House cleaning services are extremely convenient, especially if you’re not a fan of doing the housework yourself! But how do you know which service to hire? How do you make sure you get the best house cleaning service near you? There's a lot of things to consider, and price should be just a small factor of what you consider in a service provider. After all, would you buy the cheapest car, or the best car for your budget? What about background checks and questions to ask? Well, we're here to help. In this article we're going to cover 10 tips that will help you find the perfect house cleaning service for your needs.
1) Hiring a cleaning company versus a house cleaner
When looking for a house cleaning service, there are two main options to consider. The first is to post a job ad and interview and hire an individual to come and clean your home. The second option is to hire a cleaning company who takes care of all of the hiring, vetting, and training process for you.
While it might seem like individual cleaners are less expensive because you’re not paying for overhead and other expenses associated with hiring a cleaning company; many people find that having an independent person clean their home is actually more expensive. It may not seem that way but when you factor in the time and energy it takes to manage that cleaner yourself, perhaps train them on what your needs are, perform background and reference checks, and possible damage and theft in your home – it's clear that there are added costs and risks beyond the “face value” cost savings. Then there's the complications of hiring someone to clean your home by the hour. Paying an individual an hourly wage to clean your home incentivizes the person to take longer. They work slowly so they can get paid more money.
The advantage of hiring a house cleaning company
The advantage of a cleaning company is that they take a significant amount of the work off your hands. They also have professionally trained staff. Most cleaning companies enforce quality control procedures and standards. This results in consistent quality to all of their clients. The downside to hiring a cleaning company is that you are likely to pay a higher price upfront for the work. Fortunately, most cleaning companies provide a flat rate price. This means you don't have to worry about how long the job takes. You only pay the price the company provides to you. This is highly beneficial for you because you pay for a quality cleaning versus paying someone for how long the job takes. It's also beneficial for the cleaning company because they can take their time to do a really thorough job. They also don't have to risk having to charge the client more money than they agreed to.
Although there are advantages and disadvantages to both options, the clear winner is cleaning company.
2) Create a list of factors that are important to you
Before contacting cleaning services near you, start by making a list of the tasks that matter most to you. You can talk to your potential cleaners about these items. If they don’t get it, find someone else who does. Don't be afraid to get specific. Everyone's home is different. The specific needs of each home, and the preferences of the homeowners, all have to be factored into the service you receive.
Communicating your needs to service providers will allow you to gauge how flexible and receptive they are to your needs. Some services will only cover specific requests under higher service plans like deep cleaning. If you have special requests like having the cleaners use specific cleaning tools or materials, then it's good to communicate those requirements early on.
When you hire a house cleaner or a home cleaning services company, you're engaging in what should be a long term partnership. You should consider how these providers respond to your needs, the flexibility they exercise, and most importantly how well they listen to you and how friendly they are.
3) Be prepared
When you interview service providers to clean your home, you should have a very clear list of cleaning tasks you want them to perform. You should also know what you don't want them to do as well. What's important here is communicating to the cleaning service provider what you want out of their services.
Most cleaning services will provide general cleaning services which covers cleaning most of the visible areas or surfaces of your home. But perhaps, you're more concerned about specific areas which aren't covered under their general cleaning services. It's the job of the cleaner or service provider to ensure they are providing you with the cleaning services that will address your needs, first and foremost. It's your job to be prepared and know what those needs are and to communicate those to the cleaners.
4) Use technology
These days you can find a lot of information that you need to make an informed decision on the internet. Go online, on a smartphone or computer, and do your research. Look up the company and find out what makes them or their services stand out from the rest. Look up reviews and read both positive, neutral, and negative reviews. You can also look at third party sites for more information, or find the service provider's social media accounts to see what other information you can gather.
Of the information available to you, by far the most important are references and reviews.
5) Check references and reviews
There's no better way to vet your options for a cleaning service provider than to check references and reviews. Ultimately the best service provider is going to be one that can deliver excellent service consistently and provide and great customer experience. Executing that over and over again is not easy for any business. So the more satisfied customers they have the more likely it is that you'll be one of those satisfied customers should you hire that cleaning provider.
References are also great since they come from people who are willing to put their names and reputation on the line for that business. It's similar to a review, except you can ask those people specific questions that relate to your unique situation.
6) Get on the phone
One of the best ways to learn if a cleaning service is right for you, is to simply get on a call with them. There's a lot that you can learn and gauge about a person or company by speaking to them directly. If they rush you off the phone, aren't clear with responses, are not friendly, or give you a negative vibe, then consider someone else. Make sure your cleaning service provider is patient, detailed, and friendly with responses and communication. These are all great qualities in a cleaning service that will meet, or exceed, your expectations.
7) Know what to ask before booking a cleaning service
When it comes to interviewing the service providers, make sure to have a list of questions handy and ask all of your candidates the same questions. Here are some great questions to get you started:
– Do you need me to vacate my home, or the rooms you're cleaning, while you clean my home?
– Do you bring your own cleaning supplies or will you use whatever supplies I have at home?
– How long will the cleaning take?
– What happens if I'm not happy with the cleaning your team performs?
– Do you run background checks on your team members?
– Are your cleaners insured?
8) Analyze their work after your first cleaning appointment
It should go without saying that you should always take the time to inspect a house cleaner's work when they complete their work. However, you definitely don't want to be interrupting them while they work to point out things you feel are not cleaned properly either. Jot down any observations you've made while they work, and then do a walkthrough once they're done to collect any other feedback. It's important to note that some cleaners prefer that you're not in the same room while they're cleaning so that they can concentrate on their work. After all, no one likes to feel micromanaged or having someone hovering over their shoulder. Once they're done, take the time to go through your list with them and see how they respond to feedback and criticism.
9) Compare the value of each service provider
Most of us are too quick to judge a service by their deliverables and price, that we often forget to look at the overall value that a service provider offers. As Warren Buffet so elegantly put it, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get”. And what you get is not always just a clean home. Consider the customer service, communication, flexibility, friendliness, availability, attention to detail, pricing model, and commitment to your satisfaction.
10) Review all contracts carefully before signing them
Before hiring a house cleaner or cleaning company make sure to review the contracts they ask you to sign. Firstly, remember that a contract is not a bad thing. Contracts are in place to set expectations for both parties and to avoid disputes, not to create them. Contacts generally outline things such as what happens if you have to cancel or reschedule a cleaning, how is payment being handled, etc. Contracts hold the service provider to their word as well as establish base rules for a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship. But some contracts can have clauses which can be inconvenient for you as the consumer. Review the terms of the agreement and let the service provider know if you have any questions or concerns. Most of the time, the service provider will explain the reasoning behind those terms so you can decide as to whether you're comfortable with the agreement or not.
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Brought to You By:
KCS Kitchener Cleaning Services
135 Hardcastle Drive, Cambridge ON, N1S 0A6
(647) 760-6357
