1."Agents are as good as their word. And that's not good."
Cleaning services are seeing record business these days. There are an estimated 22,000 cleaning-service companies out there, ranging from self-employed housekeepers to nationally franchised chains.
Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing what they'll get until it's too late. Basically, anyone "with a spray bottle, rag & business card" can call themselves a housecleaner.
Check out the Association of Residential Cleaning Professionals' list of litmus tests such as liability insurance & satisfaction-guaranteed policies. Also, ask services for five references from customers who have used them for at least six months.
2. "They're more about a quick clean than a good one . . ."
In an effort to hit several houses in one day, many housekeepers move through homes like whirling dervishes. That can lead to inattention to detail, loss of property or just plain bad cleaning.
While service standards vary widely among companies, all firms should promise a reasonably detailed checklist: That means wiping down every surface in the bathroom, for example, including scrubbing the tub, toilet & sink, as well as cleaning the bathroom counters & mopping the floor with cleaners.
Also, to ensure those standards are kept, ask for employees who have been with a company for at least six months.
3.The workers even know how to clean."
While it may seem like an obvious prerequisite, not everyone in housecleaning has real skills. Before one signs on with an agency, he should ask what kind of training it offers employees. For example, new employees go through a two-week training class & then an average of four days practicing in "test" homes before they start working with clients.
A company should offer at least three days of intensive training to new hires. It typically covers topics such as the latest equipment using micro fiber mops, for example, rather than string mops & water or protocol such as what not to use on marble or wood floors.
4."The first time's going to cost him."
If they've never used a service before, however, an agency may insist on an initial "deep clean" of house. That can mean wiping down the inside of a refrigerator instead of just the handle, or moving a couch to vacuum underneath it. That can jack up the price by two to three times the typical fee.
For some companies, though, the initial fee is just a ploy for more money. If companies think that's the only time they'll be using their service. It's perfectly fine to request to skip the preliminary deep-clean & go straight to the standard service.
Plus, once they're using the service, don't shrug it off if they come home to find that the workers who visited their home that day did a subpar job. The key here, though, is to speak up fast. Many agencies will revisit a home the same day but may excuse their sloppy cleaning as the dirt that's accumulated in their house over the past 24 hours.
5."They don't really know their own employees."
First, make sure the agency has crosschecked a worker's documentation to verify his or her true identity. Then, at a minimum, confirm that the company runs background checks to look for felony & misdemeanor convictions for the past seven years. It also helps if an agency reviews each applicant's credit history, as well as prior employment & previous judgments against him or her.
Unfortunately, background-check services aren't always available for homeowners looking to check out a self-employed house cleaner. In that case, contact their state's attorney general to ask what kind of checks is available in their state. Some states have a bureau of criminal identification, which can run checks for as little but the subject of a check must consent first.
6."They're bonded, but that means nothing."
Background checks notwithstanding, in the event that a housekeeper steals from them, they're likely to see little or no reimbursement for their loss. While most housekeeping agencies are bonded typically enabling them to offer in property damage or loss protection taking advantage of that coverage is an uphill climb. "Getting bonded means absolutely nothing" for a cleaning service, "It just means that [if an employee is] arrested, tried & found guilty, then the bonding company will pay for a customer's property. But they have to go through all of that first." If they're not arrested, it's a cleaning-service employee's word against them. If something disappears & they feel certain that it was stolen, their best bet is to file a police report immediately in order to start the process early. A good preemptive defense, beyond background checks, is to give preference to companies that use cleaning "teams," in which two to four cleaners, including one supervisor, come to their home at the same time to divide tasks. Not only does that make them cleaning more time-efficient, but also, employees are less likely to steal or be careless under a supervisor's watchful eye.
7. "They don't speak their language."
Many homeowners wouldn't be so forgiving for the lack of communication. Short of hiring a translator, one can request an English-speaking maid from the service he is using, but getting one may not always be easy. A large portion of the housekeeping industry today is made up of immigrant workers as much as 50%.
Instead, it's another good reason to use companies that clean in teams, where at least one person always speaks English. Another good tactic: Call the service with special requests the night before & have supervisors type them in Spanish, or whatever language the workers speak, for its housekeepers going out the next day.
8. "They'll work under the table but they'll pay if people're caught."
It's tempting to slash the cleaning costs by forgoing the bigger cleaning services & hiring a self-employed housekeeper. Self-employed cleaners typically charge very little cost an hour.
But those cheaper fees can be deceptive. If they pay an individual a year or more in cash wages, they're usually required to pay that person's Social Security & Medicare taxes, which will add about 15% to tally; they may also need to pay state taxes or even federal unemployment taxes.
The easy way out is to pay a maid in cash under the table, which many people do. But if they get caught, they'll likely owe the IRS back taxes & if they knowingly employed an illegal worker, face penalties. If they use a service that hires maids illegally, penalties will fall on its shoulders.
9. "If one gets hurt, another could feel the pain."
If one have a cleaner who comes regularly & doesn't work just for him, make sure to get a written agreement that states he or she is an independent contractor & that people are not responsible for his or her taxes, Social Security or worker's compensation insurance. It's safer, however, to use a service that carries a few key forms of insurance. For starters, look for general liability, which covers damage to a home or homeowner & typically ranges. Most important, though, is making sure the service has worker's compensation, which covers any injuries a maid may sustain while on his property & pays for lost wages so that an employee won't be tempted to sue him.
10. "We don't always stand behind our mistakes."
Many bathroom-cleaning products contain acid, which can permanently damage certain surfaces. Especially marble, as Jeff Campbell, owner of the Clean Team knows all too well. Two years ago one of his employees destroyed a customer's marble countertop when she washed it with an acid-based product.
Not every service, however, will do the same, whether it's acid on his counter, bleach on his carpet or a piece of broken furniture. While larger companies are likely to pay for seemingly minor damage say, broken dishes they are often technically able to absolve themselves of responsibility for franchisees if they choose to do so.
While one can always sue a company, it's easier & cheaper to try mediation first & then arbitration. He can call on the Better Business Bureau, which handled 811 complaints against cleaning services in 2003. Mediation is always free & at most local bureaus, arbitration is as well. Disputes are typically resolved within 60 days & most are legally binding.
