Tips on hiring a housekeeping service

Many homeowners feel uncomfortable with the idea of letting strangers inside their properties to clean for them. On the other hand, there are those who are thankful for professional cleaning services as they allow more time and energy to be saved. If this is your first time or you’re still looking for a housekeeper, here are essential factors that you need to look into.

Individual or service?

Hiring an individual cleaner has its advantages over getting a team of service people, but there are also pros on having a group to handle your house chores.

An individual cleaner tends to provide more personalised care for your home and may include bed making and folding of clothes as part of his/her services. Meanwhile, a team of professional cleaners can get the job done more quickly and at times more thoroughly. Also, if someone gets sick, other cleaners from the team can step in so that regular housekeeping won’t be disrupted.

Check for licence and insurance

You can only trust licensed businesses to handle your household tasks. Typically, if a business is licensed to operate, they are likely to have secured an insurance as well. This aspect is very important as it protects you from the cleaners’ dishonesty or negligence.

Additionally, insurance for an individual is usually lower than that of a team of service people. You might also want to consider this when deciding to hire an individual or a cleaning service.

Ask around

Your friends might be able to recommend a good cleaner, but if you’re new in town, you could trying searching online for the best cleaners in your area. Check their profiles to find out if they’re offering the services that you specifically need and read feedback from other customers as well.

Interview before hiring

Most cleaning businesses would be happy to go on a site visit and offer free consultation. However, before inviting them over to your home, you might want to try talking to them on the phone. This is a good chance to ask questions about their services and let them know about your concerns or special requests.

For instance, if you’re keen on using hypoallergenic products, you can discuss it with them and see if they can cater to your requirements. Also, find out if they’re going to bring their own supplies and charge extra fees for that; if not, don’t forget to ask for a list of cleaning supplies that you need to get.

Need a cleaning lady? We’ve compiled a list of the top cleaners on site.