House cleaning questions?
 

When hiring a house cleaner here, which is better one person or 3 to 4? When they do a deep clean what can u expect? Should top of refrigerator be cleaned? During regular cleans should area rugs be taken up AND put back after floors are cleaned? Will knick nacks be removed , dusted under and replaced? Will they expect to use YOUR cleaning supplies or theirs? Any tips or suggestions of good cleaning person I would appreciate? Tk u

I like 2 or 3 cleaners, less time restricted at home. Some will say you need to watch valuables more.


Deep Cleaning: EVERYTHING is moved, touched & cleaned. Costs twice as much.


Refrig: Jus ask them to include.


Rugs: Up, out & beat. Yepper.


Dusting.....yes, but the cleaners should see & understand your collection first. :icon_wink:


Supplies: Their supplies unless you have special expectations. Use your own vacuum.



Tipping: Not every visit. Special times.


Bottomline..............have cleaners over, lay out personal expectations, get pricing.


:ho:

To answer the part of your question about cleaning supplies: I would have them use my own. I think it is wise not to have mops, sweepers, buckets, and other supplies that have been going from house to house. (I would want any pet hair, germs, whatever, to be ours only.)

I would ask the person what brands they like to use for things that are used up — Mr. Clean? Swiffer? Dawn? — and then I would buy them and have them ready. If they have no preference, supply what you like to use. (Some cleaning products work better than others and might seem a little more expensive — but less is more when it comes to using them.)

Also, check your sweeper bags once in a while and have new ones ready.

I’ve had same person for many years she cleans and dusts everything , on occasion when she is not available I’ve had maid pro they usually come with 2 people they do a very good job and if it’s just a one time cleaning you should tip them . The best thing about having a regular long term cleaner is I don’t have to be there , the best thing for her is she comes once a week and doesn’t have to do much I don’t even cook and that’s NEVER !! FYI. I take care of my cleaner very well
on her birthday and Christmas

An accountant could chime in here, but it's my impression that the difference between an employee and an independent contractor is an employee uses your equipment and supplies, and therefore you are supposed to withhold taxes and give them a W-2. I'm sure most people don't.

I used Maid Pro and they sent a man who was very high-probably meth-scared the bejesus out of me and after he left I discovered he had committed a minor theft. Since then I have used Molly Maid and they are very good-try to send the same team each time. You are paying by the hour, so they will do anything that you ask; I have had them clean before moving in, move boxes out of my car, take cardboard to the curb on recycling day, etc. They change the sheets and have asked about laundry so I suppose they do that, too. One time I had lost an earring, and I offered a reward and pointed them to the room where I had lost it, and they found it immediately. I didn't want it to get vacuumed up. I see lots of little Molly Maid cars throughout the Villages so I think they are overall safe.

If its the same team consistently I give one week's pay at Christmas and tip $10-20 each for extras (like the boxes or the earring)

My wife used to have a friend who had a cleaning lady who cleaned her house every Friday.
Her friend was always late for work on Fridays, as "She had to clean up the house, before the cleaner came!":shrug:

Having used maid pro a few times a year ( they charge flat fee ) when my cleaning person was unavailable I can say that I never had that experience with them , you can pick the service you like but don’t let one person experience shape your choice, I was even given a free cleaning because the person for whatever reason couldn’t find my house in the early days out in fenney and gave up

When the first lockdown was in force in UK. the wife and I did serious house work to pass the time, and our house was pristine.
Several lockdowns since, and after much practice, we have learnt to live in total squalor, in fact we have become very good at it.
We are now working on our personal appearance, and have given up washing ourselves and our clothes.
We now live in our pyjamas full time, have all our food delivered from a local takeaway, and to be honest, we have never been happier.
I thoroughly recommend the lifestyle, and the financial savings on cleaning materials etc. is a nice bonus.
Squalor is Good for you, and your bank account!!:icon_wink:

Your posts are delightful. Hope you’re doing well.

I don't want anyone going through my house to clean, but, if I had to, I would prefer it to be only one person.

Thank you, Two Bills, for validating the recent behavior of Mr. and Mrs. Boomer.

Great Job Pro does a deep clean. 407-928-2738. My house was immaculate. They cleaned everything and every item. Team of 4. Brought all cleaning supplies.

Great Job Pro
 

Would you mind sharing their cost? I am looking for a once a month service. Thanks

Had an individual cleaner fo 20 years, go with a cleaning service. No drama, you're not "stuck" firing an employee if unhappy with their work, and the cleaning service works really well together as a team.

Looking for one good person - not a high priced company. One person is easier to watch. Difficult to trust more than 10 sticky fingers. Deep clean prices I have been quoted are closer to $250.

If you want them once a month, it's $200 for the initial deep clean, then $140 monthly after that. The initial deep clean is required. We have an Iris, 1900 sf but not sure if that makes a difference to them.

Hide your jewelry, silver, loose change , use a safe at home before a cleaning crew comes or put it in the trunk of your car.

we've been disappointed numerous times with things damaged when there was more than one cleaner...the hired
help isn't as careful as the owner

we prefer the single cleaner/owner....much more accountability and desire to satisfy the client when you're dealing with the owner

I have hired 4 for a deep cleaning and it was a joke. I now have one person and the cleaning is much better.

Great Advice!
 

Oh I love this!

Cleaning supplies
 

I was told by a cleaning company that if I supplied products I had to provide hazardous material sheets for compliance reasons.

Thanks. Also, I was wondering how long the deep cleaning took? We have been doing our own cleaning and doing a fine job of it! There may easily come a time when I'm in need of professionals.

I realize I'm not answering the question but not sure why we'd need someone to clean our house a 2 bed/2 bath 1400 square foot home. We could afford it but I don't have any skills in carpentry or electrical work so I leave that to those better qualified. However my wife and I are very capable of cleaning a house and we do it as a team and share certain tasks. I cannot see paying any outsider to come clean our home. Same goes for painting, I'm very capable of painting and thru the years have painted many rooms and exterior of our homes. Maybe some day when we are older and cannot handle the cleaning we'll delegate it to an outsider. My late mom was in her 90s before she passed away and did her own cleaning. $140 to $200 per month savings gets a couple of good dinners in a restaurant each month.

Unless you are physically handicapped, do it yourself. Because that is the only way you can be fully satisfied. If you do get someone, make sure that they are a US citizen!

I don't understand this deep clean stuff. If you have house cleaners clean each week, why do you need a so called deep clean. It seems to me if you need a deep clean every so often, the cleaners are not doing their job in the first place. I had a rental place in Hot Springs Village Arkansas, and hired a cleaning company. After a few months I received a call, and asked if I wanted a deep cleaning. I said, what is a deep cleaning. She told me it is a cleaning in places they don't normally do. I said, so you say you clean my rental, but you really don't clean my rental. I told her I come to my rental twice a year, and I would inspect her cleaning job, and if it was not clean, I would get someone else who would clean it, and not have a need for a so called deep cleaning. I had the same people for four years, and then sold the property. I never again heard about this so called deep cleaning again. If cleaners are doing their job, there should be no call for any deep cleaning. Just another way for people to get money out of you. You know like 3,000 mile oil changes, and change you mattress every eight years. Give me a break.