It seems more and more these days that hiring a professional cleaning service has become a necessity and no longer a luxury and we are spoilt for choices, with everything from hiring an individual to hiring a professional cleaning company Melbourne.
Some companies are franchised, and some are family owned and operated businesses. When you hire a cleaning service you want your home to be maintained in the best way possible, by experts.
The first step to choosing a cleaning service is to decide whether you want to hire an individual or a company. Each option comes with its own pros and cons. Hiring an individual may be more cost effective and you can probably customise their services closer to your needs, but an individual can be less responsive if they get more work than they can handle. If the house cleaner doesn’t show up – you’re on your own.
On the other hand, hiring a cleaning company could be costlier, but, it does have it’s own benefits such as more flexible scheduling and a back-up team that can cover if your regular is a no-show.
You need to do your homework – finding the right individual or cleaning service can be quite daunting, as people worry about having a *stranger* in their home.
A good way to hire a cleaning service is via word-of-mouth, referrals by friends, family, neighbours and co-workers. Once you got a list together call or email the services to arrange an in-home estimate at YOUR convenience – this will give you a chance to assess their responsiveness. Before your appointment take time to write down any questions you want to ask, and if you have any special instructions to customise your service.
Questions to ask include:
- How do you set your rates? – Some charge an hourly rate, some may charge by the work involved, and some may charge based on the number of employees they send. Have them give you an estimate on how long it will take them to clean your home, they should give you a flat rate for each subsequent visit – this will depend on how often you need them and what your needs are. You can also avoid unnecessary costs by putting a cap on the number of cleaners you want in your home.
- Do you do background checks on employees? – Reputable cleaning service businesses will do checks on ALL their staff. When you hire an individual, they are the cleaner and employer – so it’s up to you to do any screening. A background check gives you peace of mind that your house is safe when you allow people you don’t know inside. A cleaning company should also tell you if the same cleaner will be sent to your house each time.
- Are you insured? – Professional cleaning services will always have liability insurance to cover themselves in case something gets lost, broken or damaged inside your home. You should advise them of any items that need special care, this way you have security and peace of mind during the cleaning service.
- Do you bring your own cleaning supplies and equipment? – Some bring their own cleaning supplies and equipment, while others just bring their own equipment and you may have to provide all the cleaning supplies. If you’re not happy with the supplies, they use you should be able to have them use your own.
- Do you have a guarantee of satisfaction? – Cleaning companies should always be open to your feedback and questions, and, they should also supply you with a satisfaction guarantee in the event you are unhappy with a particular service. You should be able to phone or email them to discuss whether your cleaning needs are being met.
- How do you gain access to my home? – You can leave a key under the mat and ask the cleaner to leave the key inside when they are done, or, you can choose to be home while the cleaning is being done. Ultimately, it’s up to you, just make sure that both you and your cleaner are comfortable with the option you choose.
- I have a pet, what should I do with it? – If you are not going to be home during the cleaning appointment, introduce your cleaner to your pet before their first visit. Depending on the introduction you may want to crate the animal, pop it in another room, or ask the cleaner to leave the animal in a safe spot outside and let it back in before they leave. You should also ask if there are additional charges for cleaning a house that has pets.
- What services are included? – In a routine visit, what do they clean? If you’d rather do the day-to day dusting and want your cleaner to wash windows, scrub floors or vacuum, let them know as it may cost more.