When it comes to getting assistance with household cleaning, Madison homeowners are faced with a choice: hiring a cleaning company or an independent cleaner. It’s natural to wonder about the differences between these options.
While both independent cleaners and cleaning companies offer similar services, there are important distinctions to consider. In this blog post, our home cleaning experts will highlight those key differences, helping you make an informed decision.
Discover which option best suits your needs and enjoy a clean and comfortable home with the right choice.
What’s the difference between an independent cleaner and a cleaning company?
Independent cleaners are mostly cleaning contractors that work in direct agreement with you. The costs, tasks, work hours, and other terms are defined at the beginning of the contractor/client relationship. Some contractors cover housekeeping duties like tidying up, washing the laundry, and doing the dishes too. On the other hand, a cleaning company is a business that hires and trains cleaners to offer cleaning services. The services are standardized and mainly cover regular cleaning tasks like mopping, dusting, and wiping commonly touched surfaces.
Cleaning companies and independent contractors may seem very alike. However, you should consider some key differences before hiring one of them. Both services have benefits, so choosing depends on which one fits your needs better.
Reliability and consistency
A major benefit of cleaning companies is reliability and consistency. What happens if your cleaner is on vacation leave or taking a sick day? Unless an independent contractor has a helper, you will likely have to wait until they are available. On the other hand, if your regular cleaner is indisposed, cleaning companies should be able to send you another cleaner at the scheduled time.
Flexibility
An independent cleaner offers more flexibility. Many cleaning companies work during office hours, while contractors may agree on a more flexible schedule. Also, some contractors may carry out other housekeeping duties like folding laundry or tidying up. It is not a rule since you can find cleaning companies with a more flexible approach to housekeeping. An example is our In-Home Wash and Fold Laundry service to better cover our client’s housekeeping needs.
Insurance and legal obligations
Like any other business working with employees, cleaning companies take care of taxes, liability insurance, training, and other legal hassles. Independent cleaners should have insurance too, but cleaning companies tend to have broader coverage in their insurance. Also, the IRS could determine that a contractor is your employee. Being an employer means you’ll have to fulfill the legal obligations.
Efficiency and training
Cleaning contractors can be equally skilled as the most qualified employees. However, it’s hard to know if a cleaning contractor is capable and well-trained at first glance, and assessing it relies entirely on you. Interviewing and vetting an independent contractor is crucial to know if they are skilled. On the other hand, cleaning companies take care of selecting and training their cleaners. When you hire a cleaning company, you can be sure that a fully vetted and well-trained cleaner visits your home without assessing them yourself.
Number of cleaners
Most cleaning companies are ready to send more than one cleaner if the job calls for it. On the other hand, independent cleaners often work as solo contractors. You can notice a difference when it’s time to tackle the time-consuming cleaning tasks. However, it can become a complicated situation if the cleaner is charging you at an hourly rate.
Price
An independent cleaner should cost less per hour because they don’t have the cleaning company’s operating costs. However, most cleaning companies offer their services at a flat rate, making prices hard to compare. When independent contractors charge you at hourly rates, you really don’t know the total cost because you don’t know how long it will take to finish the job. When hiring a cleaning company, they often provide an estimate that lets you know the total cost beforehand.
By knowing the features of professional cleaners, you can choose the right service for your household. If you have doubts about cleaning services, check out the details here. You can reach us on our website to request a quote or ask us anything about our services in our chat.
