Tamika Small-Campbell, Contributor

Small-Campbell

This is the second in our series on managing housekeeping challenges.

Hiring the right person to clean your home can seem like a complicated process. Here are some of the more important things to consider.

Ask if the cleaning company checks employment and criminal records. If you prefer to hire a private helper, then be certain that you perform a criminal record check. Remember that appearances can be deceiving and references can be falsified. Asking a private helper to return to your home and reclean at no additional cost is usually an exercise in futility whereas a cleaning company usually has this option in their policy.

Important questions:

Licenced business?

Verifying the legitimacy of any business that you are considering to hire is important. You never want to let anyone into your home who might be giving you false information.

Who will be in your home?

It is best to be aware of how many people will come to perform the cleaning services, and who these people are. You may also want to find out who the supervisor is (if there is one).

Will the same people be cleaning your home every time?

This will give you an idea if the cleaning company has a high employee turnover rate. Cleaning services generally have a high employee turnover rate anyway, so don't be too surprised.

Who provides cleaning equipment/supplies?

It is very important to ask this question. Some cleaning services don't bring any supplies or equipment and will expect to use yours. Executive Housekeeping & Laundry offers the use of their cleaning supplies at an additional cost.

What services are offered?

What you really want to know is: what items they will clean and how thoroughly does the service clean everything? You need to be sure you make the cleaning company aware of how meticulous you are.

What if you are not satisfied?

Always be sure you let the cleaning company know if something is missing and when you are happy. If there is a problem, tell the people who do the work in your home first, rather than their boss, as this can create tensions. If the problem continues, contact the owner/manager of the cleaning service.

Cost

Cost should only be considered when all other questions have been answered. Never compare cleaning services based solely on cost! The cheapest isn't always the best.

For further info, contact: Tamika Small, Executive Housekeeping & Laundry, 48 Burbank Avenue; phone: 924-1721 or email: executive.housekeeping@yahoo.com.