Life is short, and we all know that doing cleaning is just no fun. After a full week of running your business or working 9-5, cleaning the house is the last way you want to spend your days off. If having a cleaner home is your goal, you should definitely consider enlisting the help of professional cleaners. A regular cleaning appointment will free up your time, and give you the opportunity to live in a sanitary and comfortable environment without doing all the housework yourself.
Given the many benefits of using a maid service, it’s not surprising to know that more and more people are choosing to let professionals take care of the more challenging aspects of home cleaning. However, the decision to hire someone to clean your house is something that involves careful consideration to ensure the safety of your property. You need to find the right people whom you can trust to access the most private areas of your house, and someone who knows the appropriate cleaning technique to remove stubborn stains and deal with the more challenging cleaning tasks at home.
Here, we give you a few tips on how to employ a cleaning professional, and have a smooth relationship with your cleaner:
Get recommendations
When looking for a cleaning company to hire, word of mouth is best. Try asking your neighbors, family and coworkers if they have a company or person they would highly recommend. If your neighbor has a long history with a cleaning company, then that should make you feel comfortable in trying out their service in your own house. Referrals carry more weight because they come from people you personally know and trust, and thus give you an inside look at what a cleaning company has to offer.
Start Researching
If you are not able to get referral from your relatives or friends, it’s time to do your due diligence and hop online to research about cleaning companies in your area. A quick search of “home cleaning service (your suburb name)” will give you a list of cleaning companies that operate in your local area. Look through the website of each company, and check out their Google and Yelp reviews to see what previous clients have to say about their services.
Take reviews with a grain of salt
Remember that not all clients leave reviews, and that unhappy customers are more likely to shower the internet with their bad experiences with a company. Some of those negative reviews, however, can be blown out of proportion just because some people use reviews as a chance to vent. With this in mind, we advise taking online reviews with a grain of salt.
What you should look out for are companies that have mostly terrible reviews, or those companies that have a perfect score, and may be giving their clients an incentive for every review. A good rule of thumb is to avoid companies with mostly negative customer reviews and those with all perfect scores, and to find one with mostly stellar reviews, and a few bad ones.
Ask about insurance and bonding
When employing a cleaning company, we suggest choosing one that is insured. This is one of the best ways to protect you and the cleaners from any liability due to damages, injuries, and loss, and to ensure that your possessions are safe and secure while the cleaning team works on your property.
Be aware that an insured company offers their services at higher rates compared to those that don’t come with an insurance. However, they provide a level of assurance that is vital when you are letting people into your home,and want to ensure the safety of your family, as well as your property.
Experience and training
Don’t hesitate to ask the company how long they have been in business, and what accreditation and awards they have, if any. It’s better to choose a company that is backed by many years of experience, and ideally, one that provides specific and continuous training to their cleaners. A reputable company will be willing to share with you information like the type of training that their cleaners receive, the person or organisation providing the training, and their timeline for refreshing and updating the training’s that the staff receives. Learning about a company’s experience and staff training will give you assurance that the company cares about the quality of service they deliver to clients like you.
Inquire about the level of service
Before deciding on which company you will be hiring for your home, make sure you understand the types of service they offer. Does the company provide a fixed service or are they open to taking specific requests for cleaning? How detailed will they get when delivering the service? Cleaning companies offer a wide range of options, and you will only find the best one if you consider your specific cleaning requirements and your lifestyle. Maybe you want a service that you can customize, and want the freedom to provide cleaners with your own to-do list. Or maybe you prefer to get the same service every cleaning visit, so you don’t have to think about creating a list for the cleaners to follow. Again, the right company is the one that can provide the level of service you are looking for.
Finally, clean before they come
Once you have decided on a cleaning company, the next thing to do is to prepare for the first cleaning appointment. We suggest tidying up before the cleaners arrive so they can focus on doing what you hired them for: scrubbing surfaces, and making sure every nook and cranny is dirt-free. If you leave stuff lying around the house, it will be harder for the cleaning team to clean surfaces, and to get more things done within the limited time they are at your place. By not putting things away, you also risk the cleaners placing your belongings where you might not be able to easily find them.
Hiring a cleaner for your home is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself and your family. It lets you enjoy your home, as you start to see your property as a sanctuary rather than a place that constantly demands your effort to clean. At Pristine Home, we provide a range of cleaning services to accommodate your needs and to get the challenging chores off your shoulder.
