Thinking about a Cleaning Service?

In today’s busy world, people look forward to coming home to escape the hustle and bustle of the work day and relax in their own sanctuary. For many, setting aside the time and energy necessary to keep their homes as clean as they’d like is often a daunting thought. That’s when many turn to a professional cleaning service.

If you’re thinking about hiring a cleaning service to free up your time — letting you focus on the things in life that matter the most to you — here are some tips.

Customizable Service

Everyone’s cleaning needs are different. So, the first step is finding a cleaning service that’s a good fit for your home and lifestyle.

Companies will usually provide a basic maid service that includes vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, dusting, making beds and thoroughly cleaning your kitchen and bathrooms.

Additional services such as carpet cleaning, doing the laundry or washing windows may also be available for an extra fee. Anything special your home requires can usually be negotiated as part of your service package.

The schedule for cleaning is important, too. You’ll want it to be at a convenient, predictable time and occur frequently enough to meet your needs and your budget.

Give It a Try

When you find a cleaning service that looks like a good fit, it’s smart to hire them on a trial basis before signing any long-term contracts. You’ll want to see if their actual work lives up to their promises.

If the trial period meets your expectations, find out whether the cleaning service requires a contract or offers any discounts for signing one. Some companies will require you to sign a long-term service agreement, while others will be OK with doing one-time jobs or occasional cleaning as needed.

Product Selection

Ask the cleaning company about the products they’ll be using in your home. Some companies have options for products that are natural, chemical-free, pet-friendly, or designed to help people with allergies.

“Green” cleaning is a popular trend right now, and for a good reason. There are many products derived from Mother Nature that work as well, if not better than, the traditional chemicals used by cleaning companies years ago. If this is important to you, ask whether the company’s products are good for your health and for the environment.

Trustworthy Employees

Because you’ll be inviting the cleaning service into your home, you need to make sure the employees can be trusted. The best cleaning services will do background checks on all their employees to give customers peace of mind. You obviously don’t want a stranger with a criminal background coming into your home.

Background checks are only a start, though, so you’ve got to rely on the cleaning company’s reputation as well. Good maid services will have a long track record and lots of happy customers. They don’t stay in business unless they’re trustworthy and do a good job, so look for a company with a long-term reputation in your community.

Consistent Work

It’s important that your house is cleaned consistently, exactly how you expect with each visit.

One of the best ways to do this is by making sure the company will be sending the same person for each cleaning visit. When you have the same person cleaning your house every time, they’ll get to know your home and your expectations, which means you’ll be more likely to get consistent results from them.

There are times when your regular maid may not be able to show up due to illness or scheduling conflicts, though. Find out what the cleaning service does in that case and whether they’ll give you the option to reschedule the cleaning or send a replacement maid.

Do your homework and shop carefully, and you can find a cleaning service that can save time from your busy schedule and make your home look fantastic.