Cost of Cleaners in Winter Park

So you have a vacation rental in Winter Park, colorado. Thats amazing, its one of the best places to own a property. But you probably already know the hardest part of owning a short-term rental, especially in the mountains, isn’t booking it. Its keeping it clean. The single most important factor for getting 5-star reviews is cleanliness, and its also the biggest operational headache for most owners.

Which leads to the number one question we get asked all the time. How much is a cleaner in Winter Park, Colorado?

The simple answer is, it’s not simple. The price is going to be all over the place, it’s just how it is.

Unlike getting a quote for a hotel room, cleaning services in a mountain town like winter park depend on a ton of diffrent factors. You cant just look up a single price. We’ve seen owners get frustrated because they’re quoted $150 for a 1-bedroom condo and then their friend with a 3-bedroom home is quoted $500, and it doesn’t seem to make sense.

In this post, we’re going to breakdown why the costs are what they are, what you should actually expect to pay, and what’s really included in a “turnover clean” in Grand County. As a company that manages property services, including cleaning, right here in the Fraser Valley, we deal with this every single day.

🏔️ The “Winter Park” Problem: Why Cleaning Here is More Expensive

First, lets get this out of the way. You can’t compare cleaning prices in Winter Park to prices in Denver. Or even prices in a place like Texas or Florida. The mountains are a completely diffrent beast.

There are a few key reasons why cleaning services in winter park and the surrounding area (like Fraser and Granby) cost more than you might expect.

1. High Cost of Living & Labor Shortage: This is the big one. Its very expensive to live in Grand County. Cleaners need to be paid a living wage, and that wage is just higher here. On top of that, there’s a serious labor shortage. Finding reliable, professional cleaners who will show up every single time during a powder day is really, really hard. Businesses have to pay more to atract and keep good staff.
2. Seasonality: The demand for cleaners explodes from December to March. Everyone wants their property cleaned between 10 AM and 4 PM, especially on Saturdays. This huge demand for a limited supply of cleaners means prices go up. In the off-season (like May or October), you might find cheaper rates, but for peak ski season, you have to budget for premium pricing.
3. Logistics and Weather: Driving in Winter Park isn’t like driving in the city. A cleaner might only be able to schedule 2 or 3 properties in a day because they have to drive on snowy roads, navigate hard-to-find driveways, and deal with frozen lockboxes. This travel time and hassle is baked into the price. A company has to pay for their staff’s time, not just the time they are physically in your property.

So, when you get a quote that seems high, remember its not just about wiping counters. Its about paying a reliable profesional to do a hard job in a difficult and expensive market.

What’s the “Average” Cost of a Cleaner in Winter Park?

Okay, so you know it’s complicated. But you still want numbers.

Its important to know there are two main ways cleaning services charge: by the hour or a flat fee per clean.

Hourly Rates

You might see some individuals on local Facebook groups or sites like Care.com advertising hourly rates. These can look tempting. You might see rates as low as $30 or $35 an hour.

But be careful. That $35 an hour is usually for one person. If they send a team of two, you’re paying $70 an hour. Also, this hourly rate is often for general housekeeping for a local resident, not a high-intensity vacation rental turnover.

A profesional, insured cleaning company will have a much higher hourly rate, maybe $50 to $75 per person-hour. Why? Because that rate includes:

• The cleaner’s wage
• Workers’ comp insurance (what if they slip on your icy driveway?)
• Liability insurance (what if they break your expensive TV?)
• Payroll taxes
• Cleaning suplies
• Scheduling and managment overhead

Flat Fee Per Clean (More Common for Rentals)

Most vacation rental owners prefer a flat fee. This way, you know exactly what you’ll pay every single time. The cleaning company will base this flat fee on a detailed walkthrough of your property.

This is where the numbers get really specific to your unit. But to give you a general idea, here are some very rough estimates for a standard turnover clean in Winter Park.

Disclaimer: These are estimates. Your price will be diffrent. A 2,000 sq ft 3-bedroom will cost more than a 1,200 sq ft 3-bedroom. A brand new, minimalist condo is easier to clean than an older, cluttered cabin.

What Really Decides Your Final Price?

So why can one 3-bedroom home cost $250 and another cost $400? It comes down to these key factors.

1. Type of Clean: Turnover vs. Deep Clean

This is the most important thing to understand.

• Turnover Clean (Standard): This is what happens between guests. Its focused on making the property 100% ready for the next guest. It’s high-speed and very specific.

  • Change all bed linens and make beds
  • Wash all towels
  • Clean and sanitize all bathrooms
  • Clean and sanitize kitchen (wipe counters, check fridge, run dishwasher)
  • Vacuum and mop all floors
  • Dust surfaces
  • Restock supplies (toilet paper, soap, etc.)
  • Check for damage and report to owner

• Deep Clean: This is something you should schedule 2-4 times a year (especially after the peak winter and summer seasons). This costs a lot more, often 2-3x your standard turnover fee. A deep clean includes everything in a turnover clean, plus:

  • Cleaning inside the oven and refrigerator
  • Wiping down all baseboards and trim
  • Cleaning inside cabinets
  • Washing interior windows
  • Moving light furniture to clean behind it
  • Cleaning light fixtures and ceiling fans

If you’re hiring a new cleaner, they will almost always require a “first-time deep clean” to get the property up to their standard. This is normal, and you should expect to pay more for the first visit.

2. Who You Hire: Company vs. Individual

This is a big debate for property owners.

The “Local Individual”

• Pros: Often cheaper (that $35/hr). You can build a personal relationship.
• Cons: This is a huge risk. What if they get sick? What if their car breaks down? What if they just decide to go skiing? You are left with an angry guest checking into a dirty property. They are also almost never insured. If they steal something, or break something, or get hurt… its on you. You’re not just a client, you’re technically their employer, which has tax implications.

The Professional Company (Like Winter Wagon)

• Pros: Reliability is the number one thing. We have a team of cleaners. If one person is sick, we send someone else. We have professional schedulers, quality inspectors, and management. We are fully insured and bonded, protecting you from liability. We handle all the payroll, taxes, and suplies.
• Cons: It costs more. You are paying for that peace of mind, reliability, and protection.

In our opinion, for a vacation rental where a missed clean can cost you thousands in refunds and bad reviews, a professional company is the only choice.

3. The “Hidden” Costs of Mountain Cleaning

The quote you get might not include all the “extras.” These are the things that make mountain properties so much more complex. When you get a quote, you must ask if it includes:

• Laundry: Is the laundry done on-site or off-site? If you have a 5-bedroom home that sleeps 16, there is no way a cleaner can wash, dry, and fold 3-4 loads of laundry and clean the whole house in a 5-hour turnover window. Many professional services (including Winter Wagon) use an off-site commercial laundry service. This ensures fresh, clean, and professionally pressed linens every time, but it adds a significant cost.
• Hot Tub Maintenance: This is almost never included in a standard clean. A hot tub needs to be chemically tested, balanced, and skimmed between every single guest. If you have a hot tub, you need to hire a specialist or pay your cleaning company a separate (and significant) fee for it. It’s a non-negotiable part of renting a property with a tub.
• Restocking Supplies: Who buys the toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, and coffee? Does the cleaner do it and bill you? Do you have an owner’s closet they pull from? Managing these consumables is a job in itself.
• Trash Removal: This is a huge one in Grand County. Many properties don’t have curbside trash pickup. Does your cleaner need to haul 10 bags of guest trash to the dump in their personal vehicle? If so, you better believe that’s going to cost extra.

Why Cheaping Out on Cleaning is the Most Expensive Mistake

We see new rental owners make this mistake all the time. They try to save $100 on a clean by hiring the cheapest person they can find.

Here’s what happens:

• Bad Reviews: The first time that cheap cleaner misses something (and they will), you’ll get a 3-star review complaining about “dirty floors” or “hair in the shower.” That one review will cost you way more than $100 in future bookings.
• Property Damage: Good cleaners are your eyes and ears. They are the only people who see your property between every guest. A professional cleaner is trained to spot a small leak before it becomes a giant, ceiling-destroying disaster. They’ll notice the broken chair before a guest does and gets hurt. This proactive reporting is priceless.
• Your Own Stress: Do you really want to be getting panicked texts at 3:30 PM on a Saturday from your guest saying the cleaner never showed up? The whole point of owning a vacation property is for it to be a good investment, not a second, high-stress job.

The Bottom Line

So, how much is a cleaner in Winter Park, Colorado?

Expect to pay a flat fee between $120 for a small condo and $500+ for a large home for a professional, reliable, and insured turnover service. You should also budget for 2-4 deep cleans per year, which will cost 2-3x your standard rate.

When you’re comparing quotes, don’t just look at the final number. Ask these questions:

• Are you fully insured and bonded?
• Do you employ W-2 staff or use 1099 contractors?
• How do you handle laundry?
• Is hot tub service included?
• Is trash removal included?
• Is restocking supplies included?
• What is your backup plan if a cleaner is sick or has car trouble?

At Winter Wagon, we built our property services division to solve these exact problems. We offer transparent, all-in-one solutions that include cleaning, laundry, restocking, and more, all managed by a single, reliable team. We’re not the cheapest, but we are the best value for owners who want 5-star reviews and zero headaches.

If you’re tired of worrying about your cleaning, reach out to us. We can give you a custom, no-obligation quote for your Winter Park property and show you what true peace of mind looks like.