Tips For Hiring A Professional Housekeeping Service

Out of all of the companies offering professional housekeeping services, choosing the right one can be daunting. The first thing that might give you second thoughts in hiring the experts is that it means allowing some people, probably strangers, into every corner and private area of your home. Another aspect that might affect your decision is the thought that the cleaners might judge your poor housekeeping skills.  You might also be worried that the workers cleaning your entire house may break or take your belongings. These and many other factors and doubts can make it very difficult to decide on whom to hire.

But as daunting as it can be, hiring someone to take care of thoroughly cleaning your home is one of the best decisions that you can make. You just have to know the considerations that you should know to find the best housekeeping services company you can trust in cleaning your home. Read then the below helpful tips that will help you choose the right professional housekeeper for you.

Think ahead

If you want to hire someone to clean and tidy up your home, it’s essential to plan ahead. Many housekeeping service providers have tight schedules as they have regular clients that they attend to every day. Getting your first appointment booked may take some time, and this is even more true if you want their services during the holidays. If you prefer to get included in their cleaning lineups for the upcoming month or Thanksgiving holiday, you need to call them as early as possible.

Get some recommendations

If you have decided what kind of cleaner you want to employ, the next step is to get recommendations. Check with your family or friends if they know a person or company that they can recommend. Someone in your circle might have used a professional housekeeping service in the past or is currently using one.

Take advantage of online sources

If you weren’t successful in getting a good referral from the people around you, you could always check online. A quick search in Google of “professional house cleaning + your city name” will give you a long list of websites and companies targeting your area with their advertising and marketing. Checking Craigslist or classified ads is also possible. After choosing several from your online search, start checking out their Google or Yelp reviews to see what their previous and regular customers say about them and their services. Doing this before you check out their website or calling them is better as reviews made in 3rd-party sites are more reliable than those posted on their websites.

When you read online reviews of the local housekeeping services in your community, ensure to keep in mind that not all you see online are legit. Some of the feedback might be fake, so be vigilant and consider the reviews with a grain of salt.

Request for references

If the housekeeping company you are looking at hiring have no reviews posted online, call them and ask if you can talk to some of their current customers. Local companies and independent contractors might not have the time or budget to set up online advertising, but they will have at least two or three clients who can tell you about their service’s quality. If they turn down your request for references, steer clear. If they maintain a good working relationship with their customers, some of these clients should be amenable to vouch for them.

Here are some of the questions that you might ask the references provided by your prospective housekeeping service providers.

•         How long has this company been cleaning your home?
•         Can you share the extent of the cleaning work that they do for you?
•         If you could alter one thing about the services they provide, what will it be?
•         Have you tried referring them to other people? Why or why not?
•         Was there a time when you needed to reschedule their service? How was the rescheduling process?
•         How are the cleaners around your children or pets?

Create a list of the most important things to you, and ask each of the provided references the same questions. After doing this task, you will see that some companies will stand out more than their rivals, which will help you decide on who to hire.

Be clear when communicating to your housekeeper

This particular tip can be tough for some people as we have different preferences when it comes to cleaning techniques or methods. Some clients prefer that floors are vacuumed first before dusting to prevent particles from stirring up and settling on the furniture. Others might think that floors should be addressed last as everything dirt can get into them while cleaning. Some want their toilets to be cleaned with bleach, while others do not like bleach at all. There are many other instructions or complaints that each household owner tells their housekeepers.

To ensure that you are satisfied with your chosen company’s cleaning job, it’s essential to be clear with them. If you want them to use a particular brush or sponge when cleaning your baseboards, you need to tell them beforehand. If you prefer that they lift and vacuum beneath every rug and every visit, they need to hear these from you. Don’t ever tell them to “just clean it” as it could imply 101 various things. Be specific and particular when it comes to the techniques and products you want them to use to complete their job.

Try to adjust your expectations

Once your local housekeeper is done with their cleaning work, and there are areas that you think are not spot-on, you can always tell them in a professional manner. You can say, “In our next appointment, can you do ______?”

If you try to adjust your expectations and are willing to provide honest comments or feedback, you can create a good working relationship with your chosen house cleaner. Compliment them on the areas where they did well, and then tell them what you would want them to improve on or do differently next time. This will help them know and understand your style and your expectations from them, which will eventually make them learn how to make you happy and satisfied in the long run.

If you are finding the best housekeeping services to do a one-time cleaning for a special event or a regular cleaning of your home, the above tips will definitely be handy and beneficial.