NATURE MAID HOUSECLEANING

Emails seem to work better than phone calls.

I bought a Groupon for 6 man-hours for $109. I wanted to divide it so they could come twice. I wanted the whole house bascially cleaned, except the basement just once. I'm extremely neat and clean myself and usually do all the cleaning but I work now and have 2 little kids. I thought if I had them come in twice a month that would cut down on my cleaning 50%, because I do a deep clean once a week. They did an ok job cleaning, there were some things that weren't done. The second time they were suppose to be here at 9:30 am and they came at 10:30 am, I made it early for a reason, because I have a baby that naps late morning. I think that we could of worked out the issue of having them stay longer to get everything I wanted done and I would of paid whatever costs. My major issue was that I asked for pricing for twice a month after my Groupon ran out and I probaly asked 3 times. I never had a response back on priciing, because I assume that it would be more because I don't have a Groupon anymore. Communication is a big deal with me, I'm a Buyer for a living so I deal with vendors everyday. I assumed that after not giving me pricing after asking multiple times that they didn't want my business.

I loved having Nature Maid come clean my house. They did a great job and the same person came most weeks. If someone else was going to come for the cleaning, I was notified ahead of time. I usually met them for the beginning of cleanings, pointed out any areas that were missed or sub par (these were rare exceptions) then left to run chores. I loved coming home to a clean house that smelled SO GOOD! My dog loves their floor cleaner and would follow them around and roll in the moisture left behind if I let him. The work was fast, thorough, and on schedule. It is a surface clean, though. Aimee was upfront with what services would be included. And of course they don't clean your house exactly the way I would but I hate housework so mostly my way of cleaning the house is procrastinating.

We had 3 companies give estimates to clean our house. One company was cheaper, and one company was the same price. Nature Maid was the clear choice, based on our impression of their professionalism and the way they run their company. (Also, they were a small company; the owner was the one cleaning our house initially; and we felt comfortable giving them a key to our house.) Nature Maid has been cleaning our house every 2 weeks for 2.5 years. We have been very pleased with their work and their customer service. Overall, the quality of the cleanings has been very good. We love that there is no smell of cleaning products in our house, and we don't have to worry about toxic chemicals. Yes, as previous reviewers stated, there have been a few times that we need to point out items that were missed (e.g. - baseboard dusting) or sub-par (e.g. - toilet bowl or bathtub cleaning). However, those have been rare exceptions, and they always respond to those requests. (I also think that customers need to realize that you are paying for a surface cleaning, not a deep cleaning, and that nobody is going to clean your house exactly the way you would.) They always accommodate our requests to change (or cancel) a scheduled cleaning, and give us ample warning when they need to do so. Reading through some previous reviews, I think those customers failed to understand the clear policies that Nature Maid has. They clearly state that they do not move furniture or knickknacks (picture frames, etc.) when vacuuming or dusting, and that emptying trash cans is an optional service. When you have them give you an estimate, you agree on a list of what they will do with each visit. No, they do not leave behind a checklist of what was done each time, but I don't think that is necessary. In addition, you can pay an hourly rate for occasional add-on services (deep cleaning, refrigerator cleaning) if you give them 48 hours notice so they can plan their employees' schedules. Their web site (naturemaidhousecleaning.com) includes very clear information on the services and policies (see the "Guide to Services" PDF file), along with the non-toxic and environmentally-friendly cleaning products they use. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone, as long as they have reasonable expectations. Their website has testimonials from other satisfied customers, so don't just take my word for it. Yes, everyone can find a few happy customers, but I think the negative reviews here are the exceptions.

The first visit, which was a "deep clean" was great but after that it went down hill. Overall I found the employees to be lazy. Out of all the employees that cleaned my house, there was only one woman that wasn't lazy and did a good job. I would have to ASK them to do basic things, like dusting, and often dusting would be missed (ie, a simple table top wouldn't be dusted). Also, I asked them to move certain light pieces of furniture, which wasn't done, (like an ottoman), and after they left I found dust bunnies everywhere. They would often dust AROUND things like picture frames because they were too lazy to pick them up. I gave them several chances but then I got tired of asking. The other weird thing was that you had to pay extra to have them empty your trash bins, which is a basic thing of cleaning. It was quite strange. The company also seemed to be run somewhat unprofessionally and some of the employees were friends of the owner. I would not recommend them.

The first cleaning was by far the most thorough and impressive. The cleaned everything on their list, from the top of curtain rods down to the carpet. In particular, they were able to vacuum all the cat hair off of my couch -- that alone was worth $75! I've noticed that the quality of the cleanings does vary (e.g. I notice dust where there shouldn't be any, the bathroom mirror hasn't been cleaned, etc.). I don't know if that's because different people are doing it, or for some other reason. Generally speaking, however, I've been happy with their service.

The owner and the employee who would be assigned to the task both met with me, looked over the house, provided a quote and we made an agreement for their first visit. The employee missed the first visit, was very late for the second and did an inadequate job. The owner agreed to do the work herself from then on. However, despite the fact that the company states that it will perform certain tasks on every visit, many were not done (i.e., windowsills were left untouched, kitchen counters were not cleaned and the wood floors were not cleaned with sufficient quantities of cleaning solution I supplied - and for which I paid extra). They never touched ceiling fans or cleared cobwebs/dust from ceilings, corners, etc.which they indicate will be done on each visit. I really wanted this business to do well as I like to support small, local businesses operated by women but I had to discontinue their services. It was more frustrating than helpful.