How to Make Sure Your Cleaning
Service is Up to Scratch

December 5, 2018

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Keeping your home neat and clean can seem like a never-ending chore. If your free time is spent hanging out with mops and brooms, instead of family and friends, then hiring a house cleaning service may be the answer. Surely the thought of having someone help out around the house has crossed your mind. You may have written that idea off because you weren’t confident that you could find a cleaning service that is reliable, trustworthy, and up to your standards.

Or maybe you already use a cleaning service, and you aren’t exactly thrilled with the results, wonder if you’re getting your money’s worth or simply want to know if your house cleaning service is up to scratch. You can find a cleaning service that fits your budget, gets your home sparkling clean, and offers safe, secure house cleaning. You just have to know what to look for.

Sophia Kaemmerle, neighborhood and home expert at Neighbor Who puts it this way ― “All in all, in our busy world, a cleaning service can free up some valuable time for other activities, personal and professional. Just make sure you’re comfortable with your hire so that you can rest easy and check a to-do item off your list!” This guide is designed to help you find that ‘comfortable’ fit with a maid service for your home.

Based on feedback from customers and industry professionals like Kaemmerle, this guide will help you make an educated choice when you hire a cleaning company. From the peace of mind that comes from vetted service people and assurance to your family’s health and thorough cleaning, we’ll prep you with the knowledge you need before hiring the right maid service. You’ll learn what makes a cleaning company great, arm you with must-ask questions, and share why healthy cleaning should be a top concern.

Eric Gustafson, President of Pure Modern, offers the following advice when searching for the best cleaning services ― “When attempting to make sure your house cleaning service is up to scratch it is important to do your research. The best way is to read reviews and see what their ratings are. In addition, you want to make sure the company or individual you hire is trustworthy. A good way to do this is to make sure the company is insured or licensed. Some of the other details you need to know are how they set their rates, if they do background checks on their employees, and do they bring their own supplies.”

A House Cleaning Service is Only as Good as Its Employees (And its Liability Coverage!)

A great place to start your search is with good old-fashioned referrals. “Your first and best way to find a cleaning service that you will like is to ask people with similar requirements to yours. If you’re ultra picky about dust, ask your friend who has dust allergies and uses a service. If you’ve got four kids and need a service that won’t run screaming from the state of the bathroom, ask your friends who also have larger families who they use and what their experience has been.

And get details from your connections as to what services they receive and if they’ve been satisfied with them, or if there have been issues. These are things you can decide if you’re okay with or will watch for when the service comes to your home.”

― Sophia Kaemmerle

Like most businesses, a cleaning company’s hiring practices says a lot about the integrity of the company as a whole. From employee background checks to bonding, the vetting processes of a house cleaning service are especially important due to where their services are rendered.

Choosing a bonded house cleaning company protects you against theft and other losses while company employees are on your property. While bonding offers some protection and assurance, knowing that your cleaning company performs background checks on its employees should be a top priority.

When you put it all together and hire a cleaning service that is licensed, insured, bonded and conducts employee background checks, you can be assured that you will have a safe and secure experience. You’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your cleaning company has your home and family’s best interest at heart.

How a House Cleaning Service Cleans Can Be as Important as What It Cleans

Of course, in addition to an excellent reputation, security and references, you want your cleaning company to be very good at cleaning! You want to see a cleaner house, smell that fresh, clean indoor air and find all those other signs that professionals have cleaned your home. But just because your home smells clean and looks clean doesn’t mean it actually is clean. You shouldn’t have to worry about those often-missed areas like behind the toilet, under couch cushions and others if your cleaning company truly knows their stuff.

Just as you wouldn’t feed the family food you can’t identify, you wouldn’t allow toxic cleaning products in your home that may cause more harm than good. That’s why it’s important to know if your cleaning company of choice understands the importance of healthy, detailed cleaning. Do they use whatever cleaner is handy, or do they use environmentally preferred products when possible? Do they remove dust and dirt, or do they merely move it around? Do they only make your home look and smell clean, or do they create a cleaner environment for you and your family?

Cleaning for health also requires thorough, detailed cleaning processes in addition to healthy cleaning products. Dirt and dust are the most visible signs of an unclean house, but there are many more pollutants lurking. What about bacteria, germs, pollen and allergens? If a house cleaning service doesn’t remove the ‘invisible’ contaminants in your home with disinfectants, HEPA filtration vacuums and other tools, then your home isn’t really clean, is it? A healthy home cleaning requires specific cleaning products and tools along with the right approach and expertise.

Does Your House Cleaning Service Have the Right Approach?

Before starting The Maids®, Daniel J. Bishop knew that he wanted to create a residential cleaning service that was thorough, efficient and available to everyone. He researched the cleaning process and found that the most efficient approach to house cleaning services was to use a team. These teams were trained to focus on dusting, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning and vacuuming using a proven plan of action. The result of this research and planning is the deep, complete cleaning that helped The Maids® become one of the most recommended services in the industry.

Even as The Maids® grew and became recognized for its efficiency and expertise, Bishop was not satisfied to rest on the company’s reputation for great cleaning alone. He knew that there had to be a way to clean well AND create a healthier environment for customers. This led Bishop to create the foundation for The Maids® and their innovative approach to healthy cleaning, the 22-Step Healthy Touch® Cleaning System. The ‘healthy cleaning’ era had begun, raised the bar for cleaning companies and changed the way customers look at cleaning.

Now that you know what to look for in a house cleaning service, here are some specific questions to make sure you hire the most trustworthy and healthiest cleaning services possible. In addition to these questions, it’s a good idea to make a list of all the things you can think to ask to make sure your cleaning service is up to scratch.

Do you do background checks on your employees?

There’s nothing wrong with asking to see documentation. After all, we’re talking about your home and family here.

Are you insured and bonded and do you carry workers compensation insurance?

While your family’s safety and health are your primary concern, a cleaning company that protects its employees says a lot about that company.

What types of cleaning products do you use?

It’s probably not possible to tackle all cleaning jobs with ‘green’ cleaners, but there should be a focus on environmentally friendly, healthy cleaners.

What should I expect when you clean my home?

A reputable cleaning service should have a plan of action for all of their services and be able to offer a comprehensive list of exactly what they clean.