Holiday house laundry - how much do I charge?

seasalt_2

Hi everyone. This is my first post and I am hoping you can help as I've done a search but not found what I was looking for - if I've missed it, please just point me there - thanks.

I have been asked if I will do the laundry for the holiday house next door to us. I have done this for them occasionally on a goodwill basis but they are now letting it out.

I've asked around to see what other people charge and the system seems to be to use an itemised list eg 95p per sheet, £1.10 per duvet cover etc and a duplicate book to write it all down in. To me, this seems rather a faff and I'd rather just charge a set amount per load.

A service wash in Glasgow costs around £8 but would probably be a bigger load - on the other hand I will have to collect it and return it (next door is actually a field away!), hang it out on the line and or dry/air it on pulley (no tumble dryer) plus iron sheets/pillowcases etc.

I don't want to diddle them but I don't want to subsidise them either and would like something for my time as well as electricity etc.

I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

pipsi_2

You could start with a charge of just over minimum wage for the time it takes you to do the ironing, add on a bit for the cost of soap powder, fabric conditioner and electricity and then come to a figure.

Or base it on the cost of the service wash in Glasgow of £8 but add on what it would cost the owners if fuel to collect the bedding from the holiday home, drop it off at the cleaners, pick it up and drop it back at the house again. I'd say that they'd be happy to pay you a bit more than the cost of the service wash bearing in mind that you will be collecting and returning the laundry so they don't have to.

Once you've decided, you could always offer them a little more than you'd be happy to accept in the event that they then ask you to reduce it slightly, you might then end up with the figure you actually want instead of less.

seasalt_2

Thanks Pipsi. I have been thinking maybe £10? The service wash was just for some kind of a comparison - there isn't a local laundrette - I just wondered if anyone else living in a holiday area did this kind of thing and what they charged.

missdee85

That is a great idea - wish i had thought of that at the start of the holidays!!!

gusmelv

I pay around 20-25 euros for a laundry service on my house in Spain whch I find eminently reasonable!

Penny-Pincher!!

I would charge £12-£15 a load. Time is walking to collect laundry, putting in machine with suitable detergent, using your electric for wm, emptying it and hanging on line, waiting for it to dry, then bringing it in, ironing and using your electric, water etc, folding it up and walking back.

HTH

PP
xx

paulwf

State £15, you can always drop your price if they complain!

Do you need to get the washing done same day or can they wait a week to get it back? I'm just thinking how you will cope in the winter where it might rain every day for a week.

The reason why I wouldn't charge too little is you need something to cover yourself in case items get lost or damaged. It would probably be worth going through an inventory with the owner and agreeing between you replacement costs at the start, then if anything happens you'll both know where you stand.

seasalt_2

Thanks for all these helpful posts. I am going to take your advice and charge £15. Sheets are all heavy cotton. Can always charge less if guests bring their own bedlinen/towels so there is less to do. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be a superquick turnaround although I think they are a bit short on one or two things. And thanks for heads up about possibility of loss/damage paulwf. Hadn't occurred to me! Good idea to make an inventory. I will let you all know how it goes.

FOURCANDLES_2

Speaking now as some one who manages Holiday lets and does all from the taking the bookings,cleaning, laundry . For the laundry you charge by the weight, how many does it sleep?Remember the holiday let owner has asked you to do it not Because she wants to give you work, but because she does not want to do it, and she will be putting it down in her books.

PasturesNew

Most laundry services charge by the weight. One person I know of that does laundry employs people on a self-employed basis at £6-8/hour to 'work' for her as ironing ladies.

However, you will probably benefit by not having things like public liability insurance, including covering stock (a professional service will have these insurances in case they damage/lose the sheets etc). You'll have no vehicle/travelling costs or time either.

If you're not having to turn it around immediately (3 hours from stripping the beds to making them again with the same sheets), then you just need three sets of linens: one on the beds, one in the wash, one set ready to go (holidaymakers wet the bed, are sick on them, spill things etc).

You don't need to penny pinch. What seems a lot to you, will be a weight off her mind - AND - you'll find you end up getting suckered into "more free work" along the way that you hadn't expected (e.g. short notice mid-week changeovers, so you're on-call so to speak).

You have to price it so that if other people ask you to do theirs too you have enough profit to make it worthwhile if you had to pay somebody else to do it for you... otherwise you're knocking yourself out for £2/hour and can never turn anybody away and never hire somebody to help.