Dulce Hogar Cleaning Cooperative

DULCE HOGAR is a worker-owned house cleaning cooperative in Washington, DC, started in 2018. 

We founded Dulce Hogar to address the low wages and lack of job security we experienced while working as house cleaners in the DC area. Many house cleaning companies pay their workers a small percentage of what customers actually pay for their cleaning, and give cleaners little to no control over their schedules, which means house cleaners have to choose income over spending time with their families. Cleaners who work independently often are not able to afford benefits, like insurance and healthcare. We believe it’s possible to have a house cleaning company that provides job security and builds wealth for its employees, and provides excellent cleaning services. 

Collectively owning our own business means we each have a vote in our business decisions. We’re able to pay ourselves a living wage, and provide benefits, like insurance and paid time off, that are not possible for independent cleaners or typically offered at larger cleaning companies. We’re able to have flexible schedules so that we can drop off and pick up our kids from school. And, having control of our schedules we’re able to treat our customers better, ensuring that we have time to do our work well for every client.

Being part of a cooperatively-owned business is all about possibilities. Through our partnership with Beloved Community Incubator, we help empower and support other cooperatives in the DC area, while receiving financial support, leadership development, and trainings in our first five years of business.

Our work as a cooperative gives us a chance to seguir adelante – continuously improve our work and living conditions, come out ahead, and keep moving forward. We are committed to growing our business not just for ourselves, but to extend economic opportunities to other cleaners throughout DC as we bring on more worker/owners.