Okay, so you’re ready for a home cleaning service. Good for you! But aside from wanting top-notch service at a fair price, you may be wondering, “How can I trust someone with my house, or better yet, with a key to my house?”

The demand for professional home cleaning services continues to grow. More and more people are realizing that outsourcing these sometimes less desirable tasks can have a great return on investment. Often the biggest payoff for hiring a home cleaning service is not just the time you’re not cleaning, but the total time—and energy—you get back that you previously spent fearing or avoiding cleaning.

Hiring a service to clean your home is a big decision, with many considerations. Trust is vital as it is, after all, your personal space. Too often, clients don’t ask the right questions or don’t do their homework.

two big problems
Deal with a professional company – there are many people or “private parties” that will clean your home and can do a good job. However, if you hire an individual instead of a company to clean your home and pay them a certain amount in a year; you are your employer. If they don’t pay proper taxes on the money you pay them, you could end up being held liable (not to mention, the next time you run for a cabinet post, this is sure to end up all over CNN!) Also, if someone breaks into your home to work for you and get hurt or injured, you could be liable.

When you hire a professional cleaning service, you are ideally avoiding all of these risks. The service owner must bear the burden of payroll taxes, worker’s compensation, and liability insurance. A professional service will also offer training for its employees. All risk and responsibility is no longer your responsibility as a customer. That kind of peace of mind is worth an extra $20. It is not like this?

Go professional, but not just in image: Just because a company has shiny business cards and a website that rivals Microsoft, you still need to do your homework. Keep these questions in mind when making your decision about which cleaning company to hire:

1. Who will clean my house? Do you use employees or independent contractors? Whatever the answer, you need the assurance that you’re getting the protections a professional service should provide. Do you use individuals or teams? Ask them why they use the model they use. Different business models work for different reasons. Just make sure the company you want to hire is doing it for the right reasons. The IRS has a helpful guide on its website for determining what defines an employee and independent contractor relationship.

2. Do you conduct criminal background checks and pre-screen employees? Each service should have a policy for background checks and pre-screening of employees. With today’s technology, even the smallest business has access to low-cost tools over the Internet. You will want to know the policy they follow and what their due diligence process is when hiring.

3. Are they properly insured? Insurance includes general liability insurance and Workers’ Compensation. It doesn’t hurt to ask for a copy of the insurance certificates. As for insurance costs, they should be more than happy to show you.

4. Do you offer a satisfaction guarantee? Implying? How long after the service is performed do I have to call to report issues that need to be addressed? No matter how good a service is or how good the employee training program is, they are imperfect human beings cleaning house. As a customer, you need to be sure that if your computer has a “bad day,” the company will fix it.

5. Who will have the key to my house? What is the policy? How can I be sure that I am safe? This should be a big concern, and most customers don’t think to ask this question. Are the keys signed every day? How are the keys stored at other times? Where are they kept? They are locked? Who is responsible for them? If they are lost or stolen, are there markings to identify where they go? Make sure there is nothing identifying your address on the key. Also, ask in advance, in case the key is lost or stolen, what is the replacement/new key policy?

6. “Are you bonded?” Please don’t ask this and tell all your friends, family and loved ones that this is not the question to ask. Jokes aside, don’t even bother asking this. It doesn’t really mean anything except in extreme cases. The way a bond works is that it is purchased (not insurance, but issued by insurance agents) typically for as little as $200 a year for a small business. Why is a bond so cheap? They are low in price because claims are rarely paid for them. A bond will pay if an employee is caught stealing, is tried and convicted. In the days before the information superhighway, extensive background checks on a person were out of reach for most small businesses. In previous years, the hiring process was difficult to navigate and “situations” would occur. With all the tools available today, every small business owner has easy access to assess who they are hiring to clean their home. That being said, most home cleaning companies go ahead and buy the bonus simply because it’s easier to spend the $200 a year and respond politely when asked, “yes, we’re bonded,” instead of going into the previous narrative. Plus, just imagine how cool it will look when you’re in a group discussing this at the cocktail party, when the subject of housekeeping comes up!

7. Are you both on the same page? Too often, the culprit that causes the cleaning service-customer relationship to fall apart is a lack of communication. An astute cleaning service owner should walk you through what their service will do for you and your home and give you a clear idea of ​​what to expect. Make sure you pay attention to what they tell you. Better yet, they may have eye-catching printed materials that also convey what their service can offer you. Everyone has their “hot spots” (which means clean to them); what one person thinks is clean may not be “clean” to someone else. It’s just human nature. For some people it’s the bed made the right way; for others, it’s a clean sink. Find out where you fall from one extreme to the other on the spectrum of being picky. If what really matters to you is not being done, bring it up. You shouldn’t just assume that it will be done and that they “just need to know.”

8. What should I do if I am not satisfied with the service I receive? It may not be until the first, second, or third cleaning that you find out what your cleaning “hot spots” are. (Side note: pay attention to what they are. You can save YEARS of therapy if you pay close attention to what they are.)

I hope that some of these discoveries are good things that your professional cleaning crew has done that you didn’t expect to impact you in the way that they did. However, if he finds “things” that grate on his nerves, he must address them. Make sure it’s not just the day at the office that’s affecting his outlook. CALL, express your concerns to the owner/manager. Believe it or not, the most successful service owners APPRECIATE and welcome constructive criticism. It is the best way to build a better business and professionals will see your contribution as a gift. If it’s something small, let it go until the next visit. If you do mind, ask for the team to be sent back to correct it. They should be happy to do so as soon as reasonably possible. Remember, this is an intimate relationship and relationships require communication; relationships without communication fail!

Now you know what to ask (and you’ve got some other unsolicited, life-changing advice). Ask the right questions; receive the great service you need and enjoy. It is sure to add to the quality of your life. A bit of information: the best days will be when you forget the cleaning crew is coming and come home to a clean, fresh-smelling home…nice!