Let’s face it – cleaning is a necessary evil. It takes time away from our families and it puts pressure on our backs and our minds, but it’s extremely important. Keeping a sanitary living environment for your family takes some real time out of your week, though, and that’s time you could be spending with your kids. In fact, many busy moms find it more beneficial hiring professional house cleaning service. Here’s why:

According to PR Newswire, the average woman spends 15.6 hours per week cleaning. That’s a minimum of 637 hours per year! Let that sink in. Here are some other things you could be doing with that 180 hours of your time:

  • Reading to your kids
  • Meal planning
  • Prioritizing self-care
  • Taking a vacation
  • Putting in overtime at work
  • Reading those books that you’ve been meaning to read
  • Spending time with your spouse

And millions of other things. If you have the means, it’s completely worth it to hire a professional housekeeper or a professional house cleaning service. It’s only logical to ask for help in some areas of your life, and this is one of them.

How to Go About Hiring a Professional House Cleaning Service

Most families are used to doing things on their own, so hiring a cleaning service may not be something you’re familiar with. It’s not always as easy as going to a website and picking the most inexpensive option. After all, whoever you hire is going to be in your house – a lot! You want to make sure they’re not only trustworthy but also efficient with their time. You also want to make sure their cleaning services match your needs, your style, and your expectations.

What we’ve done is compiled a step-by-step guide for how to hire a professional cleaning service, how to make the absolute most out of their time at your house, and how to find the right option for you – saving you money and time. Let’s start with the basics.

Assess your needs.

Did you know that there are housekeepers that specialize in different aspects of your home? For some people, the most important thing is the “deep clean”. Maybe you can get it all of the toys, clothes, and trash picked up but you just need someone to wash the floors, the windows, and your appliances. There are cleaning services for that.

For others, the deep clean is not the problem. Maybe you don’t have animals and you live in a warm climate where you don’t have to worry about snow and salt stains on your floors. Maybe your children are older and fewer messes are made, so you really don’t need someone to come in and deep clean everything. Or, maybe you just like doing the deep cleaning. In this case, you might just want someone to help out with some everyday chores like:

  • Picking up the house
  • Cooking a few meals
  • Doing the laundry
  • Mowing the lawn and cleaning the yard

There is also a cleaning service just for that! The sooner you figure out exactly what you need, the sooner you can find someone to help. Do you need help with both deep cleaning and every day chores? You got it.

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: products. If you don’t want harsh chemicals in your home, you don’t need to settle. Find a house cleaning service that specializes in natural deep cleaning or toxin-free products.

Find the right platform.

There are a lot of places to find a professional cleaning service. Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Care.com, or even Google. Professional housekeepers are pretty much everywhere you look, so when it comes to choosing, you need to make sure you keep those original needs in mind. For example, many companies do background checks on their employees.

If you’re not comfortable hiring an independent house cleaner, you can go through a company that thoroughly vets their housekeepers. On the other hand, you may want an independent company to keep things local and cut down on costs. After you find the platform that suits your needs, it’s time to make some calls.

Be clear about your expectations.

After you have found a platform, give them a call or send out an email. In your email or call, it’s important to be direct about your expectations. Tell them exactly what you need. Ask for references, background checks, and rates. (Don’t forget to ask about the rates. You don’t want to be surprised.) Ask whether or not the cleaning service uses natural products.

Here is something that many people forget to specify when calling a cleaning service: animals. If you any kind of animals, you need to be upfront about that. By letting the company know what kind of fur babies you have, you’re ensuring that a) there will be no problems with allergies and b) whoever comes to your home will be comfortable.

Call their references.

This is such a small thing, but it’s so important. This person is going to be in your home!  You’re spending money on their services and their time. Make sure they’re good at what they do. Make sure they’re polite.  And, make sure they have satisfied customers. It will take 30 minutes of your day to do this, but it could set you up for an amazing housekeeper for years to come.

Get your house ready.

Your home is your sanctuary and someone is about to invade it for a few hours (in a good way). Make sure that anything private, valuable, or important is put away. If you don’t want your dirty clothes to be seen by someone, throw them in the laundry basket in the closet. If you have jewelry or money lying around, you may want to put it away for peace of mind. Lastly, if you don’t want your kiddos around the fumes, put them in a separate playroom or take them out for a few hours (this goes for your animals, too).

Lastly, sit back and relax. You hired someone to help and it’s time to take advantage of that extra spare time. You deserve it!

To learn more about hiring a professional house cleaning service, call MaidLuxe at (713) 242-8935.