this year yancy and i engaged a cleaning company to do the spring cleaning of our place. initially we discussed the possibility of doing things ourselves, but looking at the stain on the shower glass door, the choppy layers of dust accumulated on the ceiling/electric fans and the many many other little corners, we decided we could take a chance on the task and see how it goes to outsource this to save time and possibly ineffective way of doing things. we also thought we could learn a trick or two from the professionals :)
the head cleaner clarified on their work scope and they jumped into work as soon as they arrived. there were 3 other cleaners as well as a supervisor who came later in the day to do PR. their job took about 4 hours and it included the usual stuff such as cleaning air-con filters, all windows and doors, stove and cabinets in the kitchen, all mirrors, as well as sweeping and mopping etc etc. they also helped to steam all curtains (after yancy insisted that it should come free, hee!) and scrubbed all bathroom floors which i thought were value-added service as a novice customer.
overall their job were quite satisfactory except for certain aspects related to work quality; for most of these i would attribute them to the meticulousness/attentiveness of the staff to small details, rather than any specific work that is not done. for these they needed some reminders from the head cleaner after we "complained".
i think what we will do for the next time, if ever, is to amend the job scope to be more specifc to what our needs are (they did not touch the furniture and was reluctant to dust/wipe shelves and table-tops with movable objects), and we could also take away unnecessary stuff (eg. cleaning of air-con filters since we seldom switch them on) in this way we thought we could ask for a better price next time.
what are your experiences?
5 comments:
Thanks for this posting Eiklin! I have been contemplating getting someone to do a spring cleaning of my home but year after year, i procrastinate until they tell me they have no slots already. so boh bian got to do it myself.... From your experience, seems like such services are not too bad for general cleaning if you are not too particular or have any fetish for cleanliness. btw, which company did you go to ah?
I am now thinking of weekly cleaning services... does anyone have any good tips/warnings/recommendations to share?
After holding up for almost 2 years, Hunching and i decided that we have to get a weekend cleaner to takeover our weekly workout session, even though it's the only form of exercise we maintain in our schedules. We hate to give up the heartbeat-pumping mopping, fat-burning toilet washing and patience-building ironing but when we know that Hunching was pregnant, we just got to let it go.
We tried out a cleaner recommended by my bro and she has been ok so far. She charges $50 for 4 hours so it's a bit on the high side. The market rate seems to be $10/hr but we were told that she's quite good. However, her standard of cleanliness is actually not up to our expectation sometimes, although the saving grace is that she's got a really good attitude, and is always willing to oblige any comments. So i'd say that someone who is able to improve and learn is definitely something to look out for.
She actually also works through agents but we engaged her directly so we pay less. Apparently if we went to agent and are assigned her, we'd have to pay $60 for 4 hrs as $10 goes to the agent. So if you can get someone through friends/contacts, it's cheaper than thru the companies.
Finally, it's very important to us that we have someone whom we trust cos if we were to stay home throughout the 4 hrs to keep an eye on her, it will really defeat the purpose. So the 'relationship' part between you and the auntie is paramount.
Even by our low standards when it comes to home cleanliness, it has come to a point where it's just no longer worth the energy, time and economic savings to tackle dust and cobwebs ourselves, especially when your better half has won immunity 7 months in a row, and counting...
So please send me your auntie contacts.
Aiya, ask your brother/sister/brother-in-law/sis-in-law/parents'
maid to come to your house once a week and work her till you are satisfied and then pay her something like $10/hr or less (you provide meals). No agent fee, no ice-breaking needed, no distrust (provided she's the honest type). Just make sure noone compains to MOM lah! the maids will be happy (got extra $$) and you will be happy. Chinese High philosophy: WIN-WIN.
By the way, i'm not the one doing it ok!!?? (cough cough)
Post a Comment