How to use the internet to get a high quality cleaner.

The pressures of a hectic lifestyle are more than enough to overwhelm a working mother.  Excelling at work, home, and in your personal relationships is already a balancing act and adding a critical mother-in-law to the mix doesn’t make for a stress-free environment.  To avoid the nagging and complaining of your husband’s mother, make sure your home is clean and neat on her arrival.  You may not have the time to actually clean your home to a sparkly shine with your busy schedule.  Getting a cleaner, however, allows you to go on with your schedule and get a clean house at the same time.

Traditional methods of getting a cleaner are time consuming and tedious.  With your already jam-packed schedule, I am sure you don’t have time to place a classifieds ad, contact a local business owner, conduct interviews, or run background checks.  Forgo all of the work necessary to secure a reputable cleaner with stellar credentials and use an online freelance network.

An online freelance network is a web site designed to connect cleaners with homeowners looking to have work done.  To find an online freelance network, go to google.com and perform a search for “freelance cleaner”, “freelance network”, or “freelance contractor”.  With these three keywords you should be able to locate a number of networks.  Fool around with other keyword combinations and see what your search yields.  Once you have located a network, browse the contractors to get a feel for the type of cleaners this particular network attracts.  Your first stop may not be the network for you.  If you don’t see any cleaners that catch your eye, head back to google.com and find another network to browse.

Once you’ve hit upon a network that you like, use the search feature to locate cleaners in your local area.  Online freelance networks allow for member contractors to create profiles.  These profiles will display all of the cleaner’s credentials.  Without calling to ask questions or set up an interview, you can find out if the cleaner is a member of the Better Business Bureau, how long she’s been in business0, and her specialties.  Read the profiles and get ready to post your job.

Once you have determined exactly what you want done, post your job on the site.  Most online freelance networks are free, but some do require that buyers (that’s you) pay a small fee for accessing the service.  After only an hour or so, you should have at least one contractor interested in your job.  If her credentials are sufficient, you’ve found your cleaner in record time.  If you want to pass on your first interested cleaner, wait a little while.  There will surely be more respondents.  How do I know?  Online freelance networks usually have more member contractors than jobs.  This means that a large number of cleaners will be competing for your work.  This is also great for your bank account.  With the fierce competition, prices are held to a relative bargain.

Ditch the frantic cleaning and get a cleaner to work a little magic in your home.  Your mother-in-law will never know and you’ll be stress free.

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3 essentials to a great cleaning experience

Bringing someone into your home is always a bit nerve wrecking.  Homeowners sometimes struggle with hiring a cleaner because they want to make sure their home and possessions are secure.  Besides property issues, homeowners want to be sure that the cleaning gets done to their liking.  By making sure that your cleaning candidates meet the following standards you should have a much more pleasant experience.

1. Excellent referrals and background check.

Ask your cleaning candidates for referrals.  Testimonials are nice, but a referral will come complete with contact information.  Use it!  Find out what past customers have to say about the candidate’s performance and professionalism.  Ask specific questions about the issues that are most important to you.  For example, do you want to know if the candidate is prompt?  Maybe you’d like to find out if her work performance slacks over time?  Take advantage of referrals and get answers to your most important questions.

Also ask to see a background check.  If the cleaner doesn’t have one available, ask them to submit to one that you’ll pay for.  Most homeowners are put at ease once they see that their cleaning candidate doesn’t have any convictions or a history of questionable behavior.  Excellent referrals and a background check make for a strong starting place with domestic help.

2. Bonding, insurance, and money-back guarantees.

Most companies are both bonded and insured.  Insurance and bonding takes away much of the risk of strangers coming into your home.  Independent cleaning people usually don’t have these credentials. They may, however, be members of the Better Business Bureau.  This is a big plus because you are able to call and get objective information from a reputable source.  The BBB will also be able to give you information about customer complaints.  Offering a money-back guarantee can also limit some risk associated with a new cleaner.  Either way, you want to know all of the details so that you can make an informed decision.

3.  Child and pet safe products.

If you have children or pets, using a company that places a focus on these types of products is key.  Most companies now offer some type of green or eco-friendly service.  Make sure to ask extensive questions if these services interest you.  You may want to know which product lines they use and their green cleaning procedures.

These are three of the most important aspects of cleaning services.  Getting clear answers about your candidate’s experience and background, bonding and insurance, and specific products and procedures will make your decision to move forward much easier.

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How hiring a green cleaning service can keep your children safe

There has been a glaring spotlight placed on traditional cleaning products lately.  Completely green cleaning lines have popped up all over, not just at the health food store.  You can now buy laundry detergent, toilet bowl cleaner and all-purpose cleaner free of harsh chemicals.  Though eco-friendly products have been around a long time, they have gained immense popularity over the last five or so years.  These products have gained such popularity that many cleaning services offer a “green clean”.

Parents particularly like these green services because they cut down on the amount of chemicals coming in contact with their children.  This is one of the best reasons to use a green cleaning service.  You can throw out all of your traditional cleaning products and allow a cleaning service to clean your home in a more eco-friendly way.  This will greatly limit the amount of chemicals in your home.  By replacing the necessary cleaning products with their green counterpart and allowing the cleaning service to do the heavy duty work, your children will be much safer.  The air in your home will be cleaner and fresher, your carpets won’t be full of chemical residue, and your toddler won’t discover the dangerous cleaning products under the sink.

Besides the benefits of green cleaning, hiring a cleaner gives you an opportunity to spend more time with your children.  One of the most common complaints from working parents is not having enough time to spend with their children.  Using a cleaning service will give you a chance to devote more of your day to your children.  What parent wouldn’t want that?  You’ll also be less stressed in the process.  Coming home to a clean, fresh smelling home makes for more pleasant interactions with your family; no running around trying to clean, cook dinner, and do homework.  With the cleaning out of the way you can get on with your regular routine in a more calm and peaceful environment.

We are all aware of the dangers of stress.  If you want to eliminate some of the stress in your life, consider hiring a cleaning service.  Free yourself from the demands of keeping your home clean and tidy and focus on building stronger family relationships.  If you want to keep your home free of harsh chemicals, ask for green cleaning products.  You’ll be more relaxed and your family will love the extra time you have available.

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