How to hire a cleaning service

In this article, we explore how to hire a cleaning service.

Price

One of the first considerations most homes will have to make is how much should house cleaning cost. How much do cleaning services charge per hour may vary significantly based on factors like what is being done, the size of your house, and the overall policies of the service itself. Home Advisor lists the average national hourly rate of most cleaning services atbetween $40-80.

While this figure may serve as a good point of reference, there is still tons of wiggle room. When it comes to price, explore your options. Reputable services should be able to give you a quote before you sign a contract.

References

References are a great way to find a dependable service. If a friend or family member uses a cleaning service they really love, use this as an opportunity to learn more. What do they like about this service? Do they have any complaints that you should be aware of?

Referrals are one of the best and quickest ways to establish trust with a cleaning service. If you have the opportunity to take advantage, definitely do it.

Online Reviews

There is a degree of hazard that can be associated with relying too heavily on online reviews. If you don’t have any great referral options, this may be a dependable route to take. However, one probably should not put too much stake in any one review.

Keep in mind that online reviews are about as subjective as you can get. When you read them, you aren’t necessarily learning how a service operates, but rather how one reviewer feels they operate.

This is always the case, of course, but it may be even more true of cleaning services. Because the relationship between a cleaning service and homeowner is inherently intimate, emotion often clouds reviews. One mistake could well lead to a very negative review.

Conversely, even positive reviews may be colored by the homeowner’s personal feelings toward their service. It’s also not terribly difficult for providers to fluff up their own reviews—an action that may involve offering coupons to customers that offer 5-star reviews.

The short of it? Online feedback can provide you a survey of how some members of your community feel about a service. Just take the reviews with a grain of salt.

Background

It’s not uncommon for cleaning services or service providers to operate in a hazy, unofficial capacity. For example, a school parent or house of worship frequenter may decide to make money on the side by cleaning the houses of members of their community. While this arrangement is often fine for those involved, it might not be for everyone.

As you look for a cleaning service provider, explore the backgrounds of the businesses you come across.

Good questions to explore might include:

• How long have they been in business?
• Are they licensed and insured?
• Have they won any awards?

Ultimately, these factors alone do not prove the excellence of a cleaning service. However, the absence of these checkmarks may well be a red flag that you should take note of.

Services Provided

There is also just a vast spectrum of various services that cleaning services offer. One way to vet potential options is to pay attention to how well their service packages fit what you are hoping to accomplish.

Does this company do carpet cleanings? What about bathrooms and bedrooms? You may also have an interest in what sort of products they use. Environmentally friendly products aremuch safer for your home. However, it may be difficult to find providers that prioritize their use. Even if you do, they may well cost more money than you are willing to pay.

Having a comprehensive understanding of how a provider operates on the job will help make your choice easier.

Cleaning Products

Piggybacking off the previous point, it’s also worth exploring what products the provider will bring to the table. Some services bring their own gear while others will require you to have them already on hand.

Neither scenario is necessarily better than the other, but it is valuable information to have all the same.

Assurances

Here’s a sad fact of life: accidents happen. There is a pretty decent chance that your cleaning service may break or damage your property at some point. In the event that this occurs, how will they proceed?

Some cleaning services offer replacement guarantees. Others do not. In either case, it’s very handy to know what you can expect before an uncomfortable situation emerges.

 Insurance

It’s also good to find out what kind of insurance the cleaning business has. There are a number of different types of insurance that may be relevant to your situation so it’s a good idea to develop a comprehensive understanding of what is out there.

• GL (General Liability) Coverage – General Liability coverage protects against accidents that might happen on the job.
• Auto Liability – Pertains to coverage over the service’s vehicles.
• WC (Workers Compensation) – Protects employees in the event of a jobsite accident.
• Lost Key insurance – Provides key and lock replacement in the event that it is necessary.
• Employee Dishonesty Bond – Coverage that financially protects the business against unethical behavior by their staff.
• Performance Bond – Provides coverage over situations which the business is unable to satisfy the requirements of the job.
• Umbrella – Covers claims exceeding the limits per category

While all not required it’s good to at least ask for GL and WC insurance from your cleaning services provider

Service Details

Last but not least, are there any other policy details you should be aware of? For example, does this provider require long-term contracts? What happens if you have to cancel an appointment? Every business has its own way of handling situations of this kind. Ideally, you will be able to find a service that features policies suitable to your lifestyle and preferences. In any case, it’s important to know the rules before you sign a contract.