Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Home cleanings will range in price depending on the home’s size. Houses or apartments under 1,000 SQFT with only a basic cleaning service start around $149.80, while large homes or homes requiring more cleaning services could cost well over $300.

 

That being said, the size, location, and specific services being requested all play a part in finding the right price for the cleaning.

 

The easiest way to find the right price would be with Tidy Casa’s online booking tool. This tool will allow adding and subtracting rooms, SQFT, and needed services. This makes it easy to get a feel for how much cleaning will cost and things that can be done to save money. For example, there are discounts for removing bedrooms or bathrooms that may not need to be cleaned. 

 

While this tool does a great job giving pricing, it can be easy to get overwhelmed playing with complex estimator tools like this. If that’s the case, always call or email us with any questions. We’ll be able to provide a more exact quote over the phone or help get the price down by removing rooms or looking for available coupons.

 

On that note, we do offer coupons from time to from. Typically during our slow season, June through August, or mid-week coupons for days like Wednesday when fewer people need cleanings. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind getting a cleaning on a Wednesday, let us know you’re flexible, and we’ll see if there are any discounts available.

 

Note: Select the most accurate SQFT size. If a home is 2,000 SQFT, selecting 1,999 SQFT and rounding down will make us grumpy, and we WILL call to adjust it back up!

The time needed for a home cleaning can vary based on many factors.

Factors that affect the time cleaning may take include:

• The condition and size of the home: For example, has the home been cleaned in the last few months, or maybe it’s been years since it was professionally cleaned? If it hasn’t been professionally cleaned recently, has the home been kept up in between cleanings? All these things play into the amount of elbow grease and time required to clean and can add or subtract away from the total time needed.
• Any extras requested with the cleaning: We offer additional services like deep cleaning, baseboards, inside the oven, and wet wiping of the blinds. All these services add additional time depending on what’s being requested.
• Which team is assigned to the home cleaning: It’s no surprise our home cleaners are human; some cleaners clean faster than others. We use flat rate pricing on all our cleanings. This intentional practice allows our cleaning teams to take their time and focus on the cleaning done well without being rushed.
• Is this a historic home: Over time, we’ve learned that historic homes on paper typically have fewer and cozier time-consuming areas like bathrooms? They tend to develop more character over the years, adding to the cleaning time.

 

All this to say, all homes are unique, and all cleaners work at different speeds. Spending more time in a home doesn’t always lead to better results. For this reason, we don’t charge by the hour for our services. The best results come from focusing on completing a list of cleaning tasks and completing them well.

 

That said, we expect a standard cleaning for most homes takes between 1-3 hours for a two-person team.

 

While we expect most homes to fall into this time frame, not all will, which should be expected.

 

If a more accurate timeline is needed for planning purposes, we’re always happy to provide a possible time range over the phone or by email. Feel free to call or email us anytime. We’re always glad to help!

NOTE: We’ve learned it’s impossible to guarantee an exact time since all homes are different and all cleaner(s) work at different speeds.

Of course! It’s no secret the more often we visit a home, the easier it is to clean the next time out.

 

That said, we give discounts to customers who can get on a recurring schedule. The more frequent we can come, the bigger the discount we can offer!

 

The discounts offered are as follows:

Weekly	Bi-Weekly	Monthly
15% Off	10% Off	5% Off

 

We currently don’t offer an every three-week recurring cadence due to scheduling conflicts with the other frequencies. When we’ve tried every three-week appointments in the past, we needed to reschedule them too frequently to be a maximum benefit to either the customer or us.  

Many homes have rooms like an office, guest room, or bathroom that aren’t used frequently enough to warrant a cleaning.  Alternatively, there are sometimes rooms we don’t want anyone visiting. We all know the anxiety of getting those documents on the home office desk shuffled in the wrong order. I promise it’s organized chaos! 

 

In these cases where we’re requested not to clean a bathroom or bedroom/office, we’re always happy to offer discounts.

 

The current discount rate is $10.00 if we’re missing a bedroom/office or a $15.00 discount for not having a bathroom clean.

 

Some people have questions regarding why the discount for bedrooms and bathrooms isn’t more significant given how the space is compared to the total SQFT of the home. Even though we charge a flat rate in any home, we base our flat rate pricing on how long we typically take to clean. That said, not all SQFT are created equal in a home.

 

Bedrooms are typically straightforward and quick spaces to clean and don’t add excessive time to the total cleaning.

 

Additionally, the bathrooms we’d be missing are typically half baths or toilets that seldom get used.

 

When cleaning any house, we spend the most time in kitchens, master baths, and communicating to the actual job location, so the pricing needs to consider all those factors and not just blanket SQFT alone.  

NOTE: We’ll still need to know the total number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the home to calculate the size of the general living spaces like kitchens and the size of the master bath.

The size of the cleaning team will vary based on a lot of factors. Some of our cleaners go in a team of two, and others clean solo.

 

Depending on the job size, we may send a team of two or a solo cleaner, depending on the requirements. Homes that are less than 1,500 SQFT with few extras will almost get a solo cleaner. At the same time, larger homes or homes with more add-on services will typically get two people if two cleaners are available.

 

A lot of who we’re able to send depends on the time of the day, time of the year, and several other factors that are out of our control.

 

That said, if you require a certain number of cleaning professionals or are in a hurry and need the cleaning service completed sooner, let us know those specific needs by adding a note in the booking when booking online or letting us know over the phone, so we can do our best to accommodate.

 

We’re always happy to do whatever we can to ensure the cleaning goes well. We just have to know what’s needed to make it happen. 🙂

Recurring Appointments

We know how important it is to build rapport with the people working in your home. Especially if they’re coming weekly, we do our best to keep you with the same cleaner(s) as much as possible. For recurring appointments, we’ll try and send the same team every time unless instructed otherwise.

 

With that, we ambitiously want our cleaners to be available every time. We, unfortunately, haven’t gotten our robot cleaners built yet. So until then, we do work with human beings. That being the case, they take vacations, get sick, or sometimes switch careers. This won’t happen often, and we’re usually pretty good about sending the same cleaners if possible.

 

In cases where the usual team isn’t available, we’ll communicate a new cleaner(s) will be arriving. That way, you and your family aren’t caught off-guard and know to expect a new happy face from Tidy Casa.

 

If we do need to switch the cleaner for any reason and we’re unable to connect with you via text, phone, email, or if it’s a soft request (Example: “Please, send Jessica if she’s available.“), we’ll assign the best cleaner(s) we have on our roster at the requested date/time.

 

The good news is that our cleaning professionals are highly vetted, world-class cleaners you know you can trust, and our 200% happiness guarantee always applies.

 

One-Time Appointments

If there are cleaner(s) you’d prefer, make sure to request them in the notes, so we’re aware of the preference.

 

Our cleaner(s) stay very busy, so it can be challenging to keep the same cleaner(s) working on jobs that aren’t on a regular schedule like monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly. That said, we’ll do our best to put them on the schedule but won’t be able to guarantee anyone cleaner(s) will be available at the chosen date/time.

 

In those cases, as long as we’re made aware of the preference, we’ll do our best to communicate a time that will work for both parties. In cases where we’re unable to connect via text, phone, email, or if it’s a soft request (Example: “Please, send Vanessa if she’s available.“), we’ll assign the best cleaner(s) we have on our roster at the requested date/time.

Move-in/move-out cleanings include a few extras to ensure a home is ready for the next resident. The extras included in the move-in/move-out cleaning include:

• Baseboards
• Inside windows
• Window sills
• Ceiling fans

Everything for the move-in/move-out cleaning is done to ensure the home looks as good as new for the next resident. More information can be found on your move-in/move-out page here.

Deep cleanings include everything a standard cleaning does but with more detailed work, which includes the following.

• A dusting of the baseboards
• Dusting blinds
• Wiping down doors
• A dusting of AC vents
• Wipe down light switches
• Wipe down power outlets
• Ceiling fans, if requested, they’re easy to overlook when they’re running.

 

More information on the deep cleaning service can be found on our deep cleaning page.

Of course, we do! Our public online booking form doesn’t allow for entries larger than 6,000 SQFT. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t service those homes. 

 

If you’re looking for a cleaning for a home that’s larger than 6,000 SQFT or if our booking form isn’t showing any availability for a home between 2,000 and 6,000 SQFT. 

 

We most likely can help but may need to move other appointments or pair up our cleaners to accommodate better. 

 

In these cases, it’s much easier for us to book these appointments over the phone. This allows us to move other appointments or pair up multiple cleaners to help make availability.

 

If this is you, please call us, and we’ll be happy to assist over the phone.

Tidy Casa is fully bonded. As part of our insurance coverage, we do also have bond insurance. While we get this question, often, many haven’t had the opportunity to learn what bond insurance covers. 

 

Bond insurance covers anything that may have been stolen by one of our service providers. That said, bond insurance will require proof that an item was stolen. If you suspect an item was taken from the home without permission, please let us know ASAP so we can assist in filing a police report. The good news is, we take who we send to people’s homes very seriously. Because all our home cleaners are fully vetted and background checked, we’ve never had to use our bond insurance. 

 

Rest assured, you’re in good hands. 🙂

There are never contracts or obligations when working with Tidy Casa. You can cancel an appointment at any time.

 

The only thing we ask is if you have to reschedule for any reason, let us know at least 48 hours in advance.

 

There is a $70 cancellation fee for cancellations that occur 48 hours before the arrival time of the appointment.

 

Aside from keeping us in the loop, feel free to cancel an appointment any time. As a courtesy to us, however, please let us know as soon as possible so we can ensure our cleaners stay busy. 

We put the total amount for the service on hold the business day before service. While this isn’t a charge and the money doesn’t leave the account, some banks will show this transaction as a charge.

 

Since so much can change on the day of the service, like adding tips or additional services which may affect the final price of the cleaning, we only fully charge cards after the cleaning service is completed. 

 

That said, putting a hold on the account the business day before the service is an integral part of ensuring all the billing information is correct, and we can pay our cleaners. 

 

If the appointment is on Monday, the hold will be placed the Friday before. 

 

If the service is canceled with a hold, it will drop off within 2-5 days. Services are fully charged after the service is completed.

We pride ourselves on always treating our cleaners with empathy and respect. That means having the most competitive pay possible. 

 

All our home cleaners are paid a highly competitive living wage. Because of that, tips are not required but are always appreciated. 

 

Feel free to give your cleaning professional a tip. It will make their day! If you feel inclined, you can tip in cash or let us know how much you would like to tip, and we’ll process it via the credit card on file.

 

The second question we always get is, how much should I tip my home cleaner? As a reference, $10 is a nice tip, and $30 is a great tip. 

We keep credit cards on file encrypted with our credit card processing company, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

 

Depending on the bank, a bank may show our charges as “recurring.” The short answer is that we’ll only charge the account when we’ve completed a cleaning.

 

Because so much can change when we do a cleaning service, like adding a tip, or removing a bedroom from the cleaning, as an example, we never automatically charge a card for any service. All these functions happen manually after the cleaning is completed.

 

That way, we know we’re only charging after a service is performed, except for purchasing a gift card or a late cancellation fee.  

As much as we love seeing and getting to know our customers in person, sometimes it’s inconvenient to be home during the cleaning. This is especially true during move-in/move-out cleanings.

 

In the case of move-in/move-out cleanings, once the home is empty, we suggest not being home for the best experience. Moving is complicated, and the last thing you need to do is wait through our hour-long arrival window in an empty house without a TV to watch.

 

That said, we always leave it up to our clients as to whether or not to be home during the cleaning. As long as we have a way to get into the home, no one needs to be present for the cleaning.

 

Whether it be a gate code or key under the matt, we’ll be able to get in, clean, and get out while you’re at work, shopping, or getting other things taken care of for a move.

 

We’ll even lock up when we’re done.

 

To let us know how to get into the home, just leave a note on the appointment booking or let us know over the phone while booking the appointment.

 

Did you forget to leave a note and decide later you didn’t want to be home for the cleaning? Give us a call, send us an email, or log into your Tidy Casa account and update the appointment with how we can get in. We look forward to helping you clean!

Of course! All our home cleaning services, including the deep cleaning service includes cleaning the whole home. This means the kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and all living spaces will be cleaned. 

 

This is the default for every cleaning unless we’re told otherwise that some rooms can be missed. 

 

If there are rooms that don’t need to be cleaned, they can be identified via our online booking system or by letting us know over the phone when booking an appointment. 

 

We also offer discounts for missing those rooms when that’s the case. 🙂 

Note: There are some areas we aren’t able to clean for insurance and safety reasons. Those areas include construction or remodeling zones in the home or non-airconditioned areas like the garage or Arizona room.

Unfortunately, no. While some home cleaning companies will steam clean carpets, it’s a rare situation. Professional steam cleaning equipment typically runs in the $50,000 range. Because of this, those who steam clean carpets are usually specialists. 

 

That said, if you’re looking for steam cleaning for the carpets or any other flooring-related specialist services, we work with many who do great work and are happy to refer any of our friends. We publish our list of preferred vendors on our referrals and friends page. 

Take a look at our steam cleaning referrals here.

Everyone has a slightly different definition of what deep cleaning entails. In short, deep cleaning is the service every home needs about every 6-12 months. Deep cleanings focus on the more subtle details that can’t be taken care of during a regular cleaning service. 

 

A Tidy Casa deep cleaning service covers everything in the standard cleaning service and a handful of additional services. Those services include cleaning the baseboards, blinds, doors, handles, ac vents, and cleaning the light switches and power outlets.

 

Deep cleanings focus on items that don’t need to be cleaned during every regular cleaning service. When first starting with any cleaning service, it’s very typical to start with a deep cleaning to get the home caught up. 

 

This is especially important when there hasn’t been a professional cleaning service in the home in the last six months.

While some families prefer the more detailed focus of a deep cleaning service and request it more frequently, we suggest getting a deep cleaning every six months to a year. 

Most areas covered during a deep cleaning service, like the baseboards and blinds, don’t need to be cleaned during every cleaning, especially if there’s been consistent upkeep between regular cleaning services. 

That said,  all homes have different needs when it comes to cleaning. Figuring out how often to get a deep or spring cleaning service is tricky, given family sizes and lifestyle differences between homes.

No two homes are the same, and all homes will need deep cleanings at different cadences.

Factors that can affect this include the number of people/animals living in the home, how much traffic the home sees, and how much upkeep happens between cleanings.

Families that don’t entertain often and don’t leave behind much debris won’t need deep cleanings as often as families with kids or pets running around.

All that said, the typical recommendation for most homes is a deep cleaning once or twice a year for most homes.

With a bi-annual deep cleaning every six months and monthly upkeep between the more extensive spring cleanings, the house should look amazing all year round.

Because all homes are unique and require a different level of attention, it’s impossible to give an exact duration for each cleaning.

 

That said, we expect a deep cleaning for a home of less than 1,000 SQFT to take between one and four hours. A 2,500 SQFT home will take between 3 and 6 hours.

 

If a more specific duration is needed, we can give a more narrow range based on the size of the home and additional services needed. 

 

NOTE: Based on our expereince, the larger homes tend to take less time per sqft.

While we never like to give pre-cleaning chores to our customers, there are things people can do to prepare for a great deep cleaning experience.

Those things include: 

• Decluttering and organizing: Having full access to the floors and countertops makes it significantly easier to get to work without having to go through the process of decluttering and finding homes for all the kid’s toys. 
• Get dishes out of the sink: While we’re one of the few cleaning companies that rinse and put dishes into the dishwasher, it can be a very time-consuming process that takes attention away from other home areas. Having the dishes done allows us to pay more attention to things like blinds and baseboards. 
• Communicate special needs or instructions: Always let us know ahead of time if there are any special considerations we’ll need to keep in mind while cleaning. The sooner ahead of time we know, the better we can prepare. 
• Secure pets: Make sure pets are safely put away and out of harm’s way. Whether that means creating dogs or letting them outside while we work, it keeps our cleaners safe and keeps pets from getting out if we leave the door open for too long.

 

All these things help the cleaning go smoothly and allow us to deliver the best results possible.

While there is a lot of overlap between move-in/move-out and deep cleanings, they are different. A move-in/move-out cleaning is designed to prepare a home for transition between families, focusing on the areas that are hard to clean with furniture in the home. Deep cleanings typically focus more on items that only need cleaning every 6-12 months. While there is a lot of overlap between the two, we suggest sticking to the move-in/move-out cleanings for empty homes and the deep cleaning service for bi-annual spring cleanings. 

While both move-in/move-out cleanings include standard cleaning items, move-in/move-out cleanings will focus on cleaning the baseboards, blinds, and inside window panes. Deep cleanings tend to focus on baseboards, blinds, doors, AC vents, light switches, and power outlets. 

When moving out of a home, most home buyers or landlords expect to see a typical list of items cleaned. Those items include all the typical cleaning items like sweeping, mopping, and dusting, as well as cleaning the baseboards, blinds, inside window panes, cabinets, and inside the fridge. It’s important to note that most landlords of new buyers will typically also require professionally steam cleaning the carpets in addition to the other cleaning items. Because of the required equipment to steam clean carpets, these two services are usually performed by different companies.  

Deep cleanings include everything a standard cleaning does but with more detailed work, which includes the following.

• A dusting of the baseboards
• Dusting blinds
• Wiping down doors
• A dusting of AC vents
• Wipe down light switches
• Wipe down power outlets
• Ceiling fans, if requested, they’re easy to overlook when they’re running.

 

More information on the deep cleaning service can be found on our deep cleaning page.

Yes, it’s very typical for landlords to charge for move-out cleanings after a tenant vacates a home. That said, most landlords prefer to pass that chore onto the residents. This can be accomplished by hiring a professional cleaning service or by the resident doing the cleaning themselves. Professional cleaners will have more experience to help get the job done right the first time and decrease the chances a landlord may come back with additional fees.

All landlords are different and will have different rules. It’s essential to consult with the landlords before making plans to purchase a move-out cleaning service. Some landlords may have preferred vendors or checklists that need to be addressed to avoid charging any additional fees after moving out.   

Most landlords will require cleaning the inside and outside of appliances like ovens, refrigerators, and microwaves. It’s important to note that most modern ovens have self-cleaning features, which can make removing any chemicals inside the oven a challenge. If chemicals are not removed properly, it may result in chemical smells the next time the oven heats up, which is a great way to ruin dinner. 

 

It’s essential to check if the oven has a self-clean, auto-clean, or clean button on the control face. This is the giveaway that the oven needs to be put into a self-cleaning mode so it can clean itself. This will typically lock the oven down for 3-6 hours while it heats up to remove any gunk that may have built up. Once this process is completed, all that’s left to do is wipe away the dust that would have accumulated at the bottom of the oven.

 

NOTE: Do not use self-clean mode if any chemicals are still inside the oven. This may result in permanent damage to the oven.

The easiest and fastest way to clean a house is to hire a professional to do the cleaning service. More than professional cleaning supplies, professional cleaners have a world of experience most of us don’t. This allows them to move through a house much quicker. Most professionals can complete house cleaning within 2-3 hours, whereas someone without that experience may take 5-8 hours to do the same quality of work. 

 

Suppose the affordability of a professional cleaner is a consideration. The best thing to do is to clean/dust from top to bottom. Meaning dusting higher selves, then countertops, then floors. Focus on the more essential payoff items that make the most difference. Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, making beds, clearing out the dishes, and wiping down the countertops. While not being a complete professional cleaning, these items will significantly impact how the space looks.

Move-in/move-out cleanings include everything the standard cleaning does but with more detailed work focusing on areas that are hard to get while there’s furniture in the home. Those things include:

• Dusting the baseboards
• Dusting blinds
• Wiping down doors
• A dusting of AC vents
• Wipe down light switches
• Wipe down power outlets
• Ceiling fans, if requested, they’re easy to overlook when they’re running.

 

More information on the deep cleaning service can be found on our move-in/move-out cleaning page.

No, giving the cleaning team access is perfectly acceptable without you being present. Because moving can be so much work, we typically encourage clients to give us access to the home so they won’t have to wait in an empty home while we clean. That can be done by either leaving a key under the mat, in a lock box, or by using a door or garage code to gain access. As long as we know how to get in we’ll be able to get started while you focus on other more important moving items. We’ll even lock up when we’re done.

Move-in/ move-outs require more detailed work than a typical cleaning. Because of this,  we assume a move-in/move-out will add an hour or two to the time of a standard cleaning. A one bedroom / one bathroom would take around two-three hours, whereas a three bedroom could take up to three or five hours.

 

All homes are different and have their unique challenges, and all cleaners move at different speeds. That’s one of the reasons we use flat-rate pricing. It allows us the time to get the job done right.