High-end home cleaners are commanding salaries of up to £100,000 as the super-wealthy seek staff with skills akin to museum curators, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Workers now view their role as encompassing maintenance and preservation of luxury items, rather than just cleaning. 'You’ve got to know about art. You’ve got to know about antiques. There’s a lot of custom pieces, and of course they’re not replaceable,' said one housekeeper, who asked to be identified only as Gina due to the sensitivity of her position.
Homes with multimillion-pound price tags now feature furniture and decorations that require specialist knowledge. 'The value of the pieces has increased greatly, even if it’s not the most known artist,' Gina added. Surfaces also vary widely in quality and finish, requiring careful research before cleaning.
Staffing agencies such as Toronto-based Charles MacPherson Associates offer training programmes, including a five-week 'Fundamentals of Household Management' course costing $3,000 (£2,400). The course covers communication, organisation, security and 'mechanicals'. 'Not anybody can clean, and cleaning is not for just stupid people who can’t get a job,' said Charles MacPherson, the agency's founder. 'Cleaning correctly is actually a skill that has to be taught and learned, and it’s actually a serious job.'
MacPherson noted that salaries have risen since the Covid-19 pandemic due to increased demand for expertise. Before the pandemic, executive housekeepers might earn $60,000; now they can easily earn $100,000. 'Rich people are richer, and they’re buying more delicate things. They want their homes to be more museum-quality, versus just normal stuff,' he said. 'And then there’s a lack of supply of trained people. You put those two together — it’s supply and demand — and salaries go through the roof.'
