Get smart about home cleaning
Need a cleaner? Here are tips to keep the house tidy and secure, writes Laura Daily.
Finding a good, trustworthy house cleaner or cleaning service can seem like a real challenge, especially for anyone who hasn’t done it before. After all, giving a stranger or strangers access to your home is unnerving.
Though customers may be uncertain at first, they often decide employing cleaners is worth the cost because it saves them so much time and energy.
‘‘Having a housekeeper is a luxury, but so worth it,’’ says Dan DiClerico, a smart home strategist and home expert.
‘‘Living in a clean home is money well spent.’’
Still, DiClerico cautions, ‘‘expect to spend time to find the right person’’.
Here’s how to stop messing around and ensure your house is clean and secure.
Decide what kind of cleaning service you want
Do you want a professional cleaning service or will you be happier with an individual? A professional cleaning company ensures someone always shows up to clean your home. You’re not responsible for screening employees, handling paperwork or carrying insurance. On the other hand, turnover tends to be high, so you may not get the same crew every time.
With an independent cleaner, you can establish a more personal relationship, communicate your needs just once and even negotiate additional services, such as child care, folding laundry or letting the dog out. Still, if an individual gets sick and is a no-show, you’re out of luck. And you may need to pay taxes and ACC.
‘‘In our surveys, we find consumers who employ individuals tend to be more satisfied than those who use cleaning services,’’ says Kevin Brasler, executive editor at Consumers’ Checkbook, a United States-based independent nonprofit consumer group that evaluates the quality and prices of local services.
Get recommendations
Your best resources are family, friends, neighbours and co-workers. Personal recommendations are the best way to get a sense of a potential employee’s work ethic, level of responsibility and trustworthiness.
Put social media to work by posting on Facebook or Neighbourly. I found my latest housekeeper by asking members of my Pilates class for referrals. One classmate had gone through the same hunt about six months before and found a reliable cleaner who was willing to take on another client.
Make a list of needs in advance
Even if you’ve had a house cleaner before, now’s the time to evaluate or re-evaluate your needs. Perhaps your situation has changed, and you require more or fewer cleanings per month. Perhaps certain rooms need only a quick dusting instead of a fullblown cleaning during each visit. Children and pets might have arrived or departed.
Was there something your previous cleaner didn’t do to your liking but it didn’t seem worth mentioning? Write it down so you don’t forget to bring it up.
Schedule a meet-and-greet
Whether you’re hiring an individual or a service, you need to meet the provider for a frank conversation. Ask them to describe what services they do and don’t provide. Spell out your expectations and explain any problems or issues with previous housekeepers.
Do a room-by-room walk-through. Point out any problem areas. It’s vital that you detail what you are picky about. If you want every knick-knack picked up, dusted and put back in place, say so. Ask for references and contact those employers.
Stay for the first few cleanings
‘‘You don’t have to follow them around the house, but this gives cleaners the chance to say, ‘This is more than I expected,’ and you the opportunity to make sure they understand what’s important, especially if you have any items you deem precious,’’ Brasler said.
Calculate the costs
Some cleaners charge less if they come weekly instead of monthly. And you may pay less if you provide your own cleaning supplies or more if you want the interior of your refrigerator wiped down. Don’t be swayed by price alone.
Realise trust takes time
Unless you always arrange to be home when your house cleaner arrives, there will come a point when you have to give them keys and/or alarm codes.
If using a professional service, ask who keeps track of keys and who has access to them.
For individuals, you may want to start by leaving a key in a designated ‘‘safe’’ spot for them to use for each cleaning.
A time will come when you feel comfortable enough to give them their own.
DiClerico says some homeowners are using so-called ‘‘smart locks’’ that allow the user to punch a specific code into a keypad or smartphone app to unlock and lock the door.
– The Washington Post