Last month, just before the festival season began, Mrs. Manikandan had her entire house spruced up in less than eight hours. She hired a team of housekeeping professionals to do the job.
“Earlier, we used to clean as a family on weekends. Nowadays, we have little time and such housekeeping service comes in handy,” says Mrs. Manikandan, a working professional and a resident of Habibullah Road.
The Manikandans are among a small but growing number of people who outsource household chores of this nature to house keeping service providers in the city. They are especially in demand before any festival season.
Neatt & Clean (89399 91000) has already received six calls, many from areas in and around Sowcarpet, for cleaning before Diwali. A few weeks ago, many South Indian homes sought ‘deep cleaning’ before Ayodha Puja, where tough stains are removed and the house is disinfected.
For Express Cleaning Service (98848 71610), this is the second busiest time of the year after May. Achutha Narayanan of Express Cleaning says as many of such companies have a website, they are contacted by Indians settled abroad, who seek cleaning service for their parents’ houses in the city.
Charges depend on the size of the house and whether it is occupied or unoccupied. A majority of them charge on per sq. ft. basis that varies from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 3.
From scrubbing bathrooms and kitchen tiles to cleaning carpets, all housekeeping works are undertaken. Some of these companies offer packages. A background check of house cleaning service professionals is necessary. Kumar of Utility Services (98411 81062) says a majority of his clients are referred by another person.
