Frequently asked questions

These are the questions most commonly asked by our cleaning service customers. If you do not find the answer to your question, please feel free to email us lindastidyhomes@gmail.com

How Much Does a House Cleaning Service Cost?

Every house is unique, and every house cleaning fee is individually based. Things that will affect your house cleaning estimate include the size of your home, number of residents, number of pets, number of bathrooms, how often you want us to clean, etc. We have a standardized formula for calculating each individual cleaning estimate in a uniform way.

Will All House Cleaning Visits Cost the Same Amount?

The first house cleaning visit usually costs more than subsequent visits. Generally, it takes additional cleaning tasks for us to get the home up to our standards. The first house cleaning visit is performed on an hourly basis. Your estimate for this house cleaning service visit will be expressed as a cost range. We will contact you for authorization for more time in the event we consider it necessary.

Once this initial visit has occurred, your home’s cleanliness can be easily maintained with our regular visit cleaning tasks. Regular house cleaning visits are charged as a flat fee. You will receive an estimate for both the initial cleaning and the regular house cleaning visits up front. Once the initial house cleaning has been completed, we will confirm your regular house cleaning price.

Do I Have To Be Home When you Clean?

This is your option. You may give us a key to be safely stored. Only the owner can access the client key safe. These keys are returned to the key safe until your next house cleaning service visit.

Do You Guarantee a Day and Time for My House Cleaning Appointment?

We ordinarily guarantee a specific day for your house cleaning but not a specific time. Due to our flexible and ever-changing schedule, we are unable to commit to a specific time of day to arrive. However, if you contact us on the day of your service, we will be glad to estimate the time we will arrive. If you need a specific time guarantee, feel free to discuss this with our office. Within reason, we will do our best to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

What If I Need to Reschedule a House Cleaning?

Simply call our office prior to your cleaning day. Most of our services offices require a minimum 48 hours notice to reschedule your house cleaning.

Unlike the airlines, we do not overbook our schedule. So, if you need to reschedule a cleaning without proper notice, we will not have enough opportunity to fill the schedule with another client. please respect our procedure for reschedules helps ensure you will get the best house cleaning service possible.

Please be sure you understand our procedures for rescheduling and cancelling visits. We do have a cancellation policy and will assess a cancellation fee if necessary, although we want to help you avoid incurring these fees!

What If I Accidentally Lock you Out on My Cleaning Day?

Just as with rescheduling fees, if you lock us out on house cleaning day, you will likely be assessed a lock-out fee. Please be sure you understand our lock-out fees. We want to help you avoid incurring these additional fees!

Most of our clients either provide us a key or hide one on the premises on house cleaning day.

What Should I Do About My Security/Alarm
System on House Cleaning Day?

If you have a security system, please make necessary arrangements to give us team access to your home on your scheduled day. Some clients establish a guest or temporary code for service.

What Should I Do With My Pets During the House Cleaning?

Please advise us if you have pets and provide any information regarding your pets that would be helpful for us to know. Though not a requirement, we prefer pets to be restricted from the areas we clean, so we can clean your home better and more efficiently.

Are My Valuables Safe?

If you have any special valuables, heirlooms or irreplaceable items, please put them away or instruct us not to touch them. A closed door or drawer is your signal to us that you do not want us to clean that area.

How Shall I Pay for My House Cleaning?

You may pay by cash or check. Payment is due at time of service. If you do not intend to be at home at the time of your service visit you may choose to either leave cash or a check on the kitchen counter the morning of your house cleaning. A fee will be assessed for all returned checks.

Do I Need to Provide House Cleaning Products or Equipment?

We provide all house cleaning products and state-of-the-art equipment, so you never need to worry about replenishing your supply for our maids. If you have special house cleaning products you want the maids to use, please be sure to discuss this with the owner advance, so that we can properly instruct the maids.

What Is Mildew and How Can I Get Rid of It?

Mildew is a parasitic fungus. It requires moisture, warmth and a food source to exist. It reproduces itself by growing microscopic spores in enormous quantities. These spores are always present in the air and spread via normal air currents. A spore lies dormant until favorable moisture and temperature conditions occur for it to germinate.

Mildew thrives in warm moist areas that have poor air circulation. In the average household, mildew is typically found in the bathrooms. The corners, cracks and crevices of the tub, shower, sink and toilet are the most common areas affected. It ranges in color from a pinkish-orange to black.

Our house cleaning service team will be able to impede the growth of mildew by removing the built up food sources that it lives on, such as soap, skin, hair, etc. However, as long as moisture and warmth are present, the spores will immediately germinate and mildew will again be growing on the host area.

To stop the growth of mildew, the area must be kept dry or it must be chemically treated to make it an undesirable environment for the spore to germinate. Although not part of a green cleaning program, chlorine bleach is a very good sanitizer to use on an infected area.

We recommend that the bleach can be diluted up to 50% with water to reduce the pungent odor. The most practical application method would be to lightly spray the area, although it can be wiped or sponged on. It is not necessary to saturate the area or to treat uninfected areas. Leave the bleach in contact with the surface area for at least an hour. Rinse any area that you will touch in later use. Repeat the application on a bi-weekly basis or when mildew reappears.

Insurance restrictions do not permit us to use chlorine bleach. As our customer, you may choose to use bleach independently to help control mildew growth between our cleaning service visits.

If you choose to do so, please do not use bleach for two days preceding a scheduled house cleaning because a chlorine residue could combine with the other cleaning solutions our maids use and cause the formation of a toxic gas. Also, please ventilate the treated area well to clear away harmful vapors quickly.

We hope the above discussion explains why mildew is such an on-going maintenance challenge. Working together, however, it can be controlled.