A home cleaning service can help a lot, whether it’s a one-time cleaning appointment to get on top of the dirt and dust, or a regular cleaning schedule to free up some of your valuable time. But how much should you expect to pay for cleaning services?
WHAT INFLUENCES THE COST OF A HOUSE CLEANING?
The cost of a home cleaning service depends on many factors. Most cleaning services either charge by square footage or by time. But there are many other factors to consider:
LOCATION OF THE HOME
In Canada, every province has a different minimum wage, and while cleaning staff don’t earn just the minimum wage, this will definitely influence the going rate for a cleaning. Similarly, the prices will likely be higher in areas of high demand, such as big cities.
SIZE OF YOUR HOME
If the cleaning service charges by square footage, the size will be the deciding factor for the price. But even if the cleaning service charges by time, obviously the size of your home matters - a bigger house needs longer to be cleaned.
But it’s not just the square footage that matters: a bathroom or kitchen takes longer to clean than a bedroom. So the number of bathrooms and kitchen over bedrooms will also influence the cost of your home cleaning service.
CONDITION OF YOUR HOUSE
If a cleaning service charges by time, it’s very likely that the condition of your home will go into the final cost of the cleaning. If it hasn’t been cleaned in a long time and needs a good scrubbing, this will take longer than if the home is regularly cleaned and just needs a refresher.
Another thing to consider is the amount of clutter you have in your home. That’s because if the cleaning staff need to spend a lot of time moving items out of the way in order to clean, they will need more time to clean your home. Therefore, make sure to go over your home and remove clutter before having a home cleaning service.
OCCUPANTS
Some cleaning services might ask you if you have children or pets living in your home, and charge more accordingly. That’s because these occupants usually create a bigger mess and more work for the cleaning staff, and might require special cleaning products.
For the cleaning staff, it’s also important to know if there are animals living in the home, in case of any allergies. So if a cleaning service asks you about the occupants in your home before or during your booking, give the details truthfully to ensure they can give you a realistic estimate.
TYPE OF CLEANING SERVICE
The cost of and time needed for your cleaning service will vary greatly depending on what type of cleaning you are looking for. If you only need a basic cleaning, that will be cheaper than a deep-clean of your home. If you’ve had construction work done, a post-construction cleaning service will probably also be more expensive, as the cleaning staff need more cleaning products, cloths and time to remove the dust from all surfaces.
A good cleaning service will have their checklists for different service types on their websites, or be able to assist you over email or phone to find the right service type for you.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR YOUR CLEANERS
Most cleaning service providers will give you a list of additional options to choose from. That way, they can fulfill your cleaning service to your satisfaction even if they don’t have an exact checklist for what you had in mind. Since additional cleaning requests take more time, you can expect to pay a little bit more for those tasks.
Add-ons might include cleaning the inside of appliances, windows, doing your laundry or others. If you can’t find any information on the website, ask them for additional tasks they might perform, and how much you might expect to pay extra for those.
FREQUENCY OF THE CLEANING
Many cleaning services also offer a discount for regular cleaning services over a one-time cleaning. That’s because if the house is regularly maintained, a cleaning doesn’t require as much time as for the home’s first time professional cleaning.
Some cleaning services will also offer a discounted rate to their regular service clients, to reward them for their loyalty. Therefore, a regular cleaning schedule might save you over calling in a cleaning service several times a year.
CLEANING PERSON VS. CLEANING SERVICE
When considering a home cleaning service, very often people ask whether it’s better to hire a single individual to do the cleaning, or hire a company. On first glance, an independent individual might look more affordable and flexible, but there are several things to look out for. Cleaning companies are bigger and generally well-organised, so you don’t have to worry about anything other than your cleaning service. To make sure, ask your cleaning service provider about the following:
LIABILITY INSURANCE
We never want anything to go wrong when inviting a cleaning service into our homes, but it can happen to anyone that they accidentally knock a picture frame off the wall or break a glass. If you hired a cleaning company, they should have a liability insurance in place that will cover for those accidents, so you don’t need to worry about it.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Similarly, we would never want anyone to get injured on the job. But with all accidents, it can happen quicker than you think. If you hire an individual for your home cleaning and they injure themselves, you might be responsible for paying them for their medical costs and loss of earnings. Since you are paying them to come into your home, your homeowners insurance doesn’t consider them guests and wouldn’t cover any injuries.
An incorporated company has to have worker’s compensation insurance for their employees, so that you can rest assured you are not liable to pay for any injuries that might happen during your cleaning service. Of course, an individual might also obtain Workers’ Compensation Insurance for their cleaning business, but they don’t have to - it’s best to check before you hire them.
BOND INSURANCE
A bond insurance, also known as a financial guarantee insurance, is a type of insurance that guarantees that a company has secured deposits to ensure they can finish the job they were hired to by you, to your satisfaction. Essentially, a bonded company agrees to the stipulations of repayment if they don’t meet their obligations under contract.
That means that if you are not happy with the products or services provided by a bonded company, you could file a claim against that company. Therefore, a bonded company will always do their best to satisfy their customers, and have the financial resources to do so. A good home cleaning service will be insured and bonded, and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
A bonded cleaning company will also take special care when hiring their employees. Since these employees are crucial in the satisfaction of the customer, they will undergo a background check to make sure they are good and trustworthy, and rigorous training to ensure they will be able to do their job satisfyingly. An individual providing home cleaning services is unlikely to have a bond insurance in place.
CLEANING PRODUCTS AND SUPPLIES
Another difference between hiring self-employed cleaners and a cleaning company is who will be providing the supplies needed. Most individuals will use your cleaning supplies, which can be an advantage because you know which products will be used, but also a disadvantage because you need to buy the products and supplies (for example, dusters, stepladders and different attachments for the vacuum head) and remember to put them out.
Most cleaning services provided by a company will come to your home fully equipped so you needn’t provide stepladders, vacuum cleaners or other supplies. If you are worried about harmful chemicals in the cleaning products used, check the company’s website or ask them about the products they use. This is doubly important if you have any allergies or sensitivities. In order to make sure that your home cleaning doesn’t put your family’s health at risk, look for a cleaning service that uses natural cleaning products with A-ratings by the EWG and green certifications.
HIDDEN COSTS
When searching for a home cleaning service, look out for hidden costs! Some individuals or companies charge extra for cleaning supplies (if they provide them), driving time or gas, or other items other than the cleaning itself. When booking your cleaning service, make sure that the person or company does not charge anything other than what you have been quoted!
And if a cleaning service charges by time, make sure that they won’t stay longer and charge you more for it without your approval. A serious business will always ask for approval before charging more than the quote suggested, be able to explain why they need extra time and give you the option to accept or decline.
QUALITY OF THE SERVICE
Last but not least, there are different quality levels among cleaning services. Usually, you can spot an exceptionally great home cleaning service by their reviews on Google, social media or other review platforms. Look for a cleaning service that has a good overall score, and read some reviews, good or bad, to see what people say and how the company or individual responds to praise and criticism.
Another useful way of finding an outstanding cleaning service is to look for independent awards. Many small magazines or newspapers will have “Best In…” polls among their readers, and reward the winners, very often local businesses, with the awards.
Search for a cleaning service that values customer satisfaction above everything else. If a company has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can rest assured that they will clean your home perfectly.
ASPENCLEAN HOME CLEANING SERVICES
AspenClean is a company offering outstanding home cleaning services in Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary. We work in teams of three, and we will come to your home fully equipped with all our own green cleaning products and supplies, for your ease of mind. We only use our own all-natural and chemical-free cleaning products, so you don’t need to worry about toxins in your home.
We are fully insured and bonded, and all our staff are professionally trained. We charge based on time, so it’s best to use our online estimate tool to get a quote. This takes into account the number of rooms, which type of cleaning service you are looking for, and any additional tasks you choose. It will also tell you what you could expect to be charged if you were to take on a regular cleaning service. All services, one-time or regular, can be modeled exactly to your requirements.
We will only charge you the day after your service, so you don’t have to worry about us charging for a service you haven’t received. Also, if the team needs less time for your home cleaning service than estimated, you will only be charged for the time the team actually spent at your home. Alternatively, if the team sees that your cleaning service will take longer than expected, we will call you to confirm whether you would be okay with the extra time and corresponding and corresponding additional charges.
We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. That means that if you are ever not satisfied with your cleaning service, you can reach out to our Customer Care team via email or phone within 24 hours of your service. We will send a team back at your convenience to rework the areas that you are not satisfied with - free of charge to you! But thanks to our feedback-based bonus system, our staff is especially motivated to clean to your fullest satisfaction. That’s why we continuously have great reviews on all platforms and have been awarded “Best Cleaning Service” in Vancouver by Georgia Straight for four years running!
If you have any questions or concerns, you can always reach out to us to book our cleaning services in Toronto. If you live in Vancouver, try our Vancouver house cleaning service. We also operate in house cleaning services Calgary Use our estimate tool to get a unique quote for your home. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
