Refreshingly Clean

We used Refreshingly clean for cleaning our house every 2 weeks over the last two years. They initially provided the same person to clean the house every time and took note of specific preferences to ensure that there was consistency across cleans. Over time, their staff has rotated significantly. While the preferences were noted, this did lead to inconsistencies with the level of cleaning performed. Overall, the organization was receptive to any concerns we had. More recently this attention to detail and customer service has declined. We are a non-smoking household, yet the few times that we were home during the cleanings, it was clear the cleaning people had recently smoked. Within the past 2 months, they have cancelled several times with use with very abrupt notification (1-2 days before a scheduled clean) without offering a new time within reason. This has led to a period of 8 weeks between cleaning appointments when their service is being used to routinely clean our house. One service was cancelled because we did not leave payment for them and they were unwilling to accept another form of payment or payment on a later date despite us being their loyal customers for 2 years. For busy professionals, a house cleaning service is a life saver, but an unreliable cleaning service that forgets to put their customers (i.e. revenue stream) first is unacceptable.

Excellent job. Professional, personable, prompt. I am now a "regular." I would not hesitate to recommend them to others.

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Melody and her staff have been cleaning for me for over a year, and I trust them completely.  She does a wonderful job with my house.  I can communicate with her openly and honestly if I have any concerns, and she adjusts what she is doing based on my needs.

How well has it been working for me?
My home is a converted inn from long ago. It has character, but it also has a lot of "odd" levels and awkward places to clean. (I can't stress that enough.) The sizable dining room and living room have wood floors; the laundry, 1/2 bath and kitchen floors are covered in heavy linoleum (looks like Italian tile). The home is bordered by 2 busy roads and is in farm country, which means the baseboards, windowsills and furniture need special damp cleaning to remove the soot-like dust, fly spots (!), ladybug and firefly remains. The upstairs bath has a large square tub with a curved ceramic-tiled ceiling and the walls are almost entirely tiled - perhaps 4.5 feet up from the floor? Everything that I requested be done, was done very well. The bathroom walls, fixtures, mirrors shone. The floors were spotless (even the funny angles that are hard to reach)! The house smelled wonderful, too! (I like her cleaning agents.) I am usually at home when the cleaning is done. Both Melody and Stephanie are very pleasant. They work sooo hard. I have never seen them stop moving. The cleaning takes between 1 1/2 to 2 hours - if one of them comes, about 1/2 that if they both come. They also concentrate on what they are doing, which is probably why they are thorough.

Becoming a regular client of Refreshingly Clean
Melody is professional and courteous. She brought a well-organized folder full of information to our first meeting. She reviewed how her company cleans: details such as her organic agents/using non-disposable cloths (impressive), her vacuum, how she hires employees, first cleaning and subsequent cleanings, and certain specifics of cleaning such as doing floors by hand - no mops) were discussed. A comprehensive list covers what they clean routinely in-home and what types of cleaning they do such as outside cleaning, window cleaning, etc. She offers to use your agents, your vacuum, mops, and cloths if you prefer. Melody wants to know what is important to you. She has checklists and suggestions to streamline the process of developing your cleaning program. For example: I routinely clean my kitchen appliances, counters, cupboards so there is no need for them to do that. (However, I suspect that if they see a spot on the cupboards while damp cleaning the kitchen floor, they quickly clean that, too.) She has post-evaluation sheets for you to use, she offers a phone number, she is readily accessible by email (will answer within 24 hours): if one has a concern or is unhappy with the cleaning, she wants to know. She is bonded and insured. Her estimate is based on your home and your needs. I found her estimate for me very reasonable. There are cheaper options in my rural area (not options for me, personally) and much more expensive options (possibly because they are franchises?). I should mention that Refreshingly Clean travels a distance to come to me, too. They service a wide area.

The first time policy
The first cleaning took the longest, just like Melody had said, and both Melody and Stephanie (an employee) came. Melody told me her policy is to personally clean the house so she "knows" it well. Her policy is to co-clean the house with an employee - often several times - before scheduling that employee to clean it. (If you have comments or concerns, it is a good time to point them out; every house has its idiosyncrasies and Melody wants to know them.)

Summary
I have had Refreshingly Clean cleaning my home for probably 8 months now. I have had excellent service from both Melody and her employee, Stephanie, who has been coming lately. I am fairly flexible, and Melody has very good communication skills - so scheduling has been easy. As a side note: I am impressed with Melody as an entrepreneur. She not only is technologically savvy (see her website and facebook) and environmentally conscious but has founded her business on old-fashioned values , some of which, I hope, can be gleaned from the review. I find all of that soooo refreshing ; )

Melody has done such a wonderful job for us, that I also have her cleaning my parents' and sister's homes. Her husband is an excellent power washer and has also cleaned out and installed gutter guards for us.

Melody uses only safe, organic materials in her cleaning. When she is done with your place, you can eat off the floor. Everything - and I mean everything - is spotless.

Melody cleans better than you ever will do yourself. I could never find anyone who could meet my cleanliness standards until I hired her about 6 or 7 years ago. She is reliable, trustworthy, friendly, conscientious and hard-working. She gets an AAA+++ in my book.