Maid Service Reviews» cleaning service Directory and Independent Reviews of Cleaning Services Sat, 20 Jul 2013 03:10:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2 How to Find a Reputable Cleaning Service /article/how-to-find-a-reputable-cleaning-service/ /article/how-to-find-a-reputable-cleaning-service/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 10:02:32 +0000 Guest Contributor /?p=994 dirty houseIt is true that our homes can get quite dirty – so do our office spaces and any other indoor area that we occupy. It seems that everywhere we go and spend time we create a mess. Most of us don’t even have the time to pick up after ourselves, let alone spend a good couple of hours cleaning. In this case it can be critical to hire a cleaning service. However, hiring a reputable cleaning service can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to start. Here are some ways you can find a reputable cleaning service.

For one, ask your friends and family. In fact, ask your friend with the most kids, because chances are they have gone through all the cleaning services in town. Asking your immediate and closest contacts is a great place to start looking for a reputable cleaning service, because you can trust their opinion more than anyone else’s. Moreover, they can give you personal accounts of how thorough they were. It can be very easy to hire a cleaning service and then realize they forgot to clean half your house. In most cases, you want to have more favorable reviews than negative, because you want to know that a particular cleaning service did a stellar job before you actually hire them to clean your home or office.

Next, you could contact a cleaning service agency. This can be a great way to hire a reputable cleaning service, because agencies usually have very stringent hiring practices and they do background checks. The only downside to hiring a cleaning service from an agency is that they are typically more expensive. Also, there are lot of cleaning agencies to choose from and because they are all listed online, you might be spending a lot of time looking through websites and reading reviews. If the particular cleaning service had online reputation management services performed on their online image it might be hard to find negative remarks, but if you dig hard enough you should be able to find something.

Another way to find a reputable cleaning service is to look online. There are a number of job seeking sites where house cleaners will post their services and rates. The only downside of this is that some of these services might be a scam, which can be devastating if you become a victim. They might steal your money by asking for a deposit or their services are just a front to case your home so that can rob you when you aren’t home. In this instance, it is important to perform a background check to make sure that they don’t have any criminal records or pending lawsuits. You could also ask for references, but most importantly you should meet them in person.

Lastly, when you are looking for a reputable cleaning service you want to make sure that you have a number of references or even complete a background check. You don’t want to bring strangers into your home and then realize that something valuable is missing after they’re gone. If the cleaning service is good and does a thorough job you might hire them again and again.

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How to Give Your Home a Professional Cleaning Before Listing It for Sale /article/how-to-give-your-home-a-professional-cleaning-before-listing-it-for-sale/ /article/how-to-give-your-home-a-professional-cleaning-before-listing-it-for-sale/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 22:02:08 +0000 Guest Contributor /?p=992 house for saleIf you’re preparing to sell your home, you’ve probably got quite the laundry list of tasks to tackle. There’s the whole financial side, hiring a real estate agent and an attorney to manage the closing. There’s your own move to contend with, finding a new place to live and figuring out how to pack years and years of your family’s life in boxes for the big trip. But before you even put your house on the market, you need to get it ready to be shown. The first impression your home makes on a potential buyer is crucial, and a dirty, cluttered home just won’t cut it. You can hire a cleaning service to take care of everything, but if you’ve got the time and the inclination you can save some money and do it yourself. But this won’t be like any other cleaning you’ve attempted. Here is some advice on how to give your home a professional cleaning before listing it for sale.

First off, step onto the front curb and take a look at the impression your home’s exterior leaves. There are certain elements you’ll want to farm out to the pros, simply because you won’t have the proper equipment. You should have the outside of your house power washed, which will rid it of years of accumulated dirt and grime. After the power wash, consider if you need to do any repainting. When the exterior is clean all of the little chips and age marks will become clear, and a fresh coat of paint can make the house appear years newer. You should also have the gutters cleaned, so that everything appears well maintained. The landscaping clean up you can probably handle yourself, as long as you didn’t let things get too overgrown. Look at magazines for some inspiration, and consider replanting if it will make a big difference.

Now it’s time to head inside. Before you get into a deep cleaning, do a full house de-clutter. You want the place to have personality, and to look lived in. But if every room is overwhelmed with stuff it’s going to seem much smaller than it actually is. Anything you haven’t used in six months to a year should be sold or given to goodwill. You might also want to consider renting a storage facility, so you’ll have somewhere to put stuff that’s taking up space but you aren’t willing to get rid of quite yet. Pay special attention to the closets. They should be used but not over stuffed, so the potential buyers can see how much storage space there really is.

When it comes to a professional cleaning, pay special attention to the floors. You’ll want to return your tile and wood floors to their original beauty if at all possible. Polish the wood, think about a refinish job if it is needed, and bring in professional-grade cleaning products for the tile or linoleum in your kitchen and bathrooms. Your carpeting will probably need attention as well. You should be able to rent a carpet cleaner, so you can take care of any ground in dirt and most stains. It may not look brand new, but it will revitalize the fibers and improve the color and overall look.

You’ll also want to clean the furniture and the window treatments. You might be able to use the same carpet cleaning machine on your upholstery. Just check the instruction manual and do a spot test on a hidden area to make sure the material won’t stain or discolor. You’re probably thinking that the buyer isn’t looking to purchase your furniture, so it shouldn’t matter. But you’re trying to create a situation where they can picture themselves living in your home. Check out the real estate postings and go see some Katy homes for sale, or even some medical center homes for sale. Many of them will be set up with temporary staging furniture. Although it won’t have the same personality as your home, you’ll notice that the fresh and clean furniture will feel more inviting. You want the potential buyer to see your home on its best day, and that means a deep cleaning.

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Molly Maid /us/molly-maid/ /us/molly-maid/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:03:42 +0000 admin /?p=542 Molly Maid has been in the residential cleaning service industry for more than 25, but a lot of people haven’t started hearing about them until recently.  They have expanded rapidly over the past decade with their franchising opportunities for local business owners.  Like all cleaning services they aren’t for everyone, however Molly Maid offers a few unique services that are not within the industry norm.  This has led to them standing out during a time where a lot of people are unhappy with the more well-known services.  Here is an in-depth review of Molly Maid to give you a better idea of what they have to offer.

What Makes Molly Maid Unique?

There are three things in particular that helps Molly Maid stand out from many other residential cleaning services.  The first is their 24 hour guarantee  If you get your home cleaned by them and are not satisfied with what they did, you can call within 24 hours of your cleaning and request that they come back.  The best part is that the return visit is completely free.  This is why Molly Maid seems to have a better customer retention rate than many other popular services.

The second thing that Molly Maid uses to stand out is their green cleaning practices.  There are a lot of services that offer this now, but Molly Maid seems to go a step farther.  Along with using completely green cleaning products that do not contain any ingredients that will deplete the ozone or are flammable, which can irritate your skin, they also use other green business practices.  For example, they use highly concentrated cleaners so that they use less product overall.  Plus, they use recyclable packaging.  They are one of the few residential cleaning services that haven’t been accused of “green washing”.  Green washing is when a company does something very minor, like recycle the bottle of a particular cleaning product and call itself green – even though the contents of the bottle are not eco-friendly.

The third facet that stood out during the review of Molly Maid is their Ms. Molly Foundation.  This foundation works supports education and fundholding events for local safe houses and shelters for victims of domestic violence.  They also team up with the National Violence Awareness month campaigns to donate funds and services to the local community.

The Molly Maid Consultation

Before they show to clean your home the first time, they offer a free in-home consultation to learn more about what type of services you want and what your expectations are.  This also gives you a chance to give them any special instructions that they may need.  This helps them create a plan that fits within your budget and still provide you with the services you need.  Plus, they don’t require any type of contract so you can cancel or alter your services at any time, for any reason.

Review of Molly Maid

Overall, Molly Maid appears to be a very solid choice as a residential cleaning service.  They have several characteristics that help them stand out from the rest of the industry, especially the Ms. Molly Foundation.  Plus, their 24 hour guarantee ensures that you will get exactly what you want every time.

Save money with a Molly Maid coupon!

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