Hiring a Professional Cleaner
Hiring a professional cleaner keeps your home clean, while you enjoy your life. Read about the benefits of hiring a professional today.
Hiring a professional cleaner allows you to spend more time enjoying your life without sacrificing the cleanliness of your home. Benefits expand beyond convenience, however. A professional cleaning service is trained and experienced to do the job right, using safe and effective cleaning chemicals and supplies. Read ahead for tips on hiring a professional cleaner and the benefits it brings to your life today.
Professional Cleaning Services 101
Professional cleaning services perform a large variety of housecleaning tasks. These tasks are done at a professional level using high-quality cleaning solutions and supplies. Pricing for a professional cleaner is usually structured in tiers, so expect costs to vary from one company to another. Each service has a list of tasks and services it does and does not provide. For example, most cleaning services do not clean windows because of the added time, risks and equipment involved in doing the job well.
A professional cleaner is sometimes available on short notice and for emergencies. When you establish a relationship with a particular service the next step is to schedule regular cleaning sessions. This is the most common scenario although the frequency of those sessions varies from weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and so-on.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional Cleaner
A professional cleaner is not limited to cleaning only residential homes. Apartment complexes, medical facilities and other businesses also benefit from professional cleaning services. Senior citizens benefit from hiring a professional cleaner because it prevents them from taking on work they might not be able to safely handle. Effective cleaning involves accessing many hard-to-reach places. This often involves step stools and ladders, which are not safe to use for many seniors. People of all ages experience physical limitations, however. Major back surgeries require long periods of rest, recovery and physical restrictions. A professional cleaning service keeps your home in great shape during your recovery period and eliminates worry and stress.
Many working parents do not have time to take deep breaths in 2021 let alone fully clean a house. Hiring a professional cleaner helps make life easier for you as a parent, while simultaneously setting a positive example for your children. Landlords who own various multi-unit properties sometimes rely on professional cleaning services to clean entire buildings. This is especially true of multi-residence condominium buildings commonly located in more affluent areas. Landlords are often highly busy and therefore also benefit from professional cleaners who help prepare apartments and rental homes for the arrival of new tenants.
Landlords are not the only people who own multiple homes. Your seasonal rental or vacation property is a valuable and important part of your life. Leaving it unattended and uncleaned for most of the year leads to potential damage and unexpected expenses. Hiring a professional cleaning service to clean your vacation home at least once a season helps save you money in the end.
Businesses and business owners also benefit from professional cleaners. A clean office translates to positive working conditions and better performances from employees. Medical facilities and food-based businesses each absolutely need professional cleaning services to stay up to code and keep patients, customers and staff safe.
What Does a Professional Residential Cleaning Service Typically Include?
While each professional cleaner creates its own specific service list many typical tasks are handled by cleaning services across the board. For example, most professional cleaners include vacuuming and mopping your floors. Dusting is also a typical service provided by residential cleaning companies. Certain tasks are either not included or are instead performed for extra fees. For example, some cleaning services include washing and folding laundry in their service packages, while others charge extra or do not provide this service at all.
Professional residential cleaning services provide standard service contracts for you to sign. The contracts state what is and what is not provided with each service so there is no ambiguity once the cleaners arrive at your home. Contracts are beneficial and offer protections for both you and the cleaning company. It is important to go over your contract thoroughly and ask any questions about what services are included before you sign.
Rug shampooing and window cleaning are usually specialized services not included in regular residential cleaning sessions. Rug shampooing is more commonly available as an add-on service for an extra fee but not always. Window cleaning almost always requires the hiring of a completely separate professional service.
Decluttering your home is not part of a professional cleaner’s task list. Most times your contract will clearly state the need for you to declutter your home in advance of any cleaners arriving. Otherwise, they will omit the cluttered areas from their service sheet and still charge you. Several more typical tasks, which are included with professional residential cleaning services include:
- Cleaning and sanitizing surfaces (countertops, tables, bathroom mirrors, sinks, etc.).
- Cleaning and sanitizing doorknobs and handles.
- Dishes (sometimes only as a special request for an additional fee).
- Trash collection and removal.
- Cleaning and disinfecting the bathroom (toilet, bathtub, shower walls, etc.).
- Bed making (when applicable).
Typical Costs
Each cleaning service charges based on its own policies, which means prices vary greatly between companies around the country. Most companies establish pricing in tiers, however. Tiers are based on square footage, number of rooms and the difficulty level of each job. The amount of ceiling and other high spaces requiring cleaning might impact prices. Fees are charged as flat or hourly rates or a per-visit structure. Sometimes you are billed using a combination of all these methods. Checklists are used for accuracy in billing and to keep sessions organized.
Your location also impacts typical costs. The same services in one region or state might cost differently in others. Professional cleaners charge between $20 and $90 per hour on average. This equates to approximately $150 to $250 or more per visit. Deep cleaning, which includes rug shampooing, adds approximately $50 to $100 to your bill.
Top Professional Cleaners and Resources to Find Them
Numerous websites offer resources for finding top professional residential cleaners in your area. Thumbtack is a highly popular and reliable source for finding professional services across the country. Care.com and The Cleaning Authority are both dedicated to finding professional cleaners and other services for your home and elderly loved ones. Angi (formerly Angie’s List) is another reliable source for finding top cleaners near you in 2021. A list of a few top popular and reliable cleaning services in business today includes: