5 Things you must do before Hiring a Cleaning Lady
The concept of outsourcing the Home and Office Cleaning Function is fast catching on in Singapore. Today, Professional Cleaning Services are readily available and affordable enough to engage on a regular basis. It has therefore become necessary for citizens to increase their awareness about how to get the most out of their cleaning services. Like anything in life, even hiring a cleaning service involves a certain degree of preparation and planning.
Via this blog, we intend to highlight a few important points that you need to put in order before your cleaning lady drops by, to ensure it’s a smooth and beneficial experience for all.
1) Confirm pricing and scope of work at the onset
You may have looked at your cleaning agency’s price chart or heard about how much the service agency charges. Unless you get a precise quotation for your job, refrain from starting on it.
Once your hired cleaning lady arrives at your place, show her the entire area and get a clearance on the costing again, before commencing. Discuss what all will be covered and done in the decided cost before the work begins. At this point, you may actually go into the tiniest details if you feel the need to, only to avoid any hassles later.
2) You may find out background and credentials of your cleaning lady
As a client, you have every right to know past experience and other details such as residency status of your cleaning lady. You may ask for these clearances and keep a copy of them with you for reference purposes.
3) Discuss what and how it should be cleaned
When you hire any professional service, never assume that the agency knows what you want, unless you’ve worked with them earlier. Each individual has their own hygiene expectation. Ask the cleaning lady to show you a wiped and scrubbed sample patch before she continues with the whole unit.
4) Find out how long the entire cleaning procedure is going to take
Most cleaning agencies will specify how long their tasks are going to take. But once your cleaning lady sees the premises, get the time aspect clarified again, just in case, she feels she may need more than previously estimated.
Prepare an efficient cleaning schedule that mentions the order of items to be cleaned, and the time to be spent on each.
This will reduce your stress if you have prior appointments lined up after. It will also avoid the probability of a rushed job in the last fifteen minutes, when you suddenly realise that time is running out and there are still quite a few cubicles/rooms to go.
5) Stock up on all cleaning supplies and tools in advance
Depending on the texture of the surfaces in your premise i.e.: granite, glass, wood etc, you will be required to keep solutions, detergents or powders ready, which suit those surfaces. So find out what all is required and make sure you try them out yourself, before you hand them over to your assigned cleaning lady.
At this point, also ensure you specify how much liquid or powder she can use. Most good quality solutions don’t require more than a few drops per surface.
Along with the liquids, make sure you are well stocked with the right mops, sponges and scrubs for the various areas and floors, counters or furniture surfaces. This will just make the job easier, quicker and more hygienic.
So making the most of your cleaning visit requires a little bit of prior planning. This will not only benefit your immediate experience but will also assist you in establishing a healthy and long term relationship with your cleaning agency.
