How much you should pay for a cleaner is completely up to you. You can find cleaners who charge the bare minimum, and those who charge an arm and a leg in comparison, this is because there are a number of things to take into consideration, and unfortunately most of us don’t really know how to weigh up the pros and cons of each.
Below I have listed the most important factors to take in to account when hiring a cleaner, the more boxes you tick here, the better their work will be, the safer you’ll feel with them in your home, and chances are you’ll pay more for their services.
– Police Clearances
Any respectable cleaner will carry this with them, and anyone who does not, doesn’t take their business/job/clients seriously and you shouldn’t even consider allowing them into your home. Insurance companies are becoming more strict on this as well, in many cases they simply will not cover you if you use cleaners (or any tradespeople) without sufficient clearances.
– Insurances
This should also be a given, so make sure it is one of the first questions you ask. It is the cleaners (or their company’s) responsibility to ensure they are covered by public liability insurance. As much as you may love the old lady who comes in to clean once a week, you will be held responsible if your 200kg television drops on her foot. An accident like that severely outweighs the $15/wk you pay for her to come in, and accidents do happen!
– Chemicals
A cleaner (or company) who is serious about their work, will be using their own high grade chemicals, not your super market purchases. Professional cleaners will generally use a great deal more chemicals to get a job done properly. It is faster and gives you a better result therefore, cleaners should also be using environmentally friendly chemicals wherever possible. Any cleaner who tells you they don’t use them because they don’t work as well, simply doesn’t know their industry well enough and is lying to you.
– Image & Supplies
How do they look when they arrive at your door? A company serious about their image, ethics and workmanship will ensure employees are uniformed, have a company van and all the supplies they will need for the job. Is their quote scribbled out on a piece of paper or business card, or have they gone to the effort to send out a personalised printed copy? The company should also have an easily accessible website with all their details published.
– Testimonials & References
This can be a sure-fire way of finding out more about the company, through the customers’ eyes. Ask whether they can supply you with testimonials from past clients, either in writing or on their website. If they can’t, keep looking.
– Experience
This is a tough one. A company may have been around for ten years and can say they have ten years experience, yet their employees are different every month because they are not experienced at all. Make sure you speak to someone who knows their stuff.
– Individuals or Teams
Depending on the size of your home (the job), the company may choose to send out an individual cleaner or a team of two (or more). If you are given the choice, hire the team – they will get the job done in a fraction of the time and be out of your way. You pay a little more, but they will get the job done faster and the results will be impeccable.
– Quoting & Billing
This is also an interesting question. Many companies bill per hour, others bill per room, and others bill per job, some even bill per square metre!. All of these are viable billing methods, but because of the nature of the industry, you are best off choosing a company that bills per job. You won’t be left wondering why it can take two hours one week and three hours the next, and if they charge only $25/hr, they will often drag it out an extra 30 minutes just to make more money.
Agency, Company, or Independent Cleaner
Certainly another important aspect of choosing a cleaner is whether they work for an Agency, a Company, or whether they are an Independent cleaner. So here is the low-down:
– Agencies work by simply contracting individuals to work under their name – the cleaner doesn’t need to worry about marketing, advertising, insurance, or client retention. However, they get paid for this at rates as low as $15/hr, while you are paying upwards of $30/hr so naturally this means their work ethic and enthusiasm is often non-existent.
– An independent cleaner can often charge what they like and it all goes into their pocket; the trouble here is that they often cannot offer insurance, reliability, or even their own equipment or chemicals.
– A cleaning Company however, is in another league. When you hire a cleaning company like Acclaimed for instance, to come into your home, you can rest assured that you will get beautiful results at a reasonable price, the chemicals used will be 100% environmentally friendly and 100% our own, as will the state-of-the-art equipment. And you’ll be able to take comfort in the knowing you have hired a fully insured and police cleared team, all the while supporting a 100% South Australian owned and operated Business.
Ultimately, people will choose cleaners for their own, unique reasons, but hopefully this list will help you to choose a cleaner who is right for the job, and right for you.