Sometimes it can feel like a clean home is all but unattainable.
If you’ve just bought a new place, you’ll naturally want to give it a good cleansing to eliminate vestiges of the previous owners; with so much unpacking to do, though, the deep clean may be put on the back burner.
And if you’re selling your house, well, cleaning can sometimes seem like a distant priority to some of your other home staging musts.
Finally, for those who have no plans of buying or selling anytime soon, life just gets in the way; after a long week at the office, the last thing you want is to spend a few hours scrubbing.
That’s why house cleaning services can be so welcome. These companies will do the deep cleaning for you, freeing your time for other important activities.
Not all house cleaning services are created equal, though, and it’s always important to do your due diligence. Start with our tips below.
How to Select the Best House Cleaning Service
Ask for recommendations
There’s nothing quite as reassuring as a personal recommendation from a friend, family member, or co-worker. So before you do anything else, ask around. See if you know anyone who gets their home cleaned and would recommend their service. Sometimes, using a friend’s company can get both of you a discount… and even if it doesn’t, it’s still a good way to pick a service you can feel good about.
Use Google!
In lieu of a personal recommendation, you can always use the search engines to help you scout out some good options. What’s more important here is reading the reviews. They aren’t always reliable, but they can certainly be noteworthy; a cleaning service with a dozen or more 5-star raves is clearly doing something right, while a company with only bad scores may be one to avoid.
Interview two to five different companies
We’d ultimately recommend against going with the very first company you find. Instead, interview cleaning professionals from a handful of different companies. Compare their rates, the scope of their services, and also the friendliness of their customer service. If you don’t like how they interact with you, that’s reason enough to pass over them.
Ask about background checks
The cleaning professionals you hire will be in your home… quite literally, your personal space… and they may even have access to some items that are valuable. You don’t want to risk hiring someone who hasn’t been vetted for potential red flags in their history, so always verify that the cleaning service you hire performs background checks on all their employees.
Insist on a home estimate
How much will you be charged for the cleaning service? This is always something you should ask. Because the cost of a professional cleaning service tends to be by the hour, you’ll want to have an estimator come to your home, size the place up, and give you their most educated guess. Don’t accept estimates over the phone, which usually don’t mean much.
Make sure they will do what you want them to do
Your cleaning service professionals aren’t mind-readers, and you can’t expect them to just know what you want. Specify anything that’s really important to you, whether that’s washing windows, being attentive to kitchen grout, or making sure they clean under the beds. Verify that the service is willing to do the things you want them to.
Ask about supplies
Some cleaning services may want to use your cleaning rags, paper towels, etc. This may or may not matter to you, but it’s certainly something to ask about on the front end.
With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to hiring a cleaning service you can feel good about.
Ready to Get Your House Sold?
Meanwhile, if you’ve decided you’re ready for selling your house, make sure you claim your FREE report from SOLD.com.
In it, you’ll find independent and unbiased recommendations for how you should list, and what steps you can take for getting your house sold and meeting all other real estate goals.
Don’t delay. Claim your free seller’s report from SOLD.com at your next opportunity!
