Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Cleaner

Eight direct questions for any cleaning company, us included, and what a good answer sounds like.

You're handing someone your keys. That deserves more scrutiny than most people ever apply to it. Ask these eight questions before hiring any cleaner, ours or anyone else's.

"A good company answers all of them without flinching."

1. Are you insured?

Accidents happen in other people's homes: an ornament, a spill on a carpet, a scratched floor. A good answer names the cover rather than dancing around it. Mop N Pop is fully insured.

2. Are your cleaners DBS-checked?

Whoever cleans your home will hold your keys and be alone in your space. A DBS check is the baseline, not a bonus. Every member of our team is DBS-checked.

3. Do you bring your own products, and are they handled properly?

Products included in the price is the convenient part. The part worth probing is safe handling: COSHH compliance means chemicals are stored, mixed, and used correctly, which matters in homes with children, pets, or breathing conditions. We're COSHH compliant, and if you prefer specific products, we'll use yours.

4. Will I get the same cleaner each time?

Consistency is where quality comes from; a regular cleaner learns your home and notices what's changed. A different face every fortnight usually means a company that can't keep its staff. We match you with a regular cleaner.

5. What exactly is included?

Get the task list in writing, and ask where the extras sit: inside the oven, inside windows, laundry. Every "that's extra, I'm afraid" conversation is avoidable with this one question.

6. How is the price set, and can it change?

The quote should be fixed before the first clean, in writing, with no hidden extras. For one-off jobs, per-job pricing is normal; for regular visits, an hourly or per-visit rate. Our guide to cleaner costs in East Sussex covers what fair rates look like.

7. What happens when my cleaner is ill or on holiday?

This is the practical difference between an independent and a company. An independent's sick day is your missed fortnight; a company should offer cover from the wider team, using the same task list.

8. What if I'm not happy with a clean?

A confident company has a straightforward answer: tell us, and we'll put it right. If the question causes visible discomfort, believe the discomfort.

Asking Us the Same Questions

Our answers to one to four are above; five to eight are exactly one conversation away. There's more about how we work on our about page and in the FAQ, and quotes are free and fixed before we start.