In today’s fast-paced age, house help has become essential as opposed to a luxury. The only thing that matters today is your time and how you can best utilize it. If you are a working individual and need a hand to keep your home spick and span, a local cleaner is someone that you will not regret hiring.
You have plenty of choices while making this decision whether you want to hire an individual or a professional cleaning company. If you are a working woman you would understand the importance of delegation, this is what getting the housework done all about. Cleaning services give you the liberty to manage your time while not compromising the maintenance of your house.
While you have decided that you need a cleaner, the next step is to evaluate what options you have. Do you want the services of professional cleaning businesses, you want to hire family-owned businesses, or you want to hire an individual. Each has its pros and cons, while employing individuals are cost-effective and customizable to your needs, they may not be reliable and may disappear without notice in case they find a better job offer. A professional cleaning company accommodates according to your schedule and have a backup system to cover up for their absenteeism.
When you have answered the above for yourself, these are the key questions that you should ask your cleaning company before assigning them the job:
Charges
This is a key question and solely relies on the budget that you have worked out for this job. Most of the professional cleaning companies like emop.co.uk charge an hourly rate after assessing the amount of work that needs to be done at your home. You can keep a fixed number of hours to ensure you are in control of the monthly expense. You can also align a fixed rate for the total number of hours each month or based on tasks.
Background check
You want to make sure that you are employing the services of the reliable company which is not very likely if you employ an individual cleaner. An individual cleaner may not be accountable as a professional cleaning company would be. Most professional cleaners have to go through background checks before getting hired, so make sure you ask these questions about the recruitment criteria and how the checks are conducted. This screening gives you the confidence that your house is safe and secure and who are the individuals who are entering your house.
Insurance/liability coverage
Most cleaning companies are insured in the event of any property damage, theft, or if something goes missing in the house. Make sure you ask all these questions and what liability coverage does the company offers in case you report any such issue. This gives the needed peace of mind and a sense of relief while you have cleaning staff at your home in your absence.
Quality of service
There is a certain standard in your mind when you employ the service of a professional cleaner and of course you don’t want that to be compromised. Ensure that you have clearly outlined your expectations and give feedback in the initial few visits. Professional cleaning businesses commit to quality standard if you are unhappy with the services provided. They also leave you with their quality control contact numbers and email addresses to timely address your concerns if any.
Cleaning supplies/equipment
f you are maintaining your house yourself, you would buy good quality cleaning supplies. The cleaning companies function in a different way, some companies provide the cleaning supplies while some may only provide the cleaning equipment. Make sure you are aware while you are hiring the company whose responsibility it will be for the supplies. It is a good idea to delegate this responsibility to the cleaning company to be in control of your budget. Clearly outline the kind of products you allow to be used in your home.
Written agreement
Make sure you have written an agreement for all the agreed services, worker compensation in the event of an injury during work at your home, aligned rates for the services, and any other minute details of the services. Remember you are allowing someone in your home and you don’t want any disagreements and disappointments in the near future, so it is a good idea to document contract details to keep yourself at peace while you step out of your house and let someone else in to take care of your house chores.
Conclusion
Choosing a house help isn’t easy so you want to make sure you have addressed all of your concerns and clearly outlined your expectations. Keep your sanity intact while making this decision as this is something that matters to you on an everyday basis.
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