07 Jun Why professional house cleaning is better than those $5 Lattes

HІRЕ HULА MAIDS АND BЕING ЅTRЕЅЅ FRЕЕ.

Dоеѕ уоur hоuѕе turn іntо a mеѕѕ thе mоmеnt уоu take just one day оff from сhоrеѕ? Coming home frоm work оnlу tо dо еvеn mоrе work is nоt thе bеѕt wау tо lіvе your life. Yоu’rе already putting іn еffоrt into thе wеllbеіng оf уоur fаmіlу, ѕо mауbе it’s tіmе tо finally gіvе уоurѕеlf a break аnd lооk for some раіd hеlр аrоund the house.

A hоuѕе сlеаnіng service like HULA MAIDS саn bесоmе a viable ѕоlutіоn to уоur problems.

Families may be rеluсtаnt tо hіrе someone for hоuѕе cleaning for a lоng time. Sоmе оf the соmmоn соnсеrnѕ іnсludе nееdlеѕѕ еxреnѕеѕ, ѕtrаngеrѕ in the hоuѕе аnd low quality service. If уоu’vе considered thаt орtіоn іn the раѕt, уоu’vе probably already роndеrеd аbоut all оf thоѕе wоrrіеѕ.

Hula Maids Wоrth It? 

Thе соѕt оf hоuѕе cleaning service саn ѕееm like a quite a bit of mоnеу when аll you do іѕ look аt thе price аnd think how much уоu саn ѕаvе by not hіrіng someone. While thе рrісе tаg оf a сlеаnіng ѕеrvісе may give уоu a momentary рuѕh tо dо іt уоurѕеlf, сhаnсеѕ аrе thе mеѕѕ wіll continue tо ріlе up аnd the cleaning will never get completely done.

Thіnk оf hоw a саr payment іѕ worth the flеxіbіlіtу tо get whеrе you nееd tо gо wіthоut thе hаѕѕlе оf рublіс trаnѕроrtаtіоn. Whіlе a car іѕ the nоrmаl ассерtаblе luxurу іn a house hold, a house cleaning ѕеrvісе gets іgnоrеd. Nоnеthеlеѕѕ, a hоuѕе cleaning ѕеrvісе hаѕ grеаt bеnеfіtѕ аѕ wеll аnd will lift thе weight off уоur shoulders ѕо thаt уоu саn еnjоу уоur hоmе and fаmіlу – аnd аddѕ flexibility and quality tо уоur lіfе.

The average house cleaning service is оnlу $150 реr mоnth. Onсе you consider thаt аll уоu have tо put aside is аррrоxіmаtеlу $37 per wееk (уоu likely ѕреnd mоrе оn lattes) fоr thіѕ, іt mіght put a different kind оf picture in front оf уоu.

Of course, it’s not juѕt the fіnаnсіаl ѕіdе thаt реорlе аrе соnсеrnеd about when thеу thіnk аbоut hіrіng someone to kеер thеіr house nice аnd tіdу. Hаvіng ѕtrаngеrѕ іn уоur hоmе іѕ also a соmmоn wоrrу. If ѕо, fіnd a сlеаnіng company that is licensed, insured and bonded, one with hіgh rерutаtіоn, long tеrm clients аnd is also highly reviewed on a reputable site such as Yelp.

It Rеlіеvеѕ Daily Stress

Time іѕ nоt thе оnlу thing you’re gеttіng іn еxсhаngе fоr hiring hоuѕе сlеаnіng ѕеrvісеѕ. The lасk оf еndlеѕѕ сhоrеѕ waiting fоr you аt home whеn уоu соmе bасk wіll rеlіеvе уоu of a lot оf ѕtrеѕѕ you mіght not have еvеn nоtісеd before.

Thе feeling оf bеіng grееtеd by a frеѕh ѕсеnt, shiny flооrѕ and a tіdу hоmе, you might be ѕurрrіѕеd bу the audible ѕіgh оf rеlіеf thаt wіll еѕсаре your lungѕ. That’s thе ѕоund оf аll your stress, bаd mооdѕ and іrrіtаblе bеhаvіоr thаt hаvе accumulated оvеr the dreaded сhоrеѕ. And wіth hоurѕ of free tіmе оn your hаndѕ, as well as all that energy not spent on cleaning, уоu wіll fіnаllу еnjоу a stress-free time with уоur lоved ones in a relaxing comfort of your freshly cleaned home.

19 Sep 10 Things to consider before hiring your next housekeeper

Hiring a cleaning service you can rely on can be a challenging task. With so many options out there, from local cleaning companies to franchises to mom-and-pops to individuals, and prices ranging from $10 an hour to $45+ per hour, it is easy to get lost in the process. Here are some recommendations and questions to ask to facilitate an accurate comparison, and ensure the person(s) or a company you finally hire are properly prepared to care for your largest asset – your home.

1. Are you insured and bonded?

Proper insurance is essential for many reasons. An uninsured, individual cleaner will be cheaper, but when your expensive wooden floors get damaged, your stainless steel appliances get scratched or that heirloom from your grandmother gets broken, they are typically the ones who will not be able to compensate you for your loss, leaving you to foot the bill. Always ask about the insurance policy and if the company or an individual has a Business Service Bond.

If you’re shopping around for the best maid service rate, be sure to compare apples to apples. More established cleaning services often bond and insure their employees. This means you have some protection from loss or injury. Imagine your uninsured maid getting hurt on the job in your home. This risk is just not worth it, since technically YOU are their employer.

Bonding employees and ensuring them costs agencies more, an expense they typically pass on to you. If a service or person is offering a very attractive rate but isn’t bonded or insured, any protection you enjoy will have to come from your homeowner’s insurance policy, possibly at an increased premium.

2. Is your maid licensed by State and legal to work in the US?

Hiring a maid service is a more expensive option than hiring a single person, but you won’t be liable if it turns out your maid is uninsured or in the country illegally, a circumstance that could result in some stiff penalties.

Also, paying an independent, unlicensed worker $1,400 or more a year in wages can get you into trouble with the IRS. You may find yourself transformed overnight from a private citizen into an employer responsible for the employer share of social security as well as federal unemployment taxes, applicable state taxes and Medicare taxes, too. Something that is just not worth the risk.

There are two basic type of housekeepers: independents who work on their own, and those who work for companies. With unlicensed individuals, you might be responsible for issues of work eligibility and withholding taxes, which you won’t be if you hire through a company.

Questions to ask: Is your housekeeper’s freelancing business licensed by the state of Hawaii? Is the person legally able to work in the U.S.?

The whole point of hiring a housekeeper is to outsource some of the stress in your life. You don’t want to swap one source of stress for another.

3. Can your maid or cleaning Service Company provide references?

Whether your cleaning company has been around for a decade, or whether it’s a hungry young startup, they should be able to provide references about their service from their existing customer. Check Yelp and ask if you can talk to someone using their service. Reputable company will always have few happy customers ready and willing to share their positive experience.

4. Do you know who are you letting into your home?

Does the company check references? Do they perform criminal background checks? Are they willing to provide proof? If they are an independent cleaning person, are they willing to provide you with a copy of their own background check? Unfortunately it is not uncommon for independent housecleaners to begin cleaning because they cannot find another job due to a past criminal conviction.

5. Does your maid have a formal training?

The turnover in the industry is high, and many services are just desperate for warm bodies to throw out there and get the work done. It is not uncommon for new hires to get very little training, or no training at all. The best companies will have formal, documented, on-going training programs to ensure the correct product are being used for different surfaces and that the correct cleaning procedures and checklists are being followed.

6. Do you have a formal quality assurance policy in place and do your offer a Satisfaction Guarantee?

What methods does the company use to measure quality on an ongoing basis? Do they perform regular quality checks, leave behind comment cards or do follow up phone calls? If so how frequently?

Some cleaning services only offer a specified percent off your next service if you are displeased. If you are dissatisfied and they won’t fix it, why would you even want to use them again? A reputable service almost always offers some Satisfaction Guarantee and should immediately return and do whatever necessary to fix the problem, or be willing to offer you your money back.

7. Does your maid uses her own supplies and equipment?

Always inquire about the products and equipment being used. It is not uncommon for your independent maid to show up with broom and rags that have already been used in other homes, and a vacuum cleaner which hasn’t had its bag changed in ages.

Imagine your maid cleaning a house after a disgruntled renter who lived like a slob before he was ousted. He had bed bugs and an old dog with a dandruff problem. After cleaning up his colossal mess, your house is next on her list. She grabs her equipment and rushes over.

Now imagine that old beat up vacuum spewing the dog hair, dandruff and dust mites all over your home Yikes!

Always make sure that the equipment brought to your house is clean, vacuums are working properly and have a fresh filter bag to avoid cross-contamination. Look for a company with new, state of the art equipment and the one that is mindful of environment and offers organic cleaning options, HEPA filtered vacuums and cleans their cleaning equipment daily.

8. Does your maid provide a detailed checklist prior to cleaning?

Different companies have different ideas of what a basic service consists of. It is important to know exactly what you are paying for, and know you are truly comparing apples to apples when making a final decision.

Some of the more common areas of potential confusion are dishes, stripping and making of beds, laundry, high dusting of ceiling fan blades, high reach window sills, handling of children’s toys, and the handling of the trash throughout the home. You can save yourself a lot of potential grief by getting written specifications upfront.

9. Do you clean your house for your cleaners? Don’t!

Do not clean your house before the cleaning service arrives. Believe us, you will not be the messiest/dirtiest/most disgusting house a seasoned house cleaner has ever seen, especially if they do trash-outs.

10. Do pick-up and put away the clutter.

The more surfaces that are clear of clutter the better the job in the shortest possible time the cleaners can perform. Moving clutter takes time, and some agencies will not do it. I cannot stress the importance of: put away your junk! Also, don’t forget to put away jewelry, prescription medications and cash. Yes, you have checked for licensing and bonding, but better safe than tempted.

13 Aug The truth about Eco-friendly, organic cleaning products.

OK, we are not gonna lie. We really, really like this stuff. It is hands down one of the nicest lines of organic cleaning products out there, a pleasure to work with, it smells lovely and it is awesome for the environment.  So, what’s the catch you ask?

No enough cleaning powaaah!

Seriously, we have yet to find an organic cleaning agent that doesn’t come short when dealing with heavy grime. If your house is spic & span and cleaned periodically, this, and many other products like it will work beautifully. But when facing heavy dirt, grime and neglect, you will likely come up short.

So while we highly recommend Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning agents to all of our customers that are on our subscription plan, when we do end of tenancy and post construction cleanings, we typically have to bring out the big guns. And some heavy duty Hula Maids elbow grease 😉

Mahalo for reading.

28 Jul Say Good Bye to your “blue water” window cleaner.

We have recently come across this pretty awesome cleaning product called Invisible Glass by Stoner. Originally intended for automotive use, we took it for a spin during our last couple of house cleanings and we are sold.

It does the job with zero streaks, polishes off ultra fast and it requires about half the physical effort of “blue water” glass cleaners. It simply works and it makes any glass or mirror completely crystal clear in half the time. While likely not as cost effective as Windex and it’s generic versions, it works so well that you will likely not mind the extra cost. We know we don’t.

Don’t believe us? Give us a house cleaning call and we’ll demonstrate. Pssst…anybody wants to buy a box of Windex?