Did you know that Americans spend nearly six hours a week cleaning their homes? That's a valuable time you could have spent doing something else!
Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule is difficult, especially if you’re working from home or going out to work, you have small children, you’re a senior citizen, you have health issues, or you simply hate doing it. Hiring a house cleaning service in Philadelphia is the perfect solution to ensuring a sanitized, comfortable, and visually appealing environment.
However, on the flip side, remember that the cleaners have access to private areas of your home. This includes the people who live there, the contents of the home, confidential and private information, etc. That’s why security and safety are also important concerns.
Let the professionals do it!
Here are seven great tips for finding the right home cleaning service for the very first time:
1. Analyze your requirements: Generally, professional cleaners have a comprehensive list of tasks that they undertake. These include:
vacuuming
dusting
mopping kitchen and bath floors
cleaning the bathroom sinks, toilet, and shower
tidying and decluttering
making beds
clean windows
taking out the trash
Additional tasks like switching on the dishwasher/washing machine, folding the laundry, watering plants, feeding your pets and cleaning up litter-boxes, etc., should be negotiated with your cleaning service.
2. Use your networks: Cleaning service personnel may come into your home when you’re there or not there. This means you need a trustworthy, reputed, and dependable service, with trained and experienced staff. Get word-of-mouth referrals from your network of friends, family, and co-workers and ask questions for a better understanding of their experiences. When you speak with like-minded people, you can get assurances about safe waste disposal, using environmentally friendly cleaning products, etc., and whether you need to provide these or not.
3. Research the available options: A local service is a better option because they’re more likely to have serviced your neighbors and friends. Large national franchises may not be able to provide customized services within your budget. However, do your own research to match your unique requirements, preferences, lifestyle, and budget. Social media is a good source of information, but be wary of online reviews since they may not be entirely authentic. Too many bad reviews may be from vested interests to damage the service’s reputation, while too many good ones could be paid-for comments. Look for companies with a mix of both, tending towards a higher number of positive experiences.
4. Ask the right questions: Ensure that the company you select has the experience, training, licenses, and equipment to carry out their tasks. You will also need to know how long they’ve been in business, along with information about the promoters. Check whether they have affiliations and accreditation from trades bodies and professional organizations and whether they have won any awards. Look out for companies that have changed names frequently as they may have bad reviews or penalties under their former name. Once you’ve convinced yourself about this, ask about fixed/flexible rates, customization, and different levels of service. Find out whether their staff have been background checked and screened. Are they contract workers or full-time employees?
5. Insurance and Worker’s Compensation: One of the concerns that most homeowners have about hiring a professional cleaning service is damage, breakage, theft, missing items (including money/documents), and loss. Other potential issues could arise if a cleaning service staff gets injured on your property. That’s why it’s crucial to ask about insurance coverage for all these situations. Insurance coverage could add to the cost of the service, but it’s wiser to be safe rather than sorry.
Do they have the right tools, products, and equipment?
6. Complaints redress: If you’re unhappy with the service or particular service personnel, what redress facilities does the company offer you? Some companies offer a free service, coupons on extra service, discounts, written apologies, monetary compensation, etc. Ultimately, it depends on whether you’re satisfied as a customer with the response you get for your complaint.
7. Prepare your home: Declutter and stow valuables away safely. Provide clear and unambiguous instructions. Never leave confidential papers, bills, documents, etc. lying around. Ensure that your pets are housed safely. Provide genuine and polite feedback. Respect the staff and the work they do for you.
A fresh, sparkling clean, and hygienic home impacts not just your physical health but also your mental well-being. In recent times, the importance of a germ-free, aseptic environment is vital.
About the Author
Lexi Miller is a journalist and author who writes on issues of work-life balance. With an educational background in Occupational Health and Safety, she has worked as a consultant to several businesses that offer cleaning services in residential and commercial sectors. As a single mom, she lives with her five children and three cats.
