A Match Maid on Handybook

New Site is Home to a Clean Home

My previous experience with a maid service proved a fiasco, i.e., every surface was covered with a slimy haze looking worse than before the cleaning, so I was skeptical about Handybook.  But for housecleaning at the affordable price of $105 for a three-bedrooms and two-baths home, I gave it a try.   My, was I surprised.

Two friendly women arrived bright and early on the scheduled day, equipped with buckets, cleaners and all the accoutrement of their trade – except for a toilet brush, which for sanitary reasons clients must provide.  Later I learned the crew was a replacement for a co-worker who was unable to come that morning, sadly due to a death in the family.  Despite this circumstance, Handybook had a team at my door within a few minutes of the scheduled time, without missing a beat.

I gave the ladies a quick tour and told them my focus areas:  The coffee-stained grout of my tile kitchen counters and sinks, the dirty wood floors throughout the house, and everything in the bathrooms – toilet, tub, shower, sink.   They nodded in agreement when I asked them to be careful vacuuming the fringes of my antique rugs.  I have made this request to every cleaning person I have hired, but it never fails that more fringes disappear with each vacuuming.

Then the ladies went to work.

Spiffy in a Jiffy

I stayed in my home office while they cleaned.  They found their way around like pros and never interrupted me once.  About two and a half hours later, I took a lunch break.  While I relaxed on my patio eating a sandwich, they completely dusted up my office, which is also my bedroom.  I returned about 20 minutes later to find my bed sheets changed, my floors washed, rug vacuumed, furniture dusted and trash emptied.

The whole house was tidied up in about three and a half hours.  I inspected with the ladies at my side.  The place looked and smelled pine-scent clean.  The wood floors shined.  I then checked the fringes of my rugs.  All intact.  Phew.  The kitchen sinks and tile still had faint stains, so I suggested Clorox to get the tile grout whiter.  The ladies explained that the company does not use bleach, opting for less toxic solutions.  Eager to please, one of them mixed up a concoction of scouring powder and organic solvent that did the trick.

While they were scrubbing down the place, they also were doing laundry I had set out.  By the time they were done, I had two sets of sheets, a bed coverlet washed and dried and a load of clothes neatly folded on the dryer.  After the ladies left, I learned from the Handybook website that laundry was an extra service ; but the ladies never mentioned it, and I was never charged.

Above and Beyond

My rating for the job was excellent, which is a high score from me, whom my very particular Mother calls, “The pickiest person I know.”  While I did see a few straggling cob webs on my 10-foot ceilings, and I found some dust atop pictures and on my tall armoire, to be fair, even on a ladder those places are hard to reach.

My rating for the customer service is 11.  I award this over-the-top score because Handybook team made sure I was completely satisfied with the service and did everything I asked and more.  They cleaned nearly every nook and cranny in my home, without whipping out a ridiculous checklist (Handybook does have one, but it seems to be more of a “guide”) like the other maid services that charge extra for deluxe services, like washing up a few dishes in the sink.  I noticed they even washed the jar of my Blendtec, which I thought was clean enough.  Again, I learned later that dish washing is extra; but the ladies did not ask for more.  Really, it was just a few plates and silverware;  o I appreciate that they simply washed them up without a lot of penny pinching.  I did tip them, of course, though tips are included in the initial price, so that is optional for customers.

Clean, Rinse, Repeat

I was so pleased with the two housecleaners who were sent, I requested them a second time, which is common.  The service will fulfill this request, so long as the individuals are available.   Also, usually only one maid comes to clean.  I got lucky as my two experts work as a team.

In the past I have always preferred to have someone I know clean my house – through a referral from a friend or neighbor – so I was hesitant to have strangers come into my home.  But I felt assured by the Handybook policy if something is missing or broken in the home then Handybook will cover the cost.

In any case, hopefully there will never be an issue, as the company has a rigorous screening process for potential employees that includes background checks, reference checks and in-person interviews.  According to the company, only 3% of applicants are accepted.

All in all, it was a very satisfactory experience.  My house was cleaned the way I like it, and I found a reliable service I can book as needed.  Now that’s Handy.