The time is right, and you’ve decided to take the plunge. You’ve always loved a clean house, and now you want to find a cleaning service to clean your home professionally. But how does one go about finding the right house cleaner? Google “house cleaner near me” and call it a day. Let’s explore the different options when looking for a cleaning service.
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What Are The Pros and Cons of Hiring an Individual House Cleaner?
When searching for a cleaning service, one of the options is to hire an independent house cleaner. Why would this be beneficial over your other options? Let’s look at the pros and cons.
Pros of Hiring an Individual House Cleaner
- Cost
- Flexibility
- Investment
Individual House Cleaners are Less Expensive
Due to less overhead, individual house cleaners tend to not cost as much. When compared to a company, it can feel like a steal to book with an individual cleaner.
There’s More Schedule Flexibility
When dealing with an individual, you may find they are more flexible with changing your cleaning schedule or adding more cleaning services. If you realize when they arrive that you need an extra scrub of your bathrooms or to have them back next week instead of in two weeks, you’re more likely to have those needs met.
They Make an Investment in You
Individual cleaners want to get to know you and your preferences. Building a professional relationship like this allows them to do an excellent job for you. This can lead to a better experience.
Cons of Hiring an Individual House Cleaner
- Coverage
- Taxes
- Liability
- Tardiness
- Unpredictable Schedule
- Slow Communication
Lack of Coverage
If something happens to your house cleaner and they are unable to come to your house, you have no coverage. There’s no one to cover a sick day for them if they’re out.
You May Have to Make Additional Tax Payments
Check the IRS guidelines about domestic help to ensure your taxes are in order, depending on how often your house cleaner comes. They may be considered your employee.
Liabilities Over Breakage and Injuries
Individual house cleaners may not be bonded and insured. If something in your home breaks, they may only be responsible for paying for it if you two entered it into your agreement. Additionally, you may be responsible if they get injured while working in your home.
What are a Cleaning Company’s Pros and Cons for Your Home Cleaning Service?
You may think a cleaning company may be a better fit for your home and lifestyle. But how does a cleaning service operate, and what are the pros of utilizing one? Cleaning companies utilize a team of professionals, offering traditional cleaning services as well as deep cleanings.
You may get charged one price per service or by the hour. The cleaning service may send several house cleaners at once so the job will be done faster. What is the upside of utilizing a cleaning company?
Pros of Using a Cleaning Company
- Professional Communication
- Reliable
- Predictable and dependable Schedule
- Vetted staff
Standard Procedures and Training for Cleaning Company Cleaners
When utilizing a cleaning company, you know that the house cleaners will all have consistent training and procedures. As a result, there will be a sense of consistency in your house cleaning service, even if you don’t have the same cleaner every time.
Cleaning Companies can Provide Faster Service
To help you with your personal schedule especially when you work from home or are bound by a tight baby napping schedule, some cleaning companies can send out a team rather than one individual. You will have the house cleaners in and out of your home in less time. Of course, this may not be the case for all companies.
Cleaning Companies can Provide Reliable Coverage
Even if a cleaner is sick or out of the office, the cleaning company will make sure to have a substitute fill in, so your house will be cleaned without you having to find coverage. With a cleaning company, you won’t have to worry about a lapse in your cleaning service, even if your regular cleaner can’t make it.
Cleaning Companies Have Liability and Insurance Coverage
Any house cleaning company should be licensed and have liability insurance and a bond for any theft or damage – verify this before hiring. Also, if a cleaner gets hurt in your home, the responsibility for the medical bills should fall on the cleaning company rather than you.
Staff is Vetted by the Cleaning Company and Existing Clients
It will be up to someone other than you to interview potential house cleaners. The cleaning company will be responsible for recruiting, training, and, retaining.
The cleaning company will handle all staff matters, and for any issues you have with your cleaning service, you can call the cleaning company, and they will address it for you.
Cons of Cleaning Companies
- More Expensive
- Inability to choose the cleaner
- Bound by Annual Contracts
- Cancellation and rescheduling Fees
Lack of Personal Touch
Depending on the company, you may have different house cleaners sent to your home every time. Because of this, if you have any special requests with your cleaning service or items that need specialized care, you will need to express your wishes each time your house cleaning team comes to your home.
Cleaning Companies are Not as Flexible as Individual Cleaners
When working with a company, you may not be able to negotiate changing days for your cleaning service or add on additional tasks, such as cleaning out your refrigerator, since they have an entire extensive operation schedule to consider.
Higher Expense for Cleaning Companies
When working with a company, it is much more likely that you will have a higher cost for your cleaning service. This is because they need to consider overhead, many salaries, and taxes.
Why is it Best to Utilize an Agency Cleaning Service for your Home Cleaning?
There are several ways to hire a cleaner without resorting to a blanket “housecleaner near me” search on Google, and that’s by knowing what you’re looking for in a home cleaning service. One of the wisest ways to find a top cleaning service is by utilizing an agency cleaning service. But what exactly is an agency cleaning service, and how does it differ from other house cleaners?
Agency cleaning services, also known as referral agencies or platform agencies, work with independent house cleaners, vetting them, so you don’t have to. Combining the personal touch of the independent house cleaner with the strength and backing of a cleaning company, the agency cleaning service gives you the best of both worlds.
3 Reasons to Utilize an Agency Cleaning Service
- Independence
- Living wages
- Above board
They Support Independence
When you sign on with an agency, you know you support an individual. Each independent house cleaner is a vetted professional. Any good agency will have gone through background, reference, and experience checks before referring any house cleaner to you. The workers will then be able to select their hours, areas to work, and what jobs they would like to accept.
They Encourage Living Wages
Since the agency cleaning service does not employ the house cleaners, the overhead is much lower; therefore, the savings are passed on to you. The house cleaner will still get the majority of the fees that you pay for your house cleaning service. Using the referral system, you can be assured that you are saving money on your house cleaning, and your house cleaner is fairly compensated for their work.
Protecting Workers from the Underground Economy
Because referral agencies will issue each house cleaner a 1099 yearly, declaring their income to the IRS, everything is above board. This assures that everybody is following the government labor laws and nobody is being taken advantage of.
When considering what type of cleaning service you would like to hire, consider a cleaning agency like Pure House Cleaning. With all the pros of having an independent house cleaner and a cleaning company behind us and none of the negatives, you have good reason to contact us today!