Huge demand for CNY cleaning services
Madam Sherlene Wong is looking to hire a professional cleaning company for the big Chinese New Year spring clean.
The 35-year-old mother-of-one hired one last year for her four-room flat and wants one again this time because she is expecting a new baby next month.
However, if she does not hurry, she might not find an available cleaning company at all, despite the fact that Chinese New Year is a month away.
Of 10 professional cleaning companies The New Paper spoke to, eight said that 80 per cent, or four in five slots, for the festive period have been taken up.
Demand for cleaning services traditionally goes up during this time, but this year, it has been particularly strong.
For instance, cleaning agency Domestic One Home Services's Keith Yew said its slots next month have been almost snapped up.
"Only eight are left," he said, adding that in the vein of the New Year, "new cleaning cloths and mops are used for all spring-cleaning packages".
Also, Madam Wong, who paid a discounted $50 for a crew to clean her flat a year ago, can expect to pay a lot more now.
The charges for a spring-cleaning package have gone up from an average of $200 last year. They now go from $388 for a three-room flat.
And in the two weeks leading up to Chinese New Year, the rates could go up further by between $100 and $600.
CAN AFFORD
But paying the sum seems no issue for clients, who are mostly young professionals, most of whom live in condominiums and five-room HDB flats.
Ms Jean Ngiam, owner of A-Team Amahs and Cleaners, said: "We started receiving inquiries and taking orders for spring-cleaning jobs as early as last September and October. We are even opening new slots to accommodate regular clients now."Some buy packages for their old parents, who don't live with them, so they will not have to spring-clean on their own."
Companies say they allocate between four and six hours per home, dispatching between three and six people.
"My teams clean between four and six houses a day during this period leading up to Chinese New Year," said Mr Yew.
If more needs to be done, clients are charged $50 to $200 an hour for the extra work.
Mr Ong Pang Yang, a manager with MopSquad, said: "There will also be extra charges for the extra hours spent at the location and for tough stain and grease removal."
Housekeepers Management Services owner, Ms Liew Seow Ling, said that she has rejected a cleaning job only once.
"The home was badly cluttered and when we went into the toilet, the walls and floor were covered in black mould and very smelly."
Ms Ngiam said that most of the time, the clients are "very generous" to the cleaning crew.
"I remember once, when my staff were tidying the kitchen cabinets, there were these cans of abalone untouched and the client told them to take everything.
"Then there are those living in Bukit Timah area who would give away branded clothing that they no longer wear."
We started receiving inquiries and taking orders for spring- cleaning jobs as early as last September and October.
- Ms Jean Ngiam, owner of A-Team Amahs and Cleaners
The home was badly cluttered and when we went into the toilet, the walls and floor were covered in black mould and very smelly.
- Housekeepers Management Services owner, Ms Liew Seow Ling, on the one time she rejected a cleaning job
HOW CHARGES DIFFER
DOMESTIC ONE HOME SERVICES
Off-peak period:
Four-room HDB flat:
$328 nett
Five-room HDB flat:
$388 nett
Landed homes:
From $550 nett
CNY peak period:
Four-room HDB flat:
$388 nett
Five-room HDB flat:
$488 nett
Landed homes:
From $688 nett
HOUSEKEEPERS MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Off-peak period (until end of January):
Four-room HDB flat:
From $330
Five-room HDB flat:
From $380
Landed homes:
From $1,000 (on-site viewing required)
CNY peak period (from February):
Four-room HDB flat:
From $380/$430
Five-room HDB flat:
From $430/$480
Landed homes:
From $1,050/$1,100 (on-site viewing required)
A-TEAM AMAHS AND CLEANERS
Four- and five-room HDB flat:
$388
Landed homes:
$488 to $688
(Note: Because of the company's 10th anniversary this year, the prices are kept constant with off peak period. Last year, the prices were 20 per cent higher).
Holiday while cleaners spruce up your home
Hotel owner and operator Far East Hospitality is offering a spring clean with a staycation.
The service, called a "springcation", lets guests stay for a week in one of the company's serviced apartments here while cleaners, arranged by the company, do the work for them.
But it does not come cheap.
Weekly rental rates range from $2,400 to $5,000, depending on the apartment type, said a Far East Hospitality spokesman.
"We launched Springcation after receiving feedback from guests that they would appreciate coming home to a clean house after their staycation break, and from guests who booked a stay at residences because their homes were undergoing renovation," he said.
It is targeted at working couples whose homes are undergoing renovation or who want to take the hard work out of cleaning their home.
He declined to reveal the number of sign-ups so far, except that the programme "has generated some interest and inquiries".
"We are foreseeing the sign-up to ramp up during Chinese New Year," said the spokesman.
- Ng Jun Sen
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