What You Need to Know Before Booking a Home Cleaning Service?
Whether you are planning to move into your new home, keep your home clean with scheduled cleaning, or renovating an old one, it’s easy to think, “Probably any one of the home cleaning services near me would do a decent job”. However, you need more information to make the right decision. Here’s what you need to know before booking a home cleaning service:
1. Clean up before the cleaning service to save money - If you can get rid of unnecessary hassles before the cleaning service comes in, they would be able to do things much faster. That would save you money if you were billed by the hour. For instance, you can clear the clutter by removing the toys and clothes before the cleaning company shows up. While licensed cleaning services usually have insurance, you don’t want a fragile and expensive piece of art with attached memories turned to dust. Moving them away and storing them in a safe place would help you avoid that hassle.
2. Conduct virtual interviews - Most cleaning services would come to your home and do a free consultation as it’s the norm in the service industry. However, before you allow everyone in your home, you can screen the companies and thin the crowd by doing virtual interviews over the phone or via Zoom call. Ask them important questions to figure out if you can work with them. Ask them about:
The products they use for cleaning homes
Their licensing and liability insurance in case of theft or damage to your property
How often they change the cleaning cloths to avoid contamination
Their experience in the industry and the scale at which they have worked before
Referrals so that you can contact their customers and ask about the first-hand experience
3. Tell them about your expectations - When you talk to the cleaning company about a quote, you probably wouldn’t be talking to the people who would do the actual cleaning. That’s why it’s important to define the scope and tell them about your expectations before you sign the contract and hand over the keys. Tell them about how you want your house to be cleaned. If you want scheduled general maintenance cleaning, would they be able to offer a monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly cleaning? Will your furniture, drapes, and shades be vacuumed properly? Ask them how they would charge for cleaning complicated places that are tricky to clean. For instance, your kitchen, refrigerator, etc. would everything be sanitized properly after they do the job?
If you hire a service for deep cleaning before you move out or before the spring season, make sure that you tell them about your needs and if some places are extra filthy. Ask if things are going to be wiped or hand washed. Would the wastebaskets be relined after cleaning? Would the floor be mopped or vacuumed?
4. Verify the insurance and licenses of the company or individual - As mentioned before it’s important to protect your property and get proper compensation if something goes wrong. Even if the cleaning service mentions they have proper licenses and insurance, you should ask for the necessary documents and verify them with the relevant insurance and government agencies.
5. Avoid hidden charges - When you hire an individual to clean your home, there are many complications. For instance, you want to hire an individual contractor instead of a regular Joe to avoid hidden charges. Even if you hire a regular individual make sure that they pay their taxes and social security on time to avoid legal complications. Moreover, you should consult your accountant when you employ someone for cleaning your home instead of hiring a contractor. The tax implications for hiring someone to clean your home can make the deal very expensive for you.
Apart from that, individuals can be casual about the gig. They may bring their cousin, friend, or anyone they know as an extra pair of hands. You won’t be able to know who comes to your home and who is liable for the damages done to your expensive flooring. That’s why it’s best to stick to licensed contractors and cleaning services to avoid those hidden charges.
6. Know about the cleaning products - Most cleaning companies bring their own equipment and supplies for cleaning your home. It’s important to know about those products since they may affect you after the cleaning service leaves. For instance, some chemicals may cause allergies to your family members or pets. You don’t want cleaning products that have such chemicals to be used in your home.
If the cleaning service doesn’t bring its own supply or gives you a wide variety of choices, opt for the environmentally friendly and sustainable ones since they are likely to be less toxic and leave a smaller carbon footprint.
7. Discuss pets - If you have a pet cat or a dog, you may want to discuss them with the cleaning service. Usually, they wouldn’t mind if they don’t shed a lot of fur and are well behaved enough to mind themselves in the presence of strangers. However, if your pets are unruly and like to scare you often by running out of your house at the first opportunity, you want to let the cleaning service know to keep the door shut at all times.
If you have small pets like hamsters, squirrels, and birds, they may be scared by the loud noise of the cleaning equipment. You want to cover the cage with noise-dampening fabric on the cleaning day or leave them with a friend or family on that day. You can also ask the cleaning company to keep your pet cages in another room when they use the vacuum or other loud equipment.
When you search for “home cleaning services near me” on the web, make sure that you follow these tips and know about the things mentioned here. If you follow the guide properly you shouldn’t have any problem hiring the right cleaning service for your home.
