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Finding the right house cleaner for your home is a big decision.  After all, the cleaners you hire will be coming into your home and space and handling and cleaning your personal belongings.  Some homeowners choose to hire an individual worker to clean the house, while many other homeowners rely on a team of professional cleaners to do the work.  All homeowners want the same result - a clean home - but depending on whether you hire an individual or a team of professionals to clean your house, you may have wildly different experiences.

Here are some things to consider when deciding who to hire to clean your home.

• Training: Training is an area where you’ll find significant differences between an individual cleaner and a team of professional cleaners.  A great house cleaning company will send its employees through a rigorous training program to make sure each employee understands all types of cleaning solutions, knows which to use on what surfaces and which would damage a certain surface, how to apply them, and methods for cleaning a room quickly and thoroughly.  A good cleaning company will ensure its workers are knowledgeable and skilled before sending them into a customer’s home.  On the other hand, an individual cleaner might have to learn these methods on the fly.  Many individual house cleaners use the client's’ own cleaning supplies.  If the individual has never used a certain kind of cleaner, or worked on a unique type of surface, he or she will need to learn how to, perhaps at your expense.  

• Legal issues: If you choose to hire an individual cleaner, chances are you’ll be seen as that person’s employer, in the eyes of the IRS.  Specifically, you’ll need to provide an I-9 form, or Employment Eligibility Verification Form.  You may also need to supply a Publication 926, according to the Household Employer’s Tax Guide.  These situations can become complicated for an unsuspecting homeowner.  For instance, you may be required to withhold and pay your cleaner’s Federal Income, Social Security, and more.  If this is a worry to you, the thing to do is hire a professional house cleaning service, whose employees are protected under their W-2 status.  The employer will have performed a background check for each employee and will have the correct strictures in place regarding income, withholding, and the other issues a homeowner should not have to worry about.

• Insurance, licenses, and bonds: Professional cleaning companies are structured to be able to protect both the employees and the customers.  What if a personal possession gets damaged?  Will your individual cleaner be able to cover the cost of repairing or replacing it?  What happens if a cleaner is injured on your property - could you or your insurance be liable?  If you do hire an individual cleaner, don’t forget to check your homeowner’s insurance policy to be sure that your liability coverage is high enough to cover your belongings and any accidents or damage that may occur.  A good professional cleaning service, of course, will have the liability and workers comp insurance and a bond to cover any potential damage.

• Cost: An individual house cleaner almost always costs less than a professional cleaning company.  Often, this difference in cost is the allure of hiring an individual.  However, just as it is with many other services and goods, the cheaper option can come at a “cost” to you.  An individual cleaner is often able to charge less by foregoing insurance, licensure, or other such requirements, and using the cleaning supplies of the homeowner, rather than stocking his or her own.  A great professional cleaning company might cost more, but you’ll be paying for the security, skill and training, insurance, and assurance of a job well done.

• Quality of work: A professional housekeeping service provides the structured training, hours of earned experience, organization and accountability, and protection for both the homeowner and the employee.  These things culminate in high quality cleaning, and service you can depend on.  After all, a house cleaning company can send a backup if your regular cleaner is sick when you need a cleaning the day before a big party.  If your cleaning individual gets sick, your house might not get cleaned, and if complications arise with the legal employment issues, you may have a large scale issue on your hands, when all you wanted was a clean house.

The right house cleaners should make your house beautiful and your life easier!  After all, the reason so many homeowners hire others to clean their homes is so they don’t have to worry about that.  Enjoy the benefits of a clean home and cut out the risks of legal issues and other worries by simply finding the best professional house cleaning service in your area and making the call.

First Coast Home Pros is the best Jacksonville FL house cleaning company, and our award-winning housekeeping team will make your home look truly amazing!  We specialize in both deep cleaning maintenance cleaning, so whether your home needs an intense, top-to-bottom clean, or just a touch-up, we are the best cleaning service for you.  There are many great Jacksonville FL house cleaners with highly trained technicians, but ours set themselves above the crowd.  Discerning homeowners along Fernandina Beach, Ponte Vedra, and St. Augustine, in downtown Jacksonville, Riverside Avondale, and Ortega love our house cleaners’ meticulous touch and attention to detail, as well as their friendly, positive attitude.  If you’re ready to finally find your house cleaning team, give us a call and let’s set up that first appointment!