The homes we clean in Greenwich
| Census measure (2020-2024) | Greenwich | Stamford | Rye town, NY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned by the household living there | 70.0% | 48.8% | 57.9% |
| Detached single-family homes | 63.7% | 33.8% | 35.8% |
| In buildings with 20 or more units | 7.9% | 35.1% | 18.5% |
| Median number of rooms | 7.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 |
| Median year built | 1963 | 1973 | 1956 |
| Built in 1939 or earlier | 25.6% | 14.0% | 31.1% |
Greenwich sits between these two neighbors on age and well above them on size. Its median home dates from 1963, later than Rye town's 1956 and earlier than Stamford's 1973, and 25.6% of its homes predate 1940. The closest match across the state line is Rye city, where 70.4% of households own and 62.5% of homes are detached houses, almost the Greenwich pattern. North Castle, the town that holds Armonk, leans further toward houses, at 82.6% detached.
One town, several kinds of home
The town-wide figures blend sections that clean very differently. The Census publishes separate numbers for the places inside Greenwich:
- Riverside and Old Greenwich: 84.5% and 82.2% detached houses, with medians of 8.4 and 8.3 rooms.
- Cos Cob: 61.2% detached, 28.1% built before 1940, a median of 6.7 rooms.
- Byram: 44.8% built before 1940, the highest share of any Census place in town, and a median of 5.6 rooms.
- The Census place that carries the town's own name: 35.1% detached, 18.8% in buildings of 20 or more units, 35.5% built before 1940, a median of 5.5 rooms.
- Glenville: a median year built of 1973 and only 9.4% of homes from before 1940.
So a visit in Riverside is often a large house with more rooms and more stairs, while a visit in Byram is more likely an older, smaller home or an apartment, with radiators, plaster and painted trim. Tell us the section and the kind of home when you ask for a quote.
Owners hold 70.0% of Greenwich households. For an owned house, a standing schedule with an occasional deep cleaning is a sensible plan, and it keeps the big jobs from piling up.
What Greenwich homes usually need
Bigger houses, a good share of them old, and fewer apartments than next door: that mix decides which services fit.
- Deep cleaning. A 7.1-room median and 25.6% of homes built before 1940 add up to a lot of trim, built-ins and radiator surface. Deep cleaning is also among the Greenwich searches people type by name.
- Weekly and biweekly cleaning. In a large house, a regular visit keeps each room from sliding back, and each visit takes less time than a catch-up clean.
- Window cleaning. Detached houses, 63.7% of the town's homes, have glass on every side, plus sills, tracks and screens.
- After-construction cleanup. Renovating an older house leaves fine dust in vents, on trim and inside cabinets; this cleanup comes after the contractor leaves.
- Airbnb and vacation rental cleaning. The town allows short-term rentals in its residential zones, under the rules below.
Houses with finished lower levels, guest rooms or a home office that stays closed most of the week do not need every room at every visit. Say which rooms matter most, and the regular visit can focus on them, with the others done less often.
Moving, renting and short-term rentals in Greenwich
Renters are a minority here: 6,932 of Greenwich's 23,094 households, against a renter majority next door in Stamford. Rentals still turn over, and a move-out cleaning is the last job before the keys go back.
The town's short-term-rental rule
Greenwich wrote its rule into the Building Zone Regulations. In February 2024 the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research counted it among 12 towns that expressly regulate short-term rentals (report 2024-R-0044). The key points:
- Section 6-5(43.4) defines a short-term residential rental as renting part or all of a dwelling for fewer than 30 consecutive nights.
- Section 6-93 makes it a permitted use in the RA-4, RA-2, RA-1, R-20 and R-12 zones, but only in space covered by a certificate of occupancy for a dwelling unit.
- Every room rented for sleeping needs emergency escape and rescue openings that meet the Connecticut State Building Code.
- Use is limited to lodging. Parties, receptions, weddings, filming, photo shoots, corporate retreats and fundraisers are prohibited.
- Accessory units and below-market-rate units may not be rented short-term.
The Planning & Zoning Commission adopted the amendment on 20 January 2022, effective 27 January 2022; the town publishes the text at greenwichct.gov (read 19 September 2026). It does not create a permit. Zoning can change, so confirm the current text with the town before you list a property.
For a host, the lodging-only limit keeps turnover work predictable: beds, bathrooms, kitchen, floors and trash between stays. The Census also counts 756 Greenwich homes held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use (margin of error 272). Homes like that need a cleaning before the owners arrive and after they leave, whether or not they are ever rented.
Deposits
If you are leaving a Greenwich rental: Connecticut requires the landlord to return the deposit, or the balance with an itemized statement of damages, within 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after receiving your forwarding address in writing, whichever comes later (CGS 47a-21(d)(2)). A clean unit helps at the walk-through, but the deductions are the landlord's call.
Common questions about house cleaning in Greenwich
My Greenwich house is billed to a New York address. Which sales tax applies?
Connecticut's. The state's janitorial-services regulation, Sec. 12-407(2)(i)(Y)-1, subsection (c), treats cleaning as rendered where the property is, even when the contract is signed or the bill is mailed outside Connecticut. A Greenwich home is taxed at the statewide 6.35%. Across the line in Rye and Port Chester, New York taxes interior cleaning (TSB-M-91(4)S) at Westchester's combined 8.375% rate (Publication 718, effective 1 March 2025).
Does a Greenwich short-term rental need a town permit?
No. The Building Zone Regulations list short-term residential rental as a permitted use in the main residential zones without a separate permit, and the legislature's research office described it the same way in its 2024 report. The conditions still bind the owner: lodging only, code-compliant escape openings in sleeping rooms, and no short-term renting of accessory or below-market-rate units. Ask the town about anything the regulation does not cover.
How do you quote a large Greenwich house?
From the details you send. The quote form asks for bedrooms, bathrooms and how often you want us; use the notes box for the rest, such as a finished lower level, a guest suite, pets, or rooms to skip. Condition counts as much as size, so say when the house was last cleaned thoroughly. We reply by text or email, usually the same day, with a quote or a few questions. Our pricing page explains the factors.
What is the difference between a deep cleaning and a regular visit?
Scope. A regular visit keeps up the rooms you live in: kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors. A deep cleaning reaches what regular visits pass over, like baseboards and trim in detail, door frames, vents, light fixtures and built-up grime in showers and on cabinet fronts. In an older house with painted woodwork and radiators, that detail work is most of the job. Starting with a deep cleaning and then moving to regular visits keeps each later visit shorter.
Do you clean in Old Greenwich, Riverside, Cos Cob, Byram and Glenville?
Yes. We cover the whole town, including the sections the Census counts on their own. Next door, Stamford has its own page, and the New York places across the line (Rye, Port Chester in the town of Rye, and Armonk in North Castle) are on our Westchester County page. The rest of Fairfield County is on the Fairfield County page.
Can you clean a seasonal home before we open it for the summer?
Yes. A house that has been closed for months collects dust on every flat surface, and bathrooms and the kitchen need a full pass before anyone uses them. Book a deep cleaning for a few days before you arrive and tell us how long the house has been closed, whether the water and heat are on, and how we get in. A second visit after you leave for the season closes the house clean.
