There are many different companies offering cleaning services in Switzerland. But what are the differences and what are the advantages and disadvantages? Should I find my cleaner through a cleaning company or is it better to find them online via a cleaning platform?
We have looked around for you and summarised the most important aspects.
Differences in company structure
A classic cleaning agency is characterised by the fact that it has permanent employees. A contract is therefore only ever concluded between the cleaning company and the end customer.
The cleaning company prepares a quotation, awards the contract internally and you as the customer then receive an invoice. An influence on the Selection of the cleaner you do not have.
In contrast to this Cleaning platformslike suuber.ch, as an intermediary between Cleaners and private individuals. Nevertheless, end customers conclude a contract via the suuber.ch website and therefore always have one point of contact. However, you are free to choose which domestic help you want.
Contact is personal and direct. Only the bureaucratic hurdles are covered by the cleaning platform. This means you don't have to worry about registering or taking out your own insurance.
Due to the company structure, Suuber is therefore not only aimed at end customers, but also enables cleaning staff to actively search for clients and thus ensure a regular income.
Costs and wages: the most important aspects for many customers and cleaning staff
The biggest difference between cleaning companies and Cleaning platformsas Suuber, there is a need for Wages or the expense ratio.
At a cleaning company, cleaning staff receive a wage agreed upon at the time of employment. This can be negotiated individually, but is usually in the lower range. It is therefore rare for the net wage to be more than CHF 22. This may initially sound tempting to some end customers. In fact, the cost ratio, which ultimately makes up a large part of the company's profit, is quite significant, meaning that you often pay CHF 37 or even more for an hour's cleaning.
On a cleaning platform like Suuber, on the other hand, cleaners can set their own wages. The fees for insurance and placement are transparent and significantly lower.
The Hourly wage usually CHF 26 or more. Nevertheless, the costs for end customers are lower, meaning that both sides benefit from the scheme.
Safety and protection
As the cleaning staff are employed by a cleaning company, all insurances also run through the employer. This is not mandatory for cleaning platforms. With suuber.ch, however, the contributions are automatically forwarded to the AHV, IV, ALV and EO.
The insurance of material assets that can be damaged during cleaning is handled differently. For example, Suuber.ch covers damage to high-value items, but there is a de minimis limit of CHF 500. However, other companies handle this differently and sometimes only insure minor damage, so that the scratched marble floor is not covered by the insurance.
Flexibility: Dealing with cancellations at short notice
In principle, a contract is always designed to be fulfilled by both parties. Nevertheless, unforeseeable events can always occur, which can jeopardise a contract. Postponement or cancellation of an appointment make this necessary.
When contacting a cleaning company, it can therefore happen that another cleaner is provided at short notice to take over the cleaning tasks.
With a cleaning platform, consumers agree all details individually with their cleaning lady (or a man, of course). However, this also means that no replacement can be provided for an individual cleaner if they fall ill.
Conversely, direct contact makes it much easier to reschedule appointments. Communication via a third party is therefore not always advantageous and is also very time-consuming.
Valuation and transparency
The open handling of figures characterises cleaning platforms such as Suuber. This means that customers always know what fees are actually incurred. Cleaning companies often make a big secret of these things, making it almost impossible to check how high the costs are, what wages cleaners receive and what profits remain for the company.
As a rule, it is only possible to rate companies in general terms. With an intermediary such as suuber.ch, you have the opportunity to submit a personal evaluation of a cleaner. This provides a particularly high incentive to do excellent work and to be rewarded accordingly.
A summary of the most important differences between cleaning companies and cleaning platforms:
- Cleaning staff are permanently employed by cleaning companies, whereas cleaning platforms have many individual employment relationships.
- The cost ratio of a cleaning platform such as Suuber is significantly lower than the profit share of a traditional cleaning company. This increases the wages for cleaning staff and at the same time reduces the amount payable by end customers.
- The insurance cover is good for both models. However, there are individual Differences between individual companies.
- Cleaning platforms are more flexible, as there is personal and direct contact.
- Cleaning platforms provide a transparent price calculation. Individual reviews can also be called up online.
Create one right away free account at Suuber and search for a Cleaner near you. Alternatively, you can find the right Job as a cleaner directly via our portal and determine your own price.
