It’s time. You know it, your family knows it, even the family dog knows it – you are finally ready to let go of cleaning your home and hire a professional cleaning company to support your quality of life.

 Yet, you’ve never worked with one before. Where do you even begin to start to connect with a company you can trust in your home, fits within your budget, and provides great service for the type of clean you need. Ask yourself the following questions to start your journey to hire a professional cleaning company.

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QUESTION 1: WHO DO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS USE?

Look to the people you already know and trust for their recommendations. Ask them:

• Are they happy with their service? Why/why not?

• What type of cleaning service do they use (e.g. weekly, deep clean, office, etc.)?

• Would they recommend them?

 Your friends and family can provide good suggestions and advice as they already have experience in finding, interviewing, and working with a cleaning company. This way, you’ll have a fairly good idea about what you’re going into.

QUESTION 2: WHAT ARE MY EXPECTATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO CLEANING?

Clean to one person is dirty to another – clean is simply different for everyone. Some of our clients prefer a basic clean each week, while others require a deep clean once every few months and maintain on their own in between. What’s important is that you are clear on what you consider clean.

 Your potential cleaner should come out to quote you and ensure that your expectations are understood and will be met. You’ll be on the same page when it comes to cleaning your home and you can go about enjoying your quality of life…not wondering if your home is “your clean.”

QUESTION 3: AM I COMFORTABLE WITH SOMEONE ELSE WORKING IN MY HOME?

At Clean Club Calgary, trust is an absolute must for our clients. If we don’t earn their trust, the comfort won’t be there.

 Having a cleaning company in your home may take a bit of time to build this trust, however a few questions to ask them to make sure that your safety and security are covered include:

• Is the cleaning company covered with WCB?

• Do they have company liability insurance?

• Do they run background checks on their employees?

• Is there high staff turnover or do you have the same cleaning team each time?

 Trust will absolutely grow over time as you get to know who is in your home, but it can start with the basics of coverage.

 QUESTION 4: HOW WOULD I REACT TO ACCIDENTAL DAMAGES?

No cleaner intends to damage a client’s property, but sometimes accidents happen. As amazing as cleaners are, we are only human in the end.

 What’s important is how the cleaning company responds to the damage. At Clean Club Calgary, we take accidents seriously, even the tiniest of scratches. Should an accident happen, our team will take a picture, fill out a damage form for you and our records, and a supervisor will follow up with you to address how we’ll fix the situation.

 As accidents are often the number one concern of potential customers, it’s crucial that a cleaning company have a clear process in place to rectify any mistakes. For you, understand that accidents are never intended, but make sure you know what the company will do should any situation need to be addressed.

 QUESTION 5: HOW DETAILED OF A CLEANING DO YOU EXPECT?

There are a variety of different cleaning options, so it falls to you to determine how detailed a cleaning you would like.

 A professional cleaning company should be able to complete a regular cleaning checklist or customize one to your specific needs. For instance, you may receive weekly cleaning, but find you don’t require your guest room cleaned each week. Rather, you only need it cleaned once a month. This would be built into your cleaning schedule.  What’s important is that your cleaning is customized to your needs, lifestyle, and what you require in the moment.

QUESTION SIX: IS AN EDUCATED CLEANER IMPORTANT TO YOU?

In this industry, it is difficult to get a traditional education, so professional cleaners must seek this training out. At Clean Club Calgary, we have joined associations to ensure that we invest in courses for ourselves to ensure we are always aligned – if not leading – industry standards in both our service and our techniques. Specific associations we’re members of include ISSA and the Association of Residential Cleaning Services.

 Through these organizations, we’re able to take courses and achieve certification. I myself acquired the House Cleaning Technician certificate through the IICRC, increasing both my knowledge as a cleaning professional, as well as how to run an effective business. Knowing that this type of education exists, we recommend that you work with someone who is involved with these types of organizations so you can trust that you’re receiving the best quality clean and service out there.

QUESTION 7: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF ONLINE REVIEWS?

This question focuses more on the type of communication and relationship you want with your cleaner.

 First, are you willing to give feedback to the cleaning company? If you’re not comfortable giving online reviews, but still want to communicate feedback to help the company improve their service, let the company know either with an email, phone call, or even written letter.

 On the other side, note if the cleaning company you’re looking at is open to accepting your review and feedback. At Clean Club Calgary, we value the opinion and feedback from all clients as this is how we continue to improve. This is why we encourage feedback of all sorts (of course we love the rave reviews, but we are always looking to you for how we can improve to support your quality of life.)

 If a company isn’t open to your feedback, ask why? This could be a red flag or obstacle to building a cleaning service that suits your lifestyle.

 QUESTION 8: WHAT TYPE OF CLEANING PRODUCTS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Do you have particular cleaning products that you prefer used or are you happy with whatever products the company uses?

 While the cleaning company should come prepared to do the job (at Clean Club Calgary, we bring all our own materials including mop, vacuum, cleaning products, and specialty glass cloths that ensure a gentle, yet deep clean), however some families have their own product preferences, such as hypoallergenic cleaners or specialty floor cleaners. If this is your preference, always let the cleaning team know what they are, where they’re located in the house, and what they are to be used on.

 QUESTION 9: WHAT FREQUENCY OF CLEANING DO YOU NEED AND WHAT IS YOUR FLEXIBILITY?

Everyone has different preferences in their cleaning frequency. From weekly, biweekly, occasional deep cleans, to finding the day of the week that works for you, it’s important to know what frequency and cleaning flexibility you have for pricing purposes and for your own schedule.

 Clean Club Calgary is very flexible in working around your schedule, including if you need to reschedule your cleaning time. What’s important here is that your cleaning company has an agreement with you, but also their team in providing a quality of life in terms of their career.

 While flexibility in your cleaning partner is important, the more advanced notice you can provide should you need to reschedule, the more likely:

• You’ll get your preferred rescheduled time, and

• Your cleaners are able to schedule other appointments.

QUESTION 10: WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
The burning question on everyone’s mind. Understand that a cleaning lady and a cleaning company are two very different types of services. A cleaning company has a good, honest, and reliable system in place to clean your home. While a cleaning lady may have similar, there are no guarantees. We recommend that you budget between $100 and $300 per clean, depending on the size of the home, type of cleaning, frequency, and so on. Cleaning is not, and should not be, a cheap service. Generally speaking, if it is, then the work will not be good.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what is your type of clean, the frequency, type of client service, and how much you can expect to pay, you can go to the next step in exploring your cleaning journey.

Still have questions or are interested in learning more about working with a professional cleaning company? Connect with us today and ask away!