Credit: Special Arrangement
This month, many Bengalureans turned to on-demand cleaning services to prepare their homes for hosting relatives, throwing Christmas parties, and welcoming the new year. Deep cleaning was the most requested service.
Service providers say bookings typically rise during Deepavali-Dussehra, dip to normal levels in November, and increase again in December. Some see a rush for clean-up services after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, following house parties.
Ganesh Dhal, a cleaning professional servicing Peenya, Jalahalli, and Nagasandra, said he was fully booked on weekends this month, handling five to six homes a day. “Most clients were preparing for Christmas, and one for a house party,” he said. Their requests ranged from cleaning just the kitchen or bathroom, to the entire house.
Standup comedian Shrirupa Sengupta paid Rs 5,000 to have her 3BHK apartment off Hennur Main Road thoroughly cleaned in early December. She says booking slots becomes harder later in the month because of the surge in demand. Her year-end routine includes donating unused items, getting pest control done, followed by a deep cleaning of the house, and sometimes rearranging the furniture. The process takes about a week. She likes to end the year on a “clean and fresh” note.
Drawn by the convenience of app-based services, Saritha S S adopted the practice of December cleaning three years ago. “Like Deepavali, New Year is also a festive time, so why not clean? I also believe that ‘energy flows more easily’ in a clean and peaceful house,” said the entrepreneur and healer. She spent around Rs 6,000 and over eight hours getting her independent house in Yelahanka New Town scrubbed.
Spike up to 20 per cent
NoBroker’s home cleaning vertical registers a 20 per cent spike in bookings towards the year-end compared to preceding months. And there has been a 35 per cent year-on-year increase in December bookings, says CEO and cofounder Amit Agarwal.
The demand is “strong” among singles and couples aged 26 and above. There is “steady” interest coming from elderly customers living on their own. To manage the higher volume, the platform expanded its pool of service professionals by about 40 per cent.
Apart from deep cleaning, they have seen an increase in requests for geyser (water heater) repairs, and for their 60-minute express cleaning service, which is popular before and after house parties. Agarwal said the holiday break also allows customers to stay home and supervise cleaning and maintenance work, which they otherwise postpone.
For Alpha Cleaning Services, HSR Layout, the business remains strong from Deepavali through the first week of January. Manager Pranab Kumar Nayak said the firm had fulfilled 170 bookings so far in December, and
expects more following parties on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Homecare Solutions, Domlur, recorded a 5 per cent increase in bookings, mostly for washroom cleaning. A premium service provider saw requests for marble polishing, sofa cleaning, and carpet care in living rooms. Most of their requests came from villas and gated communities in Sarjapur, Bellandur, Whitefield, and J P Nagar.
However, one company said it has not seen its usual December uptick as there are more players in the market than before, while another said business is typically dull in the final month of the year.