The Consumer’s Guide To Hiring A Cleaning Company

Misconception #1: Cleaning people will steal from me.

Unfortunately, this is a common belief that consumers have because some shady people have given our industry a bad rap. Most companies do not do their part when it comes to hiring quality employees. Many of these “so-called” businesses are unlicensed and/or uninsured and have extensive employee turnover. This is an unregulated industry, so you must be wary of the people you allow to come into your home.

A reputable cleaning company will always perform background checks on their employees. Furthermore, stable and reputable companies will have the same employees working for them year after year. The best way for you to distinguish between a good company and a bad company is to ask for a 3rd party verification of licensing, insurance and national criminal background checks. Without this verification, you run the risk of having questionable people in your home. Again, it’s important for you to do your homework before you hire anyone. While there are unethical people out there, most house cleaners are some of the most trustworthy, reliable people you could ever meet.

Misconception #2: Cleaning service is expensive; I will just do it myself.

While it is certainly cheaper to clean your home yourself, it’s still costing you something; it’s costing you your free time! It is the same reason why people order groceries on-line. They could easily go to the grocery store, but they do not want to waste their time fighting for a parking spot, searching for groceries, standing in line, packing and unloading their car when they get home.

Time is the most precious commodity, and you can never get it back once it is gone. After all, you only get so much time on the weekends. So, while cleaning the house might save you a few bucks in your wallet, it is costing you hundreds of hours with those that you love. And at the end of the day, what is more important than quality time with your family? The next time you go to clean your house on the weekend, think about how else
you could be spending your time and then compare that with how much it would cost to hire someone else to maintain the house. What you will find is that once you put a price on your free time, it is too expensive to clean your own home!

Misconception #3: All cleaning companies are the same.

This misconception could not be further from the truth. Not all cleaning companies are the same. You have some companies who have a mop and a bucket, and they call themselves a cleaning company. Unfortunately, there are so many so-called companies out there who have no idea how to operate an actual business. You want to do business with a company who can prove that they have experience and have results to prove it.

Furthermore, you want to spend some time looking over their online reviews to see what their customer experiences have been. If the company does not have any reviews, that should be a red flag. Our recommendation is to ask for a list of references of current customers. Take your time to do your research to utterly understand what it will be like to do business with this company. There are several factors you could look for but two of the most important are reliability and integrity.

Misconception #4: Hiring a private person is cheaper than hiring a professional cleaning company.

While this statement is 100% true on the front end of doing business, it may not be true on the back end if something goes wrong. A professional cleaning company is operating as a legitimate business, by paying federal and state taxes, along with liability and workers compensation insurance.

Liability insurance is important because if something is damaged in your home, such as your wood floors, this insurance will assist with repair or replacement. When a company does not carry this insurance, you are on the hook for any repair or damages caused in your home during the cleaning. With Worker’s Compensation Insurance, you are protected if an accident happens in your home, such as a cleaning person falling down a flight of stairs. With a non-insured private person, you would be responsible for their medical bills and time off because technically they work for you while cleaning your home.

When comparing prices, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. A fully insured cleaning company will be considerably higher than a company without insurance and that is because you are paying for peace of mind. Although the non-insured cleaning price looks much more attractive, be aware that it could cost you thousands in the long run through unexpected damages and/or medical bills.

Misconception #5: If it smells clean, then it must be clean.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about cleaning. Just because an area smells flowery and fresh, does not mean it is clean. In fact, the brain can trick you into believing something is clean based upon the smell alone. The truth is that smell has nothing to do with how clean something is. The safest cleaning products are odorless. Therefore, you should not be fooled by areas smelling clean; instead, you should be concerned with “safe” cleaning products that will eliminate harmful germs & bacteria from your home.

Misconception #6: Bleach is the best cleaning product for cleaning my home.

First off; bleach is a “disinfectant” not a cleaner. When used as a cleaning agent, bleach remains on surfaces and continues to emit fumes. Recent studies have revealed that children who have had exposure to bleach in their homes are more likely to suffer from respiratory illness. In addition, various studies have linked the use of bleach in a household to a higher prevalence of asthma and allergies. While it is true that bleach can kill germs quickly, it is not a great product to use when it comes to breaking down the build-up of surfaces. Most importantly, bleach is toxic and can be extremely harmful to you, your family, and your pets.

Misconception #7: I should always go with the lowest price.

Unfortunately, this misconception is the biggest misconception of them all. As the old say goes, you get what you pay for. If you go with a cheap, low-price company, you can expect the service to be of the same caliber, cheap and low-quality. Let’s face it, a cheap company can’t afford to pay their employees living wages and with that, they’re attracting low-quality, low-skilled and low-integrity employees.

Ironically, you want to look at this exactly the opposite. With a higher-cost company, you can expect not only the cleaning to be top-notch, but the overall customer experience to be top-notch, as well. You want to choose a company with a winning track record, one that can prove their company’s longevity and integrity. This business is all about trust. After all, what is more important than having people in your home who you can trust.

Rip-Off Clue #1: Super Cheap Prices.

Some companies advertise a low price and then pressure you into paying more once they get inside your home. Sadly, many cleaning companies break the law by using illegal bait & switch tactics. There is no company that can clean your home for a super low price without strong-arming you into more money or up-selling you into additional services. Be sure to investigate the company and why they’re so much cheaper than everyone else because if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Rip-off Clue #2: Pricing by the Hour.

Although most cleaning companies charge by the hour, they’ll strategically price the job with low hours upfront, but when they come for the cleaning, they’ll ask for more time, which is ALWAYS more money! Again, most companies break the law by using these illegal bait & switch tactics. Pricing by the hour and quoting low is the oldest trick in the book. Pricing varies from home to home based upon several factors, but an honest and reputable cleaning company should always be able to provide you with a fixed quote. Make sure whoever you decide to hire will put everything in writing, including the maximum price you could be charged for the cleaning.

Rip-off Clue #3: They ask to use your cleaning equipment and supplies.

If a company asks to use your cleaning supplies, run away as fast as you can. This is a sure sign that you’re about to get ripped off. A real cleaning company has developed a system around using their own supplies. This is equivalent to taking your car into the shop and the mechanic asking you to buy the part and provide the tools. A real mechanic has his own tools and knows how to order the parts that he needs to do the work. A real
cleaning company will provide everything necessary to do the job. The only tools Executive Maids needs you to supply are your vacuum and toilet brush. This is to protect each of our clients from cross contamination of germs.

1. Do you carry insurance?

If so, the company should be able to provide you with a “Certificate of Insurance” from their insurance carrier/s.

There are 3 policies you want to look for:|

• General Liability: A well-insured company will carry at least a $1m General Liability policy. The reason liability insurance is so important is because if something is damaged in your home, such as your wood floors, this insurance will assist with repair or replacement When a company doesn’t carry General Liability Insurance, you’re on the hook for any repair or damages caused in your home during the cleaning.
• Workers Compensation: Workers Compensation is required for all W2 employees. However, it is awfully expensive and most small companies and private cleaners cannot afford this insurance. The reason this is insurance is so important to you is because if a worker falls down a flight of stairs in your home and they don’t carry Workers Compensation insurance, you’re required to pay for their medical bills and time off
  because technically they work for you while cleaning your home.
• Employee Bonding: This insurance protects you from any theft in your home. In addition to Employee Bonding, it’s important that you inquire how the company goes about screening and background checking their employees A professional cleaning company should be able to share their formal process used for screening their employees Some companies go the extra mile to make sure all their employees carry company ID’s which
  show proof of background check.

Executive Maids is fully insured and bonded with the above-mentioned policies. We will provide a certificate of insurance to any client who requests one.

2. Do you price by the hour or by the job?

There are two options when it comes to pricing jobs, by the hour or by the job.

• Price by the Hour: If a company quotes by the hour, be sure to ask exactly how long they will be in your home and how many people they will be sending. Also, be sure to ask what will happen if they need more time to finish the job. In most cases, more time translates into more money. Hourly pricing can quickly become an open checkbook since there is no incentive for the cleaners to expedite the time in your home. You can always request to cap the cleaning time, but in this case, you will likely need to exclude rooms or services for them to finish in the allotted time.
• Price by the Job: If the company is quoting by the job, it is a fixed price. The benefit of a fixed price bid is that the price does not change. even if the company spends more time in the home. Keep in mind that the pricing will usually be higher upfront to account for any expected time overages, especially when it comes to the initial cleaning. It is important that you evaluate your risk when comparing prices because although the hourly pricing may appear cheaper upfront, it could cost you more in the long run.

Executive Maids charges by the job. We do not surprise you with additional charges at the end of your cleaning like other cleaning companies do.

3. How many cleaners will you send to my home?

Some Cleaning companies work in teams while others send Solo Cleaners.

Due to COVID-19 Executive Maids has changed to sending Solo House Cleaning Technicians. If a job is a large job, we will send two. One will work upstairs, and the other will work downstairs for social distancing purposes.

4. Do you have a Cleaning Task List?

When shopping for a cleaning service, make sure you find out exactly what is included. Most cleaning companies offer different types of services: Deep, Regular, Move In/Out, Post Construction cleanings, etc. All professional cleaning companies should be able to provide you with a list of what is included with each service so that you know exactly what is included with your cleanings.

Executive Maids offers two types of house cleanings. The first is a Top to Bottom Deluxe Cleaning. This is what we do for Initial cleanings, Spring cleanings, Move in Cleanings, etc. The other is for the clients who never want to clean their home again who schedule maintenance cleanings on a regular basis.
They are our Perfect Maintenance Cleanings. We will gladly provide you with our document that compares the two cleanings.

5. Do you have a Formal Training Program for your Cleaners?

Professional cleaning companies should have a formal training program that all new hires must go through when starting with their company. In some cases, the training could be informal while are more formal to ensure excellent, detailed cleanings. Be sure to ask about what steps the company takes to make sure their employees are fully trained before they enter your home.

Executive Maids trains their House Cleaning Technicians with hands on training with our Professional Trainer. After that we further teach them our systems and procedures through an online employee portal for advanced training. After all training has been completed each new hire takes a test on our systems and procedures. Our training is extensive and detailed.

6. Do you have a Quality Control Program

Be sure to inquire whether the company has a formal Quality Control (QC) process in place with leave behind quality cards, or follow-up email or phone call after every cleaning. With a formal QC process, the company can see trends of their employees and make decisions on where additional training is necessary.

Executive Maids does Zoom Inspections of the they each home cleaned by newer employees after they finish cleaning each home. A second set of eyes helps to ensure that excellent cleaning services have been provided. This is a walk though of the homes they clean to ensure outstanding cleanings. After they have
proven to be amazing House Cleaning Technicians, we do random Zoom Inspections (one per day). No other local cleaning service is taking this extra step with their quality control. We also follow up your initial cleaning with a phone call to make sure you are happy with your cleaning. And we send emails
after your Perfect Maintenance Cleanings asking about the quality of service provided.

7. Do you provide all equipment and supplies?

Most professional cleaning companies provide their own equipment and cleaning products. The cost of these items is bundled into the overall price of the cleaning. If you are required to provide your own cleaning supplies, keep in mind that this increases your out of pocket expense since you will need to constantly shop and replace the cleaning supplies.

Executive Maids comes prepared with the tools and supplies necessary to clean your home. If you have special products you would prefer, we use, please let us know in advance where they are kept. And give us specific instructions how to use them. We do require our clients to have working vacuum that work vacuum carpeting, floors, furniture and stairs. And we need our clients to provide toilet brushes. This is so that we do not cross-contaminate germs between clients’ homes.

8. Will you send the same cleaners to my home?

Most professional cleaning companies work in teams of 2 or 3 cleaners where the same cleaners work together every day It’s in the best interest of the company to keep the same employees working together for consistency sake However, various issues might prevent the same cleaners from working together every
single day (employees calling off, sick children, vacation days, etc.) If a company tells you they will always send you the same cleaners, they’re lying to earn your business. They might be able to send 1 of the 2 people with every cleaning but it’s impossible to send the same cleaners to the home 100% of the time.

At Executive Maids, we do our best to keep the same House Cleaning Technician assigned to your home.

9. Will you arrive at the same time?

Typically, a company can only guarantee their first appointment of the day. After the first appointment, the arrival time will vary based upon the amount of time spent in the first home as well as many other factors. Situations or issues could make it so that your team arrives much earlier or later than originally planned for such as a lock out or last-minute cancellation or traffic, just to name a few. Because a cleaning company has different houses on their route every day, the arrival time to your home will also vary with each cleaning. So, unless the houses are the same every week, a company cannot guarantee the same arrival time to your home.

At Executive Maids, our House Cleaning Technicians each have a morning appointment and an afternoon appointment. The basic time slots are for 8:30-9:00 am and 12:30-1:00 pm. When changes occur, you are notified by email and text.

10. Do you offer a Satisfaction Guarantee?

A professional cleaning company should ALWAYS stand behind their work. With that being said, an outstanding company will do whatever it takes to make sure you are satisfied with the service. Most service-based companies do not offer refunds or discounts; instead, they guarantee their work. Most professional cleaning companies offer a 24-hour satisfaction guarantee where you can contact them to express concern over your cleaning. The company will either offer to come back immediately to fix the issue or return in the future and spend more time in that area of the home. Keep in mind that when returning to the house to fix the problem, it is considered a “touchup” of the area that was left less than satisfactory.

This is the Executive Maids Guarantee.