It’s that time of the year again. You know, when the kids are back in school…and band, choir, Anime club, dance, Soccer, Honors Club, and any other possible time-commitment you could think of. As our lives get busier with day-to-day obligations, normal routines seem to be put on the back-burner.

One of the first things to get pushed to the side: keeping the house clean.  Doesn’t it often feel like you’ll take two steps towards a cleaner house, and then the kids come home from hockey practice and you just took five, giant leaps backwards.

The simple solution would be to outsource and get a cleaning service. But they can be expensive… and how do you really know you’ll be getting your money’s worth?

Your household resources

• Time – Do you really have the time to accomplish all your priorities?  Is having a clean and tidy home one of your priorities?  Kids grow fast and you don’t want to look back and say, “I wish I would have spent more time with my kids”.
• Talent – Face it we all don’t have the ‘clean gene’.  Some of us just are that adept at cleaning, organizing and keeping things tidy.  If this is you, no clean gene, admit it and solve the problem by getting some help.
• Money – Without a doubt one of the biggest considerations for many families.  Should I spend money on house cleaner when ‘I am supposed to do it myself?’  –Revisit Time and Talent from above — something’s gotta give.

A guide to finding house cleaners – the best fit for you and your household

Ask Around – This seems pretty simple, but it really is the best way to start. Through personal connections within your neighborhood, or referrals from your social network really are the best place to start. It’s the best way to get trusted impressions and first-hand experiences. Two of Good Stuff Moving‘s favorite online resources such as bbb.org, or angieslist.com are great resources if you ask your friends, and are simply coming up with nothing.

Research – With the internet, there are so many sites that will offer reviews of cleaning companies. While it is a wealth of information, it can also be information overload! Things to look for when researching different companies:

• Independent vs. Company – If you do decide to hire an independent cleaner, and pay this party more than $1700/year, you are now considered an Employer and will have to file accordingly. More information on this can be found here. Unless you know of a particularly reputable and reliable individual, it’s more common to go through a company. This might affect whether or not you will have to be (or prefer to be) present while the cleaner is there.
• Price/Payment/Cancellation – Look at what and how they will charge per unit (sq. ft/room/time/etc…), this will make a big difference depending on the layout of your home. Also, you should know if there are any fees assessed if you have to make a cancellation. When and if you’d like to leave a tip for your cleaner, do they accept cash or will it be charged to the account? Consider these questions while doing your research.
• # of employees – this will be a good thing to know for flexibility if you have to switch a scheduled cleaning day for some reason, or have someone come out sooner than your next appointment. Also, does it matter that the same person is coming to clean your house every appointment?
• Company information – Insurance coverage if someone is hurt in your home, something is broken, or something goes missing. Also, how are their employees screened?

After you feel comfortable with the answers you’ve received from all the above questions, it’s now time to make a decision and set up your first  cleaning appointment.

Evaluate after the first visit – Make sure you have a good idea of what your home looked like before getting cleaned. Also, check to see that your expectations are reasonable for the services provided by the chosen company for time and money spent. It’s important to have a way to contact the company to provide feedback, should you have a negative experience, or hopefully, a great one that leaves you feeling a bit more relieved.

Have you made the decision to hire a house cleaner?  Let us know what we forgot to include in our post.  Do you have a tip to share to help convince our readers to ‘splurge’ and enjoy the benefits of some help in the home?