applying. The job is [days and hours], mostly in [area]. Does that schedule work for you every week?”
- “How would you get to homes in [area]? Do you have a car and a valid driver’s license?”
- “The pay is $[rate] an hour plus paid drive time between homes. Does that work for you?”
- “Have you cleaned homes before, for a company, for families, or in a hotel? Tell me about it in a sentence or two.”
- “The work includes stairs, kneeling and carrying a vacuum and supply caddy. Can you do those tasks, with or without an accommodation?”
If the answers fit, book the interview on the call. Send a text confirming the time and address the same day, and note who shows up on time: it is your first real data point on reliability.
Do not ask about health conditions, pregnancy, age or family plans on the phone either. Describe the physical work and ask whether they can do it, which is different from asking about a disability.
Cleaner interview questions to ask, and what to listen for
The best cleaner interview questions ask about real situations: what the person did before, or what they would do in a specific moment in a client’s home. Listen for specifics, honesty about mistakes, and respect for the client’s property and time.
Experience and work habits
| Question | A strong answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Walk me through how you clean a bathroom, from the moment you walk in. | A clear order (top to bottom, dry to wet), dwell time for products, separate cloths for the toilet |
| What products would you never mix, and why? | Bleach with ammonia or with acids; they know it can make toxic fumes |
| How do you clean a stone countertop or a hardwood floor? | Gentle, pH-neutral products, little water; they ask what the surface is before cleaning |
| Tell me about a time you could not finish a job in the time you had. | They prioritized, told someone, and did not hide it |
| How do you keep track of what each client wants? | Notes, checklists, photos; they mention reading the notes before each visit |
Scenario questions for house cleaners
- “You break a client’s glass while dusting. What do you do?” Listen for: stop, take a photo, tell you right away, never hide it.
- “You find cash and jewelry on the bathroom counter. What do you do?” Listen for: leave it exactly where it is, or clean around it.
- “The client is home and asks you to clean the oven, which is not on the job. What do you say?” Listen for: polite, and they check with the office first.
- “You arrive and nobody answers, and the lockbox code does not work. What next?” Listen for: call the office, wait, never force entry.
- “Your teammate is skipping steps on the checklist. What do you do?” Listen for: a word with the teammate first, then the lead, without drama.
- “The home is much dirtier than the job notes say. What do you do?” Listen for: call before going over time, take photos.
Reliability and fit
- “What hours and days can you work every week? Any days you can never work?”
- “If you are sick on a workday, how and when would you let us know?”
- “What did you like least about your last cleaning job?”
- “Do you prefer cleaning alone or on a team? Why?”
- “What would make you stay at a job like this for two years?”
- “How do you feel about pets in the home? Any allergies to animals I should plan schedules around?”
The pet question is fine because it is about the job’s conditions and scheduling, not about a medical history. Score every candidate on the same five things, say 1 to 5 each: cleaning knowledge, honesty, reliability, communication and attitude. Then compare scores, not impressions.
Which cleaning interview questions should you avoid?
Avoid any question about a protected trait, such as age, race, religion, national origin, pregnancy, disability or family plans, even in small talk. Ask about the job requirement itself instead.
The EEOC says information about race, sex, national origin, age and religion is irrelevant to whether someone can do the job, employers may not ask about disability before an offer, and questions that are not illegal on their own can still be used as evidence of discrimination. It also says not to ask for a photo before an offer.
| Do not ask | Ask instead |
|---|---|
| How old are you? | Are you at least 18? (if your insurance or state rules require it) |
| Where are you from? Is English your first language? | The job needs you to read job notes in English or Spanish. Can you do that? |
| Are you a US citizen? | Are you legally authorized to work in the US? |
| Do you have kids? Who watches them? | Can you work Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 3:30, every week? |
| Do you have any health problems or a bad back? | Can you lift 25 pounds and climb stairs, with or without an accommodation? |
| Are you pregnant or planning to be? | (Nothing. This is never a job question.) |
| What church do you go to? | Are there days or times you cannot work? (Then accommodate where you reasonably can.) |
Criminal history questions are a special case. Many states and cities limit when you can ask, often not until after a conditional job offer. Check your state and city rules before you put a criminal history question on an application.
Should you do a trial clean and a background check?
Yes to both. A paid trial clean shows you how someone really works, and a background check protects clients who give you their keys and alarm codes. Pay for the trial at your normal rate, and run the check only with written consent.
The paid trial clean
Book one real clean of about three hours with you or a team lead. Pay it at the advertised hourly rate: the person is doing real work for a real client, and unpaid “working interviews” are a risk under wage laws and a bad first impression. Watch for:
- Do they follow the checklist without being reminded?
- Do they ask before using a product on a surface they are unsure of?
- How do they treat the client’s things: do they move items carefully and put them back?
- Do they keep a steady pace, or rush and then stall?
Background checks under federal law
If you use a background screening company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies. According to the Federal Trade Commission, you must:
- Tell the candidate in writing, in a stand-alone document, that you may use the report for employment decisions.
- Get their written permission.
- Before rejecting them because of the report, give them a copy of it and a summary of their rights, so they can explain or correct it.
- If you then reject them, tell them it was because of the report, give the screening company’s contact details, and explain their right to dispute it.
A driving record check counts too if a screening company runs it. If a cleaner will drive for work, ask your insurer what driving history it accepts before you make the offer.
Reference checks
Call two past employers or long-term clients. Three questions are enough:
- “Were they on time, and did they tell you in advance when they could not come?”
- “Did anything ever go missing or get damaged, and how did they handle it?”
- “Would you hire them again?” Then listen to the pause before the answer.
What paperwork and training does a new cleaner need?
A new employee needs a Form I-9, a Form W-4, any state withholding form, a state new hire report and a spot on your workers’ compensation policy. Then plan two weeks of training before they clean alone.
The paperwork checklist
- Form I-9. The employee completes Section 1 by their first day of paid work, and you complete Section 2 within 3 business days of that day, after looking at their original documents (USCIS). If they start Monday, Section 2 is due by Thursday.
- Form W-4 and Social Security number. The IRS says to ask every new employee for a signed W-4 when they start, and to record each employee’s name and Social Security number for their W-2.
- State forms. Most states with an income tax have their own withholding form.
- New hire report. Every state requires employers to report new employees to a state directory, generally within 20 days of hire, and some states want it sooner. Your payroll provider can often file it for you.
- Workers’ compensation. Tell your insurer before the first shift. Our guide to insurance for cleaning businesses covers which states require it.
- Your own documents. A written offer with pay and schedule, your policies (lateness, tips, damage, phone use), and a signed confidentiality note about client keys and codes.
A two-week training plan
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Paperwork, products and safety (labels, dilution, never mixing), then one shadow clean |
| Days 2 to 4 | Shadow cleans: they do a room, you check it, then the next room |
| Days 5 to 7 | They lead the clean, you check against the checklist before leaving |
| Week 2 | First solo cleans in easier homes, with a photo check at the end of each visit |
Use the same written checklist for every clean so “done” means the same thing to everyone. Our free cleaning checklist maker builds one per room you can print or share.
How do you keep a new cleaner past the first 90 days?
Most new cleaners who leave do it in the first few weeks, usually over hours, pay surprises or feeling thrown in alone. Give them steady hours, pay exactly what the ad said, and check in at 30, 60 and 90 days.
- Keep the promise in the ad. If you advertised 30 hours a week, schedule 30. Cutting hours in the first month is the fastest way to lose someone.
- Pay drive time and pass on every tip. Our guide on tipping house cleaners covers how to split and pay tips.
- Give a raise at 90 days. Even $0.50 to $1 an hour, announced in the offer, gives people a reason to stay through the hard first months.
- Ask, then listen. At each check-in: “What is harder than you expected? Which home is taking too long?” Re-quote homes that always run over.
- Make every job clear. Access notes, client preferences and the checklist should be on their phone, not in your head.
BroomBook gives each cleaner a crew app on their phone with the day’s route, access notes, photo checklists and clock-in, and it can translate job notes into Spanish, French or Portuguese for each cleaner. If you are planning the next stage after your first hires, our guide to growing a cleaning business covers adding team leads and a second crew.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Hiring, background check and new hire rules vary by state and city, so check with your state labor department or an employment lawyer if you are unsure.