Between meetings, school carpools and the day-to-day hustle, your everyday household chores can easily be overlooked. That’s where Sweepsouth steps in. A convenient online platform where you can book, pay for and manage the process of getting someone to help out at home, the service connects domestic workers and homeowners within minutes for an easy, trusted and hassle-free experience.
Sound too good to be true? We thought so too, so GLAMOUR chatted to Sweepsouth co-founder Aisha Pandor, who owns the business with her husband Alen Ribic, to get the inside scoop about on-demand cleaning services.
How did the idea for Sweepsouth come about?
The idea struck us when we were on holiday in Cape Town. We couldn’t find a short-term domestic worker for the house we were renting via traditional methods such as scouring classifieds, asking friends for referrals and consulting domestic cleaning agencies. Taking inspiration from Uber, which was taking off in South Africa at the time, we began brainstorming how on-demand technology could be adapted to help modernise the domestic cleaning industry. Sweepsouth launched in Joburg at the start of 2014 and in Cape Town later that same year.
What are the benefits of having an on-demand cleaning service?
The stress and time that goes into seeking, interviewing and securing a domestic cleaner or cleaning service are removed. This makes the entire process more reliable – you can book a date and time of your choice as well as receive all of the relevant information on your domestic worker well before they arrive at your home. Through Sweepsouth, bookings can be made once-off or regularly, and can be tailored to suit the specific needs and schedules of the client. The transaction is cashless and occurs after the client is satisfied with the clean. If the clean is not to the client’s satisfaction, we send a replacement domestic at no additional cost to the client. We offer a simple, quality service – all at the click of a button.
Your rate – R38/hour – is extremely affordable! How are your employees compensated and what are the benefits to clients?
The recommended minimum wage for domestic workers set by the South African Labour Department, which came into effect in December 2015, is just over R1 566 per month for a domestic worker that works 27 hours or less a week in a major metropolitan area. Our rate is R38 per hour, which works out to an average of R190 a day. Our employees earn 70–80% of the total fee – more than double the current minimum wage for domestic workers complying with the minimum requirements of the Labour Department. Our rate covers our employees’ wages, insurance during cleaning jobs and travel costs, which we also try to minimise by ensuring all bookings are in areas that can be reached with minimal transport costs for each employee. Being part of the sharing economy means that while few clients can afford to pay R38 per hour for eight-hour days full-time, spreading bookings between multiple clients who book once or twice a week makes the service more affordable for clients while allowing our employees to earn decent wages.
Do you offer cleaning outside the home too (e.g. gardening, garage, etc)?
No, currently we only offer the basic indoor cleaning necessities per type of room, but clients can also select “Extra Tasks”, such as laundry and ironing, fridge cleaning, oven cleaning, packing and cleaning of cupboards, and interior windows and walls. Our platform is flexible and can adjust to most requirements, including one-off cleans, regular services, removals and office contracts. Our business is currently focused on providing an amazing domestic service, however, we plan on expanding to provide comprehensive home services in the future, such as gardening, childcare and grocery shopping.
How easy is it to book a clean with Sweepsouth? And how are payments made?
The majority of clients complete a booking within less than three minutes. There are five simple steps to complete: log the size of the space requiring a clean, add an address, select a date and time, confirm all the details and place the booking. During the final step of the process, clients need to enter their credit or debit card details as these are used to reserve an appointment but the payment will not be processed until after the clean has been completed to the satisfaction of the client. A confirmation email with a photograph and short description of the domestic worker will be sent to the client once they have made a booking.
How is clients’ privacy protected?
Our online platform is fully secure (you will see a green lock in the URL bar) and the site is encrypted to ensure that clients’ data is safe at all times. Furthermore, we don’t have access to clients’ payment details, which are also encrypted.
Do your employees go through a screening process and what other measures do you have in place to ensure the safety of your clients’ possessions and homes?
Yes, this is very important! Our employees go through a rigorous screening process, which includes numerous interviews, a cleaning test, background and criminal checks, reference checks and document verification. Clients rate the cleaners after each appointment (and vice-versa), producing an average performance score and peace of mind for those hiring that individual next.
Is the service available countrywide?
Watch this space! We are currently available in most areas of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Centurion and Pretoria, and will be launching in Durban soon. If we don’t cover a prospective client’s area, we encourage them to sign up for our newsletter to be informed when we roll out to their regions.
For more information or to book your clean with Sweepsouth, visit their website here.
