Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2020

65 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com beautiful homes I t never ceases to amaze me how much dust, dirt and dog hair my home attracts each week. I don’t see it on the floor or furniture. My home appears perfectly clean. But when I use the vacuum, the collection bin quickly fills with disgusting fibers of unknown origin, leaving me utterly amazed. Where in the world did this mess come from? Certainly not from my house. For many of us, weekly cleaning comes at the bottom of a long list of To-Dos, long after shuttling kids to and from events, walking the dog, exercising, grocery shopping and time with our loved ones, to name a few. I needed more free time, so I decided to evaluate hiring a professional home-cleaning service to help. Here are some tips to consider when hiring a cleaning service: 1. Interview the housekeeping or maid service. 2. Request a background check. 3. Compare rates. 4. Establish clear expectations. 5. Prep the house ready by decluttering. 6. Inquire about cleaning supplies. 7. Ask if they’re green. A professional cleaning service can help by offering reliable personnel that delivers consistent results. Think of this service as a Big Box company that can cover bonding, insurance, workers compensation, file taxes, screen and train employees, and take the guess work out of hiring someone to do your cleaning. Meanwhile, you enjoy the benefits of a regular group of cleaning professionals that will customize their services to your needs. To access the real cost of cleaning your home by yourself versus hiring a service, you must look at your hourly rate. Let’s say that you earn $100 per hour and it takes five hours to clean. Your cost, in a sense, would be $500 to clean your own home. Conversely, if you earn $10 per hour, your cost to clean your own home would be $50 for five hours. On average then, what do companies charge for cleaning? Angie’s List members pay $120-$150 for bi-weekly clients. According to HomeAdvisor. com, the average is $151. Dorsey Fairbairn, co- owner of locally owned MaidPure, has been helping people simplify their lives since 2007 when she and her sister- in-law, Heather Fairbairn, started the business. From the beginning, the company embraced the philosophy of organic cleaning with a twist and only uses green products. According to Dorsey, “People rave about how great their house smells. When we come into your home, we burn our signature scent of essential oils to make your home smell wonderful. This is our unique blend of tangerine and lemon essences.” She continued, “We also provide a turn-down service on your master bed, complete with chocolate cookies on the pillow. And we surprise you with a wow service of something unexpected to go above and beyond.” The next time you pull out your handy vacuum and dusting cloths, you may want to consider what the real cost is to clean your home. It may just pay you to leave it to the professionals and savor some well-deserved free time. BY JULI KAPLAN The Cost of Cleaning YourHome feature