Would You Rather Use a Cleaning Company or a Private Cleaning Lady???

I didn't realize that because my kids are in school my SAHM responsibilities end...I think I'm even MORE busy now that they are in school!!!

I prefer a private cleaning company...I've used Molly Maids and a couple of the other big ones but the small mom and pop shop work best for me!!!

I would reach out to friends that you know have cleaning services and ask them for their information and contact them to see if they need help.

I would never hire a company, they have always sucked. Mind you I know a few people who are pretty much a group of women who call themselves a company. So like Sue has vacation so Jen does her cleaning, stuff like that. I have had companies come and they did just what they had to do so you couldn't actually say they didn't clean but they still didn't really clean. I had a friend who cleans, she did my cleaning and if she saw something that was just yucky she cleaned it, she didn't debate whether it was part of her job, it was yucky and it needed to be cleaned.

So hate on me if you want but those that suck at cleaning go to work for companies because they could never keep business on their own merit. Those that know how to clean do it on their own. As it is all my friends who clean have a list of clients just waiting for someone to no longer need their service so they can get a good cleaning lady. :)

I don't get the stranger in the home comments. I suppose it would be a concern if you say paid a door to door cleaning lady to come in and clean while you go out for a while. These women do this for a living, how many clients do you think they would have if they were ripping everyone off.

I have had both but I prefer a company with insurance, standards and supervisors should I need them. I really like cleaning as well and my 18 year old daughter is a huge help so I just have them come once every other week. They have been awesome, pay attention to detail and do more of the tasks that I don't feel like doing during my 60-70 hour work week.

Yes, it is a job and you have a schedule (mine do). If this is just a side job, you may be better off on your own and work though referrals. There are expenses for you with your own business though. Check out your options. Good luck.

ETA: Even though I use a company I have had the same two ladies for about six months. Each visit is customized to what I need....that doesn't sound like some of the other services out there.

My husband had a housekeeper twice a month when I met him. He had a private cleaning lady because he had his own house, worked full time and went to grad school part-time. I was working part-time and going to grad school full-time when we met. Neither of us had time to sleep, much less attend to his house. I didn't move it until we married, but you know, Saturday evenings, after dinner was not time to clean my apt or his house.
He liked the fact that with one person he got to build a relationship, she learned where all the clean dishes went, what papers to tidy and which to leave alone, etc... I think with a company, some of those important details would be missing.

Personally I would go for a "one person outfit" if I were to need a cleaning lady. I like the idea of knowing exactly who is in my home when I am not. Instead of the random person who shows up because the company told them to. My aunt had a cleaning lady, the same person for years and years. You can do your own background check and have it available to prospective clients who may ask. I say go for it on your own to do what makes you happy, name your own price and still be able to make your own schedule.

I PERSONALLY would much rather have YOU than a 'company' .... You never know who you're getting with a company AND they're usually youngsters. It's not necessarily a trust issue, but I like more of a personal touch. I'd like to 'know' the person in my home. I want to be able to relax and be confident that they're not going to let my dog or cat slip out the door accidently. I want someone who I can trust to be really careful with my antique glass collections - they're not really valuable, but they were my mom's. I think an individual would be more flexible.....and I would be comfortable being flexible with them - I've had kids in school too and I believe that it is most important to be involved in your kids' school functions.
Good luck.

Since you want (and need) to be there for your children I would go with your own private cleaning service. You might make more money working for a cleaning service by having more steady jobs, but your time would be theirs, not yours.

God bless✿

I have only hire private cleaning ladies because they'll tailor the clening to what I need, not follow some crazy formula. For example, Merry Maids quoted me $120 every two weeks and promised to wipe my baseboards (I don't have any), clean every ceiling fan (but mine were too high to reach), take fingerprints off of all stainless appliances (mine are black and don't collect fingerprints), change my sheets (no thanks) plus all the stuff I wanted. The two private ladies I've hired charged $20 per hour and would tackle whatever I needed. So it was usually the regular stuff like vacuuming and dusting but they would do windows or deep cleaning the kitchen from time to time. I highly recommend doing it private if you can.

I've never had a cleaning lady, but I've looked into it a little bit. I would definitely choose a private cleaning lady. I think when one works for a company, it's easier to not feel as duty bound to do a good job as a private cleaning lady would do, you know? If she knows she has to do a good job every time or else she might lose that client, and if there is no big company to back her up, I bet she'll do a better job cleaning.

Anyway...so that's what I would do - a private cleaning lady.

Definitely private. I never use a company because even though they are bonded you never know who is in your house and I do not like that. Also private individuals care more and will be more flexible/tailored to your needs. You could start with one or two jobs now to build up a reference base and then when you are ready to go full time it will be much easier to get jobs. People who hire private individuals mostly do so based on recommendations from friends vs hiring a stranger. Good luck!

I don't have a cleaning person now, but plan to hire one when I go back to work. I would rather hire a private person than go through a company due to the reasons Jubee pointed out. However, I would prefer to hire someone I trust, so I would go through word of mouth. I'm not sure if you could get insured or bonded, but that would definitely help you get more customers. I don't think you would have a problem finding customers -- advertise in the local paper; word of mouth through other moms, church, etc.; flyers in the mail, etc. Good luck! I think you are smart to pick something you enjoy. Plus, this would offer you the flexibility to set your own hours.

This is tough. Companies are SO expensive! I do like that they are bonded and insured however, and this is a big selling point for me. However, I'd probably be fine with a private cleaning lady as long as she was recommended by someone I knew. I'd be hesitant to let a complete stranger (who has not been background checked, etc) into my home wihout at least some sort of "thumbs up" from someone I knew. If you think you can get a few people you know to hire you and then recommend you I'd bet your business would grow pretty quickly, especially if you offer competitive rates. You might want to print up some business cards though too, they are easy to pass out and you can get them pretty cheap on line.

I'd prefer private. I've hired 3-4 cleaning companies and always wind up being so disappointed with the service, especially for what they charge. They always seem more interested in how fast they can get it done, not how well they do the job.

I prefer private, never had luck with the commercial companies.

Have you ever heard of taskrabbit.com? I think it would be ideal for you.

I think it depends on the company or the individual. I had a team of 2 ladies who had their own biz and they did a good job but they were really slow. The company I use now is reliable and they do an overall good job - yes, they miss a couple of things here and there but they are still human. They are responsive to things I've asked them to do differently as well. As I was interviewing companies, I asked them alot of questions including hygiene (using clean cloths from room to room) and what types of products they use to make sure they are safe for kids.

Private lady .. Cleaning companies charge way too much .. I need someone ASAP but don't know who is out there as all you see when you google is the big companies ..

Private cleaning lady. We had one after I had surgery a few years ago and she did a stellar job. Well worth the money.

After reading the book, "Nickel and Dimed", I would never use a franchise cleaning company. They work on volume, so the faster they clean your house, the better. Doesn't mean that your house is "clean" since the same towel they use to wipe down your kitchen counter could very well be the same one they used on your toilet.