Do House Cleaners Fold Clothes?

Most people all want to know what exactly is included when they hire a house cleaning service. Are they going to do dishes, laundry, fold clothes, and put them away too? The answer is: It totally depends. Some house cleaning services will add on laundry service if you want it, and others can simply stick to the basics: dusting, vacuuming, and bathroom scrubbing. If your laundry and folding your laundry is one of the main things, you'd better tell them that you want this very moment when hiring your cleaners.

What's Typically Included in House Cleaning

An impersonal, standard house cleaning service would only aim at performing the basic tasks of picking up and dusting surfaces, vacuuming and/or mopping the floor, wiping kitchens and bathrooms down, and removing the trash. That's what a typical customer would request to have done with the hire of a cleaner. The laundry, dishes, and pick-up of personal items equate to extra "maid services" in addition to the common cleaning.

However, some cleaning services, especially "deep cleaning" or "move in/move out cleaning" can provide a more full comprehensive service to include laundry. Really depends on the company. Seattle Green Cleaning Fairy does an eco-friendly cleaning service that can be tailored to include laundry and folding clothes if the client wishes it to.

For house cleaners that do laundry, they usually consider it as an add-on service for an additional charge. It takes a lot of time to wash, dry, fold, and put away clothes, so it makes sense that it would cost more. Cleaners have to fit that time into their schedule and work it around other cleaning tasks.

Some cleaners will be willing to start a load in the washing machine and then fold and put away the clean clothes from a previous cycle while they clean the rest of the house. Others prefer to have the clothes already washed and dried so that they can concentrate their time in a specific area just folding and putting them away. If they're going to do the whole process-start to finish-let them know and this will add an hour or more onto the cleaning.

Laundry Expectations

Should you hire a cleaner to do your laundry, like any chore, communication is the key to getting your clothes done right. Be clear with special instructions on what goes in the dryer vs what you want them to hang dry and what needs to be washed separately. Also, where do they put the clean clothes? Apparently some people are very specific with how you do laundry and where things go, label drawers/closets.

Also remember that even if your cleaners want to do laundry, sometimes they will simply have to skip it in favor of finishing the cleaning if it is taking longer than anticipated, or if the washer/dryer is unavailable. Generally speaking, laundry is last on a list of priorities compared to actually cleaning. You have to have realistic expectations.

Laundry-Only Services

But if you really hold strong to the importance of having your laundry folded, consider hiring a laundry-only company instead of a home cleaner. Many laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry delivery services do nothing else but take your dirty clothes, wash them, fold them, and return them to you clean. So much cheaper and more reliable than asking your home cleaner to do it.

Some of these laundry services will come and pick up your dirty clothes, wash/dry/fold them, and then deliver the clean laundry back to you on a weekly basis. Prices are often based on the pound. This can be a fantastic ongoing solution for busy professionals and families who struggle keeping up with laundry .

The Bottom Line

When it comes down to it, a few housekeepers will do laundry and even fold the clothing, but this is not part of the "norm" per se. It is more so an additional service that you are more than likely paying extra for. However, in such a case, be clear about the process, any special instructions, and indicate the storage place. Prepare a basket with dirty clothes and set out a spot for folding.

Or if laundry is a constant source of frustration, consider hiring an independent service that specifically handles laundry and do not insist your house cleaners do it. There are a variety of options—local laundromats or pickup/delivery laundry services—that will take care of making sure your clothes are clean and folded, and not take time from the house cleaning.

The best avenue is to get the appropriate professional for the job. House cleaners are perfect for getting your home sparkling clean, but oftentimes the dedicated laundry services are better equipped to handle your clothes washing and folding needs. Like any service, it is important to have clear communication about expectations if you want a satisfactory experience.