How to Hire a House Cleaner in Cambridge and Brookline

Letting someone into your home is a trust decision, and a short list of questions makes it easier. The questions below work for any cleaning company. Under each one you will find how Squares & Corners answers it.

What insured and bonded mean for a house cleaner

The two words are used together so often that they sound like one thing. They are different protections. Insurance generally covers accidental damage or injury that happens while work is done in your home. A bond is a separate protection, generally a guarantee that repays a customer for certain losses such as theft.

Policies and bonds vary, so it helps to ask a few specific questions:

• Is the company both insured and bonded, or only one of the two?
• What does the coverage apply to?
• Can the company share details of its coverage if you ask?

Background-checked cleaners: what to ask

A background check screens a person before they are given access to homes. Ask whether it applies to every cleaner who will enter your home or only to some of the team, and whether the people who arrive are the people who were checked. This matters most if you are away during the visit.

What the price should include

Two quotes for the same home can differ because they cover different work. Ask for a room-by-room checklist so you can compare like with like, and ask about three things in particular:

• Supplies and equipment. Are they brought by the cleaners, or are you expected to provide them?
• Extras. Are the inside of the oven, the inside of the fridge and interior windows part of the base price or add-ons?
• Level of clean. Does the visit cover regular upkeep, or detail work such as baseboards and window sills?

How cleaning prices work

Cleaning is usually priced in one of two ways. A flat price is set by home size, so you know the cost before anyone arrives. A time-based price charges by the hour, so the total depends on how long the visit takes. Ask which one you are being quoted and what could change the total. Our guide to hourly vs flat-rate cleaning costs goes into the detail.

If you plan to book regularly, ask about recurring discounts. Ours are 20% off weekly, 15% off every two weeks and 10% off monthly, applied to the standard clean. How often to have your home professionally cleaned helps you choose a schedule.

What happens if something is missed

Even careful cleaners miss a spot now and then. What matters is how the company responds. Ask whether there is a re-clean policy, how long you have to report a problem and whether the re-clean costs extra. A policy that exists only in conversation is hard to rely on, so ask to see it in writing.

Get the details in writing

A good quote states the service, the home size, the price, what is included and any add-ons. Check that it matches what you were told on the phone. If anything is unclear, ask before you book, because it is easier to settle details before the visit than after.

It also helps to have your own details ready when you call: your home size from studio to 4+ bedrooms, your neighborhood, the type of clean you want, and anything about the home that affects the work, such as pets, older floors or steep stairs. Companies can only quote accurately on what they know.

A short checklist for every call

Keep these points in front of you when you compare companies:

• Insured and bonded, and what the coverage applies to
• Background checks for every cleaner who enters your home
• A room-by-room list of what is included
• Who brings the supplies and equipment
• Flat price or time-based price, and what could change it
• A re-clean policy in writing, with a time limit
• How access, scheduling and changes to a booking are handled

We serve house cleaning in Cambridge and house cleaning in Brookline. When you are ready, send the quote form and we confirm your price before you book.