Congratulations! You have decided to hire a house cleaner!
Many busy professionals hire someone because they are unable to keep up with the demands of their busy lives. Or maybe you simply do not enjoy housework and want to delegate that to someone else.
Whatever your reasons, having a house cleaner will open up hours during your week that you can focus elsewhere, like on spending time with your family. Your home is special though, and you simply do not want anyone coming into it.
Choosing a house cleaner can seem overwhelming, but it does not have to be. Here are five questions that you can ask any potential house cleaner to help you narrow down your search.
1. Are You a licensed, bonded, and insured house cleaner?
What does this question mean? Simply put, you are asking someone if they are a professional.
“Licensing” really just means that the business is licensed. This is not entirely necessary but gives you a sense of how committed your house cleaner is to the profession.
You want a cleaning company that is bonded and insured to protect you for anything that goes wrong. This can be anything from an employee taking something that does not belong to them, to someone getting injured while cleaning your home.
2. How much will you charge? (And how do you set your rates?)
You want to be able to understand not only how much you are paying, but what that actually means.
Cleaning companies charge for their services in many different ways. Some charge by hours, while others will charge per visit.
Get an estimate as to how long it will take to clean your house. If your cleaner is charging hourly, find out if they will cap at a certain number of hours.
3. What is included?
You want to know what you are paying for. Find out what tasks are included
You want to ask yourself someone questions in this field too. What would you LIKE to see included?
What are the chores that you cannot stand doing? Do you want light cleaning or deep cleaning?
Make sure that both of you are on the same page about what you expect. As well, this is when you can ask about how many people will be on your house cleaning team.
There is no right answer here – some prefer to work alone, while others find it more efficient to work with others.
4. What products do you use?
A professional will know what cleaning products are right for any surface. Find out what they will be using on your treasured items.
As well, environmentally friendly products are coming out all the time. Find out if your house cleaner is using them!
5. Can you provide references?
This is a big one! You will get a certain feel of your house cleaner from your conversations but knowing that that person or company is like will only come from references.
Any reputable house cleaner will be able to provide you with references of happy customers, more than willing to share their good experiences.
Now, more than ever, having a clean home is a necessity that cannot be understated. Use these five questions to find the house cleaner that is right for you and your family!