So you’ve decided it’s time to get a hand keeping your home clean and are wondering whether to go with a professional house cleaning company or hire someone who works independently. This isn’t a decision to be made lightly. The people who do the house cleaning usually will see your home at it’s worst and will spend time handling and caring for your personal possessions. This can be an uncomfortable experience, and you want to know that your home will be respected, your things cared for, and your privacy maintained. Which you decide to go with will be determined by a number of important questions.
How many house cleaners do I need?
The majority of house cleaning services can be accomplished by a small team of cleaners. If you’re working on a special project or own a particularly sizable home, additional help may be needed. If this is the case for your home, hiring an independent cleaner can be tricky as they usually work alone. Professional house cleaning companies offer skilled cleaning teams in all sizes, starting from a single maid to teams consisting of dozens. So the first consideration is how many cleaners you need to handle your space efficiently and how many new faces you want in your house on a regular basis.
Are they licensed, bonded, and insured?
In almost every case where an independent house cleaners are involved, the answer to this question is going to be no. Being bonded and insures means that should anything go wrong during the cleaning process, your home and possessions are going to be protected. If an uninsured cleaner breaks something, you’ll have to dock it out of what you’re paying them, and if it’s a particularly pricey piece of equipment, you may never get your money back. Reputable house cleaning company is almost always licensed, bonded and insured, and you can easily find out by asking them. Be sure to check out their credentials, just to be sure.
Personalized service can be important
One of the drawbacks that potentially comes with a cleaning companies is that you don’t know if you’ll be getting the same maids each time. Miss Maid is a professional house cleaning company that is focused on what is important to the customers. They will assign the same team members for every cleaning session, something that other large companies aren’t so accommodating doing that. Hiring an independent house cleaner means that you can be certain you’ll have the same team members arrive every time, and you’ll have the opportunity to build a relationship with the people cleaning your house.
House cleaning prices explained
When you’re hiring a house cleaning service to get work done, the cost is always going to be a factor. This element of your decision can be a little hit or miss, as even individual cleaners can charge high rates. Especially where individual contractors are concerned, it’s often a case of “you get what you pay for.” Low rates may indicate less dedication to the tasks at hand, lack of experience, or that they use inferior cleaning products that may harm your furniture or other belongings. Cheap house cleaning service often comes with greater risk of either having unexperienced cleaner, not insured or background checked. Cleaning companies like Miss Maid often are able to offer competitive rates due to economies of scale. They order their professional cleaning supplies in larger batches, have more clients, and thus can afford to give steeper discounts on their services. Most importantly, your maid will be a real house cleaning pro, fully trained, bonded and insured!
Training, Experience, and Accountability
When someone is handling your personal belongings, this concern can be absolutely critical. Cleaning products often contain chemicals that can stain or otherwise harm delicate fabrics or surfaces. This makes it essential that your cleaning team knows how to use them properly. Professional house cleaners offered by larger companies are usually engaged in continuing education to supplement the training they receive. Independent cleaners may have no additional training or experience at all, and may not know the proper cleaning methods to use to protect your most precious items. While asking about their qualifications, be certain to inquire after how they train their staff and what certifications they currently have.
Service that’s adaptable to your needs
This is another element where your mileage may vary. Independent cleaners and professional house cleaning companies alike can provide a broad range of services. What comes standard, how much special requests costs, and how adaptable they are to the needs of their customer can all be different. The only way to know whether your independent cleaner can offer things the cleaning company cannot is to ask.
These considerations can help you decide between a professional cleaning team and an independent cleaner. Take care in making your decision, and be sure to ask all the questions you can think of to help determine whether to hire the professionals or go with an independent. Overall independent cleaners are a better solution when there’s nothing delicate being handled or as part of a small job. Larger jobs, or those requiring specialized cleaning care, are better left to the professionals.
