Our Policies
Expanded Safety Procedures Regarding Illness
Updated 1-09-23
PPE
All At Home Cleaning Co. Staff will be provided with face masks, disinfectant, and gloves. Fresh shoe covers, microfiber towels, and mop heads will be used for each home. Clients may request that masks be worn inside their homes.
Staff Health
All staff members will be required to be in good health to work.
We will follow current CDC guidelines and procedures regarding exposure and quarantine.
Client Health
If you have or suspect that any household member has contracted COVID, we ask that you cancel/postpone your appointment until the exposed household member receives a negative test result or exceeds the minimum period of quarantine as outline by the CDC.
We also ask that, if any household member has a fever or flu-like symptoms, you postpone services for at least a week or until symptoms have been clear for 48 hours.
We will work with you to ensure we are safe and also flexible with scheduling to the greatest extent possible.
Distancing
We will take precautions to stay at least 6 feet away from clients while in their homes.
We would prefer if all members of the household leave the home for the duration of our appointment. However, we understand that leaving may be difficult.
If you must remain at home, we ask that allow our team uninterrupted access to at least 3 rooms or one level of your home at a time.
Disinfecting
We take disinfecting very seriously. This includes areas in your home as well as our tools.
We use our 65% isopropyl alcohol disinfecting spray on door knobs, bathrooms, and kitchen countertops, provided the material is not susceptible to damage.
Between appointments, we will sanitize our tools, including our brushes, vacuum, and mop.
General Procedures and Policies
We Love Feedback!
We will send a 10-second Feedback request after each appointment. Please take the opportunity to let us know if there is anything we can do differently or better to meet (or exceed!) your expectations.
While we do not offer full or partial refunds on services that have been provided, we will return and re-clean any areas of concern that are reported to us within 48 hrs of our cleaning. Photos of each area are requested for our notes and training.
First Clean Pricing
For First Deep Cleans, One Time Cleans, or Move Cleans, we reserve the right to add a Contingency cost for extra time needed, priced per labor hour. If we enter your home and find that it will require significantly more work than we initially expected, we will contact you to discuss allotted time/hours or to increase cost according to the amount of work required to clean to our standards.
Payment Options
We will send an invoice to your e-mail on file after each cleaning appointment, which can be paid online with a credit or debit card. We appreciate prompt payment of all invoices, and may postpone services if an invoice is outstanding more than 30 days. We also offer a secure auto-pay option through our Jobber software.
Late Invoice Fee
If an invoice is 30 days past due, we will add a late fee of $10 per week until it is paid. If there are 2 or more unpaid invoices on an account, we will pause services until they are paid. If late payments become an ongoing issue, we will require that the account is enrolled in auto-pay.
Preparing for Services
We ask that all clients prepare for our arrival by organizing items on surfaces that need cleaning. This includes moving laundry, shoes, and misc. items from vanities, dressers, beds, and floors. This will ensure that we have time to complete quality cleaning. Also, we request that any excess mess outside of toilets, pet messes, and anything that would be considered hazardous be pre-cleaned before your appointment. We’re pros, but we’d appreciate your help! We reserve the right to skip areas that are not adequately prepared for our services.
Admin Check Request
If you would like to request that an administrator visit your home after a cleaning to make sure that all tasks are completed to our Standards, please send us an e-mail with 48 hours’ notice. These checks may be warranted if certain items are not taken care of to your expectations after submitting feedback. The administrator (usually Andrea), will stop by while the team is finishing up to check everything over and take any photos for our private notes if necessary. As always, we want to meet (or exceed!) your expectations during each visit.
Arrival Time
Our hours of operation are from 9:30am-4:30pm. Unless you have our first appointment of the day, we are unable to guarantee an exact arrival time. However, we do our best to arrive within 30 minutes of your scheduled appointment. We will send a text notification if we are running late, and also when we are on our way.
If you choose to wait for us to arrive, please be home during the estimated window of time to let our staff into your home. If no one is home or we are turned away for any reason, a cancellation fee will be charged (see Cancellation Policy.)
Cancellation/Locked Out Policy
We kindly ask for a 48 hours notice of cancellation or preferably the most notice you can provide once you know you will not be able to keep your appointment time. We are happy to accommodate you with a rescheduled appointment when possible. Rescheduling will be subject to availability.
If you cancel an appointment with 24 hours notice or less, we will add a $25 administration fee to your next appointment. This also applies if we arrive for an appointment and are turned away or locked out. Conversely, if we cancel your appointment (it is our goal to avoid this at all costs!), we will credit your next appointment $25 for the inconvenience.
* If we are able to reschedule your appointment within 5 business days, we will waive the administration fee.
** We will offer 1 Grace Cancellation per year upon request. Please send us an e-mail.
Inclement Weather
If a Winter Storm Warning is issued or East Grand Rapids Public Schools close, we may ask to skip or re-schedule your cleaning appointment. In the event we ask to cancel/re-schedule, our cancellation fee will not apply
Illness
We do not want to put ourselves at risk of contracting a cold or flu virus due to exposure in clients’ homes. If someone in your home is ill with a fever, severe cold, and/or especially vomiting/diarrhea, we respectfully request that you inform us at your earliest convenience so that we may reschedule services for after your family is no longer contagious.
Alternately, if one of our staff members becomes ill, we will do our very best to find a substitute cleaner for the day (or, at the latest, during the following 5 business days).
Holidays
At Home Cleaning Co. is closed on many National Holidays. If your appointment falls on a National Holiday, we will attempt reschedule your appointment. During the week before and during Thanksgiving and Christmas, we take special requests for cleaning, which clients are asked to make 1 month prior to the holiday date.
Our office is closed on the following days:
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Staff Out
If your regular team is out for the day, we will do our best to substitute another team so that we may keep your regular appointment. If a substitute is not available, we will ask to reschedule your appointment within 5 business days.
Natural Cleaning Products
We use tried-and-true, soap-based, Eco-friendly cleaners that are simply excellent. These products are natural (and pet, kid, and nose friendly). We add lemongrass essential oil for a fresh, aroma-therapeutic scent. We bring all of our own supplies to complete each cleaning. However, if you have a special product that you would like us to use, we are happy to do so, so long as it is naturally derived.
Any specialty cleaning solutions used on marble and other porous stones will need to be requested in writing prior to your first service date.
Our Systems and Tools
We have our cleaning systems down to a science. We have top-of-the-line specialty vacuums, towels, and mops. Our towels, mop heads, and shoe covers are fresh for each home. At this time, we are unable to honor request to modify our tools (i.e. not use our caddy or towels) or use our clients vacuums or mops, as it disrupts our processes and routines.
Cleaning Tasks Included in Services + Extras
Our weekly, Bi-Weekly, and Monthly services include the items outlined one our Checklist. The goal of our regularly scheduled cleaning appointments is to maintain a home’s freshness and cleanliness. We will be happy to perform any additional services outlined in our “Extras” list with 48 hours prior notice. View our Extra Services here.
Blinds
We always have our eye out for dust on blinds, but if they are past the point of dry-dusting, we can set aside extra time to damp-wipe them. This is considered an extra service, which will incur an extra charge based by project.
Trashes
We’re happy to make your life easier by taking out the trash! Please make sure that all trash items are in the bag, and that the bag can be easily removed from the container. This request applies specifically to bathrooms and kitchens. We can take out diaper bags (even Diaper Genies!), but please make sure the bags is not so stuffed that it is a challenge to remove.
Duvets and Linens
If you have linen changing service added to your appointments, please make sure a fresh sheet set is placed near each bed to be changed.
Our 2023 Pricing for Linen Changing is:
Crib, twin, full beds- $5
Queen, king beds- $10
Duvets- $10
Distractions
It is important for us to have access to every area of your home that we will be cleaning. In doing so, we need to work freely and without distractions. Excessive conversation (beyond cleaning instructions and light conversation) prevents us from being 100% focused. Every effort is made to work safely and cautiously and we cannot assume liability for injury to others. We kindly ask that you, your children and pets remain out of the rooms that we are cleaning in order to prevent safety hazards (contact with cleaning products, tripping over caddies, vacuum cords, etc.).
We understand the desire to make sure that cleaning is completed to your expectations. However, please give our team space to do their best work. Having a homeowner "hover" is anxiety-inducing! We appreciate you keeping your distance while our team cleans.
Pets
For most of us, meeting your friendly pet is the highlight of our work day! However, if your pet is uneasy around our vacuums/tools, or is better crated or away from the home, we ask that you ensure precautions are taken to keep our staff safe and able to move about your home freely.
Employee Non-Compete
When entering into an agreement for services with At Home Cleaning Co., you agree not to solicit or hire any staff member introduced to you by the company.
Injuries in Your Home
All employees are covered by our Workers’ Compensation Insurance. This covers the employee’s injuries and protects you. If our staff is injured at your home due to neglect or a safety hazard, our insurance company will work with your homeowner's insurance to rectify the issue.
Fire Arms
For our protection and yours, if you have firearms, we ask that all they be stored and locked away prior to our cleaning your home. We will not clean any rooms in which a firearm is visibly present. Please do not leave firearms under pillows or mattresses as they pose a danger when we are changing linens on beds.
Insects and Pests
Insect/pest infestation can be a problem and may prevent us from cleaning your home. If an infestation of ants, termites, roaches, fleas, bed bugs, mice, etc. is encountered, we will not be able to clean for you until the problem has been rectified. We are unequipped to clean up any pest problems, even if the pests are not longer alive. We will leave you a note or call you regarding any issues encountered during your appointment.
Damages
If we are responsible for damages to your home or items in your home, we will send a message and leave a note for you the day of the cleaning. We make every attempt to repair, replace or pay for any items that we have damaged.
We will not assume liability for preexisting damages or ill repair, including, but not limited to: Scratches, dings in windows, paint, furniture, floors, walls, etc. or items not secured in a proper manner. If normal cleaning (dusting, wiping, vacuuming) causes breakage, we will conclude that the item was not secured properly before our arrival. Items of monetary or sentimental value should be put away on the day of cleaning and/or cleaned by home owner.
All surfaces (e.g. marble, granite, hardwood floors, etc.) are assumed to be sealed and ready to be cleaned without causing harm/damage when common cleaners are used. Any specialty cleaning solutions used on marble and other porous stones will need to be requested in writing prior to your first service date.
Client Privacy
Your privacy is very important to us. Confidential Information includes but is not limited to: client names and contact information, addresses, alarm or door codes, any other details about clients’ properties or their contents. We will never share client information for any reason other than internal business dealings. Although we may take photos of your home for documentation, the photos will never be shared outside of At Home Cleaning Co. without explicit permission.
At Will Services
We believe that kind, respectful, and clear communication builds healthy working relationships. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of character and integrity, and expect the same from our clients. We will discontinue services in the event that our team is made uncomfortable and/or treated with disrespect. If you find that our cleaning, despite our continued efforts, is unsatisfactory, we will discontinue services with the understanding that we are not a good fit. We maintain the right to discontinue services at any time and for any reason.