When childcare and a career fill out your days, the added chore of cleaning can put your stress levels over the top. Hiring house cleaning services can be the life-changing relief you need, letting you regain valuable free time to spend your way.
Given the array of options, finding a house cleaning company in San Diego isn’t difficult. But when you have dozens of choices, it’s easy to miss out on the best service to fit your needs. As much as you want a spotless home, the task of hiring a cleaner you can trust is often a nerve-wracking chore by itself.
Getting service you can feel good about shouldn’t be a headache. Make your job quick, easy, and worry-free by following these steps to find trustworthy, dependable service. And don’t forget, if you want to skip the work and get straight to experienced professionals for your San Diego home, it only takes a few minutes to request a booking online with Anita’s.
Figure Out What You Need
The most critical step in finding the right professional cleaner in San Diego is figuring out what you need. There are generally three needs to think about when looking for a residential cleaning company:
- Cleaning tasks
- Budget
- Schedule
These should all stay as flexible as possible, but you need to set priorities.
Cleaning Tasks
If you’re considering a house cleaning professional, you need to figure out exactly what you hope to gain. Maybe constant clutter keeps you stressed, you can’t keep up with the laundry that your kids generate every day, or you can’t find time for your semi-annual deep clean. Once you focus on your major cleaning pain points, it will be easier to find cleaners with the right service offerings.
Prioritize the tasks you need your maid service to accomplish into a list of “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves”. Staying flexible with your house cleaning demands will make it easier to compromise with your budget.
Budget
Figuring out your budget is a crucial initial step in finding the best house cleaning provider. House cleaning costs in San Diego average about $30-$40 an hour, so you’ll need to decide how much you can invest for a one-time or recurring house cleaning job. Even though you may want a thorough cleaning every weekend, it may not be financially feasible.
Being flexible with your budget and cleaning priorities will ensure you get your primary needs met while still getting amazing quality work. It’s always better to sacrifice a few “nice-to-haves” to get excellent service than to skimp on the whole cleaning process.
Schedule
When’s the best time for a home cleaner to visit? You may need a day cleaning while you’re at work, or maybe you want to get your house deep cleaned before hosting a party. Selecting maid services that can fit your life is essential.
You can often compromise between your budget and cleaning tasks, but scheduling is generally the most non-negotiable part of finding home cleaning services. Even if they do a fantastic job for less than other maids, there’s no point in hiring someone who can’t clean at a convenient time. The best way to stay as flexible as possible with your scheduling needs is to figure out when you absolutely can’t have a professional cleaner come to your home and then work around that.
Get Referrals From Family and Friends
Before hitting up Google for a San Diego house cleaning company, talk to people who know you and your standards. If your best friend has a cleaner that always does a wonderful job, you can add them to your list to investigate. Friends and family are a great starting point for finding home cleaning services, but an even better group to ask are your neighbors in the surrounding area.
Talk to Your Neighbors
San Diego neighborhoods often have houses with similar designs, so you may be able to find a good comparison to your house by asking the person next door. If you’re in an apartment building or townhouse in a community of rental properties, you can get an excellent idea of the experience and expenses. Since you’re asking your neighbor, you know you’re most likely going to get nearby referrals as well.
Read Online Reviews
Other customers in San Diego will give you the most accurate perspective on a house cleaner’s quality, so you should always check reviews before making a decision. An easy way to start a search is to check Google Maps in your local area and start sorting according to each cleaner’s ratings. Alternatively, you can use professional service finders like Home Advisor, Angi, or Anita’s to get more detailed information like price ranges and service offerings.
Check the common trends of what customers are saying about each cleaning company. Are they on time, efficient, and detailed? Mediocre work hardly ever gets reviews, so if a ton of people rave about how one cleaner does an amazing job at delivering great customer service, it’s a safe bet that you’ll be satisfied as well.
Read Recent Negative Reviews
Of course, not everyone in San Diego will have a great cleaning experience, and that’s why it’s so crucial to read reviews. As the number one review site, Google will have the richest information, so you should always check their negative reviews for each cleaner. Even if a company has a great star rating, any recent negative reviews will tell you the right questions to ask.
Review Professional Cleaning Services
Once you have a solid list of cleaning services in San Diego, you can check out what each one offers. How do their services align with your goals? Some questions to ask include:
- Do they provide deep cleaning and specialty services?
- Can you set up a recurring cleaning time?
- Will they give you a free estimate?
- What kind of cleaning products do they use?
- Are the cleaners background-checked and reference-checked?
Before calling a cleaner, make sure they specialize in the work you want.
Check Credentials
There are no laws around house cleaning licenses in San Diego, so you’ll find many individuals offering services with and without licensing or insurance.
A maid service without a home cleaning business license or liability insurance will generally offer better rates because they have lower operating costs. They may also be more open to negotiation to earn a customer’s business over some other company. On the other hand, a licensed and insured business offers peace of mind in case of contingencies, which is particularly important with any service you invite into your home.
The Importance of Background Checks
Licensing and insurance is a judgment call, and you can specifically request a home cleaning service with insurance when you book through Anita’s. But the crucial factor to consider is the background check.
Nothing offers more confidence than a track record of trustworthiness, and whether they’re insured or not, you can count on fantastic service when there’s a history of it. Unlike Craigslist, booking sites like Anita’s only advertise providers in San Diego who have gone through a background check.
Look at Their Location
San Diego is a sprawl, so you want to make sure that the cleaner you select is in the nearby area. If you’re in Solana Beach, it makes more sense to work with cleaners in Del Mar than a team in Spring Valley. Likewise, if you’re in El Cajon, a cleaner in La Mesa would be better than one in Carmel Valley.
When a team is only a few minutes away, it’s more likely that they’ll work with your schedule and be at your home on time. Plus, they may give you better rates if they factor travel into their costs.
Talk to Your Top Picks
Now that you have your list of highly-rated, vetted, and nearby cleaners, you can start interviewing each team. Go through as much detail as possible regarding your goals and perform a walkthrough, especially if you need a deep clean. In general, it’s best to select 3-4 cleaners to contact.
Agree on Specifics Upfront
Detail the costs, responsibilities, and timeline with each cleaner. Here are some of the essential questions to cover:
- When will the team arrive/depart?
- Which rooms will they clean, and what are their cleaning duties?
- Who will provide cleaning supplies?
- What types of supplies or products do they use?
- How much will the service cost? Are there any additional fees?
- Do they provide weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleaning?
- How do they manage disputes?
- Is there a guarantee of their work? Are they insured?
Compare Cleaning Costs
You’ll find competitive rates across San Diego cleaners, but the lowest price doesn’t always mean the best value. With what you read from reviews and glean from interviews, compare the quality each one provides with the price they offer. And if you like a cleaner but don’t want to spend too much, see what you can handle on your own to decrease the costs.
Prepare Your Home
No matter which cleaner you choose, you can sometimes save a significant amount of money and gain peace of mind by prepping your home for a visit. Clean up clutter to decrease the amount of time your cleaner will need to finish the job and get laundry and dishes out of the way. Most cleaners charge extra for those services, but you’ll still need to clear them out so your provider can do a thorough cleaning.
Lock up valuables and close off any rooms you don’t want your cleaner to access. Both you and your cleaner must be comfortable to ensure a positive relationship.
Find the Best House Cleaning Services San Diego Has to Offer
There’s a lot to consider when you want to find the best house cleaning services, and the task can sometimes be overwhelming. But with the steps outlined in this article, you’ll have an enormous help in building confidence and convenience into the process.
If the search for outstanding cleaners still seems a little daunting, let Anita’s match you with experts in your area. From Solana Beach to El Cajon and beyond, we partner with experienced local providers all across the San Diego region to ensure you receive the exceptional service you and your family deserve. Contact us today, and learn how we take the hassle-free approach to find the perfect fit for your cleaning needs.
