Your schedule is full work, family and other activities definitely take quite a bit of your time and you have finally taken the decision to look for help with your house cleaning needs.
Who is going to take care of your most valuable asset is the next question. Do I hire an individual cleaner or a house cleaning company?
We have put together 7 facts that can help you take this important decision.
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1. Availability
When you hire an individual cleaner, you are basically tied to her schedule and availability. What happens in case your house cleaner has things to do, errands that can’t be postponed or gets sick on your cleaning day?
With a professional house cleaning service you will not run into these issues. Professional house cleaning services have defined work schedules and back up programs in case house cleaning technicians do not show up for work.
2. Training
Individual house cleaners generally apply the cleaning concepts they use when cleaning their own place at their customers houses. After all, cleaning is cleaning no matter where you do it right?
Well, it is not that simple, cleaning houses in a professional way is a different story. Responsible house cleaning service has developed an initial instruction with lessons and hands-on experience. This is always complemented with ongoing education which is a key differentiator of a professional house cleaning service. Proper cleaning techniques, time efficiency, appropriate use of tools and supplies ensure that your house is cleaned and maintained at the highest standards.
3. Insurance
Professional house cleaning service not only means dusting, moping and disinfecting surfaces. It means more than that, it means security for both homeowners and employees. What would happen if your personal property is damaged or a house cleaning technician is injured in your house? Well, a professional house cleaning service carries insurance to deal with these unexpected but possible situations.
Will your individual cleaner provide this security? maybe not, so you’d better check your homeowner’s insurance policy to make sure you have the coverage needed for these particular situations
4. Community involvement
One of the first objectives of any company must be giving back. Trusted professional house cleaning companies are not the exception. Investing in the success of the community should be as important for business owners as investing in their employees. Any type of contribution towards charitable programs, volunteer hours and the feeling of doing the right thing are major indicators of a responsible house cleaning company.
Unfortunately, the solo character of independent house cleaners limits them to commit constantly to these causes.
5. Guarantee
Professional house cleaning services are responsibly committed to deliver quality work. In case of mistakes, they are prepared to consistently guarantee their services and redo the areas a customer is not satisfied with. Individual house cleaners might not have the time or resources to deliver this warranty. The 100% satisfaction guaranteed is another element to consider between professional maid services and individual cleaners.
6. Who is the house cleaner employer?
One of the most important elements to consider when hiring help to clean your house is the legal aspect.
Hiring a professional house cleaning service will guarantee that you will only be responsible for paying the company for their services and they will take care of the legality part of their employees.
Now, if you decide to hire and individual here is a recap of some of the requirements:
In case you pay this individual $2000 or more in 2016 (Lets say 26 biweekly cleanings at $77 per week) you are obligated to withhold and pay Federal income, Social Security Medicare and Unemployment taxes. You may want to take a look at the IRS publication 926 that clearly states your responsibilities as employer, yes, you have read it right, employer.
7. Price
Last but not least, the price fact. It is understandable that price is a determining factor in making a decision, however it can’t be the conclusive factor. In terms of house cleaning rates individual house cleaners will always win. They are definitely in the economical side of the industry, however, it is always better to compare apples to apples.
In conclusion, we think is important for customers to realize that there is a huge difference between price and value and that in the long run, cheaper is not always better. The decision is yours.