Ask around for recommendations from people you know.

Thanks. I have been asking without success. The cleaners are either not taking on any more clients or my friends are not recommending as they are not really happy with the work they are doing. Any other ideas would be appreciated. I am looking for a cleaner in Milton, Ontario.

If you have a local small town newspaper, cleaning services often advertise in them. Also, if you have Craigslist, they also advertise there. Don’t know if they have it in Canada. You might have to have a couple of services come in and give you a price. There was a thread not long ago about cleaning services and what they charge, you might find some helpful info there.

I would ask them for references, and then check them. Ask if they bring their own cleaning tools and supplies or if they use yours. My person brings her own, but I provide paper towels and trash bags, and any special cleaners like marble cleaner for bathroom vanity top. You can ask what products they use on wood floors if you have any concerns there. I don’t like anything more than a slightly damp mop on mine after vacuuming.

Most cleaning services where I live charge by the job, not by the hour. So they’ll give you a price. I don’t have my upstairs bedrooms or bathroom done because no one uses them. I leave clean sheets out for them and they change the linens.

When they were new, I hung around while they cleaned, just stayed in a room they had finished, or outside. Once I knew they were reliable, I vacate when i can, go shopping or work in the garden to stay out of their way. Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to do it myself, and then I scrub the walk in shower, and I’m glad I have them.

Consult with your local re-modeler, they usually have people in who they trust to do cleaning after renovations etc.

Try Thumbtack

Home Advisor.

Thank you very much for your very helpful comments. What is the Home Advisor - I have never heard of this. Thanks

Home Advisor is an online service that you can use to search for contractors, repairmen, and other services. I have never used it, but I think you have to put in your information and people get back to you, similar to Angie’s List, if you’ve ever heard of that. I’m not keen on submitting my personal info for service providers to pick and choose whether they want my job, I’d rather call someone local and interview them to see if I want them.

Try doing a search online for cleaning services in your area. They will probably charge more than an individual person who is doing it on their own. I’ve had poor service from the corporate type business, who sent different people every time and did a sloppy job.

Here is another discussions on the subject.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/cleaning-service-what-do-you-have-them-do-dsvw-vd~2463293[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/cleaning-service-what-do-you-have-them-do-dsvw-vd~2463293)

Another perspective.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/just-need-to-vent-about-house-cleaners-dsvw-vd~5353406?n=57[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/just-need-to-vent-about-house-cleaners-dsvw-vd~5353406?n=57)

I’ve had good luck with my current house cleaners. I found them through an ad in the local small paper. In the beginning they were a husband and wife with a helper. Now the wife works with two other women, usually the same two, though sometimes one of them leaves and is replaced. I’ve had them for about 12 years. I leave the door unlocked on the day they come, though sometimes I ‘m home when they arrive and I clear out after they get here.

Before they come I put away dirty dishes, clutter on counters, papers on table, shoes, books, anything laying around that’s not where it belongs. I clear the vanity, put toothbrushes and toiletries away, nothing left but a couple of deco items and a hand towel. No clothes lying around bedroom.

They know my house, and work quickly. I have had to sometimes ask them to do something differently or use a different product. They are always happy to do things I ask. I paid a bit extra to have her clean the inside of the oven. They dust the furniture and blinds, window sills, baseboards. Wipe down counters, vanities, inside microwave, clean top of stove and sink, wash coffee pot and filter, front of dishwasher and fridge. Vacuum wood floors, carpet and tile floors and damp mop wood. Wash tile. Clean bathroom tile, toilet, sinks, walk in shower, change sheets and put dirty ones in laundry basket for me to wash. They wash the glass outdoor sliding doors and sweep the welcome mat just outside, and take the trash and recycling out to the garage.

They do the family room, living room, kitchen, dining, bedroom, and 1 1/2 baths and the stairs going up, but they don’t do the second floor, no one uses it. it takes them about an hour and I pay $90. It would probably be a bit less if they quoted me on this house but I moved last year from a bigger house and just kept paying them the same amount at the new house. I give them about the cost of a cleaning visit as a holiday gift every year. They’re nice, they sing in Portuguese while they clean.

Thank you for all the great information. Thank you for being so generous with your input. I will continue to look.

Jo, do you have nextdoor.com in your area. They are great for local recommendations because the people commenting live in your community.

Nextdoor is not available in Canada. They have goneighbour.org similar organization.