The search for a cleaner or housekeeper most often starts on Google or similar search engines. You will find tons of providers claiming to be the best, cheapest, most reliable or whatnot Cleaning company in your area. The number of options is simply overwhelming. So which cleaning or housekeeping company should you choose?

Cleaning company categories

We want to give you some guidance by providing an overview of the different types of cleaning Companies that exist. These categories have certain characteristics in common. Knowing the pros and cons of each cleaning company type can help you narrow down your search for the perfect cleaner.

Online cleaning platforms

Online platforms specialized on home cleaning and maid services have emerged over the past couple of years. These platforms offer a fast and simple online process to find a cleaner and schedule an appointment. Most of these platforms work with individual contractors, but offer a standardized cleaning experience as well as standardized prices. Almost all of them also offer a general liability insurance, which covers every cleaning job booked through the platform.

Pros:

• quick and easy process for finding a cleaner and scheduling an appointment
• standardized cleaning service (e.g., checklists) and competitive pricing
• (mostly) good insurance coverage for damages caused by the cleaner

Cons:

• often limited regional presence and not available in smaller cities

Examples:

Online marketplaces & directories for local services

In addition to specialized online cleaning platforms, a handful of large online marketplaces and directories for all sorts of local services exist. As these companies often list hundreds of different services, the booking process is not as well tailored towards cleaning as that of the specialized platforms. Often, these marketplaces function as an online directory for local service providers. Therefore, they allow you to identify potential cleaning and housekeeping companies, but appointments often need to be arranged bilaterally with the individual provider.

Pros:

• good overview of available cleaning companies and housekeeping services in your area
• strong regional presence, even in smaller cities and towns

Cons:

• no standardized service or pricing – every cleaning provider needs to be checked individually
• some marketplaces without general insurance – coverage varies by individual housekeeping company

Examples:

Franchise cleaning companies

Franchise Cleaning Companies have been around for decades. These cleaning companies are known for their reliability, good training of their cleaning staff and a close dialog with their customers. They often do not have a strong online presence incl. user-friendly booking processes. In fact, many of them will not provide a quote for the cleaning of your home, without having a call first or even seeing the house or apartment.

Pros:

• high quality cleaning service due to rigorous training of cleaning staff
• employed cleaners – therefore fair pay for cleaning professionals
• adequate insurance coverage for damages caused by cleaning employees

Cons:

• no online booking process, often only in-home estimates for cleaning prices
• often more expensive than specialized online cleaning platforms

Examples:

Individual local cleaning professionals

Individual local cleaners and housekeeping companies can be found in every city in the form of freelancers or small companies. They often use online and offline directories (such as Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor or Angie’s List) to acquire customers. Prices and quality of these cleaning professionals vary widely and transparency is limited.

Pros:

• available in all areas

Cons:

• no standardized service or pricing – every cleaning provider needs to be checked individually

Make your choice

Now that you know which type of cleaning company to choose, check out which companies are available in your city here.
You can also find further information on the companies mentioned in this post here.