What Do MOMS Look for in a Cleaning Service?

I use a small service. One owner and I have the same individual cleaning my home for the last couple of years. It has been a positive experience. They are reasonably priced and overall do a great job.

What I really like is that I have two cats and a big dog and I do not have to lock them up. I also have a toddler who I usually leave the floor that she is working on but she positively interacts with him and he looks forward to seeing her.

What I like is she does the floors with a rag and not a mop. She uses my materials and I am fine with that. She cleans the bathrooms and kitchens exceptionally. I also like the personal service and care I receive and I trust them.

I had a service once and will never again. Ther girls that showed up were really sketchy-I would NEVER trust them alone-and this is imortant to me b/c I don't like to be around when my house is being cleaned. They gave me a huge attitude when they left-I think it was b/c I didn't tip them. Well the service was $150 already!!! I would have thought that they would be compensated WITHOUT me shelling out even more money. The job was not very good either.

I feel that you get a much much better deal from an individual. They are WAY cheaper really. My best cleaning lady unfortunately could not go to my new house b/c it was too far. She went way above and beyond the call of duty-anything that needed done she would do-fold laundry, clean fridge. She had my house on a rotation so that at any given time the walls and baseboards would be pristine, all floors clean, every top of cabinet clean, etc. My current cleaning lady is just OK. There is a lot that she could do better but I feel too bad for her to fire her. She has had a tough life and she needs the work. I do feel that I made a mistake becoming friendly with her b/c it makes it much harder to correct her or to fire her.

We tried two out. One was an individual who has EXCELLENT references, but she did not clean our tile floors(admittedly she said we had the wrong type of broom and mop). I told her I would pay for whatever she needed and she could go get it. After two more tries, hubby let her go.
I liked that she NEVER was on her cell phone, she was friendly, and she got done fast. Plus, I knew she never stole. I offered her drinks and lunch. Doesn't everyone? Not according to her. I also tell her to feel free and use the bathroom. She had a UTI from holding it because most won't let her.
That is not me. But, I won't get too friendly with a cleaner as I am paying them to clean.

We tried a crew from THE company in town. All they had to do was clean windows. The boss was not with them as her daughter was having a baby. Guess what. She was dialated and lost her mucous plug. She was in terrible pain and pooped a bunch. How do I know? Her CREW talked on the cell phone repeatedly and loudly. This is 1000% unacceptable.
They left tons of spots because the cat was away and the mice wanted to play. As soon as they were out the door, I called the owner and told her all about it. They redid our windows for free and I won't run down the company, but my husband will never hire them again. We should not have to answer "Is this good enough?" Get the windows clean the first time, then ask us to go over it. Don't leave streaks and spots. A teen could have done better.
I hate having people work in my house, so if I find a mom who KNOWS how to clean like a professional, I would pay $$$ cash per hour.

First, LOVE your alias...very apropros.

I have a lot to say about this...

The timing of this question couldn't be more perfect. We recently moved and I hired yet another housekeeper. She was very upset yesterday and close to tears, b/c a few of the families she has worked for in the past have treated her so poorly. They did not even offer a glass of water. I always provide drinks and a meal when a cleaner is in my home. Where do others learn to treat s/o with clearly fewer resources so poorly? My mantra - again - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

My complaints with cleaning services are:
1. Having read Nickeled and Dimed and used several services, I know for a fact that they treat their employees pretty poorly. The service charges a premium and pays the worker maybe minimum wage.
2. They are taught and instructed to do just a surface job, no deep cleaning and ONLY what is on the list. We are charged for too many common sense extras.
3. The quality of workers is hit or miss and turn over is atrociously high b/c of No. 4....
4. Most cleaning service companies in America don't provide any benefits: health, medical, dental, sick time, vacation...it's just a grueling, hourly job year after year. And yet we need these community based support systems. Why is it so difficult to pay and treat others with basic courtesies and human decency. Are business owners that greedy? Is overhead that high for a cleaning company? One service, years ago, I paid a guy $80 to clean our 3 Bedroom house. He sent 2 gals, who spent 2 hours. He paid them $6 an hour. $12 x2 = they made $24 total. He made $56 for not even being there and sending used rags. I don't earn that as a skilled piano teacher. We kept getting sick and I kept blaming it on those rags and vacuum cleaners used in s/o else's home. They even drove their own car. His overhead and salary for every house cleaned does not need to exceed theirs by so much. I don't know if others take the time to reflect about these arrangements, but I find them financially and morally reprehensible. And - just another great reason to have socialized medicine, so that poor people who don't have great jobs can still have access to basic medicine.

That's my rant about a service. The positives about a service, is that they are in and out quickly and there's no need to befriend the workers. They are there to clean and go. The services usually provide a list of what they do and they are pretty good about follow through. My husband is very leery of giving a service keys to our home to enter if we are not home. He actually forbids it, so this means I must be around. And it's complicated with kids and schedules. We just don't trust the services due to the turnover.

The drawbacks of just one cleaning person is that it naturally takes longer. And b/c of that there is more personal time, which can be either beneficial or draining, depending upon the individuals circumstances. But the sole housekeeper typically treats our home like their own and if not, I would find another. And with the independent cleaner, I can run out to the store and leave the kids for a bit if necessary. It is definitely more of a personal commitment, like giving rides when she is finished. But I don't feel that s/o just whipped through my home and has to clean 4 or 5 other homes still.

I also prefer having s/o use my own cleaning supplies, rags, and vacuum cleaners. There are now green cleaning companies that I would consider getting a quote from, but I have also heard they are quite pricey.

I used someone only once in my life and it was a friend....so an individual.
It is hard to have someone come into your house and put things back the way you like them.....like moving rugs, etc. I like an individual, and someone you know and trust. In this day and age you need to know they aren't going to steal or break in when you aren't at home...I also did cleaning when I was in high school/college. Tried to follow what the folks requested and I think I did well. They never complained and if they had requests they would just tell me. I know these services tend to be bonded or whatever but does it help? I would definitely want some personal security if it were me owning the service so get bonded or something similar. I would want someone to clean like I do. Good luck and let us know how all this "dirt shakes out"! LOL!

-Same person/people every week. I would not want different people in and out of my house

-Cleaning service should be ON TIME!

-Cleaning service wears booties or wears shoes that they change into when they come into the house (inside shoes)

-They use my vacuum.

-Be sure to either provide them with, or that they bring enough sponges/cloths so that bathroom sponges are not used in other areas of the house

I have used both a service (only once) and an individual. I paid the individual $50, and it took about 3 hours. She was very friendly and great when my curious toddlers wanted to be into everything she was working on. The person the service sent was fine, but I felt like the kids and I really had to stay out of her way, which is almost impossible in our little house. I think it was about $90 and less than 2 hours.
I actually discontinued using the service because, for the money, I didn't think that much was done. I was really looking for clean tile grout and toilet - I should have asked beforehand about those items. The toilet was cleaned, but not as well as I would have liked. I guess I figured the service would send a variety of cleaning products for different situations/stains, but they just had regular all-purpose cleaner that didn't budge the stains. The grout wasn't touched, which I understand isn't normally on the list for a service. But I walked into my kitchen and even though the tile was nice and clean, there was still spaghetti sauce on the white grout that I had to scrape off. I would just think that it's common sense that the grout is part of the floor.
I think the positive about a service is that it doesn't depend on the individual's schedule. The individual that I had cleaning my home got busy with her kids and went back to school, so she discontinued cleaning houses. With a service, you'll just get another cleaning person if one quits, but no more arrangements need to be made, no more calls to make, etc...

I would look for a cleaning service or individual to be a non-smoker, punctual, not talk/text on phone, be friendly or at least comfortable around the kids (it really shouldn't matter if we're looking over her shoulder or not), and what they do has to make a difference. I would prefer the service use their own cleaning supplies - I'm paying for them, after all. An individual could use mine, but should have some cleaning tricks up her sleeve for tough jobs. I will buy whatever is needed to get the job done. Also, price is a consideration. I would think $50/time is fair for an individual with no overhead, maybe $70 for a business (I have a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, small kitchen house).

I really look for it to make a difference - after the person leaves, does the house feel, smell, and look cleaner? If it didn't really make a difference, then I'm not going to pay for it.

I prefer an individual -- for all the reasons here -- they are cheaper, the person doing the work is the one getting the money, a lot of cleaning services hire almost anyone to clean whereas someone that cleans as an individual you get more experience, consistent in their cleaning, I can trust one person a lot easier then a bunch of people, plus it's easier for me to arrange what I want done not having to go through someone else.

I would prefer an individual or at least two women but not a service where you have a different cleaner everytime. I would want someone who would get to know me, my likes, and our home and continue each time. I would want the hard things like ceiling fans, baseboards, windows and panes, fridges, etc about once a month. I don't like services b/c they seem to rush in and out and be on a time schedule to get to the next house, you can tell they are being paid by the hour. I would want a personal service feeling....feel like I am important and that you remember what "I" like each time you come. I would want a cheaper price the more often you come.
I love a clean smell, shiny faucets that don't look water splotchy, etc I would want the same person so we could build trust so that I could have my home cleaned while I am not at home. Hope this helps! Good luck!