In our last blog, we took the opportunity to let our customers and their five-star reviews do a bit of free advertising on our behalf. In that post, what our customers are saying about our home cleaning services, we highlighted what our customers decided that we did exceptionally well. As we sifted through reviews and testimonials, it became apparent that two trends emerged. Customers found us both reliable in our flexibility and quality but also reliable in our punctuality. Hearing (or seeing) your home cleaning company be described as “efficient,” “thorough,” and “prompt” can only be a good thing. As we said in our last blog, it helps remind us why we do what we do! At Home Cleaners 4 You, we’ve been providing top-quality cleaning services in Northern Virginia for well over 20 years. What’s more, we do it well and affordably. We believe in doing business correctly by doing right by our customers in terms of work received and price point. As our online reputation showcases, our customers and clients appreciate such qualities!

So, here goes our transition from our last blog’s topic to today’s — how to choose a maid service company in Northern Virginia (or really anywhere to be fair). It just so happens that finding a home cleaning company with a solid online reputation is the first tip we’d like to offer up in today’s tip-offering blog!

We’ll say more on the matter below, so keep reading if you are in need of house cleaning, maid service, or move in/out cleaning in Northern Virginia!

Online Reputation

While it’s not the end-all, be-all that some make it out to be, finding a home cleaning company that has a good number of online reviews in addition to exceptionally positive reviews is key. While we wouldn’t want you to think that a cleaning company is only decent if they only have five-star reviews, more five stars than any other rating is preferable on review platforms like Google, Facebook, and the like. If you find a maid service provider that doesn’t have many reviews at all, it’s not the best sign in the world — but it’s not the end of the world either. Just give the company a call if you have any questions. See if you like the voice you hear on the other end of the line!

Ask Around

Don’t be afraid to ask your family, friends, or coworkers if they know of any house cleaning companies they could recommend to you. Maybe they receive maid service from Home Cleaners 4 You, for instance, and are extremely pleased with the quality, efficiency, and punctuality of their recurring cleanings!

Of course, it’s not out of the question that a few of our readers are new to the Northern Virginia region. If that’s the case, you might not have a network of family and friends to lean on for questions like this. If you don’t have a coworker to ask, feel free to ask your neighbors! It’s a great chance to break the ice and get to know them a bit better as well. We believe in you — and we believe that word-of-mouth referrals will never go out of style, internet be danged!

Double Check Credentials

Here’s some advice that extends beyond finding a reliable home cleaning company — any time you hire a professional contractor or business to perform a service for you, you should check to see if they are bonded and insured. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong (a fixture breaks or something is stolen), you can rest easy in the knowledge that you won’t be left out to dry by the company you’ve chosen. Dealing with an established, reliable business will leave you in good stead down the road. Additionally, we’d recommend that you ask your prospective home cleaning company if they perform background checks on all of their employees.

At Home Cleaners 4 You, we are happy to answer any and all questions you might have. Our management team goes the extra mile to train all new employees with proper cleaning techniques using a variety of equipment. This training covers the use of alarm systems, time management skills, knowledge of our company’s policies, organizational skills, map-reading skills, and developing communication skills with customers and coworkers.  

Ask Questions

Once you’ve narrowed your list of candidates down to a home cleaning company or two, it’s time to ask them questions! You might think getting into this much detail is overkill, but if you want to truly find a high-quality cleaning company that you can trust for years, this is the way to do it, people!

It might feel a bit awkward when starting the conversation, but if you frame it that you are just doing your due diligence with regards to your search process, the representative should have no issues answering any and all of your questions. After all, it’s their job, and anyone who gives you any grief should immediately be struck from your pool of potential cleaning companies.

Here are some questions worth asking:

• What cleaning services do you provide, in particular?
• Do you provide a written contract for work?
• Do you have worker’s compensation?
• Do you have references?
• How do you handle pets?
• How do you handle alarm systems?
• Do you have a satisfaction guarantee?
• Do you bring your own equipment and cleaning supplies?
• How often do you communicate with your clients?
• What happens if I am not pleased with the quality of your services?
• How do you charge for these services, and are there any other costs I should be aware of?

Of course, you should feel free to include your own set of questions however you see fit. This is just a starting point!

Get The Important Stuff In Writing

When it comes to pricing, cleaning schedules, and specific cleaning services promised, it’s recommended to “seal the deal” by getting everything discussed in writing. It doesn’t have to be a formal contract, per se, but we’d advise you get a minimum of an email outlining the terms agreed upon. Whether you are in Vienna, VA, or elsewhere in the United States, take it from us — this stuff is important!

Give Them A Trial Run

Generally speaking, home cleaning services include some combination of vacuuming, mopping, sweeping, thoroughly cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, dusting all surfaces (even light fixtures and baseboards), making beds, and sweeping. While other services can usually be added for an extra fee, it might make you more comfortable to give a new cleaning company a trial run where they only handle the essential cleaning tasks outlined above. If they can be trusted with the basics, then it might be time to let them handle more unique requests, such as doing laundry, washing windows, or other ad-hoc cleaning tasks.

Once you’ve given them a one-off trial run, here comes the fun part — you get to judge how they cleaned your house! Start with the general stuff; does the house look tidy and smell clean? How thorough were the cleaners with their vacuuming? Did they get under couches, beds, and inside closets? Did the bathroom floors get a good scrubbing or did they just do a once-over?

Go crazy — check the corners of rooms, check the floorboards, check your toilets and walls, too. If you like what you see, great! You’ve probably found the home cleaning company for you. If it’s close to hitting the mark, you could probably give the company another chance, being sure to provide them with detailed feedback about where they can improve.

If it’s not even close to your standards of cleanliness, forget about it and move onto the next candidate! Your time is valuable and receiving professional home cleaning services shouldn’t be a source of stress for you. In fact, it should be the exact opposite!

Reach out to us today if you have any questions, you’d like a free estimate, or are ready to schedule your home cleaning service with us at Home Cleaners 4 You!