Thinking about hiring a housecleaner?  To some it may seem like a total luxury, but to others it can be a survival strategy.

There are lots of reasons people hire housecleaners.  Many people put so many hours into their careers that their precious little free time is consumer with household chores.  Quite often it is worth every cent to pay someone to clean your home, so that you truly do have free time, helping to create a better work life balance.

For others it may also be a major time issue, for some it is health issues that they need help, and many of the elderly also hire someone to clean for them.

There’s a couple of suggestions when deciding what’s best for your situation.  Do you want to hire a cleaning company, or an individual who has their own business?  There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

If you opt to hire a company, sometimes the rates are higher as they usually have higher overhead they need to clear.  The other drawback is if you find someone that you like and trust, you may not necessarily get the individual on other cleaning appointments.  However, they usually have supervisors you can complain to if you are dissatisfied with the job for recourse.  Many of these companies train their employees to a certain standard.

On the other side, sole propriety owners that do their own cleaning can be a great option too.  It’s their reputation on the line so they usually work hard to keep that good reputation that is priceless, and to keep their customers are satisfied.  Find out if they are bonded and insured.   If they are not, you have to decide if that’s a chance your willing to take or not.

When you interview your potential person here are some sample questions to ask.

What is their rate?   What does this include?  Do they supply the cleaning products, or do you?   Ask for references and check them out.  Do they clean while you are home or away? 

It’s very helpful for them if you have an idea of what you’d like, such as which tasks, how often and any of your expectations.  

It’s often surprising how reasonable costs are to hire housecleaning done, especially in light of your overall work load and taking into account work life balance issues.  It may be worthwhile to do some research into this.  Many people find it worth every cent!

By Valerie Garner