How to Find & Hire Cleaners in Vancouver
Why would you want to hire a cleaner?
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already made up your mind about hiring a cleaner. If not, you can take a read through this article: Do I Need a Cleaner or Housekeeper: What’s the Difference?
In short, hiring a cleaner:
- Frees up your time to do other things that you enjoy
- Helps your mental health: clean spaces are more relaxing and reduce stress
- Gives a good impression to visitors or guests
Once you’ve made up your mind, it’s time to understand a little bit more about Vancouver’s market for cleaners. Remember: the more knowledge you’re armed with at this stage, the better position you’ll be in when it comes time to finding the right cleaner.
Cleaners in Vancouver
Vancouver is a unique market for cleaners. On one hand, you have a lot of high-income earners and properties in a relatively small area. People hire cleaners whether they have a 1-bed studio apartment in Yaletown or a 4,000+ sq ft mansion in West Van. Especially in areas of high population density (think anywhere a stone’s throw from the Skytrain), there can be quite significant demand.
Vancouver’s high cost of living, especially housing, unfortunately means that the supply of cleaners, especially in West Van, North Van, and Downtown is limited. This supports higher wages as the best cleaners can be choosy about their assignments. They also need to cover transport costs from lower-cost housing areas such as Burnaby, Coquitlam or Surrey. In our experience, we’ve never struggled to place a cleaner in any area of the city, suggesting that there are enough cleaners willing to travel.
Self-Employed vs. Cleaning Companies
Now that you know there’s a steady (and competitive) market for cleaners in Vancouver, it’s time to decide: do you want to hire a self-employed cleaner or use a cleaning company? There’s no “right” answer—both come with pros and cons.
With self-employed cleaners, you’re likely to have a more personal relationship. An independent cleaner will max out at around 8 clients per week, so it’s likely that you’re an important part of their income. As such, you may see them frequently and they’ll be keen to keep you happy.
Pros:
More personal relationship – you’ll likely see the same person each time.
Potentially more flexible scheduling and negotiating on rates.
Cons:
If your cleaner’s sick or on vacation, you might be left scrambling for a backup.
Not all self-employed cleaners have insurance or business registration—something to verify before hiring.
Cleaning Companies
Pros:
Larger teams can handle bigger jobs or multiple locations quickly.
Reputable companies typically carry insurance and handle all the logistics (like supplies and scheduling).
Cons:
Rates can be higher because of overhead costs.
You might have different cleaners coming in each time, which can be less personal.
Some people prefer the consistency of a single-person operation, while others like the reliability and coverage a company provides. Ask yourself what matters most—personal touch, cost, scheduling flexibility, or guaranteed availability—before choosing your route.
Spoiler alert: There is a best of both. A platform like AmbiMi gives you the advantage of a personal connection, insurance and the same cleaner (if you wish) again and again, but at a low cost without the overhead of a big company.
Where to Find a Cleaner in Vancouver
There are plenty of places to scout out the right cleaner, and it’s always a good idea to keep your eyes open in multiple spots. We’ll give you our guide to some average, better and best methods for hiring.
Average Hiring Places
You can generally find cleaners in classified ads (both print and online), on social media or the flyer on your local Lamppost. There are a few drawbacks to these methods, which we’ll highlight below:
There’s a lot of work involved: calling multiple people to find someone who can service your area and has availability to line up with when you want them; interviewing; checking references; and criminal background checks (yes, you really should consider this).
You don’t really know who you’re hiring. Especially for social media, we’re seeing increasing numbers of cleaners without the legal right to work in Canada. This puts you at risk of prosecution, and paying under the table with cash could also get you in trouble with the CRA.
High turnover: cleaners on social media or classified ads are only accountable to themselves. That means you’ll get some great, reliable people, but you’ll also find some less-than-reliable cleaners too. If reliability is important to you, you may want to consider other options.
Better Hiring Places
If you’re willing to spend a bit more money and energy to find a cleaner there are options including agencies, asking around friends for recommendations or googling for local companies:
There’s a lot of work involved in calling around for quotes, giving the square footage of your living area, how many bathrooms and kitchens, yada, yada yada. You could spend more time giving out your info than actual hours cleaning your place.
Agencies have their own costs to cover. They need to pay for staff, recruitment, advertising, office space, and they need to pass those costs on to their customers – that means you! Usually not only do you pay more for the service but your cleaner gets paid less than you think.
Have you ever had a secret spot, like a quiet mountain lookout that you can’t tell anyone about because you don’t want it to get busy and ruined? People are like that if they have a good cleaner. They don’t want their cleaner to get busy so they can’t book them, or get so busy that they have to put up their rates.
Best Hiring Place
There is an easier way to hire, without spending all your time and risking an unknown. Here we’ll lay out everything you need to know:
It’s so much easier when you can just post the times you want a cleaner and technology does the heavy lifting of finding someone who has the skills and availability at that time. It saves a whole back-and forth conversation that can take hours.
You can feel reassured when each cleaner you match to has a profile with ratings, so you know that they’ve had positive experiences with their previous jobs.
Feel good that the wage you pay goes 100% to the cleaner themselves. None of it is siphoned off by a company to go towards their CEO’s 3rd holiday home. You pay a small booking fee for using the platform, but that’s it. Everything is completely transparent.
If you’re ready to try the best, and forget the rest, give AmbiMi a try.
What You Need to Check & Why
Regardless of which option you choose to find a cleaner, there are a few essentials you should verify:
Licensing & Registration
Ensure they’re legally allowed to operate in Vancouver. This is especially important if you’re hiring a company.
While many solo cleaners operate informally, a current business license and registration are a good sign of professionalism.
AmbiMi was developed locally in Vancouver and is licensed to operate here.
Insurance & Liability Coverage
Accidents happen. If a cleaner breaks something expensive (your TV, or that priceless dollar-store vase you inherited from grandma), you want to make sure you’re not the one footing the bill.
Insurance also protects you if the cleaner gets hurt on your property.
References or Reviews
Ask for references or check online reviews.
A quick search on Google or Yelp can reveal red flags or confirm positive experiences.
Professionals are rated after every job on AmbiMi, so you can trust who you’re hiring.
Pricing & Payment Terms
Some charge by the hour, others per job, and some have monthly rates for recurring cleans.
Make sure you’re clear on payment method and timing (e.g., after each visit or end of the month).
All payments and pricing are transparent on AmbiMi, so you know exactly how much you need to pay ahead of time. All wages go 100% to the person you’re hiring.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a cleaner in Vancouver doesn’t have to be a chore—it can be a real life-changer. With a little bit of research, you can free up your schedule, keep your home looking sharp, and reduce stress all in one go.
Remember:
There’s no shortage of demand in Vancouver’s busy neighborhoods, so start early if you need someone at peak times.
Figure out if you prefer a personal, self-employed cleaner or a company that offers broader services and backup staff.
Always check for credentials, insurance, and references—because peace of mind is priceless.
Give AmbiMi a try if you’re looking for a low-cost, hassle-free hiring option!
With these tips in your back pocket, you’re well on your way to finding the perfect match. Good luck, and get ready to enjoy some well-deserved free time while someone else tackles that mountain of dishes (or the dusty corners you’ve been avoiding)!