What Should You Know Before Hiring a Cleaning Service?

Is it time to remove one major thing from your constantly growing to-do list? 

If you’re considering hiring someone to come in and take care of your dusting and mopping, you can’t be too careful when you are choosing a new cleaning service to come in and take care of your most personal space. 

Think about it: You’re inviting someone into your home with the expectation that they will clean it with the same (or better) attention to detail as they would clean their own home. It’s natural to have all kinds of questions.

There’s a direct link between having a clean home and a reduction in stress levels. Just thinking about keeping your home clean might be causing you undue anxiety, and when you add in making sure you have all the right cleaning products, finding the time and getting everything done, that’s too much stress to handle all on your own. So why not let a professional cleaning service handle it for you?

Here in Hillsborough Township, N.J., we commute into the city, we find time to take our kids to the park, and between work and family, there’s not much time for anything else—like cleaning our home. Hiring a cleaning service is the perfect way to remove some of these extra chores from your checklist, so you can have time to do the things that matter most to you, like finding time to be with the ones you love.

So what should you expect when you hire a professional cleaning service? 

What to Expect from House-Cleaning Service

If you’ve never hired a cleaning service before, you may be wondering, “What should house cleaners clean?” 

You should be clear and communicative with your cleaning technicians so that everybody is on the same page, which means you will always be pleased with the work you receive.

When you are interviewing a cleaning service, you can (and should) ask what services they offer, what’s included in a regular weekly, biweekly or monthly cleaning, and if they are available for additional cleaning services if you have an event coming up or just need a little extra help from time to time. 

About Cleaning Products

You can also ask what kind of cleaning supplies they plan to use. Do they bring their own cleaning supplies, or do they expect you to provide them? This varies from company to company and might also depend on your personal preference. 

For example, if you have special countertops made from a particular material like marble or granite and they require a specific kind of cleaning product, do they have that product, or can you provide it?

hiring a cleaning service

Available Services and Scheduling

You should determine whether a cleaning company you are considering will be able to help you cross different things off your list each week, or if they mainly stick to a specific set of tasks at each visit. 

If the latter, do they charge more if you ask them to pay extra attention to a particularly dusty or dirty area? It’s good to know what their strategy is from visit to visit, so you always end up receiving the kind of cleaning you need. We provide all kinds of additional cleaning services, so that no matter the occasion, your house is looking its very best. 

Other things to know? How does your cleaning service handle scheduling around the holidays? The last thing you want when you are expecting company at the busiest time of year is to be left high and dry without a cleaning service!

Also, how does your service handle cancellations or reschedulings? Sometimes, things get hectic, and we need a little grace in our schedules. Does the cleaning service you are hiring have a policy for these last-minute schedule changes?

Your Professional Cleaning Team: How to Choose a Cleaning Service

You wouldn’t let just anyone into your home, right? So when hiring a cleaning service, you want to hire professionals. There are questions you should ask every cleaning service before hiring them, and there are certain qualifications that should be non-negotiable. 

You have the opportunity to interview a cleaning service before you hire them, and you should take advantage of this time to learn a little bit about who will actually be cleaning your home. What kind of reviews do they have? We provide an extensive list of reviews & testimonials, so our new clients feel secure in choosing us to take care of their homes. 

Of course you want the personnel who work with your cleaning service to be top-notch. But what does this mean? How are you able to ensure that the employees who work for your cleaning service are the very best? And if something is missing or damaged, what happens?

When you are interviewing cleaning services, you will want to ask about whether or not their employees have to provide the following information and receive the following training:

  • Do they have to complete a background check?
  • Do they check references for their employees?
  • Do they receive specific employee training in professional cleaning techniques?
  • Do their employees have to complete security and safety training so they aren’t hurt on the job?
  • Are they trained in security (including theft)?

Another major question to ask when you are evaluating cleaning services is in regards to employee turnover. Are they frequently hiring new cleaning technicians? If this is the case, you might be receiving different and sometimes inconsistent attention from their constant new hires. 

Additionally, too much turnover could also be a red flag about what kind of business a particular cleaning company runs. Are they good to both clients and employees? Do their employees want to work for them?

The Important Details: Insurance

When you are hiring a cleaning service to come into your home, a main qualification should be to ask whether the company is insured or bonded.  Professional cleaning services will have liability insurance and a bond, and they will have a policy in place in case something is broken or damaged or goes missing in your home. 

Without this kind of coverage, you might end up being financially responsible for anything that is lost or damaged—or even if a worker is injured while they are cleaning your home. Your cleaning company should cover workers’ compensation as well. 

Any cleaning company you consider should be able to provide you with their insurance credentials so that you have peace of mind knowing that should anything happen while your home is being cleaned, you won’t ever be financially responsible.

Yes, paying for cleaning services from a company that is bonded and insured might mean that you see slightly higher rates from these companies than from companies that are uninsured or non-bonded. However, keep in mind that when you hire a professional cleaning service, you are inviting people into your home. It’s important to be protected if a disaster occurs, which means these added protections are absolutely worth it. 

Hiring a bonded and insured cleaning service also means you are hiring a service that takes its work seriously and has your best interest in mind. And what could be a better endorsement than that? We provide all of this insurance and training, and we fully check our staff so that you can trust us—because we trust our employees. 

At S&G Cleaning Services, we take our work very seriously, and we are proud to be part of the Hillsborough Township, N.J., community. That’s why giving back to our neighbors is a huge part of our mission, because the gift of a clean home is priceless. 

Want more time with your family enjoying all that Hillsborough Township, N.J., has to offer, like visiting the Pennsylvania Dutch Farmers Market for their tasty offerings each weekend, or exploring Duke Farms? When you work with S&G Cleaning Services, there’s time for that. 

Still have questions, or want to get your free estimate? Reach out today!

hiring a cleaning service

Shirley Perlinsky