Before you book a house cleaning service…
When looking for the best house cleaning service, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with information overload.
Sorting through websites, getting quotes, and speaking with each provider could take several days, maybe even weeks, to go through.
Even then, you still may not be sure whether you’re getting the most out of your money or not.
So to help you navigate the world of housecleaning, we’re sharing 5 Insider Tips on How to Choose a House Cleaning Service.
You’ll learn what to look for in a reputable house cleaning service, the best times to book, and how to make your cleaning services cheaper.
If you’ve never booked a house cleaning service before or are in the market for a new clean service, make sure to read this before booking anywhere.
1. Lessen the Scope
Decide what you need to be cleaned in your home
What do you really need help with?
First of all, it’s important to take stock of the things you really want to be cleaned because not all cleaning services perform the same services. For example, some do your laundry, make the beds, wash the dishes, etc. – so it’s important to know what you need before you book and make sure that the company you hire does those tasks.
Secondly, if you’re on a budget, deciding on what you really need cleaned is a way to customize your cleaning to make it a little cheaper.
For example, maybe all you really need help on is the kitchen and bathrooms? Some cleaning services allow you to book cleanings for just parts of your house (usually the bathrooms and kitchen because they’re the hardest parts of the home to clean). Dusting and wiping down other surfaces they take care of themselves.
Keep in mind though, that not all cleaning services allow you to do this. For example, at iDust uRest we quote a flat rate based mostly on the size of your home and the number of rooms – but we do consider the scope when it comes to Move Out cleanings.
But if you’re only looking for a little bit of help and not a more thorough cleaning, it’s good to know that that option is out there.
Another thing you can do is reduce the number of appointments in a month. So instead of weekly appointments maybe you can get away with bi-weekly appointments. Or if you don’t have kids, even monthly visits might be fine – although there are some adults messier than most 5-year-olds!
Would you like to book now? Click here.
2. The More Frequent the Appointments, the Better
Frequency matters
Need a monthly cleaning, bi-weekly, or weekly cleaning? Or maybe just a one-time clean for moving out? Take a really close look at how often you need house cleaning appointments. Maybe you can get away with bi-weekly cleanings instead of weekly?
Just keep in mind that generally, the more frequent your appointments are, the cheaper it will be in terms of cost per visit.
For example, bi-weekly cleanings will be cheaper per visit, than monthly visits, sometimes costing just a few dollars more per month. You could also try going weekly, then adjusting your cleaning services later on if you feel like you don’t need it as often, or vice versa by going monthly and increasing the frequency if needed.
Move-outs and one-time appointments will almost always cost the most per visit because of how intensive the cleaning is and because it’s not an ongoing, regular service.
Yes, we offer one-time and move-outs! Click here to free estimate your cost.
3. Look Up Reviews Or Ask Friends For Recommendations
Asking friends, family, and coworkers who have hired a house cleaning service before for their recommendation can save you a lot of headaches because you can be relatively sure that if they had a good experience, you will too. That’s one of the main ways iDust uRest grew the way we did.
A side benefit of going through a cleaning service that was recommended to you is that in some cases, they’ll give a referral credit to you AND a credit to the person recommending you. It’s a win-win for both of you.
If you don’t have anyone to ask, or want to do your own search, reading up on a companies’ customer reviews can give you an idea of what you’re getting into.
Look them up on Google, Yelp, Homestars, and their own website for reviews that people have put up.
Take a look to our reviews in here.
4. Flat Rates and Walk-throughs
Flat rate is better
You know that jaw-dropping cleaning quote that’s $100 less than the others?
Yes it sounds great and all but you’ll definitely want to double check to see if it’s a flat rate.
Chances are that it’s not and that they’ve grossly under estimated the job.
Which is how you could end up with a surprise $350 bill at the end when you thought you were getting it for about $170.
Not only that, but the efficiency and effort of the maids is not something you will know beforehand – a flat rate is more stable and ensures that you know what you’re paying for and aren’t shocked when you see the final bill.
Do a walk-through
This is one we can’t stress enough.
Once the cleaning has been done, do a walk-through with the cleaner to ensure that nothing has been missed.
This gives you a chance to see if anything was missed or if an area of your home needs a bit more attention to be done a bit better.
Once the cleaners leave, it’s virtually impossible to get them to come back the same day, so make sure everything looks good before they leave.
If you can’t be home at the time of service, make sure to do the walk-through as soon as possible. The more reputable cleaning companies have a cleaning service guarantee but you usually have to notify them within 24 hours about any problems.
We always let our clients walk-through with us.