Advice on finding cleaning service in White Plains, NY
January 14, 2010 6:17 PM Subscribe
Hi!
I just moved into a beautiful one-bedroom apartment in downtown White Plains. This is for a new job that I will be starting next week (very excited!). I dislike cleaning my own apartment and will like to hire someone to clean my apartment regularly. I am quite neat and have no pets. Hiring someone to clean my apartment is all new to me. I will appreciate the hivemind's opinion on what to look out for and estimated costs, e.g., what should my expectations be? Also, what are the pros and cons of simply hiring someone off craigslist vs going with an agency like Molly maid? If you have someone to recommend, I will love to hear it!
Thanks! :)
We got one cleaning lady by asking neighbors, another by asking someone who works in our building. I would guess you will pay $50 for someone to come and do it, I am not sure about a service. Specifically ask if they will do your laundry too. You want the answer to be "yes."
posted by shothotbot at 7:17 PM on January 14, 2010
posted by shothotbot at 7:17 PM on January 14, 2010
Yeah, I'd go corporate until you meet some neighbors and can get some recommendations.
posted by rhizome at 7:18 PM on January 14, 2010
posted by rhizome at 7:18 PM on January 14, 2010
Personally, I think that if you can find a local cleaning person, either by recommendation, or looking through craiglists (and then checking their recs) would be awesome. I know folks that work for big services often make really really low wages and a lot of what you pay goes to overhead. So like if you are paying $25/hour to Molly Maids, the cleaner may only get 10/hour of that or something. But if you do go with a service, consider going with an independent business, or a small company in your area.
Whatever you do, just remember house cleaning is really really hard work (I did it awhile), and just try to treat whomever you hire as well as you can. I mean, leaving thank you notes, tips, anything can really make a persons day so much.
posted by Rocket26 at 7:18 PM on January 14, 2010 [4 favorites]
Whatever you do, just remember house cleaning is really really hard work (I did it awhile), and just try to treat whomever you hire as well as you can. I mean, leaving thank you notes, tips, anything can really make a persons day so much.
posted by Rocket26 at 7:18 PM on January 14, 2010 [4 favorites]
For the first few weeks, I would go with a Molly Maid service that is bonded. They will do a good job, although it may be more expensive and it will not be as personal as hiring someone directly. After I got to know my neighbors and others in the building as well as people at work, I would ask for recommendations. I am sure there will be someone in your building who has someone who is working for them who would like more work. I live not too far from WP and when we purchased our house, the previous owner suggested we keep the same person they had been using. She has now worked for us for 10 years.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:19 PM on January 14, 2010
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:19 PM on January 14, 2010
n-ing "recommendations" for a independent person... the money you spend then goes to a person instead of a middle-man agency....
posted by HuronBob at 7:36 PM on January 14, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 7:36 PM on January 14, 2010
I hope that you hire an independent person rather than a service. Your independent cleaner will make a decent wage, and is likely to be more stable and flexible because he or she will have a personal stake in keeping your business and your trust. Ask neighbors for references, or find listings on craigslist, your local grocery store's bulletin board, or call some local real estate agents to ask who they recommend to their clients. When you find a candidate, ask this person for references that you can call and then call them. I highly recommend avoiding the a corporate maid service if you can avoid it.
posted by applemeat at 7:50 PM on January 14, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by applemeat at 7:50 PM on January 14, 2010 [2 favorites]
just try to treat whomever you hire as well as you can. I mean, leaving thank you notes, tips,
Yeah, definitely. If you expect paid vacations, bonuses and raises at work then you should also expect to provide them as an employer.
posted by shothotbot at 7:56 PM on January 14, 2010
Yeah, definitely. If you expect paid vacations, bonuses and raises at work then you should also expect to provide them as an employer.
posted by shothotbot at 7:56 PM on January 14, 2010
Yeah, definitely. If you expect paid vacations, bonuses and raises at work then you should also expect to provide them as an employer.
I'm not sure this makes complete sense.
posted by kylej at 8:38 PM on January 14, 2010
I'm not sure this makes complete sense.
posted by kylej at 8:38 PM on January 14, 2010
Definitely support asking your neighbours. A cleaner who can do next door and then your place straight after saves a lot on travel time and convenience, and will be able to offer a cheaper rate, more time or at least more confidence for you that they're going to do a good job - they will also know that if they do a poor job with you they may lose both jobs.
Second tip is before you start talking to potential companies or cleaners, is to do a run through of what you want done on your own, at a reasonable working pace (as though you were doing this for an 8 hour working day), so that you know roughly how much time you need a cleaner to be there for, and what you want them to do. Do you want them to pick all the messy clothes/food/stuff up off the floor and then mop, or will you be leaving the place tidy for them? Do you want them to pack and unpack your dishwasher? etc etc. People are often surprised at just what can and can't be done (and what they do and don't want done)within a dedicated cleaning time.
posted by jjderooy at 9:42 PM on January 14, 2010
Second tip is before you start talking to potential companies or cleaners, is to do a run through of what you want done on your own, at a reasonable working pace (as though you were doing this for an 8 hour working day), so that you know roughly how much time you need a cleaner to be there for, and what you want them to do. Do you want them to pick all the messy clothes/food/stuff up off the floor and then mop, or will you be leaving the place tidy for them? Do you want them to pack and unpack your dishwasher? etc etc. People are often surprised at just what can and can't be done (and what they do and don't want done)within a dedicated cleaning time.
posted by jjderooy at 9:42 PM on January 14, 2010
OMG, do not hire a service. I've done that four times in four cities, and they were all completely terrible. Get a referral from a friend, preferably one who's a fusspot.
A few tips:
* You may have to wait for a good cleaner to become available, or you may have to accommodate her (a particular day, whatever). Those are good signs: it means she's in demand. Good cleaners work for the same people for decades, and often have waiting lists :-)
* Tell potential cleaners you'd like them to come look at your place and give you a quote, but that you will need a few days to think afterwards. Don't feel pressured into a decision right away.
* A red flag is if the cleaner herself is messy. I once interviewed a cleaner who followed me around my house eating a muffin, dropping crumbs everywhere. Not a good sign.
* A really good cleaner will want to take charge of the work -- for example, she'll have particular tools and products she likes. This is a good sign: it means she cares and is thoughtful/smart.
FWIW, the two best cleaners I ever had were middle-aged women from Europe (Portugal and Italy) who had raised lots of kids. Both were hyper-efficient and obsessively clean: I loved them.
posted by Susan PG at 1:14 AM on January 15, 2010
A few tips:
* You may have to wait for a good cleaner to become available, or you may have to accommodate her (a particular day, whatever). Those are good signs: it means she's in demand. Good cleaners work for the same people for decades, and often have waiting lists :-)
* Tell potential cleaners you'd like them to come look at your place and give you a quote, but that you will need a few days to think afterwards. Don't feel pressured into a decision right away.
* A red flag is if the cleaner herself is messy. I once interviewed a cleaner who followed me around my house eating a muffin, dropping crumbs everywhere. Not a good sign.
* A really good cleaner will want to take charge of the work -- for example, she'll have particular tools and products she likes. This is a good sign: it means she cares and is thoughtful/smart.
FWIW, the two best cleaners I ever had were middle-aged women from Europe (Portugal and Italy) who had raised lots of kids. Both were hyper-efficient and obsessively clean: I loved them.
posted by Susan PG at 1:14 AM on January 15, 2010
Avoid Craigslist. I've seen some horror stories of people who's apartments got cleaned out by CL scammers who were really just trying to gain entry to homes.
Also, try to find someone that is bonded. You likely will have to pay more but the insurance is worth it IMHO.
posted by Elminster24 at 3:19 AM on January 15, 2010
Also, try to find someone that is bonded. You likely will have to pay more but the insurance is worth it IMHO.
posted by Elminster24 at 3:19 AM on January 15, 2010
Response by poster: Hi. Thanks for the replies. One question. Do I have to tip them after every job? If not, how often do I have to tip them? Also, they will do laundry? Oh wow! That's great!
posted by jchaw at 4:54 AM on January 15, 2010
posted by jchaw at 4:54 AM on January 15, 2010
The big difference between private and a company was the type of cleaning done. I've had both and found that Molly maid just picks up your shit, cleans underneath and puts it back. They never learn how you like your house. Having an independent cleaner meant someone who could do laundry (amazing), empty or load the dishwasher and put things back where they belong (shoes, books, clothes etc). I found our woman on craigslist vancouver. Checked references, met her in person then stayed around for the first few cleanings. After 5 weeks I gave her a key.
posted by saradarlin at 4:54 AM on January 15, 2010
posted by saradarlin at 4:54 AM on January 15, 2010
Do I have to tip them after every job? If not, how often do I have to tip them? Also, they will do laundry? Oh wow! That's great!
Not everyone will do laundry, but I have always made it part of the job - its non standard so specify in advance. I don't tip every week, but we do give a few weeks paid off and 2x the weekly pay as a Christmas gift.
posted by shothotbot at 7:25 AM on January 15, 2010
Not everyone will do laundry, but I have always made it part of the job - its non standard so specify in advance. I don't tip every week, but we do give a few weeks paid off and 2x the weekly pay as a Christmas gift.
posted by shothotbot at 7:25 AM on January 15, 2010
Hi. No, I don't think you need to tip every time, but like shothotbot says, do something nice around holidays, and every now and then, leave something extra. Also:not everyone does laundry that cleans, so definitely ask. Oh, and laundry can take a lot of time (think about how much time in takes to do a load, dry, and then fold and put away), so factor that in, of course.
posted by Rocket26 at 8:16 AM on January 15, 2010
posted by Rocket26 at 8:16 AM on January 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Try not to sign up for a long commitment (they all have contracts, but I think you can go basically month to month). Price varies by region - I can't help with that.
posted by Xhris at 7:16 PM on January 14, 2010