The Best Of Bay County » » Need A Maid Service? I Recommend:

So, you need or want to hire a maid servce? Question is, which one, with so many different options available.

Perhaps you need one to help with a party, or to make sure your home is spick and span for the holidays that are rapidly approaching. Or maybe, you are a landlord and looking for someone to clean up behind someone.

What kind of cleaning service do you pick?? Do you go with a large franchise company, and run the risk of having someone new in your home with every cleaning, or do you hire an individual?

There are benefits and drawbacks to each. Tell us about your experiences and recommendations. Who would you choose?

VOTE NOW!

In today's busy world, all too often we leave some things undone as we try to keep up with work, kids, activities, friends and relatives, etc. One of these things is often house cleaning. If you are finding yourself too busy to keep up with your housework, there are several options you can exercise. You can farm out the chores to kids and spouse, or you can hire outside help to get it done. Or you can use a combination of both. If you've checked your budget and have decided on outside help, you're ready to look for house cleaning or maid services. This article will give you the help you need to hire a cleaning service, what you will have them do, some approximate costs, and other information to help you decide on the service that is right for you. And if you decide you'd rather hire an individual instead, there are some regulations you need to be aware of, which we'll present as well. Read on!

Start With a Plan. Once you have decided to hire a house cleaning service, you should sit down and plan things out. Probably one of the first things to do is get an idea of what cleaning services do and do not do, and their prices. Most cleaning services will have a predetermined list of cleaning tasks they provide, and some will include extras as well. If you have any special chores you'd like done, list those so that you can check to see if they can be included. It's difficult to get a price quote online without actually filling out the forms and submitting them, but from what I've learned, plan to spend at least $75 an hour if you go with a cleaning service. If you can find an individual who works alone, you may spend less money, although other hassles might not be worth the savings. More on that later. Cleaning services generally employ people who are bonded and whose backgrounds and references have been thoroughly checked. Their employees are well-trained and do a thorough and efficient job.

Would You Rather Hire Just One Person, Not a Cleaning Service? If you would rather hire one house cleaner who works on her own, rather than through a house cleaning service, be aware there are some restrictions that may apply, and some hoops you will have to jump through if you want to be legal. According to the IRS, if you hire someone to do household work and you control what work is done as well as how it is done, you have become an employer. If you pay your household employee (aka cleaning lady) more than $1,400 a year, you are liable to withhold and pay the employer's portion of her Social Security and Medicare taxes, withhold and pay Federal and possibly State taxes, and get an employer identification number, among other regulations. This is the main reason why most people prefer to go with a cleaning service. While you might be able to save some money by hiring an individual, you'll need to decide if the savings is worth the hassle of all the Federal paperwork and tax collecting you'll have to do to be legal.