5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a House Cleaner

It’s Saturday morning. After a long week at work, you wake up, excited about the weekend ahead. One look at the household chore to-do list though, and you already know what you’ll be spending most of your Saturday doing.

We’re outsourcing everything these days, so it makes total sense to hire a professional a couple of hours a week to get some of those dreaded chores out of the way.

But before you pick up the phone and decide to claim back your Saturdays, you might need to ask yourself these five questions.

Take a moment to think about what you or the kids may have left strewn across the bathroom floor when you rushed out of the house this morning. While a reputable cleaning company will be professional, this is a stranger cleaning around your personal items.

I have a friend who madly runs around the house for a few hours before the cleaner arrives, cleaning the house. Sometimes I think it causes her more stress getting the place ready for the cleaner than if she actually cleaned it herself! Don’t go to that extreme obviously, but it is definitely worth giving the place a quick scan before the cleaner starts.

It’s smart to be there for the first clean, just to meet the cleaner and see what their process is.

Try to keep your pets outside where possible, too.

Most cleaners do ask that you provide the cleaning products and advise them of any specific products you may use on your floors or certain furniture items, for example.

It may also be worth advising the cleaner if you or someone at home has allergies, respiratory concerns or aversions to certain products, just in case the cleaner does decide to use something in their own arsenal.

You need to be realistic here because you really will get what you pay for. Some cleaning companies will charge you by the hour, others by the job.

Set a budget and stick to it and ensure that the pricing is set before the cleaner begins. Some companies may charge extra if you need a more specific job done that isn’t on the cleaner’s ‘standard’ cleaning list.

Generally, most companies will have a ‘standard’ clean list, which should be enough to make your house shine and tick several jobs off your personal ‘to-do’ list. As a rough guide, this standard service usually includes the bathroom, kitchen and an all-house dust, vacuum and floor clean.

There are more premium options usually available or you can speak with the cleaner at the initial consultation if there is something more specific you want done.

Do your research on the company’s website and make sure they are experienced, registered and covered by Public Liability Insurance. They should also have done background check on their cleaners. This information should be easy to find on the company’s website, usually in an ‘About Us’ or FAQs section.

Another great way to find a reputable cleaner is to ask your friends or family if they use a cleaner, or have in the past, and if they would recommend them.