Selecting a home cleaning service can be stressful. Along with the general pressure of choosing someone who will consistently clean your home the correct way, you also have the concern of giving access to your personal space. Having a home cleaning service you will be happy and comfortable using requires a robust vetting process.
Below are five things topics that should be covered during a vetting process.
For full disclosure, if these five areas meet are answered sufficiently, then you should expect to pay a bit more than a cleaner that does not address these topics appropriately. The reason is that cleaning companies that do not do things are cutting corners or placing undue risk on themselves and their customers.
Licensed Business
*NEW Download this article as an Ebook for a checklist that you can use when talking and meeting with a potential cleaning company.
First and foremost, ask and confirm the cleaner’s business license. There are no regulations regarding who can or cannot open a cleaning service. However, to operate a business in Arizona, you need to register with the Arizona Corporation Commission and a local municipality.
Cleaning companies go unlicensed for several reasons. In Arizona, a major reason is undocumented/or illegal employees. Putting politics, aside, these workers have no legal rights under the law, so the companies who hire them may be paying them wages far below the law allows. If they get hurt, or something else occurs, they will not go to authorities for fear of deportation.
Another reason companies don’t license themselves is the avoidance of taxes. These companies also are not paying taxes. A sign that a company is unlicensed, along with not having the correct form, is the request to pay in cash. Remember, documents can always be forged. When you get their business license number, go to the Arizona Corporation Commission and your local municipality to confirm the numbers they provided you are accurate.
Insured and Bonded
The company needs to be insured and bonded. You check by asking to see their Certificate of Insurance. Insurance protects the company in case one of their employees is hurt on the job, this keeps you from having to use your homeowners insurance policy. But, just having insurance is not enough. The cleaning company needs to also be bonded.
By being bonded, the cleaning company is financially backed by a third-party in the event a homeowner needs to be reimbursed for a stolen or broken property. The difference between a bond and insurance is that a bonding company ensures a cleaning company payment by requiring security or collateral if a customer makes a claim against the company, according to Entrepreneur Magazine.
Proof of insurance and bonding gives you the peace of mind every time someone cleans your home.
Cleaning Crew
It is important to make sure the individuals who are coming into your home are properly trained and vetted. You want to know about the screening process the owner uses to make sure their employees are honest and hard-working. Does this process include a criminal background check? Cleaning a home is not easy. To do it right and in an appropriate amount of time takes focus, skill and some degree of physical fitness. You want to know if they are trained, and if so, what does the training entail. Lastly, you want to know if it will be the same crew cleaning your home each time, or different crews.
Proper Interview and initial clean
You should never hire a cleaning company without having a thorough discussion as part of your decision-making process.
This is also a good time to ask how they approach cleaning a home. They should have a clear, logical and thought-out plan to make sure your home is clean. Ask how they mop, dust and get to hard-to-reach places. You should also understand what is cleaned each time they come, what is cleaned periodically and what is never cleaned unless you pay extra.
Then when the cleaning team of the company you hire arrives, take note of their appearance. They should be well-dressed or in a uniform. Check to make sure their vehicle is clean, with advertising on the side panels. During the initial cleaning, they should be gathering information, taking notes and asking questions.
Products and Supplies
Lastly, you need to ask about cleaning supplies and equipment. Who is responsible, you or the company? For most reputable cleaning companies, they will use their own supplies. It is important to ask for a list of products and chemicals being introduced into your home, especially if you have children or pets.
By doing proper due-diligence you can make the right choice – such as Carnation Home Cleaning – of a home cleaning service, which will lead to years of comfort and confidence.
