Is this standard for a cleaning service?

[Anonymous]

I'm becoming disillusioned with my cleaning service and need a reality check on what to expect for what I pay. I have a 2400 sq ft house with 4 bathrooms (but only 2 showers). 4 bedrooms. I use a small local company and pay $140 for every two weeks.

2 ladies come and they are done in under two hours, usually about 1.5 hours. I'm pretty sure all they do is surface cleaning and vacuuming. I don't think they even do much to clean the bathroom shower tile or floors beyond vacuuming them (I'm never home when they are here). THey seem to wipe down surfaces, dust without moving anything, vacuum. But no baseboard dusting, no dusting blinds, no wiping off things that sit on the bathroom counters (like soap dispensers) or nightstands. And I think on our wood floors they just vacuum and polish with a "Bona" type spray and microfiber mop.

Is that what I should expect for $140 every two weeks? I'd really like a little more thorough mopping and dusting for that price, but maybe that's just what you get.

I don't want to go back to a word of mouth recommendation that is just a single person or small group without business status. We had this once and they took off with our key and no notice that they wouldn't be around anymore.

[Anonymous]

The only weird thing here is the bathrooms. Are they unused? My housecleaner doesn’t clean the shower we don’t use, at least not regularly. But the two we do use get a reasonable scrub down. Ditto the sinks and toilets.

I don’t think she wipes the soap dispensers. I think that’s sort of personal item territory. I wouldn’t expect a cleaner to do that unless you specify. In general they’re going to handle your “stuff” as little as possible and just clean the fixed surfaces.

Baseboards and blinds are an add on. You could have things like that on a rotating schedule but I would expect to pay for more time. $140 is on the low end.

Wood floors shouldn’t be mopped with too much water but you could certainly specify a different mop. They might say no but they might be fine using yours.

[Anonymous]

Wait, the bathrooms floors aren’t washed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm becoming disillusioned with my cleaning service and need a reality check on what to expect for what I pay. I have a 2400 sq ft house with 4 bathrooms (but only 2 showers). 4 bedrooms. I use a small local company and pay $140 for every two weeks.

2 ladies come and they are done in under two hours, usually about 1.5 hours. I'm pretty sure all they do is surface cleaning and vacuuming. I don't think they even do much to clean the bathroom shower tile or floors beyond vacuuming them (I'm never home when they are here). THey seem to wipe down surfaces, dust without moving anything, vacuum. But no baseboard dusting, no dusting blinds, no wiping off things that sit on the bathroom counters (like soap dispensers) or nightstands. And I think on our wood floors they just vacuum and polish with a "Bona" type spray and microfiber mop.

Is that what I should expect for $140 every two weeks? I'd really like a little more thorough mopping and dusting for that price, but maybe that's just what you get.

I don't want to go back to a word of mouth recommendation that is just a single person or small group without business status. We had this once and they took off with our key and no notice that they wouldn't be around anymore.

No notice is annoying, but being upset about the key doesn’t really make sense. Getting the key back doesn’t mean it wasn’t copied. They probably just tossed it. If you’re worried about key security you should have a keypad and or change the locks when your housecleaner quits anyway, I guess. You are maybe a bit unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

No, I don't think not doing baseboards or blinds or showers is normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I don't think not doing baseboards or blinds or showers is normal.

Those are often add ons.
$140 for that large of a house would be low for my not fancy neighborhood in DC where most houses are smaller but the price is the same.

[Anonymous]

Ours likes the bona/microfiber combo too. But the floors are never really clean. I don’t know what to suggest as an alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours likes the bona/microfiber combo too. But the floors are never really clean. I don’t know what to suggest as an alternative.

I have a biweekly housecleaner too. I don’t think she mops as well as I do, but I have to mop the off week most of the time anyway so it’s more than good enough.

[Anonymous]

We used to use “The Cleaning Authority” and what I liked about them was they rotated a deep clean for various areas. So it was something like a regular clean for the house and their deep clean for the kitchen. Then the next time the regular clean plus a deep clean for the living room/family room, then next time the bathrooms and so on. So every couple of months each area got some extra attention.

My current cleaners don’t do it that way and I get annoyed when I find spider webs in a corner and such. With the other method, those things get done when it’s the area’s turn for the deep clean every couple of months. It’s a nice technique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours likes the bona/microfiber combo too. But the floors are never really clean. I don’t know what to suggest as an alternative.

I have a biweekly housecleaner too. I don’t think she mops as well as I do, but I have to mop the off week most of the time anyway so it’s more than good enough.

Mine is every week. I shouldn’t have to mop. But I suppose I’ll give it a try and see how much I pick up and then instruct her to do that once a month or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used to use “The Cleaning Authority” and what I liked about them was they rotated a deep clean for various areas. So it was something like a regular clean for the house and their deep clean for the kitchen. Then the next time the regular clean plus a deep clean for the living room/family room, then next time the bathrooms and so on. So every couple of months each area got some extra attention.

My current cleaners don’t do it that way and I get annoyed when I find spider webs in a corner and such. With the other method, those things get done when it’s the area’s turn for the deep clean every couple of months. It’s a nice technique.

This sounds great but sounds like op would need to get on a weekly schedule and then suggest this.

[Anonymous]

I pay $50/hr for one cleaner twice a month and she does a much more thorough job than what you describe. I've never had consistent quality cleaning from a service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm becoming disillusioned with my cleaning service and need a reality check on what to expect for what I pay. I have a 2400 sq ft house with 4 bathrooms (but only 2 showers). 4 bedrooms. I use a small local company and pay $140 for every two weeks.

2 ladies come and they are done in under two hours, usually about 1.5 hours. I'm pretty sure all they do is surface cleaning and vacuuming. I don't think they even do much to clean the bathroom shower tile or floors beyond vacuuming them (I'm never home when they are here). THey seem to wipe down surfaces, dust without moving anything, vacuum. But no baseboard dusting, no dusting blinds, no wiping off things that sit on the bathroom counters (like soap dispensers) or nightstands. And I think on our wood floors they just vacuum and polish with a "Bona" type spray and microfiber mop.

Is that what I should expect for $140 every two weeks? I'd really like a little more thorough mopping and dusting for that price, but maybe that's just what you get.

I don't want to go back to a word of mouth recommendation that is just a single person or small group without business status. We had this once and they took off with our key and no notice that they wouldn't be around anymore.

You're describing my issues with our cleaners. We pay slightly more (160) than this for a smaller house in DC (3 bed, 2 bath, 1800 sq ft). They do not clean baseboards ever, the sink handles never get scrubbed and have build-up on them, the showerheads never get any attention, I'm not sure they even mop the kitchen floors given the spots that are still there after they come. They came yesterday, and some dirt that I purposefully left in a corner of the bathroom floor when I was doing some cleaning this weekend was still there when I came home yesterday. I don't think they even clean that floor at all. I've already found someone new to try out, who will be slightly more expensive. I'd rather pay more for a good cleaning.

[Anonymous]

They ALL get lazy after a bit. They think they are cleaning more efficiently, but they are just getting through it. No exceptions in my 15 years of having various cleaners in three states.

[Anonymous]

Do cleaners clean under your radiators? It is so dusty under there