Uncategorized

5 Things to Look for in a House Cleaning Service

An average American spends about 6 hours a week tidying up their home and making sure it’s hygienic and safe. However, when you have to care for kids and pets, work a full-time job, and find a little bit of relaxing time, it becomes difficult to squeeze in the cleaning hours. 

Luckily, there are many available maid services in Tacoma, WA that can help you keep your home spick and span, but choosing the right one can be challenging, especially if you haven’t hired any before. Knowing what traits to look for is a head start, so keep reading to learn more about what makes a trustworthy cleaning provider

How do you evaluate cleaning services?How do you evaluate cleaning services?

Allowing a stranger into your home can be stressful, and you want to make sure the technicians you hire come from a reliable company that cares about both their clients and employees. Here’s how to know you’re making the right choice:

Reputation

The best way to start your search is to ask your friends and family for referrals, and the next best thing is to check online testimonials and reviews on Yelp, Google, and other local sites. Make sure to go through third-party sites, and not only the company’s. As you skim through their Google and Yelp reviews, look for the things they say about the company’s skills, professionalism, work ethic, and punctuality. 

Communication skills

Once you’ve picked the company according to your research, the next step is making the first call or sending an email. You should feel a professional yet friendly rapport. Make sure you prepare the questions you’d like to ask the company and pay attention to their answers. See if the person you’re communicating with seems warm and genuine and whether you’d feel comfortable allowing them into your home. 

Insured and bonded 

In case anyone gets injured while tending to your home or anything goes missing or gets damaged or broken, you’ll want to have a company that’s bonded and insured. This means that you’ll be legally protected if anything goes wrong. A company that cares about its workers and clients will certainly have these and be happy to provide proof if you request it.

Skilled and vetted workers

The truth is that many companies fail to run background checks or screen their workers before hiring, but this is crucial since they will be working inside your home. A company that performs these checks will proudly make this known by stating it on their website or letting you know during correspondence. Moreover, they should have the proper training for their workers to ensure the high quality of their performance. 

See for yourself

If you stick around for the first couple of cleanings, you’ll get a feeling of how they work and give a few comments once they’re done. Of course, you shouldn’t follow them around or be bossy, just try not to stand in their way, stay friendly, and keep in mind that building trust takes time.

Who provides the best maid services in Tacoma, WA?Who provides best maid services in Tacoma, WA?

If you’d like to know what basic house cleaning consists of, or you’re wondering why hire professionals at all, feel free to reach out to NW Maids Tacoma. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have and assist you in keeping your home safe and hygienic. Our highly professional, bonded, and insured staff always go the extra mile to keep our clients happy. 

Take some time off and pay a visit to the Tacoma Art Museum while our technicians take care of your home. Call now!

Top 7 Benefits of Hiring Professional Cleaners

Have you been considering booking cleaning services, but you’re still not sure if it’s a good idea? This article will go over several advantages of having house cleaners so that you get a glimpse of what it’s like before you make your decision. When you’re ready to give yourself a break and your home in Portland, OR some professional housekeeping, we are at your disposal.

What are the benefits of having a cleaning service?

What are the benefits of having a cleaning service

Besides the obvious benefit of having a clean home, there are many advantages you may not be aware of. Here’s what you can expect once you book professional house cleaning services:

Not having to purchase cleaning supplies

When you have housekeepers, you don’t have to waste your time and money purchasing supplies, equipment, and products. If you choose a top-rated company, your technicians will bring high-quality equipment and the best cleaning products to make your home spick-and-span. You may also inquire whether they use eco-friendly supplies to be sure you’re not exposed to harsh chemicals and also that they’re not harmful to the environment.

Getting cleaner air and fewer allergens

Having regular cleaning services and technicians who dust hard-to-reach surfaces and use HEPA filter vacuums will drastically improve the air in your home. Dust build-up and common allergens will become a thing of the past. Your furniture, carpets, and floors will have that old shine back, while you and your family will breathe cleaner air and be healthier and happier in your own home.

Getting rid of germs and bacteria

Your professionals know how to do away with germs and bacteria using time-tested tools and methods. They will thoroughly disinfect and sanitize your home, especially the critical areas such as your kitchen and bathroom.

Gaining extra free time

When you don’t have to spend hours tidying up around the house, you’ll finally have some added free time. You can relax at your fresh and clean home, catch up with friends, or have a stroll at Washington Park.

Saving money

By having professionals do your home maintenance, you’ll actually save money in the long run. First, you don’t have to buy supplies or expensive high-tech equipment. Also, by getting extra time, you will be able to do other tasks and take on some extra work if you wish, so you’ll earn some extra cash. Finally, highly experienced technicians who do a thorough job of cleaning your home will prevent mold outbreaks and other problems that would cost you later.

Being less stressed

Does a messy and cluttered room make you stressed or anxious? What about postponing the tidying-up over and over again? You’re not alone. However, with regular appointments with housekeepers, you’ll be able to enjoy stress-free time at your fresh and sparkling home.

Having experts do the tidying up

Having experts do the tidying up

Professionals will do a much better job of cleaning up than you. They have gone through the necessary training and have ample experience, which are two of the most important things to look for in a cleaning service. They’ll go over the areas and surfaces you have been postponing or overlooking and clean your home following a detailed checklist and using expert equipment and methods.

Where in Portland, OR, can you find dependable housekeeping services?

If you’re looking for reliable and highly experienced housekeepers, you’ve come to the right place. We at NW Maids will match you with top professionals that will take excellent care of your home.

From house and apartment maintenance to vacation rental and deep cleaning, you can count on our expertise-based service that you can personalize so that your space gets exactly what it needs with each appointment.

Give us a call and enjoy all the perks of having a cleaning service!

House Cleaning Services 101

Perhaps you live in a big house that’s difficult to maintain or you just want some extra free time for yourself. There are many reasons why you’d want to get some help with housekeeping in your home in Portland, OR. Whatever’s yours, hiring professionals is a good idea and comes with many benefits.

Before you go on the search for top-rated cleaners in your area, read on to get the nitty-gritty of cleaning services so that you know what to expect.

How often should I have a cleaner come?

How often should I have a cleaner come

There are different factors that come into play when figuring out how often to book housekeepers. This may depend on:

  • House size
  • Number of rooms
  • Furniture type
  • Whether you have kids and/or pets
  • General cleanliness of your home
  • Your budget
  • Your habits

Generally speaking, most people have cleaners over twice a month. However, if you have children and you don’t have time to tidy up much in between these appointments, you may want to book weekly cleanings. So, it all comes down to your specific situation as well as your needs and preferences.

What does a basic house cleaning service consist of?

Every company is different, but most basic cleaning services will include scrubbing your kitchen and bathroom and tidying up your living room and other areas. If you go with a reliable agency like NW Maids, the housekeepers we match you with will do the following:

  • Clean, disinfect, and sanitize your bathroom (the shower, toilet, tub, sink, etc.)
  • Scrub and wipe down your kitchen area (the sink, countertops, fridge, etc.)
  • Take out the garbage
  • Dust-accessible surfaces in all areas
  • Vacuum and mop the floors around the house
  • And more

On top of the detailed checklist for basic home maintenance, you can customize the service and get add-ons depending on what your home needs.

How much is a housekeeper in Portland?

The cost of cleaning services varies, so it’s impossible to give an estimate without any of the specifics. Depending on your house size, the type of service and extras you select, and the company you choose, the price will change. Feel free to get in touch with us or get a price estimate on our website in just a few clicks.

What should you look for in a cleaner?

What does a basic house cleaning service consist of

The person you’re letting into your home to tidy up needs to be a trustworthy professional. To ensure this is the type of technician you’re hiring, it’s best to do your research.

You should check whether they’re background-checked, insured, and bonded. You should also inquire about the housekeeper’s experience. Finally, you can check the company’s client testimonials, ratings, and reviews, so that you find out what to expect and whether it’s the right match for you and your needs.

Where can you hire dependable housekeeping services in Portland, OR?

If you’re on the search for cleaners you can trust and service you’ll be satisfied with, look no further than NW Maids. We will refer you to top-rated professionals who tick all the boxes. All the housekeepers we’re working with are thoroughly background-checked and insured for everyone’s peace of mind.

We also offer a satisfaction guarantee. So, if your experts miss a spot, they will re-clean the area in question free of charge, which is only one of the benefits of our professional cleaning service.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call to find out more about what we offer or book an appointment in a couple of minutes! Have an amazing day at the International Rose Test Garden, and we’ll take care of your home.

Top 6 Questions to Ask Your Cleaning Company

Most businesses have an online presence, and you can certainly devote some time to online research and check out reviews written by other clients. However, some specific information may be missing so make sure that any particular needs you might have can be met by professional maid services in Seattle, WA.

What questions should I ask a cleaning service?What questions should I ask a cleaning service?

Since we tend to forget a lot of things when we get on the phone it’s a great idea to make a list of questions to ask the cleaning company you’re considering. They may point out their strong points, but you might have some specific preferences you should ask about. Think about what your priorities are and add them to the list.

However, don’t forget to check for some general signs of a high-quality company. Depending on your preferences, questions you should ask could include:

  1. When and how can I schedule a service? Would your cleaner be able to adapt to your schedule, so you don’t have to postpone or cancel your plans? This is essential, as you want to hire professionals capable of working around your schedule and when you need them, not the other way around.
  2. Are all the cleaners background-checked? This is a piece of essential information since you’ll be letting a stranger into your house, possibly while you’re not there. You should feel comfortable and safe having them around your children, pets, or valuables. Make sure to ask about their references and insurance.
  3. Does the company provide a satisfaction guarantee? Will they come back and go over some parts they could’ve potentially missed? Since mistakes do happen, mostly unwittingly, a company deeply committed to customer satisfaction will offer to reclean the problem areas if they’re not exactly per your high standards of cleanliness.
  4. How much can I expect to pay for your service? You should ask about the pricing in advance to make sure that you can afford everything you had in mind, particularly if it involves some special requests and added services that are not a part of the cleaner’s regular checklist. Also, only work with companies that provide accurate estimates, as this shows they have the necessary experience and expertise under their belt.
  5. What kind of products do you use? If you have children or pets, or anyone in your household is suffering from allergies or any other kind of respiratory issues, you should make sure that the products used will be safe for everyone. You can also ask if they’re eco-friendly, as this is becoming increasingly important to a lot of people.
  6. How long have you been in the business? Finally, you want to hire experts with numerous years of industry presence, as this tends to attest to their professionalism. The longer a company stays in business, the more satisfied its customers are and the better its service tends to be.

How can I find a professional Maid Services in Seattle, WA that fits my needs?

Modern life is quite busy so among all the work and family responsibilities, free time has become a scarce commodity. Fortunately, having professional cleaners take care of your living space is no longer as cost-prohibitive as it once was. You’ll avoid spending money on expensive cleaning products and appliances, and then spending hours cleaning and scrubbing.

Leave all the hard work to professional house cleaners and devote your precious free time to more important or pleasurable activities. You can just sit back and relax or finally take your kids to Wild Waves Water Park while your home is being cleaned by professionals.

Top 5 Perks of Hiring Professional Cleaners

Even if you’ve never been one of those people who need a perfectly sparkling home to feel relaxed and comfortable, recent years and new developments concerning virus pandemic outbreaks made all of us give more thought to the cleanliness of our homes. This issue spreads wider than simple decluttering and basic cleaning. More emphasis is placed on disinfection, and this is something professionals do best.

Most people’s busy schedules don’t leave sufficient time for researching the right ways to clean their homes properly and thoroughly. This is particularly true for two-income households, and even more so for families with kids who, let’s face it, make having an orderly home practically impossible most of the time. Elderly people or those with certain health conditions are also unable to maintain proper cleanliness levels in their homes due to diminished physical activity.

The easiest and safest way to remove one of the major chores from your list is to hire professionals from local house cleaning services in Seattle, WA, and leave everything up to their expertise.

What are the benefits of hiring professional home cleaners?What are the benefits of hiring professional home cleaners?

There are numerous perks to hiring a reputable company to outsource your home maintenance to, such as:

It’s faster

Professional cleaners are carefully vetted and trained to do the job flawlessly. They’re not simply better at cleaning than most people, they are also skilled and proficient with diverse types of tools and products. This is why they can get the job done faster, so it doesn’t take as long as when you do it yourself.

Most of us don’t have an established pattern of home maintenance and doing it randomly is guaranteed to make you miss certain parts, go back to the same room multiple times and end up doing more work or missing certain parts. Professionals have a systematic approach that’s guaranteed to ensure that no areas are missed. They get more done within a shorter period, making this service cost-efficient.

More free time

Most of us are not too thrilled about devoting a significant part of our free time to tidying. Since doing it properly and thoroughly also requires a great deal of effort, aside from cleaning itself (researching and buying the supplies), leaving it to professionals will free you from chores so you can spend your spare time more enjoyably. 

You can catch up with your friends, enjoy family activities, or finally free up your schedule for some healthy physical activity. While you engage in self-care and enjoyment, professional house cleaners will do any chores in your home that you need doing, including laundry, polishing furniture, or anything else you might have been postponing for too long.

A higher standard of cleanliness

Experts, aside from knowing how to choose the most appropriate products and tools for different surfaces, will also be more thorough and can clean your home from top to bottom. This means that all those things you’ve been avoiding for months will finally get done. 

Aside from basic cleaning, they will also perform disinfection using suitable and high-quality products and tools, most of which you probably don’t have just laying around the house. So, you don’t have to buy any expensive supplies. They make sure to use eco-friendly products that are safe for your health, and harmless for your children or pets.

A healthier home environment

Professionals achieve this with greater attention to detail. When taking care of their homes by themselves most people lack the knowledge, skills, or time to do it thoroughly and properly. It is pretty common that even after you’re done with cleaning a lot of germs and bacteria are still left all over your home surfaces. This can present a health risk to certain people and children. 

Experienced technicians will protect you and your loved ones from harmful bacteria, any potential allergens, or mold buildups that can have quite an uncomfortable effect on those suffering from respiratory issues or allergies.

Reduce stress 

Leave all the arrangements to professionals. You’ll never have to worry about tidying up in a hurry when you have guests coming over – including unexpected ones dropping by. Professional cleaners will make sure that your entire home is thoroughly clean in advance.

The flexibility of professional cleaners allows you to use their services whenever you need them and can change the schedule when necessary. You can opt for a thorough regular monthly cleaning or a lighter, more frequent option, once or a few times per week.

How can I find professional house cleaning services in Seattle, WA?

Having your home in Seattle professionally cleaned is no longer a luxury only few can afford. Most people are struggling to balance work and family responsibilities, have a social life and make time for their well-being and physical activity. No matter if you simply want some time to yourself or you’re living in your rental with your pet so you need a hand with your household chores, NW Maids got you covered!

Your kids can have fun at the Carkeek Park playground while you enjoy magnificent views or relax at the beach. You can rest assured that you’ll receive expert services you can trust to satisfy all your needs and requirements. You can easily get a quote online and find pricing information.

7 Tips for Keeping Your Home Clean and Disinfected

Hello! I’m Alex and I work for a cleaning company in Dallas. It’s exciting to be invited to NW Maids for a collaboration where we’ll be sharing some tips for keeping your home clean and disinfected!

Nowadays, we are more aware than ever of our environment and how dangerous it is to interact with surfaces and rooms without disinfecting them. COVID has brought tremendous damage, but it has made us more cautious about what we touch with our bare hands and even about the air we breathe.

Now, our home is the place we spend most of our time and this means that we should keep an eye on our cleaning products and techniques. And unless you hire a professional cleaning service, you’re on your own so it’s best to make informed decisions to keep your home clean and safe.

Let’s get right into it! Here are our tips for cleaning and disinfecting your home.

7 Tips for Keeping Your Home Clean and Disinfected

Your home is not easy to clean and disinfect. Source: Josue Michel / Unsplash

Disinfect and Clean Your Home Regularly

The secret to a clean home is, in fact, something really simple: consistency and knowing the right products and techniques.

You should prepare a cleaning schedule whether it’s just for you or all your household members. You could try either cleaning a bit every day after you finish work or leave a couple of hours free during the weekend for cleaning just on Saturday or Sunday (or both).

There are many different cleaning templates available on the internet, for both a weekly and a weekend schedule. Find the one that fits your needs the most, and don’t be afraid to adapt it! Maybe you have an extra room that needs additional care, or you are only available for cleaning every other day. Guides on the internet are just that, a guide. Make it functional to your own lifestyle and schedule.

Even professional cleaning services usually recommend cleaning at least once a month, to ensure everything stays fresh and sanitized. A good cleaning should take no less than 3 or 4 hours, so make sure you fill that quota (more or less, depending on the size of your home) at least once a month.

This can turn into two cleanings per month of two hours each, or 15 minutes every other day, for example.

Look for the Best Disinfecting Products

Read the fine print carefully: a disinfectant is not the same as a sanitizer. A sanitizer reduces bacteria on surfaces up to a level that is considered safe. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it will kill them.

On the other hand, a disinfectant kills nearly 100% of bacteria and viruses that come into contact with it. If you think about it, this is why you hear often “Hospital-Grade Disinfectants” but not “Hospital-Grade Sanitizers”.

Of course, a hospital needs to be sterile all the time, and if you want your home to be just as safe, look for products that are capable of disinfecting, killing the most common household bacteria (such as E. Coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus).

Make sure at least one of your cleaning products has disinfecting properties.

Disinfect and Clean Your Home Regularly

Make sure you have at least one disinfectant. Source: Claudio Schwarz / Unsplash

Clean Your Home Using Hot Water

Whether is for doing your dishes, mopping your floors, cleaning your shower, or doing laundry, hot water is always more effective at killing bacteria and other germs.

If you want to remove grease from items that are medium-sized or small enough to fit in your sink, just soak them in hot, soapy water. If you want to deep clean your kitchen towels/cloths, put them in a pot with hot water and one cup of vinegar. Afterward, wash them as per usual. They will come out clean and deodorized!

And naturally, hot water turns into steam, and steam cleaners are effective and popular, especially over the last couple of years. Water at its highest temperature (steam) is capable of killing some germs. Besides, it can soften things like grease, soap scum, and grime.

Hot water will not disinfect surfaces, but it will help with cleaning more than cold water.

Don’t Forget to Do Your Laundry!

Talking about laundry, you really shouldn’t skip doing your laundry if you want to keep your home clean and disinfected.

When doing laundry, keep an eye for delicate fabrics such as linen or wool. They should be washed using only cold water.

If you want to remove stains from your clothing, you should use cold water as well. Heat will only set the stain and make it almost impossible to remove.

Everyone loves pets and many people like sleeping with their dog or cat. Although this is not ideal, if this is the case don’t forget to clean your sheets at least 1 to 2 times a week. Preferably, don’t let them under the covers if you want your sheets to remain clean. They should sleep on the top of the bed.

Look for the Best Disinfecting Products

Don’t forget to do your laundry, especially your bedsheets. Source: Annie Spratt / Unsplash

Choose Safe, Eco-friendly Alternatives

Not only you’d want products that are effective, but that are also safe to touch and breathe around as well. Fortunately, now you can find brands that are created with organic, plant-based, and mineral-based ingredients, as well as safer chemical agents that are less harmful than the regular cleaning products at the store.

Eco-friendly cleaning companies avoid chemicals that are dangerous for you or the environment. As you imagine, residues of these cleaning products end up either in the atmosphere or in the ocean. You should avoid chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate, phosphates, phosphorus and nitrogen, formaldehyde, as well as artificial fragrances. They are contaminating during the manufacturing process and after they’ve been used because they hurt the ocean ecosystem.

Products that contain ammonia are mildly dangerous, especially if they come into contact with your skin or if you breathe their fumes. Never mix ammonia with bleach because the fumes are dangerous and can present a serious risk to your health.

Up to a point, this might even increase the frequency of your cleaning and improve the experience by not having to stand terrible chemical fumes and removing the chance of dangerous liquids coming into contact with your skin.

Clean Your Home Using Hot Water

Choose Eco-friendly cleaning products. Source: Ron Lach / Pexels

Keep Your Distance

Besides cleaning regularly, there are measures you can take to avoid coming into contact with potentially infected areas.

If someone in your household is sick, try to keep your distance and maintain separate silverware and dishware, and a separate bathroom if possible.

Always wash your hands! Especially before preparing food and after using your toilet or touching your pets or other animals.

Keep a hand sanitizer nearby all the time. Sanitizing your hands after using your computer or any other tool you use often in your workspace, especially if you share it with someone else.

Remember to disinfect doorknobs regularly. They are high sources of contamination. The same goes for electronics that are shared with several household members such as computers and tablets.

Don’t Forget to Do Your Laundry!

Always keep a hand sanitizer nearby. Source: Naipo.de / Unsplash

 

You need to fight humidity as much as you can! High levels of humidity can be the cause of both bacteria and mold. Bacteria only need water and organics to stay alive, which is why we find so many types of bacteria in our kitchen.

Remember to wipe your countertops and your kitchen sink after you’ve cleaned them. And, of course, squeeze your kitchen sponges after using them and replace them at least once a month.

Mold and mildew need humidity as well, which is why we often find them near bathrooms or laundry rooms. In this case, sunlight and airflow are your biggest allies. Let fresh air to all your rooms for at least 15 or 30 minutes a day, especially in cold, small rooms (bathroom, laundry room, mudroom, even your kitchen). Remove curtains to let sunlight as well.

 

Last but Not Least: Be Cautious Around Cleaners and Disinfectants

Even after choosing safe, eco-friendly cleaning products, part of cleaning also includes safety. First, always read instructions, especially warnings to protect your skin, eyes, or lungs. The standard safety measures are using gloves, a mask, and safety goggles.

Second, remember to store them in a safe cleaning products pantry or cabinet.

When you’re using your cleaning products, always keep a window open to let airflow. Some cleaning products might release fumes so it’s important to bring fresh air into the room.

You shouldn’t mix different cleaning products unless instructions specify that it’s okay and/or after checking from several reliable sources. Strong chemicals such as ammonia, bleach, and baking soda are extremely dangerous to mix with other agents.

Choose Safe, Eco-friendly Alternatives

Don’t forget safety measures when cleaning your home. Source: Towfiqu Barbhuiya / Pexels

Conclusion

That’s it! These tips will help you have a clean, disinfected home. Let’s do a quick recap of these 7 tips that we mentioned in the article.

First, it’s important to create consistency through a cleaning schedule that works for you and your household.

Next, make sure you know exactly what you’re using to clean your home. Take your time to select the cleaning products that are effective at disinfecting (i.e., killing bacteria and viruses) and not just cleaning. On the other hand, they should be safe and non-toxic for your skin, eyes, and lungs. Finding eco-friendly products will be safe for your personal use and for the environment once they are disposed of.

Dare to use hot water for cleaning! This will help soften grease, remove grime and kill viruses that won’t remain alive beyond boiling temperature. If you want, you can try using a steamer as a cleaning tool to work faster and more efficiently, without having to scrub for hours. You can use hot water for doing laundry as well.

And talking about laundry, it’s important to clean your bedsheets often to avoid bacteria from building up as well as other residues from the human body.

Finally, take all safety measures that you need to increase the distance between you and potentially harmful or contaminated areas. This includes sanitizing surfaces and tools constantly and keeping protective gear while you’re cleaning.

We understand this might seem a bit overwhelming, even for cleaning aficionados. Remember you can always look for help from a house cleaning service if you want professionals to take care of your home using the right supplies and techniques.

Once again, thanks to NW Maids for this collab and we hope you enjoyed these cleaning tips!