Looking for the ideal cleaner in Switzerland?

The coronavirus crisis affects us all, but it has hit household service providers particularly hard. Many customers are eager to have a cleaner come to their home. Is this concern justified? With our   COVID best practices,   you can protect yourself and your cleaner to the fullest extent without having to forgo the service. Many people didn’t need a housekeeper during the lockdown. However, this fact alone isn’t what makes life difficult for cleaners. It’s also the earning potential at the agencies that employ them. In this article, we’d like to compare the largest providers of cleaning services for private households. This will give you a better overview and help you understand why we at Suuber do things a little differently.

Below, we would like to introduce some of the larger cleaning service providers for private households in Switzerland. The criteria we will use to compare them relate to the gross hourly rate for the cleaner, the net amount paid to the cleaner, the employment relationship, the amount of administrative work involved, and finally, the general advantages and disadvantages of each service. Of course, you always have the option of hiring a domestic helper yourself. We can also show you how this option compares to professional providers in terms of costs, effort, advantages, and disadvantages.

Batmaid

Batmaid promises its customers a simple and quick way to find trustworthy cleaners. The platform has become particularly well-established in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, especially in Geneva and Lausanne, as well as in Zurich. The hourly rate for a cleaner is fixed at CHF 34. This price is considered average compared to other providers. Someone who books a cleaner approximately every two weeks would spend around CHF 884 per year. But what does the cleaner actually receive? After deducting statutory social security contributions and the agency’s fee, the cleaners earn a net income of CHF 21. Subtracting social security contributions and the net wage from the gross wage leaves the agency with a share of approximately CHF 8.90. This is more than a third of the cleaners’ net earnings and a hefty sum. Until recently, Batmaid’s services did not include insurance or registration for the cleaners. This had to be arranged by the employer, ie, the customer. Batmaid offered this service as an add-on. Because this business model drew too much criticism, Batmaid decided to employ and insure the majority of its cleaning staff starting in 2021. It’s somewhat frustrating for the cleaners that they couldn’t enjoy the benefits of employment, including all the associated insurance, but still couldn’t choose their hourly wage or clients.

Batmaid’s major advantage is clearly its wide range of domestic helpers throughout Switzerland and its simple booking process. Their booking platform is easy and user-friendly; a Batmaid can be booked in just a few minutes. Registration with Batmaid is free. However, it’s important to note that Batmaid cleaners cannot choose their clients, and vice versa. Batmaid assigns clients based on availability and feasibility. In practice, this often leaves cleaners with insufficient time to travel between clients. Cleaners must also cover their own transportation costs. It’s not uncommon for cleaners to arrive late or leave early to avoid missing their next appointment. The burden falls on the cleaners.

Customers can rest assured that the cleaning staff are vetted beforehand and possess the necessary qualifications. However, a transparent rating system is unfortunately still lacking.

Advantages:  quick and easy to book, mid-range price category, large selection of cleaners, professional customer service.

Disadvantages:  currently no included service for insurance and registration, minimal net earnings for cleaning staff, cleaning lady cannot be freely chosen.

Homeservice24

Homeservice24 is also purely a platform connecting customers with service providers of all kinds. This means that household help, gardeners, senior care, and other services can be found through the platform. Anyone can post an ad. Homeservice24 offers free registration and ad creation. However, viewing applications requires payment. The platform advertises very affordable household help, gardeners, tradespeople, etc., starting at CHF 20 net per hour. This does not include any service that handles the registration and insurance of the service providers. As a customer, you must either manage all the administration yourself or use Homeservice24’s assistant, who helps with insurance and registration. However, this assistant only creates the necessary forms for accident insurance and social security (AHV) free of charge. Therefore, a certain amount of personal effort remains for administrative tasks.

The  advantage  here is that you, as the customer, have full control over the selection process and can negotiate an individual price. Thanks to detailed profiles and ratings, you can make an informed decision about who you hire. However, not all cleaners here are equally well-trained or qualified. Homeservice24 does not check job seekers for criminal records, etc. The decision rests entirely with the customer. Homeservice24 is, of course, very affordable. The price can still be negotiated individually. There are no deductions from the hourly rate paid by the platform itself, but as mentioned, users of the platform pay a fee if they want to view applications, etc.

Disadvantages:  The platform offers only the bare minimum of service to the customer. The gross costs for the customer vary slightly (for a net price of CHF 20, you ultimately pay approximately CHF 24), but as a customer, you have more administrative work. It’s also important to note that CHF 20 net is the absolute minimum, and most offers are CHF 25 or more. Furthermore, the availability of qualified cleaners often depends on location. This can vary across Switzerland, and you often won’t find someone suitable in your immediate vicinity.

Helpling

Helpling is a newcomer to the Swiss cleaning market. The British company has already successfully established its business model in Germany and recently launched a promising selection of reliable and competent cleaners in Switzerland. Unlike many other companies, Helpling directly employs its cleaners. This eliminates the often complex employment contracts, and as a direct customer, you benefit from the company’s comprehensive service. Prices vary depending on the booking model. For a one-off cleaning, Helping charges CHF 37.90 per hour. Those who wish to book a cleaner regularly can benefit from price advantages. For example, a cleaning every two weeks costs CHF 31.95. This translates to a net income of CHF 21.50 for the cleaners. While this is only a minimal difference compared to companies like Batmaid, the cleaners benefit from the advantages of permanent employment and are covered by social security and accident insurance. This is an important factor and should not be underestimated. Especially now, due to Covid-19, it has become clear how difficult it is for domestic helpers who have no social security and do not receive continued wage payments in case of illness.

Another  advantage  of Helpling is the transparent rating of cleaners and the simple booking process. Customers can also choose their own cleaner.

The  disadvantage  of Helpling is that the availability of cleaners across Switzerland is still somewhat limited. Outside of major cities, you often won’t find any available cleaners, which is frustrating for many.

It should be clarified with the cleaner in advance which cleaning supplies are needed, as they do not bring their own. Helpling’s cancellation policy allows free cancellation up to 48 hours before the appointment. After that, depending on when the cancellation is made, 25% up to the full fee may be charged.

Putzfrau.ch

The next provider was one of the first to connect private households in Switzerland with cleaning staff. The agency offers a full service and has locations throughout Switzerland. The cleaners are employed and insured by the agency. They receive training and further education in cleaning, handling materials, and customer service. The Cleaning Service Academy has several locations across Switzerland to ensure top-quality customer service and cleaning. This service, of course, comes at a price. At CHF 42.95 per hour, putzfrau.ch is currently the most expensive provider. Does this also mean higher net pay for the cleaners? According to our research (source:  putzfrau-vergleich.ch ), the net pay is still at the minimum wage of CHF 21.30. However, unlike all other providers, the agency reimburses its cleaners for their transportation costs.

Booking is not done online; it is handled professionally by a regionally responsible contact person. You need to contact putzfrau.ch to schedule an appointment. Your individual needs will be taken into account, and a suitable cleaner will be selected for you. This ensures your complete satisfaction with the service. One-off cleaning bookings are not possible with putzfrau.ch; regular bookings are expected.

All in all, it’s a very professional, high-quality service that caters to individual customer needs and offers top-notch service. This comes at a rather high price and with limited flexibility in the contract terms. The question remains whether such a comprehensive service is desirable for most households. However, those seeking trained and well-qualified cleaning staff for weekly cleaning will find what they’re looking for here.

MamiExpress

To minimize your effort, the cleaning agency MamiExpress handles all administrative tasks for you. This is also reflected in the simple payment process and flexible booking options. The cleaners are employed and insured by the agency. MamiExpress’s net hourly wage for employees is CHF 23.30, which is higher on average than that of competitors. However, the hourly rate for the customer is also higher at CHF 37.70. All cleaners are carefully selected and vetted by the agency. In addition, the cleaners benefit from subsidies for further training, which enhances their skills. After initial contact, MamiExpress selects a cleaner for the customer and arranges an initial meeting. While you can choose the duration and frequency of your cleaning appointments, a minimum of two hours is required. Unfortunately, appointments with variable dates or irregular schedules are not possible with MamiExpress. However, for irregular appointments, the agency offers the option of booking individual cleaning sessions. Two consecutive appointments are mandatory, as Mamiexpress does not offer one-off cleaning or moving services. Since all employees are also covered by health insurance, you as the customer will not experience any disadvantages should a cancellation occur, as a replacement will be provided. It should also be noted that Mamiexpress charges a service fee of CHF 10 for each successful booking.

Advantages:  fair employment for cleaning staff, professional personnel, comprehensive customer service.

Disadvantage:  Cleaning lady cannot be chosen by the owner, minimum cleaning time is required, little flexibility.

SUUBER

Suuber now offers its customers a new, modern model that meets the needs and desires of both clients and cleaners. With Suuber, cleaners are not employed by an agency. The client remains the employer, but Suuber handles all administrative tasks through a trusteeship agreement. Thanks to Suuber’s expertise in the insurance industry, cleaners benefit from highly advantageous contracts and are fully insured, including accident and health coverage. These cost advantages can also be passed on to the client. This service is always included with Suuber, unlike other purely intermediary platforms. Cleaners can decide for themselves where and when they work, and, most importantly, their hourly wage. Thanks to the favorable insurance contracts and low administrative costs, cleaners ultimately earn more. The price for the client is variable and usually not much higher than with traditional agencies. On average, the cost per hour for a cleaner is approximately CHF 29.50. These leaves cleaners with a net income of CHF 23.00. This is higher compared to other providers. Furthermore, customers are fully insured with regard to their household. Suuber.ch sees itself as a marketplace. However, the cleaners can, of course, also work regularly with the same employer.

Suuber has no hidden registration costs. Registration and  profile creation  are free. A one-time fee of CHF 39 is due upon conclusion of a contract. This covers the initial registration and insurance within Suuber’s insurance pool. However, this fee is waived for those who register using a promo code from an existing user. Payment is only due upon contract signing.

Receive a CHF 39 voucher and benefit

Advantages:  fair, individual pricing, fully insured, cleaning staff can be individually selected.

Disadvantages:   You have to choose your own cleaning staff, which requires a little extra effort.

Overview of all cleaning providers