Frequently asked Questions - House Cleaning Service and Maid Service
For your convenience you'll find the answers to the most common questions we receive about house cleaning services. Click on the question link to jump to the answer. Use your browser's back button to return to the top of the page.
What makes Mrs. Clean the best in the Northwest?
What is Mrs. Clean's house cleaning service guarantee?
Do you have references?
What are the benefits of hiring a professional house cleaning company?
What's the risk with hiring an individual or subcontractor cleaning co?
Can I trust the house cleaning people you send to my home?
Are Mrs Clean's employees bonded?
Are Mrs Clean's employees insured?
How do you determine your house cleaning rates?
Do you offer specials, discounts, or coupons on house cleaning, office cleaning or maid service?
Do you require contracts for house cleaning, maid service or office cleaning?
Do you bring the cleaning supplies and equipment to clean my home?
Will you send the same house cleaning team to my home?
Do I have to be there when you clean my home or office?
Whats the difference with all the cleaning services you offer?
What is the difference between a first time deep cleaning and routine house cleaning times?
I've never had house cleaning or maid service, how do I start?
What areas do you provide house cleaning, maid service and office cleaning?
What days do you provide house cleaning and office cleaning service?
What time will you arrive to clean my home?
Can I leave a note for the house cleaning team?
How do I pay for house cleaning or office cleaning service?
What if something was missed and I am unhappy with a cleaning?
What if something valuable was broken when the maids cleaned my home?
What if I forget the team is coming to clean my house or office?
Can I get a gift certificate for house cleaning?
What is your privacy policy?
Looking for employment for house cleaning service, housekeeping and maid service?
What makes Mrs. Clean the best in the Northwest?Well honestly, it's our people, our commitment, and our very high standards. As a house cleaning company that's been around since 1975, we take the job we do very seriously.
We go to great lengths to hire the right people to clean your home. To insure that we understand your needs and have the best communication possible, all of our employees speak and read english. Clean Northwest NEVER uses independent subcontractors or vendors. We send trusted, pre-screened employees to clean your home. Each of our employees has had a criminal background check, has been thoroughly trained in the latest house cleaning techniques and is held to very high standards.
Clean Northwest cleans your entire home each visit. Many other house cleaning services use a rotational system, meaning one portion of your home gets an in-depth clean on each visit. With cleannw, your entire home is thoroughly cleaned each and every time we service your home.
Mrs Clean's employees are cleaning pros. We carry insurance that protects you if an accident or injury happens on your property. We pay all federal, state, social security, payroll and workers' compensation taxes. We are very proud of our people and proud of what we do, and it shows in the house and office cleaning you'll get.
We review our competitors house cleaning rates and ensure that we are priced well below the rates they charge. You can be assured that we are providing you with a great house cleaning or office cleaning value. Anybody can put out an ad offering housecleaning service. There is no way of knowing who or what you'll get when you call.
Did you know that there are many housekeeping companies that do not provide deep cleaning service? (this means lite housework only) Many maid services and house cleaning companies do not fold laundry, iron, wash your dishes, or clean your windows.
Doesn't that seem strange? Well, it did to us. This is why we will customize any cleaning service. Customized house cleaning is much more than another useless marketing term. How disappointing it would be to come home after paying for house cleaning or maid service and there were dirty dishes in the sink.
We are a new kind of cleaning company. We take care of all your cleaning needs: Heavy duty scrubbing, shine, wash, fold and organize your home. Let us know what your custom cleaning needs are, we will do our best to do it all.
What is Mrs. Clean's house cleaning guarantee?We care about our house cleaning service to you, and we're not satisfied if you're not. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If something was missed, and you are not satisfied with your house or office cleaning, please notify us within 24 hours of the cleaning and we will send the team back out at our expense to correct the problem.
We ask for performance feedback from all new clients. We want to know if there was even a minor item you noticed. (of course, we love all the positive feeback too!) Our customer service, and near-obsessive desire to please insures consistent and high quality cleaning of your home.
Do you have references?Absolutely. Send us an email and we'll be glad to send you a copy right away.
What are the benefits of hiring a professional house cleaning company?An established larger company provides stability, resources, and peace of mind. Professional house cleaning companies will deliver screened, qualified, trustworthy, dependable house cleaners to your door. We have several house cleaning teams that can adjust to the workload if a house cleaner had called in sick. Individual cleaners tend to be less structured. They may take liberties that you are uncomfortable with or that increase your risk of loss. If they lack a certificate of insurance and damage occurs you may have to make a claim on your insurance. Certain claims may jeopardize your home owner's insurance policy. Inconsistent quality, and reliablity issues with an individual may cause disagreements that are difficult to resolve.
What's the risk with hiring an individual or subcontractor cleaning co?There's a tremendous difference in hiring house cleaning companies with employees vs. subcontractors, vendors or individuals. It's all about the protection you'll get when you open the door of your home to a house cleaner, the quality of the cleaning job, the guarantee, and who is ultimately responsible for any liability or risk when the day is done.
An individual who is hired "under the table" is a serious risk if they are hurt or disabled on your property. They are not covered under L&I insurance if they are hurt in your home. There is the real possibility that they may sue you for lost wages and for medical costs.
If you hire an individual and they do not pay the employment taxes they owe, YOU are technically and legally their employer and can be held liable for the taxes due to the IRS. Hiring a company that pays all emploment taxes and carries L&I insurance coverage protects you. Mrs Clean pays all employment taxes and carries L&I insurance for each employee.
Unfortunately, many 'cleaning companies', and I'd guess 100% of individuals for hire do NOT carry liability insurance. If your belongings are damaged, (and accidents do happen on occasion) you will have no easy compensation recourse. Mrs Clean has full liability insurance for each employee.
Employee honesty bonding insurance is sadly lacking in our industry. A bond is insurance that protects the client and compensates them if an employee of Mrs Clean is guilty of theft. We've turned down 100's applications from house cleaners that have current house cleaning experience and a theft or other serious conviction on their record. Mrs Clean's employee's are trusted, background checked, pre-screened and bonded for your protection.
If we would not trust a house cleaner in our home, we will not send them to yours.
Subcontractors are also independent; they actually can be considered a vendor of the company you hire. They have not been trained by the company, (the IRS has very stringent rules on this) and are not covered by L&I insurance. Employing individuals and subcontractors is a gamble and carries a real risk.
The risks with certain types of house cleaning services is not generally known by the public. (Though it's well known in our industry) It's such a concern, we have a whole other page covering the issue- Click to review the important questions to ask before you hire any house cleaning , maid service , or janitorial cleaning service.
Can I trust the house cleaning people you send to my home?This is critical. No matter who you hire, always insist on a criminal background check. We've turned down 100's of applications from house cleaners that have current house cleaning experience and a theft or other serious conviction on their record. Mrs Clean sends screened, trusted, and dependable employees to your door. If we would not trust someone in to clean our own home or office, we're not going to send them to clean yours.
Are Mrs Clean's employees bonded?Clean Northwest employees are bonded for your protection. This bond is insurance that protects you and compensates you if a Mrs Clean employee is guilty of theft.
Are Mrs Clean's employees insured?Yes, Mrs Clean carries liability insurance. Liability insurance protects you and will cover damage to your home or property that is caused by Mrs Clean's employees.
How do you determine your house cleaning rates? As a house cleaning company that's been around since 1975, we periodically review our competitors house cleaning rates to insure that we are priced below the rates they charge. You can be assured that we are providing you with a great house cleaning value.
Our fees are based on the actual time it takes to clean your home in 1/4 hour increments. We have a 2 person, 1 hour minimum. House cleaning estimates are based on square foot, number of beds, baths, number of occupants, pets, etc. and the client's desires.
Our rates, our guarantee and our dedication to you remain the same whether you book us for a one-time cleaning or sign up for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly service.
Do you offer house cleaning, office cleaning or maid service discounts?We sure do. Click here to view our house cleaning specials .
Do you require house cleaning, maid service or office cleaning contracts?Never. We're happy to earn your business each time we clean, and we have built this company doing just that.
Do you bring the cleaning supplies and equipment to clean my home?You bet. We arrive with all cleaning supplies and equipment necessary to make your home or office sparkle. We even bring our own freshly laundered soft cotton towels to clean with. You'll be happy to know that many of our products are earth friendly and either unscented or low scented. If you'd like us to use your cleaning equipment or any special cleaning supplies, just let us know. We'd be happy to do so.
Will you send the same house cleaning team to my home?Of course. Just let us know your preference. We'll even rotate our teams at a clients request so they can be sure they found just the perfect cleaning team for them. Since we send out cleaning teams, if a person is sick or on vacation, you can be assured of seeing a familiar face.
Do I have to be there when you clean my home or office?Not at all. In fact, many clients prefer to give us a key so we can clean when they are away. All keys are given a code designation and secured when not in use. If you wish to hide a key on your premises, please call the office with the location so we can notify the team prior to their arrival.
What kind of cleaning services do you offer?A routine house cleaning is a thorough "common" or "regular" list of services. We clean your home from top to bottom, including bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, main rooms. Vacuum, clean, shine, dust, disinfect, and straighten the appearance in all rooms. Click here to see a list of items that are cleaned in a routine house cleaning here.
A deep cleaning, move-in cleaning, or move-out detailed cleaning service includes everything in a routine house cleaning and then more. Also perfect as "spring-cleaning" or when you are moving into a new home and want everything sanitized, shining and sparkling. The oven, refrigerator, windows and even the window tracks are cleaned. We spot clean the walls and light fixtures. This is deep cleaning - a heavy duty, detailed house cleaning from top to bottom. Deep cleaning can be done on your house, office, apt and condo. It's a great way to get your damage deposit back when moving, or to get your home ready to show when you have decided to sell. Click here to see a list of items that we clean in a deep cleaning , move-in cleaning , move-out cleaning .
Customized house cleaning is just- well, customized. Do you want us to clean your silk plants, fold your laundry and organize the pantry? Only clean the high traffic areas? Only clean the bathroom? Come in to help out the housekeeper? (we really have done this!) Clean to a set cost? Only come in to polish the silver? (we've done this too!) No problem, we'd be happy to! Just add or subtract any item from the routine and deep house cleaning service list, let us know of any other items to assist with, (I could not possibly list them all) then sit back and count on Clean Northwest to get the job done. Click here to see our customized house cleaning page.
Any thing else? We also clean offices and provide janitorial service. We provide service to several business clients, business needs vary between an office setting, a hair salon and exercise facility. We do what we need to do to keep the business looking great.
Anything we can't help with? Well, the list is small. Due to health concerns (toxoplasmosis) we can't clean cat boxes. Blood, vomit and anything else along these lines needs to be cleaned though a company offering bio-hazard cleaning services.
House cleaning is hard work. The first time we come out to clean your home or office, the job is scrubbing intensive as we get all areas cleaned to sparkling high standards. Depending on the initial level of grime and clutter, a first-time cleaning can take 1.25-2.0 times longer than subsequent cleanings. We do not charge a higher rate for one-time cleanings, (as do some companies) but it obviously takes longer to clean a tub or shower that has a lot of build up than a tub that's been cleaned frequently. We are not a 'wipe and go' type of house cleaning company. (unless you'd prefer just a surface clean, or wish us to a hold to an absolute fixed amount of cleaning time) We will clean to whatever style you wish, but left to our own devices, we clean until your home shines.
I've never had house cleaning or maid service, how do I start up?Submit a quote request so you have an idea of the estimated cleaning time for your home. Most people prefer an initial deep cleaning to start, then switch to routine cleaning service at a frequency that suits them. House cleaning is hard work, and a first cleaning or one-time is by far the most labor intensive as we are bringing a house up to sparkling clean. After the first deep cleaning, it will take much less time (on an ongoing basis) to maintain that new high level of cleanliness. A deep cleaning can be 1.25 to 2 times longer than a routine cleaning.
Another way to handle the start up of house cleaning or maid service is to have us start using the compressed routine cleaning time, with a list of your priorities. Since it can take quite a bit more time to get the entire home up to that first high level of cleaning perfection, we will hit your priority areas first, and as we continue to come and clean your home, any areas that we can't get to, as well as the little 'extras' that make up a deep cleaning will be rotated in, and eventually we will have your entire home sparkling. (Usually within 2-3 cleanings)
Another option that works for some people is to have us come in to clean frequently, and work to a specified timeframe. Some clients enjoy our service on a frequent basis, and have us clean only their high priority, high traffic areas. That's perfectly fine with us! Just tell us the amount of time, give us your list and we're good to go!
The difference between all these options for house cleaning, office cleaning or maid service is simply your desires and expectations. We want to be flexible and accommodating to your needs. We'll start up your maid, house or office cleaning service any way you'd like, and we'll work as hard as we can on what ever type of cleaning you prefer. We're here to make your life easier, just let us know how we can start. Rest assured, no matter how we start, we don't mess around with clean.
What areas do you provide house cleaning, maid service and office cleaning?We have been proudly serving Washington in King and Snohomish counties and cities since 1975;
Bellevue , Bothell , Brier , Carnation , Clyde Hill , Duvall , Edmonds , Everett , Hunts Point , Issaquah , Kenmore , Kirkland , Lake Forest Park , Lake Stevens , Lynnwood , Marysville , Medina , Mercer Island , Mill Creek , Monroe , Mountlake Terrace , Mukilteo , Newcastle , Redmond , Renton , Sammamish , Seattle , Shoreline , Snohomish , Stanwood , Woodinville , Yarrow Point
What days do you provide house cleaning and office cleaning service?We are available to make your home shine Monday through Saturday. Openings are available for our custom house cleaning and maid service or housekeeping for either one-time, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
What time will you arrive to clean my home?We place reminder calls the day before your scheduled house or office cleaning. An estimated time of arrival (ETA) will be provided at that time. The ETA will be as accurate as we can possibly make it (e.g. 11ish). If you have a critical timing issue, please let us know.
Can I leave a note for the house cleaning team?
Definitely yes. It is always a good idea to communicate either to the office or the house cleaning team if you want special attention to an area, or if you are pleased or have concerns. We contact all of our clients after their initial cleaning to ask for feedback. Every client has different wants, needs and expections, so the more communication the better. Our employees strive to provide impecable cleaning excellence, but we are human and mistakes are occasionally made. We welcome the opportunity to improve our service to you.
How do I pay for house cleaning or office cleaning service?We accept cash, check, Visa, Master card, American Express, and Discover Card. Payment is due at the time of service. Returned checks are subject to a $25.00 processing fee.
What if something was missed and I am unhappy with a cleaning?Please call us at 425-881-8411, or email us immediately if there is a problem with a cleaning. If we are notified within 24 hours of a cleaning we will send the team back out at our expense to correct the problem. Our employees strive to provide impecable cleaning excellence, but we are human and mistakes are occasionally made. We welcome feedback that helps us improve our service to you.
What if something valuable was broken when the maids cleaned my home?We treat your home or business with as much care as if is was our own, and of course we carry insurance if there is an unfortunate mishap. If you have any irreplaceable or high value items in your home, please notify the team so we do not risk damaging them.
What if I forget the team is coming to clean my house or office?We call all our clients the day before the scheduled cleaning to remind them. If the team is dispatched, drives to your home, and we can't get in to clean, a $45.00 trip fee will be assessed. (Sorry, but we pay our cleaning pro's both wages and mileage to just drive to your home) Please call us prior to the scheduled cleaning day to avoid this charge.
Can I get a gift certificate for house cleaning?Of course. House cleaning is a wonderful gift. We will provide gift certificates for a house or office, condo, apt. in any amount of time you desire. Just send us an email and we'll get it set up right away.
What is your privacy policy?Your privacy is protected with us. We will not sell or rent your personal information.
Associations and Memberships:We are proudly affiliated with the following professional organizations; Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce , Woodinville Chamber of Commerce , South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce , Everett Chamber of Commerce , National Association of Professional Cleaners , Eastside Business Network, Washington State Housecleaners Association , Rental Housing Authority of Puget Sound , House Cleaning Association , Association of Residential Cleaning Professionals , USA Cleaning Services Directory , Cleaning Services Directory Premier Member
Employment for house cleaning service, housekeeping and maid service:We are always looking for cleaning pro's to join our team. We are proud that our maids and house cleaning teams are friendly, courteous, and enjoy working together. We work Monday through Friday cleaning all types of houses, apartments, condo's and offices. We work on a volunteer basis most every Saturday. If you would like to apply for a house cleaning or maid service position, save a copy of this application (formatted as a microsoft word doc) to your computer, complete, and email document to us. Please note that this document will NOT automatically be submitted to us when opened on the web site, and can only be saved on your own computer. If you have trouble opening the document, we can also email or mail you a copy.
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