Author: Boston Maids

Welcome to The Maids

We appreciate your business and we will work hard to maintain your trust and exceed your expectations!
You can expect our 22- Step Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System every visit! Then you can also expect all this as well.
Our Back Pack Vacs with HEPA filtration can capture up to 99% of all dust and allergens.

• We clean places you don’t even see, like the tops of refrigerators, ceiling fans and under the beds
• We clean door knobs, phone receivers and light switch plates to help stop the spread of germs
• We use a grout brush to help remove mold, mildew and soap residue in bathrooms
• We clean kitchen and bathroom floors on hands and knees, the surest way to get rid of the dirt, grime and bacteria
• We clean the greasy build up off all accessible kitchen surfaces.
   

Pets: We are happy to work in home with pets, but sometimes pets aren’t comfortable with strangers, so we ask that you secure them as appropriate. OSHA standards also dictate that we do not clean up after their “messes”.

 

 Payment: Payment is due at time of service. We can set up an automatic credit card payment or you can pay by check or cash, leaving it in plain view on the kitchen table or counter before our team arrives. This is our confirmation that you are expecting us.

 

Supplies: The Maids cleaning team comes to your home fully equipped and ready to work. Our cleaning teams use environmentally preferable cleaning products and Back Pack Vac with HEPA filtration for  our Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System. Our vacuum captures particles down to 1/120th of a human hair.

 

We care about your satisfaction. We want you to be as happy with our service as tens of thousands of other clients we serve across the US.

 

Thank you again for choosing The Maids Boston as your preferred home cleaning service.

Is my Maid insured, bonded and licensed?

People hire professional cleaners for many reasons. The number one reason is to save time in their very busy lives. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the daily activities and choose between family and personal time or house cleaning. Hiring a good reliable home cleaning service can bring you back some of that time. Cleaning services are no longer a luxury that only some can afford. It has become a necessity to keep up with the pace and busy life style that we all live nowadays

Photo Credit: gstatic

You want to hire a cleaning service to clean your house in Boston, what are the things you should know first?

What you need to know before turning over the keys to your home before you hire individuals or a cleaning service. Most people understand that it is important to work with a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor, but many don’t know what it really means.  Let’s reviewthese three components and why it is so important for a contractor to possess these qualities…very simple; they provide the homeowner with protection and peace of mind.

In order to be licensed, a state agency must legally recognize your business as an entity. What most homeowners do not realize is that there are multiple licenses one must receive in order to be considered a fully licensed contractor. Most, if not every business, is required to be licensed with the city and state for tax purpose.  You’re probably thinking “It is not my problem if they pay taxes or not, what do I care?” The reason this is important is because it indicates whether or not the company is legitimate and stable. For example, if your maid/house cleaner is indebted to the IRS for $300,000  yet are offering you some sort of warranty, chances are that warranty is not going to be honored. The company should have no problem showing you a copy of this tax privilege, and any other documentation that your state may require.Typically, when you do your contractor search, in addition to seeing that they are currently licensed, you can also see if they have ever had to pay out of their recovery fund.

What does “Bonded” mean?Bonding is another form of protection for the homeowner. Essentially, bonding gives homeowners the opportunity to be reimbursed for poor workmanship or non-performance by a licensed contractor.

What does it mean to be “Insured?”

Insurance for contractors works much like car insurance…if there is an accident the contractor will have the money from an insurance company to fix it. What is important to know is that just because a contractor says they are insured doesn’t mean they have every type of insurance they should, and/or proper limits. Different businesses need different insurance, but typically a maid servicer should have liability, auto and workers’ compensation. Liability insurance can reward money for damages caused by the maid service.  Workers’ compensation covers employee injuries so that neither the homeowner nor their own personal insurance has to. Finally, auto insurance is one of the most commonly overlooked insurance policies a contractor should have; however if a maidr drives the car into your home, you will be glad the car was insured

In more simple words:

The question to ask when hiring any contractor is for the Liability and Worker’s compensation insurance. Pleased find attached copy of our certificate of insurance. This insurance is very expensive as employees are exposed to trips and falls. Our price reflects the cost of carrying these two types of insurance. When you call a Company and the company is sending employees to perform any service, Tthe company should be able to provide proof of worker’s compensation and liability insurance. Here is what each term means. I hope this helps. : )

Bonding
Bonding protects the consumer if the contractor fails to complete a job, doesn’t pay for permits, or fails to meet other financial obligations, such as paying for supplies or subcontractors or covering damage that workers cause to your property.

Liability Insurance
Protects the consumer if the employee damages or breaks something while in customers premises

Workers Compensation
It protects the consumer from an employee being injured while in customer’s promises. Any hospital bills are covered by the company and not the consumer

In conclusion, being “licensed, bonded, and insured” is more important than you think. Be careful in your selection process and ask your potential maid service for proof. In fact, ask as many questions as you can…your protection and peace of mind depend on it.

Cleaning Tips and Fun Ideas For Snow Weather

You may be asking yourself how to pass the time whilst you stay inside riding out the snow storm instead of just cleaning after the kids staying home from school. Here are some great ideas that will help pass the time and make it a fun day for you and your kids.

1. Ice Bubbles: You must wait for the temperature to dip below 32 degrees and then start making bubbles and they’ll crystallize and freeze right before your eyes. This is a great way to get the kids outside and have some unexpected fun.

2. Playing in the snow: Although this may seem obvious, there are different things you can do in the snow like making snow animals, tic-tac-toe in the snow, painting in the snow with food coloring or spray paint. In other words- PAINT YOUR YARD!

3. Stay Warm Outside: How fun would it be to build a winter bonfire and make s’mores? Give it a try after walking your dog or taking a walk with the kids.

As for cleaning tips, be sure to keep th fun outside ton ensure the house does not get messier than usual. If you do choose to stay inside, cozy up and watch a movie with the entire family or grab your favorite book.

Give us more ideas on how to make the most of this weather and enjoy yourselves out there.

Cleaning Halloween Cobwebs? They are not fake

Some scary places in our homes sometimes get that way because we tend to avoid our house cleaning. It suits us during Halloween because we can always say is part of the decoration, but after Halloween it is a good idea and I recommend a deep clean.

The winter holidays are fast approaching and whether you have family planning to visit you here in Boston, a clean home feels great since we are going to be spending more time indoors. This means you’re going to start noticing the areas that perhaps gathered some dust through the summer or may you just had better things to do. Whether you’re putting your Halloween decorations away and replacing them with your Thanksgiving or Fall decorations, remember that as good as they look they will atract dust and will leave dust behind. One cleaning tip is when to remove decorations and store them in sealed containers so you don’t have to dust them next time you take them out. The key to maintain a house clean is to declutter regularly and not to let the build up grow.

Another item that needs attention during the deep Fall Clean is the oven. Nothing gets in the way of baking some delicious cookies or pies like an oven that hasn’t been cleaned in a while.

So get ready before time flyes by and get your home a seasonal cleaning.

Why The Maids charge premium prices

Hi,

Thanks for visiting again! People frequently ask us why we charge more than other maid services in the Boston area. Here is my answer to the question.

I am very lucky to own a residential cleaning company, I get to do a market research and I regularly get my house cleaned by other companies or independents. We compare, service level, quality, reliability, consistency, presentation, cleaning supplies, process, it’s an extensive list, but worth reviewing. We may be idealistic, but we believe if fairness and opportunities for our employees and our community.

Unfortunately, many customers find maids service to be a “commodity” and they may only focus on the price. Cleaning homes is not rocket science but it’s up to you, the reader to identify what’s important to you. The amount you pay or the peace of mind and the quality of the service delivery and the cleaning? It’s on you to do your homework and find out who you are really inviting to clean your home.

I really like when people go beyond the “how much” and ask more important questions, such us, “how do we take care of our employeees” “do we offer benefits”, “do we pay a fair salary”. Its common to see in this industry employers taking advantage of the workforce.

Theft: Just about anyone can create a fancy website and put a phone number, without any verifications or validations. They show up in your home with a bucket and a broom. There’s nothing wrong with that… down the road, one or two months later, you find out your identity has been stolen or your jewelry is missing and the only person who has access to your home other than you is your maid, you try to call the cellphone provided on the website and the company no longer exists. How would you feel about that? Was it really worth saving a few bucks just to go with a cheaper service? Here at The Maids we are a solid, well established company. We have been in business for almost 10 years and have provided over 50,000 clean. We do back ground checks, social security verification, and our teams show up uniformed and in Yellow Maids cars, clearly identified. You can call us and you’ll know where to find us. We carry liability and workers compensation insurance and we automatically email it to our customers when confirming the first reservation. Ask your maid service to show you the copy of insurance, call the insurance, and do your homework. Protect your home and protect yourself.

Employee Tenure: We have very little rotation. After an employee has been background checked and we have verified his/her social security, the employee goes through 2 week training with videos, manuals and on the field training. Then the new team member is assigned to a team. That team consists of 4 team members that will provide services to your home on a regular basis. We provide a fair salary according to skill levels, employee benefits, transportation,  uniform, we provide the cleaning supplies and equipment, we also provide paid training and even a birthday cake to every employee. Our focus is on our employees first, then our customers, why? Because by having a stable, solid and happy workforce allows us to provide consistency and high quality, instead of incurring in high costs by losing employees and have a high turnover.

We pay our employees through our third party payroll service, we pay all our taxes and responsibilities.

Flexibility and Availability: Call us, email us, text us, visit our office. We are available to talk to you, answer any questions, concerns, comments, feedback. We have nothing to hide. In regards of flexibility, you may request, next day, same day cleaning and it’s very likely that we may have one of our teams in your area, the majority of the time; we are able to do a quick turn around and WOW you with our prompt and efficient team of professionals!

Cleaning Supplies: The company provides the cleaning supplies and equipment. We use nontoxic, eco-friendly, biodegradable cleaning products and heap filter back pack vacuums along with micro fiber cleaning clothes. We train our employees to use our products depending on the surface we are cleaning. The other reason why we use these products is good for the employees, the customers and the environment.

Our Vehicles: Something as simple but necessary is to have a reliable vehicle to get to your house. Our employees drive company cars, you will never hear “my car broke I can’t come to clean your home today”. Our employees dont have to incur in gas and maintenance expenses. As it is also covered for the company.

Yes, we charge a premium for our services, but you will receive premium services and the peace of mind your home is safe, secure and well taken care of. And if you are as idealistic as we are we believe in a better world and doing things right. We are happy to know as an owner I can go to bed with the peace of mind I really am taking good care of my people. You can spend days looking for a reliable service, interviewing maids, navigating on the web, or call us, we do the hiring for you.

Valentine’s Day Starts With A Clean Home

Although Valentine’s Day is the day everything is supposed to go smoothly, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes we forget to plan ahead even though we promised ourselves we would not procrastinate this year. A good Valentine’s Day should have a great morning, a spontaneous gesture during the day and a very romantic evening planned.

The beginning of the day gives you the opportunity to do something unexpected like a great breakfast in bed or the place in which you first shared breakfast. Having to worry about daily chores like cleaning your home will distract from the bonding moments this holiday brings. Taking the rest of the day just to enjoy each other’s company is the best plan. If this means you and your loved one will take the day off and take that walk you have been thinking about just to remind yourselves how much you enjoy each other’s company without letting work or anything else get in the way.

The mid day surprise should be just that. An unexpected gesture that you’ll cherish and it will be just for the 2 of you. A great idea is to have a picnic that reminds you of your first date. Making the time to enjoy each other’s company is going to make all the difference. This can also mean getting pampered together like a couple’s massage. Those great bonding moments have a lasting effect and will inspire you to keep surprising each other.

This brings us to the romantic evening of this great holiday! If you weren’t able to plan ahead and make reservations at you favorite diner spot, that doesn’t mean you won’t have a great time. A quiet evening at home may be what you both need after making new exciting memories all day. But who really wants to get ready for the most romantic day of the ear by cleaning all day the previous day or even all day on Valentine’s Day to prepare for the romantic evening. Whilst you’re enjoying yourself and the new memories you are making, you can have a “Hotel Day” at home and get your home cleaned by the professionals.

Having a clean home will give you that piece of mind and let you enjoy your date. Tell us other ways you use to prepare for this Valentine’s Day!

How Can Your Boston Cleaning Service Help You With Winter

Now that snow has started to fall and we are thinking about enjoying the season. Remember that your can take care of the inside of your home so you can focus on the rest of the home prep. Taking a good look at what your Cleaning Team sees you may find some items you may have overlooked in your inspection whilst getting ready for this winter season. This also reinforces the great communication you must keep with your cleaning team to maintain your home in the best shape possible.

One great advantage of having a team of taking care of your home is that you have another set of eyes looking at the areas in your home that may be ready for weather proofing this winter. If your windows are leaking out the heat, your Cleaning team will notice while they clean the window sills and let you know so your heating unit is not over working to keep your home nice and cozy. Your home cleaning service should also keep your vents free of lint and debris so the dust circulating your home is minimal. It is helpful to replace the vent filters since they can gather dust and restrict airflow and strain your heating. It is also a good idea to ask your cleaning service to focus a bit more around the fireplace since it will be a gathering place during this season.

Since your cleaning team will be helping you keep th inside of the home not only clean but also focusing on keeping it winter ready, you can focus on other tasks around the outside. This means insulating your exposed pipes, stocking up on the always needed firewood. Reversing the direction of your ceiling fans will push warm air down which is welcomed when sitting near the fireplace. Keeping your gutters free of debris will prevent ice and other obstructions from gathering. This will allow you to spend more time around the warm fire.

Tell us about how you prepare for the winter both inside and outside.

Who does the home cleaning when holiday decorations need to come down?

Have you asked yourself what it takes to clean your home after our holiday decorations are put away? We all like to get in the spirit of the seasons and decorate our homes but we all dread having to clean it up and put up new ones. Whether it is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, having a plan on how they will be put up and taken down will save you time and prevent some stress. Finding the decorations that work for you and won’t make you rearrange your home is usually a good start. Here are some tips on finding that balance and still show your personality through your decorations.

Decorating for Halloween is both fun and it adds another touch of your personality to your home. Even if it’s tempting to let cobwebs gather before Halloween, it’s not a good idea especially if you’re expecting children to be around your decorations. This may cause them to get caught on them and pull on drapes or other fixtures.

When hanging the very popular cotton spider web, be sure to hang it or wrap it around places that are easy to reach and will not damage your furnishings. If using paint or coloring on walls or clothing, use washable paints and resist using food coloring on clothing unless it is a piece you will not use again. There are a lot of window decorations available that are easy to remove and even reusable. These are definitely recommended for all Holidays. The always popular Halloween silhouettes are available with easy to remove adhesive so go nuts. Having real pumpkin jack-o-lanterns is great but it is always easier to buy the plastic ones because with an easy dust off they are ready to use again. Besides, they are supposed to look aged aren’t they?

Thanksgiving decorations are very unique because they consist of plastic fruits and vegetables that tend to get dusty and need constant cleaning. It is always a good idea to use the right cleaning Product on these items. Use something mild that won’t damage them and will still remove all the dust. Whether you are buying new decorations or using some that have become a tradition in your home, to have a thorough house cleaning to be sure your decorations stand out and have the desired effect.

This time a year, people tend to bake more, its always fun to bake your own dishes, cookies and pastries, its a great way to warm up the house and make it cozy, besides its a fun way to keep your little ones busy while keeping them indoors during cold winter days, of course, while having little helpers in the kitchen, it becomes more work for you, you end up picking up and cleaning up more than what you wanted or expected.  Now you find yourself juggling with cooking, decorating and entertaining your child. There is not time to do a deep cleaning and getting on your hands and knees to pick up all the crumbles and sprinkles from the floor.

Now that we know how to put the decorations up and how to take them down, now comes the clean up. After taking down your decorations you will find that underneath those decorations there are going to be areas that have not been reached during you routine cleaning. There will also be some dust that has been moved around while taking down your decorations. This will present you with a cleaning challenge. We would suggest a thorough cleaning be done to get your home back to what it was before the decorations or ready for new ones. Tell us about how you prepare your home for our decorations as well as some ideas for storing and cleaning after you take them down.

And the Best Maid Service in Boston Goes to… The Maids

We are very proud to once again be honored as the best maid services in Boston by Boston Magazine Best of Boston. We could not have done it without what we consider the backbone of our company, our teams. They are after all the ones who deliver what we promise our customers and help us build relationships with them as well.

Our teams take a lot of pride in what they do and making our customers’ lives that much easier by not having to worry about their cleaning service. We know there are a lot of choices for anyone who is looking to get their home home cleaned. But having it cleaned by a reliable company that they trust and can build a relationship with is not easy. We have earned their trust of over 2,000 homes here in Boston through out these past 7 years of operation and a great group of employees.

Having the convenience of a four people team of cleaning professionals to come into you home and clean it thoroughly and without having to inconvenience your day, that is what makes us the best choice. Our customers value us and our teams because we stand by what we deliver. Even if the clean does not go as planned (which may happen on occasion, we are still human), we will do our best to make things right. Our service goes beyond the wiping and dusting, we provide a proven cleaning system that maximizes our quality and efficiency and do it with a smile. If you want maintenance in order to prevent the dust build up to come back, we can do that. The holidays are coming up, if you’re looking for cleaning before or after a party or event at your home, we can do that.  As long as cleaning and disinfecting needs to be done, we’ll be there.

If you choose to do your own home cleaning then here are a few tips to creating a cleaning habit that will ensure build up does not occur in your home.

First, inspect your home so you can make a plan of attack and you don’t have to go back and re-clean areas that you may have missed.

photography credit: aadamsinspection.com”

Second, section your home into manageable areas so you don’t spend a lot of time cleaning the entire house. This will be a life saver and won’t overwhelm you. This will allow you to clean the common living areas and rotate between the hard to reach areas in your home such as door frames, baseboards and window sills.

Third, keeping up with your cleaning is key. Whether you do it yourself or have a Boston cleaning service take care of it, keeping up with your cleaning will save time and money.

Our customers definitely understand this and that is why they keep us around. There is no better feeling than coming home after a long day of work and finding your home spotless! You can then kick off your shoes and relax.

photography credit: t0.gstatic.com

Tell us more about what is most impressive about the cleans you get from The Maids in Boston.

My Maid: Getting to Know Who Cleans Your Home

I love to see how much our customers enjoy meeting our team members when we clean their homes.  It makes me realize even more how valuable the relationship between our teams and our customers really is.  That being said, I thought it would be a good idea to let our customers get to know their team members a little more.

I could think of no better person to start with than the longest tenured employee at The Maids Boston office–Reyna Gutierrez. She is currently a member of the Red Team, she’s shy and quiet, very organized and dedicated and has been a team member since September 2005, bringing an enormous amount of experience to every home she cleans.  Reyna is originally from Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic and arrived in Boston in 2001.  Being The Maids her first job in the US. She has been married for 18 years and they have three children.

Reyna enjoys reading and watching television in her spare time but says she maintains an immaculate home!