Are you looking for good cleaning services near your home? Of course, when looking for a cleaner, you must find someone who is skilled and trustworthy.

Therefore, upon hiring, whether a self-employed housekeeper or an extensive cleaning company, you should vividly look for their background information – like if they are experienced or the first-time job worker. Typically, housekeepers with on-the-job training certificates commonly work in a housekeeping service company.

If you are hesitant in hiring housekeepers or house helpers, thorough research can help you find the right housekeeping professional for your cleaning satisfaction.

Housekeeper Qualifications

While working at your office or for your business, assigning a housekeeper to work on your household chores can be helpful. You will become more focused on your job without being stressed with the mess at home.

Let a housekeeper do the house cleaning in your home. Though a housekeeper requires basic skills that most cleaners possess, you would still want to work with a highly professional housekeeper.

An experienced housekeeper with a business license will surely give you liability insurance and a surety bond. In addition, a housekeeper with professional training from a cleaning service company will also help you guarantee an excellent housekeeping service.

Self-Employed or Cleaning Service Company?

If you are confused about hiring a self-employed house cleaner or just approaching a cleaning service company, you should weigh your choices. Each type of housekeeping service that you want to hire has its pros and cons. Check them out:

Self-Employed Housekeeper

 Pros:

•       Less expensive

•       Easy to establish rapport with anyone

•       More personalize service

Cons:

•       May did not have a professional requirement

•       May did not undergo due background check process

•       No supervisor to report in case of a bad experience

Worker from a Cleaning Service Company

Pros:

•       Insurance and bond guaranteed

•       Reliability

Cons:

•       More expensive

•       May have numbers of people in your home

 Services that Housekeepers May Offer

There are three categories that housekeepers usually offer: basics, add-ons, and one-time jobs. You can check them out, so you will know which one your home needs:

Basics

Housekeepers regularly work on cleaning services for homes or offices, like once or twice a week. Each time the housekeeper comes to your home, the specific jobs are usually provided as part of a package fee. These are:

•       Replacing linens

•       Washing dishes

•       Emptying trashes

•       Cleaning kitchens

•       Cleaning bathrooms

•       Dusting

•       Vacuuming

•       Mopping

Add-Ons

This involves extra tasks that generally require additional cleaning service fees. These include the following functions:

•       Cleaning windows

•       Washing laundry

•       Cleaning baseboard

•       Cleaning blinds

•       Cleaning the oven

•       Cleaning cabinets

•       Cleaning the inside of your refrigerator

•       Polishing woodwork

•       Cleaning the carpet

•       Floor waxing

•       Cleaning drape and upholstery

•       Cleaning ceiling and light fixtures

•       Moving and cleaning furniture

One-Time Job

This is not a regular service offered by a house helper. In preparation for a special event, these are one-time jobs that you may need, like wanting your home cleaned for having a party on a specific day. Not all self-employed housekeepers or housekeepers from a cleaning service company will offer these tasks. If they do, they are to be paid a higher rate.

6 Tips for Hiring House Cleaners

Here are also some of the practical tips you must consider before hiring a house cleaner near you. Hopefully, they will help.

1. Establish Your Ideal Housekeeper

A housekeeper in your home should be someone trustworthy and highly dependable. You would probably not want to hire a dull housekeeper who does not seem to know their duties well. If you’re going to find an ideal housekeeper, you must search for an experienced professional recommended by other clients. 

2. Accept Referrals and Read Reviews.

When hiring a housekeeper, the most reliable source is the recommendation of your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.

Also, online reviews on specific housekeeping service company websites will be of great help to help you choose a good housekeeper. You can consider at least three cleaning services to find the most suitable cleaner for your household.

3. Interview the Service or Cleaner

It is best to interview the applicant housekeepers before they get hired. You, yourself, must know what are to be expected from the house cleaner. You can prepare a list of questions:

•       How many years have you been working as a housekeeper?

•       Do you do the cleaning supplies?

•       What do you use for cleaning supplies?

•       What do I expect from you in terms of your housework? Are you guaranteed?

•       Tell me your rate.

•     Do you charge hourly or by service? If by service, what can you usually accomplish in three hours?

•       Do you offer weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly services?

•       What are the days and hours you are available for our home?

•       What are your terms of service? (i.e., rules or fees for changing and canceling services)

•       Who was your former employer that I could talk to? Or, do you have references from other clients?

•       How many cleaners do I expect to come to my home? Will it be one cleaner or several? Will it be the same cleaner each time?

•       In regular cleaning service, do you offer one-off services? Do you perform deep spring cleaning or offer extra sessions before an additional event like a party?

•       Do you offer extra services? If yes, what are these additional services?

4. Background Check and Liability Verification is a Must.

Make sure that your housekeeper is trustworthy, reliable, and responsible because they will access your house or personal space. They will be near to your family as well.

Also, make sure to pick a cleaning company that does a background check on their employees. This will ensure the safety of your household. Also, make an agreement or petition, if possible, for the liabilities such as damaged items or an on-site injury.

5. Define Your Agreement

Once you have already chosen a cleaning service, outline the details of your arrangements and agreements with the house cleaner. Assign their work schedule, what services and hours are to be included, and the price.

Inform the house cleaner what rooms, floors, and items are to be cleaned. Tell the specific details of your home or those that need special care, such as keepsake dishes to dust or new flooring that needs to be handled in a certain way.

If you hire a housekeeper from a cleaning service company, expect that the service is in the contract. But if you hire a housekeeping individual, feel comfortable without an official agreement.

House cleaning services do a house visit for a couple of weeks. So, it is advised for you to get on their calendar sooner or later, especially during the holiday season.

Know What to Do Before Your Housekeepers Arrive

Of course, you want your housekeepers to be focused on cleaning surfaces and spaces during their time for work. For them not to be moving aside your clutter or clearing off the kitchen, maximize their time for work by doing the following actions before your housekeepers arrive:

•Keep pieces of jewelry, valuable and fragile items in a place that you only know.

•Pick up clutter where your housekeeper will be working

• Wash your dishes (for the house cleaners will not be doing the dishwashing)

What to Ask Your Housekeepers

Upon hiring a housekeeper or house cleaner, it is advised to ask some questions to ensure that you are hiring the right people in your home. Make them know the specific services you expect from your hired cleaners. In that way, you will know the exact details when you interview them, and they can give you detailed answers and accurate cost estimates.

What are the Services That You Offer?

Know directly what services that the house cleaner can offer. In that way, you will see if the job fits your needs in house cleaning. You will also know if basic requests that you may ask are still part of their service.

What is the Basis of Your Rates?

Do they charge based on the time consumed for working or a flat fee for the week? There are cleaning service companies that base their rate depending on the cleaner’s work in your house.

 Who Provides the Supplies?

Some companies use their supplies for cleaning, but that is charged. The house cleaner will ask you what type of supply you prefer to be used for cleaning. If you are very particular with specific cleaning agents, you may provide your supplies with chemicals or products to be used in your home.

If Something Goes Wrong, What Do You Do Next?

Anything can go wrong inside your home. For example, the housekeepers may get hurt, or your items might be broken. A qualified professional housekeeper or cleaning service company is liable for anything that goes wrong in your house.

Choose Good Cleaning Services Near Me

Keep your house clean and tidy despite your busyness by choosing the best housekeeper. Remember, your house’s safety, cleanliness, and ambiance depends on finding a reliable and trustworthy housekeeper. Therefore, do not settle for less.