Most people choose a cleaning company by comparing two prices, and the price is usually the least useful number in the conversation. Two Portland companies can land within a few dollars of each other on the same house and still deliver visits that look nothing alike. The differences live in the minimum charge, the exclusion list, the cancellation terms, and whether the same person comes back next month.
We are one of the companies you might be comparing, so read this knowing that. We are not going to make claims about any other cleaner in Portland. We do not know their terms, and neither does anyone who has not asked them directly. What follows is the set of questions that actually separates one company from another, with our own answers filled in so you have one column to hold the others against.
Start with the minimum charge, not the hourly rate
An hourly rate on its own tells you almost nothing. Two cleaners for two hours is four labor hours. One cleaner for three hours is three. Companies staff jobs differently, so the only numbers you can actually compare are the minimum charge, how many cleaners are coming, and how long they expect to be there. Ask for all three and write them down.
Ours is a $133 minimum service charge with a two hour minimum visit. Quotes are free and carry no obligation. A company that wants to see the house before quoting is being reasonable, but get the number before the first visit rather than after it.
Ask which products, by brand name
Eco-friendly is not a regulated term. Anyone can print it on a van. Brand names are checkable, so ask for them.
We use Mrs. Meyer’s on general surfaces, Bona on hardwood, and Bon Ami as a scouring powder. No bleach, no ammonia, no synthetic fragrance. The formulas are plant based and biodegradable. We bring our own HEPA filtration vacuums and use washable microfiber cloths rather than paper towels. That is the whole list, and you can look up every item on it. If you would rather have a third party standard than a brand list, the three with real criteria behind them are EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal and UL ECOLOGO. More on how we think about eco-friendly cleaning if you want the longer version.
Two things worth knowing locally. Portland’s Bull Run water is unusually soft, so limescale is far less of a problem here than in most of the country. If someone is selling you a descaling add-on, ask what exactly is being descaled. And if anyone tells you vinegar is disinfecting your bathroom, it is not. Vinegar dissolves mineral deposits and soap scum. It does not kill much of anything.
Find out whether the same crew comes back
Recurring clients notice consistency more than anything else, and it is the hardest thing to get a straight answer about. Ask it as two questions. Is it the same crew each time, and what happens when it is not?
Here is ours. The same crew returns to the same home wherever possible. Illness, time off and staff changes cause substitutions, and we do not call ahead to tell you the crew has changed. A substitute cleaner is given the full current notes on your home. That is an honest answer rather than a flattering one, and it is the answer you should press every company for.
Get the do-not-clean list before you book
This is where most disappointment comes from. Nearly every cleaning company has a list of things it will not touch, and almost none of them lead with it. Ours, in full:
- Carpet shampooing, and the inside of fireplaces.
- Pet messes and body fluids, including litter boxes, bird guano, blood, feces, urine and overflowed toilets. This is not squeamishness. It requires bloodborne pathogen certification, which we do not currently carry.
- Rooms heavily affected by mold, or homes with a heavy mold infestation. Portland winters being what they are, this comes up. Heavy mold is a remediation job, not a cleaning job, and a cleaner who says yes to it is doing you no favors.
- Outdoor areas: patios, decks, rough concrete, unfinished basements, garages and exterior windows.
- Dishes.
- Moving furniture over 20 lb, cleaning above 8 feet, and chandeliers.
- Unsecured artwork and heavy hanging mirrors.
- Cleaning after fumigation.
- Stripping beds. We will make a bed if the sheets are laid out.
- Removing oven doors. Oven interiors need the self-clean cycle run a day or two before the visit, by you.
Deep cleaning is a separate question again. We suggest a deep clean about twice a year, and it costs extra on top of maintenance cleaning rather than replacing it. When you get a quote from anyone, ask whether the number is the first visit or the ongoing one. Those two are rarely the same.
Read the scheduling and cancellation terms
Arrival windows and cancellation fees are where a comparison usually turns concrete. Ours: cleaners may arrive within one hour either side of the scheduled start, and if it is going to be longer than that, we call. Cancelling inside 48 hours is charged at half the service. If the cleaners cannot get in, the full service is charged, which is why a reliable entry method matters more than people expect. Recurring clients can reschedule three times a year.
Cleaning visits run Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. We are closed July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. There is no evening or weekend house cleaning. Office cleaning is the exception and can be scheduled before or after the workday or on a weekend. If your week only has room for a Saturday, that is a real constraint and worth raising on the first call with anyone.
Ask how payment works before the first visit
Payment terms vary more than almost anything else on this list, and they are the easiest thing to check in advance. We take cash, personal or bank check, and online bank transfer through QuickBooks. The QuickBooks transfer carries a 2.95% processing fee with a $1.25 minimum. We do not take credit cards, PayPal or Venmo, and that surprises people, so it is better said now than at the door.
A failed online payment adds a $10 fee. One-time and irregular cleanings are due the day of service. Recurring clients pay on the day of service for the first two months, then within 7 days. Invoices past 30 days pick up a 5% late fee, and balances unpaid past two months go to Columbia Collection Service. Parking fees are added to the invoice. Tips are never required and always appreciated.
Check that the company is licensed, bonded and insured
Ask the question plainly, and ask the follow-up: who carries the insurance, the company or the individual cleaner? It matters on the day something gets broken or somebody gets hurt in your house.
Green Earth is licensed, bonded and insured, and we comply with employment legal requirements. Our cleaners go through pre-employment screening before they are hired. We have been doing this in Portland since 2005, we are locally owned, and the company is run by Antranik Zadeyan with an admin team, not a franchise office in another state.
Ask what happens when a visit goes wrong
Every cleaner has an off day eventually. The policy for that day is more revealing than any promise about the good ones. We do not give discounts when a visit disappoints. What we do is come back and touch up the areas you point out, and we need to hear about it within 24 hours. Agree with that policy or not, it is written down. Ask any company you are considering for theirs in writing.
Reviews help, but read the three star ones rather than counting the five star ones. Ours sit at 4.6 out of 5 across 65 Google reviews. A middling review usually tells you how a company handled a problem, which is the part you actually need to know.
The eight questions, in one place
- What is the minimum charge, and how many cleaners for how long?
- Which products, by brand name, and who supplies the vacuum?
- Is it the same crew every visit, and what happens when it is not?
- What is on the do-not-clean list?
- What is the late cancellation charge, and what happens if nobody can get in?
- Which payment methods, and what fees come with them?
- Licensed, bonded and insured, and who carries the policy?
- What happens if I am not happy, and how long do I have to say so?
Any company worth hiring can answer all eight in a five minute phone call. If one of them gets vague on the fourth question, that is your answer.
Ours are all published on our FAQ page, including the parts that are not flattering, and our house cleaning cost page for Portland publishes the prices and every assumption behind them, so you have something concrete to hold other quotes against. If you want a quote for recurring house cleaning anywhere in the Portland Metro Area, call 1 888 404 7930 or email info@greenearthhousecleaning.com. The quote is free and there is no obligation.
