How to Choose a Reliable House Cleaning Service:

Let’s face it, cleaning can be overwhelming and time consuming. The amount of attention families and careers demand these days do not leave much time for house chores. The benefits of hiring a professional maid service are numerous; more time for our spouse, more time for our kids, more time to focus on our career, or just more time to enjoy our lives.

Okay, so you are ready to hire a house cleaning service. Good for you! Unfortunately, many cleaning companies are less than professional and just do not meet the standard of house cleaning required.  “So how do I choose the perfect home cleaning service”, you ask? Follow the tips below and you are almost guaranteed to hire the most reliable and trustworthy house cleaning company – and enjoy the benefits. Now if you currently have an existing maid service, make sure these tips all apply.

1.       Make sure the house cleaning service is Bonded and Insured. This will protect you from theft and accidents which may occur. Cleaning often involves wet floors which can easily cause the maids to slip. If the company or maids you hire are not insured this can be your liability. In addition, ask if the professional maid service hires maids that go through a thorough background check and are legal residents.

2.       Try to find a professional house cleaning service charging a flat rate rather than by the hour. It’s always nice to know what you are agreeing to upfront rather than having unpleasant surprises. How would you like to go to a restaurant and find out the price of the meal you ordered after you finished eating?

3.       Hire a professional company. There are many persons or "private parties" that can certainly clean your home well. However, if you hire an individual rather than a professional cleaning service, you pay them a certain amount in a year; this means you are their employer. As a result, if they fail to pay proper taxes, you could end up being liable. Also, if someone comes into your home to work for you, and is hurt or injured, you could be liable without the proper insurance. When hiring a professional cleaning service, you are avoiding all these risks. The cleaning company should carry the burden of payroll taxes, worker’s compensation, and general liability insurance. A professional maid service will also offer training for their employees. All of the risk and liability is no longer your responsibility as the customer. This peace of mind is worth an extra $30. Isn’t it?

4.       Cheapest is not always the best. Just like anything in life, you get what you pay for. If the estimates you are receiving are significantly less than the average quote from reputable home cleaning services, chances are you shouldn’t hire them. Various factors could be at play; using less than standard equipments and chemical products (possibly even harmful), the company may not be bonded or insured (even if they claim to be), or it could just be a really small company or family ran which certainly lacks the experience and knowledge.  You may be thinking to yourself “cleaning is cleaning” but with the lack of experience and knowledge, certain equipments and products can be very harmful to your home. Many times the less experienced home cleaning services will use an all-purpose cleaner which are not suitable for all surfaces. For instance, the wrong chemicals will damage your wood floors, marble and granite surfaces and even be hazardous to your pet and children. You have to ask yourself – “Are my kids, pets and home worth the risk of saving a few dollars?”

5.       Does the house cleaning company have good customer service? Can you always contact someone during working hours by phone or email if need be?

6.       Are the cleaning products used environmentally friendly and safe for my children, pets and home? A vast majority of cleaning products sold in the stores today contain toxic chemicals unsuitable for children and pets. Safe products are often referred to as, “eco-friendly”, “environmentally friendly”, “green cleaning”, “green certified”, etc. 

7.       Does the professional company use individuals or teams? Different models work for different house cleaning companies. Typically an individual is better than a team as long as you aren’t under any time constraints. There is no pointing the finger when it comes to why an area wasn’t cleaned properly or why something is missing from the home. A team increases the chance of items being misplaced or stolen. Also, a team of 3-4 maids cleaning in your home especially while you are home can be a bit overwhelming. Although with a team you can cover more grounds, it’s easier to get carried away and lose focus even if there is an assigned team leader. 

8.       Make sure the house cleaning company offers a satisfaction guarantee. This does not mean a refund of the money. What this means is having any problems addressed in a timely manner. No matter how good a home cleaning service is, it is imperfect human beings cleaning your home. As a client, you should have reassurance that if the maid or maids have a bad day, the company will make it right. Don’t be afraid to ask what their policy is on this.

9.       How is the communication? Be sure both of you can understand each other clearly without any doubts. More often than not, bad performances are due to misunderstandings or the lack of communication.

10.   Does the house cleaning service provide all there own equipment and supplies? It’s certainly better to find the professional cleaning service that is well equipped in all areas. One less thing for you to worry about.

Once you have found the right house cleaning service, treat them right. Pay promptly, praise when deserved, stay out of there way and smile. With them doing most of the dirty work, you will have plenty of reasons to be happy!