Today's Bright at Home Cleaning blog article brought to you by guest blogger Mary Russell from Limestone Country Properties
Before hiring a cleaning service for your home, there are two things you want to think about; the security of your home and the standard of cleaning you want. The first one is easy to understand. Any person you hire to clean your home poses a potential security risk. They can learn a lot about you and your family. If that person is dishonest, they can use that information for their gains.
The second reason is essential because most people don’t know what they want when hiring a cleaning service. Sure, they know they want their home to be clean and tidy, but to what extent do they want the house cleaned, and how often do they want it done? Also, do they need a cleaning service, or is a maid service more suited to their needs?
What’s the difference between a maid service and a cleaning service?
The difference between these two types of cleaners is mostly a matter of opinion. But the primary difference is that a maid is your employee, but the cleaning service is not. The maid does more than clean your home; the person also keeps the house organized and is called a housekeeper. A cleaning service does not do this.
What a cleaning service does
Like a maid service, the cleaning service will clean your home. But they won’t run personal errands or organize the house (unless you specifically paid for this). Cleaning services may use specialized cleaning equipment and have employees. They will do both general and deeper cleaning of your home, based on a schedule. Also, you can hire them for one-time or repeated cleaning.
Apart from giving your home a spotless and tidy appearance, the main reason to hire a cleaning service is to provide you time to do other essential things. When you hire a cleaning service on an ongoing basis, your home will benefit from a high standard and consistent cleaning, explains Limestone-Country.com. But this also depends on the quality of the cleaning service you hire.
Tips for hiring a cleaning service
To be sure of the best outcome when you hire a cleaning service, you should follow the below tips:
1. Give yourself options
Spread your nets far at the beginning of your search. Ask friends, family, and neighbors for referrals; you can usually trust those more than the companies you find on the internet. If you don’t get enough referrals, you may search online. While doing that, consider the reviews they get.
2. Experience, accreditations, and affiliations
The company’s experience matters; an experienced company will deliver better service, but this is not the only reason. If a company has been in the same location for a long time, you may be sure of its credibility. To be safe and also get the best service, hire a cleaning company that is local and experienced.
3. Fidelity bond and insurance
Ensure that the cleaning company you choose has a fidelity bond. This bonding will protect you in case of any issue of theft on your property following the cleaning. In addition to that, ask them to show you their insurance policy. A cleaning company that has insurance will protect you from liabilities and damage to items in your home. Make sure that you verify bonding and insurance claims with their respective providers.
4. Range of services offered
Ensure that there is a match between what the company does and what you want. That is why, as a first step, you should clearly define what you want. Do they have a set of fixed services they offer, or will they vary their work based on what you want? How will this affect the cost of hiring the company?
5. Warranties and guarantees
What happens if some of your items are broken or damaged by the company’s staff? The company should assure you that they will replace any damaged item. By this, they will show you proves that the insurance will cover damaged items.
6. Employees or contract workers
This matters for three reasons. If a company has full-time employees, they will likely be better trained and appropriately compensated. Full-time employees are better from a security point of view since companies are stricter with background checks on employees versus contract staff. Lastly, if a company has employees, they often have better insurance.
7. What cleaning supplies do they use?
If you have pets, small children, or allergies, you want to know the cleaning solutions they will apply. Even if you are not concerned about allergies, you should be careful that the products are not toxic in any way and that they will not harm the surfaces and items in your home.
8. The terms must be explicit
Request to see a sample of the company’s contract. Among other things, you want to see how they allocate responsibilities for any adverse outcomes and how you will resolve disputes. You also want to be sure that the charges are clear; this will help prevent unpleasant surprises in the future.