It’s A Women’s World

Take it from someone who knows. There are good cleaning services out there and there are some that you simply don’t want in your home. I worked for a maid service while I put myself through college and I would not have stayed there had they not been honest. It is always tricky when you invited someone in your home, and this is especially true when a cleaning service will have access to all areas of your home, sometimes while you aren’t there.

When looking for a cleaning service, going with a chain might be a good idea. If you want to go with a local cleaning service, look for one that has been in business for a while and that can give you good references. No matter what cleaning services you choose, remember that bad things can happen no matter who you hire. You should always make sure you take precautions when inviting strangers into your home. How well these cleaning services will clean your home is important, but you have to think about protection as well.

Most cleaning services will take care of you if something were to happen. They have insurance for just this purpose. No matter how well you screen employees, a bad apple can slip through. We once had a girl who stole a credit card and some jewelry from a home. It was only her second week of work, but she was obviously looking for the right time. She happened to be on my crew and I remember I didn’t find out about it until she was fired and the damage was long done.

We offered weekly and bi-weekly cleaning services and this particular home was on a bi-weekly schedule. They had been using our cleaning services for a long time and felt comfortable with us, until this lady came along. She was easily caught though because the stolen credit card was being used in and around her neighborhood. She quit before she was caught, but she was soon in custody for theft. The homeowner was reimbursed for their missing items and money.

When looking for cleaning services, perhaps the best one will be one that has insurance against theft. They should do everything the can to keep dishonest people out of your home, but it isn’t always possible. Don’t get me wrong, almost all of the people who work for cleaning services are honest, but you can never be too careful. Make sure you are covered if something goes wrong.

When I visited friends of mine who had just built their own house, I was too busy admiring the home to think about taking my shoes off. I feel badly about it now, but I had tracked dust in all over their brand new white carpeting. To my amusement, a burly construction guy was following me around with Resolve and some paper towels to clean up the damage. If you have white carpet, you probably feel their pain. When your carpets need help, carpet cleaning is far better than replacing, don’t you think?

There are two ways to keep things looking good. You can get regular carpet cleaning, or you can spot clean was you go. Many people use both types of carpet cleaning and don’t mind the expense. I guess when you buy a light colored carpet you almost know that carpet cleaning is going to be in your future. Some people put up with this hassle because they love the color, and the extra work does not bother them.

You can get carpet cleaning done by the professionals, and this is something that will make your life a whole lot easier. How your carpets will be cleaned will depend on who you hire. I have seen companies that have everything contained within their van. They simply run a very long hose and attachment into the home to clean the carpets. Others carry heavy equipment in for carpet cleaning. Either way, the carpets seem to be well cleaned and cared for.

I don’t know if many places offer this anymore, but you used to be able to go into a grocery store and rent equipment to do heavy duty carpet cleaning on your own. All you had to do was learn how to use the equipment and return it when you were done. There are also some expensive residential vacuums that also clean carpets with a special attachment. Both of these seem to work well.

For those pesky spots and dirt that is tracked in from outside, you can do your own spot carpet cleaning. There are many products you can buy, Resolve being one of the first ones that comes to mind. These are usually sprayed or deposited on the stain or spot and left to sit for a few minutes, and then blotted up with a paper towel or rag. Depending on what type of stain you have, this usually works rather well. If you have kids or pets, you better stock up.