Spring Cleaning Tips: Starting Your Season Right

1. Make A Checklist Or Schedule

Evaluate your home with an objective standpoint and make note of rooms that need a lot of work. The places you usually skip (garage, pantry, etc.) during regular cleaning might be good places to start. While checking each room, make a list of the things that need work.

Here’s an example of a spring cleaning checklist for your pantry:

• Start tossing expired and stale foods
• Donate good but unwanted food items
• Clear and clean the shelves
• Gather small items and store them into a container
• Sort items by use
• Clean and restock

Making a cleaning checklist or house cleaning schedule will help you get focused and keep on track.

2. Remove The Clutter

Removing clutter is one of the best spring cleaning tips for improving your efficiency and keeping you organized. In addition to gaining more space, de-cluttering has some positive psychological effects as well. Studies have shown that a home full of clutter is a major source of stress for Americans. A cluttered space signals your brain that there’s still work to be done.

Spring is the best time for you to de-clutter and downsize. Look around your house and you should find many items that contribute to the clutter but serve no real purpose whatsoever. It’s highly recommended that you sort your things into three groups – to toss away, to store, and to give away. You can even hold a garage sale to get a pretty penny for your clutter.

3. Always Work From Top To Bottom

Spring cleaning is about efficiency and it’s hard to be efficient if you have to redo the things you’ve already cleaned. With that said, make sure that you start cleaning from the ceiling down. This forces dust and debris downward and will keep you from having to re-dust or re-wipe the space.

If your ceiling is a bit high, use a vacuum with an extension hose for hard-to-reach areas and removing cobwebs and dust. After taking care of the high spaces, proceed to dust your furniture and other items before vacuuming the floor.

4. Clean Room By Room

The fastest and most efficient way for deep spring cleaning is by cleaning from room to room. With your checklist in hand, clean each room and don’t forget the spots that need extra attention. You don’t have to clean multiple rooms in a day but instead, you can just clean one room each day and you’ll still be on track.

The room by room approach is an excellent way to compartmentalize your spring cleaning tasks.

5. Mind the Air Quality

Spring cleaning is fun because it affords you a fresh start. One of the most overlooked aspects of spring cleaning is air quality.

If you can, replace the furnace and HVAC filters for better air quality. Just by simply replacing your standard filter with a unit with a higher MERV rating will greatly improve air quality. This is one of the best spring cleaning tips for those who suffer from allergies.

Spring Cleaning Too Hard?

With these spring cleaning tips, you’re all set for a productive season change. However, if spring cleaning is too hard for you, feel free to hire a professional house cleaning service.

PHClean is the leading house cleaning service in Ankeny, IA. If you need help with your spring cleaning needs, we’ll be more than happy to lend a hand. Get a quote for your spring cleaning now!

5 Warning Signs That Your House Cleaning Service Is Untrustworthy

Hiring a house cleaning service is a great way to save yourself from the headaches of cleaning your home. However, you have to remember that the house cleaning industry is full of untrustworthy people. Just because you see someone carrying a mop and bucket, it doesn’t mean that they are legitimate house cleaners.

Today, we want to arm you with information to help detect the warning signs and make the right decision when hiring a house cleaning service. We have created a list of the biggest warning signs that you should look for when hiring a house cleaning service. This guide is especially helpful if you’re taking bids and weighing your options.

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5 Warning Signs Of An Untrustworthy House Cleaning Service

1. Operating Under the Radar

If a company or individual hints that they’re operating “under the radar”, there’s a great chance that you’re not dealing with a legitimate house cleaning service. Many so-called cleaning services do this because it allows them to avoid taxes and detection from the IRS.

A legitimate business does business honestly. Shady businesses knowingly break the law.

Sure, you’ll likely pay less when hiring a shady cleaning company but it’s not worth it in the long run. And this brings us to the next warning sign.

2. Not Bonded and Insured

What happens if your cleaner breaks or damages something while cleaning? What if an accident happens because of a slippery floor or something is stolen? How can you make good on your losses?

A legitimate house cleaning company invests in liability insurance and bonding. For a house cleaner, it costs less than $500 to acquire a year’s worth of liability insurance. For bonding, your average house cleaner will spend about $200-$500. Insurance and bonding are important because these are used to protect the company from lawsuits and also protect you from damage, injury, and theft.

If a cleaning service can’t be bothered to make such minimal investment, how can you trust them?

3. New in Business or the Area

Trustworthiness is the most important quality to consider when hiring a house cleaning service. After all, your cleaners will be inside your house and in every room. Therefore, you want to hire a cleaning service with a good track record and reputation.

Although there’s a chance that your up and coming cleaning company is actually good, the odds are still higher that they’re a bust. In this case, your best bet is to work with a house cleaning service with an established reputation.

4. Cleaning Price is Too Low

You may think that you’ve hit the jackpot after finding a house cleaning service at a very low price. If it sounds too good to be true, maybe it is. The low price will usually come from a company with no shortage of warning signs. Additionally, you have to keep an eye for cleaners who underbid. Many shady cleaning businesses will underbid but then raise the price during or after the job

Besides, if you choose the cheapest cleaning service around and you’re not satisfied, you end up spending more for cleaning done right.

5. The Cleaner is Actually a Subcontractor/Referral Service

Many so-called house cleaning companies take shortcuts. As opposed to hiring and training employees, these companies will simply pass your work to independent subcontractors – a fact that they will try to hide. Unfortunately, these subcontractors rarely have insurance or bonding. Also, there’s a good chance that the referral company violates the law because they can’t pass the IRS test.

To protect yourself from this practice, double-check if the house cleaning service employs the cleaners as employees.

Find a House Cleaning Service That You Can Trust

With these warning signs, you can detect whether or not a house cleaning service is worth your time and money. After all, you want a cleaning job that’s done right and worth the investment.

If you’re in the market for a professional house cleaning company in Ankeny, IA with a good track record and has been in the industry for years, get in touch with us at phClean. We are insured and bonded, and consist of a great team of trained house cleaning techs. Get your quote today.

Professional House Cleaner VS An Individual: The Great Debate

So, you’ve decided to hire a house cleaning service instead of doing it yourself. Congratulations, you can finally let go of the stress associated with a messy home. With that said, one of the most common dilemmas that people have about house cleaners is whether to hire a professional house cleaner or an independent housekeeper.

Finding the house cleaning service that best fits your needs is a big decision. Some people choose to hire a professional house cleaner while some prefer to hire an independent cleaner. Each option has its fair share of pros and cons.

Which one is right for you? Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do You Value Attention To Detail?

If you want a detailed cleaning every time, a professional house cleaner is your best bet. That’s not saying that an independent cleaner is not capable of providing a detailed job. Many independent house cleaners build up a client base by providing high-quality service.

However, you may also run into so-called house cleaners that render mediocre service for a quick payday.

On the other hand, a professional house cleaner company trains all its employees on how to best clean your house. Plus, a house cleaning company ensures that they meet the high standards that are set for them. With a professional house cleaner, you’re consistently receiving a personalized cleanup job.

2. Is Availability Important To You?

Let’s say you have an upcoming event and you need your house cleaned. However, you find out that your independent contractor is not available to come on your preferred date. This could be due to reasons like she’s booked for that day or she’s sick. Regardless of the reason, you’re left high and dry and will be forced to hire someone else – someone you don’t know.

In comparison, you won’t have this type of problem with a professional house cleaner service. The professionals have multiple people in their team which means that you can rely on them whenever the need arises.

3. Will You Be the House Cleaner’s Employer?

If you’re going to hire an independent cleaner, you may run into some trouble with the IRS. When determined that you’re the cleaner’s employer, the IRS will ask you to withhold taxes from their pay that you’ll in turn pay to the government. (Refer to the Household Employer’s Tax Guide)

Almost always, an independent cleaner will charge less compared to a professional house cleaner. However, you have to ask yourself: Is it worth the tax headaches for a few dollars of savings? With cleaning companies, they pay their employees’ taxes, not you.

4. Do You Want To Be Protected From Cleaning Mishaps?

So, who’s paying if cleaning mishaps occur resulting in broken property or someone getting hurt? Well, you probably don’t want it to be you. If an independent cleaner gets injured, it’s your liability because no company provides her with liability insurance and worker’s compensation.

Most professional house cleaner companies are bonded and insured. This means that you’re not financially responsible if someone gets injured or something gets broken. A good professional house cleaner also perform background checks on all of their employees. Can you say the same with the “cleaning lady” that comes to your house each week?

Hire a Professional House Cleaner Now!

Whether you hire a professional house cleaner or an individual, there’s really no wrong decision. However, you have to ask what’s important to you when it comes to house cleaning. If the price is the most important criteria for you, then by all means, go for an independent cleaner. However, if you value things like customized care, safety, availability, and trustworthiness, you’re better off with a professional house cleaner like phClean.

phClean is the top professional house cleaning company in Ankeny, IA. When you choose phClean, you can rest easy that your home is in capable hands. Put our years of house cleaning experience to the test and request a quote now.