In today’s typically busy life, hiring house cleaning services is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity, especially if you need to do some deep cleaning. While you may manage to do some basic cleaning now and then, a professional cleaning service offers the skills and experience you need to keep your house squeaky clean.
But before you hire any cleaning service or someone, you want to be sure they can do the job right. Armed with the right questions, you should be better positioned to select a reliable cleaning company. Here are some questions and things to ask a potential house cleaner the next time you’re in the market for one.
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How Long Have You Been in Business?
It takes more than basic cleaning knowledge and some elbow grease to start and run a sustainable house cleaning business. While that doesn’t mean you should dismiss new companies altogether, a more established cleaning service that has been around for longer will tend to be more experienced, trustworthy, and professional. Consider asking for their existing cleaning clients how long the potential cleaning company has been cleaning their home.
How Do You Set Your Rates?
In most cases, cleaning companies charge depending on the size, condition, and work required to clean your property. Some charge by the hour while others charge you by the project or number of cleaners they send to your premises.
If you get an hourly rate, ask for an estimate or cost of how long it will take to complete the cleaning project. Consider negotiating for a flat rate as it may be cheaper. This may apply for those who rent out their homes on Airbnb.
When Can You Provide an Estimate?
Once you’ve settled on a particular cleaning company, contact them to request an estimate of the area or different areas of your home. Their response will show you their experience and how the company expects you to pay and give you a rough idea of how responsive they are. At the bare minimum, you want a responsive cleaning service.
How Do You Conduct Background Checks?
If you’re hiring a cleaning company, they’re responsible for running background checks on their employees. While house cleaners may not have spotless criminal records, don’t shy away from asking about hiring practices, background checks, references, and more. You don’t want just anyone gaining access to your home, so you should be thoughtful about who you give access to your property.
Are You Insured and Bonded?
House cleaning, like many other tasks, has some elements of risk. To be on the safe side, you want to hire insured and bonded cleaners. That way, you can be fairly compensated if something gets broken or damaged in your home. If you have fragile items in your home, be sure to notify the cleaners. An insurance policy is good sign that a company has their customers’ needs and concerns placed ahead of their own instead of taking a chance.
Do You Bring Your Own Cleaning Equipment and Supplies?
Some cleaning companies bring their own cleaning products and equipment, while others may request that you provide the cleaning supplies. You’ll want to know this in advance, especially if you’ll be responsible for providing cleaning supplies. If you prefer certain products for specific surfaces that require a certain type of care that you’d like the cleaner to use to avoid damage, be sure to let them know and provide them before the cleaning process begins.
Do You Provide Workers’ Compensation?
Depending on your location, you could be responsible for carrying workers’ compensation coverage and liable for an employer’s liable taxes, even for an independent house cleaner. This means if a cleaner gets injured while cleaning your home because they slip on some water, you could end up paying for that. For your peace of mind and safety of the household cleaners, ask whether the company provides workers’ compensation.
Do You Have a Satisfaction Guarantee?
Any reputable company should be open to suggestions and feedback. Ask whether the potential cleaner has a satisfaction guarantee or money back guarantee and find out their approach to clients who are unhappy with their solution and level of service. You want to work with a company that has a structured way of dealing with customer complaints and ensuring they meet client expectations.
You may also want to check reviews on Google to see how they respond to clients. Reading reviews can provide insight on how they all handle all types of problems such as dirt, dust, mold, grease or grime or how their staff performed their jobs or the quality of the finished work or responded to a customer’s call or number of times required to finish a job.
What’s Included in Your Cleaning?
Asking for a checklist of all tasks the company typically performs allows you to see what the cleaning service considers basic service. With a list, you can also compare apples for apples before making a final decision on the kind of cleaning services you are potentially seeking. However, it’s important to remember that when you’re vetting cleaning companies, they won’t automatically know the services you require.
Make sure you plan what you want to be done and communicate all the information clearly to the prospective cleaning company. You should ask questions or do a virtual walkthrough before hiring potential cleaners. The trick here is to be up front about your expectations. Let them know where you want them to clean and what you want them to avoid. If you’re going to ask them for additional tasks, like laundry, expect to pay more.
What Does Your Training Program Consist Of?
Because cleaning jobs have a high turnover rate, you’ll likely find companies that hire cleaners like a housekeeper or a cleaning lady subcontracted from classified ads with very little to no training at all. However, the best companies will have well-documented, ongoing training programs designed to keep cleaners up to date with recent industry developments and process so they can offer consistently exceptional service. Exceptional customer service includes attention to everything including the kitchen, family room, bathroom, windows, and other high traffic areas.
How Do You Gain Access to My Home?
If you’re allowing strangers into your home, you need to be sure you can trust them and figure out how they go about getting into your home to clean. If the cleaning service asks you to provide a key, ensure they have strict guidelines regarding key handling. Some companies may provide options such as leaving your keys at the reception or under the mat.
Don’t hesitate to mention your preference and request the ideal option for you or ask the cleaner what works best for them.
What Should I Do with My Pet?
Given that most household pets are sensitive to loud noises, such as those produced by a vacuum, you may want to leave the pet in a separate room or a safe spot. If you’re booking a recurring service, spare some time to introduce your pet to the cleaning staff. That way, your pet won’t be uncomfortable or hostile whenever it’s time for cleaning.
Those are just some of the questions to ask a potential house cleaner in Toronto before you decide to hire them. However if you have another question about our company or the people we have on our team, feel free to ask anything that may be on your mind. We don’t mind. We believe that good cleaning comes from asking questions.
For top home cleaning services in Toronto, rely on the cleaning experts at Brilho Luxury Cleaning & Services today. Call our experts at 416-923-3300 or email [email protected] to learn more about our service and schedule an appointment with us today. We guarantee exceptional results.
